Two Paths to Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Two Paths to Freedom - Essay Example 246). Both Martin and Malcolm criticized each other as a means of justifying his method of operation. Malcolm criticizes Martin by feeling that Christian ideologies were corrupt by promoting the white man. On the other hand, Martin reacted by terming Malcolm’s Nation of Islam ideas as a desperate reaction to segregation (Cone and Witherspoon, p. 245). Both Martin and Malcolm viewed human respect as the primary objective of their struggle. Martin felt that the connection was derived from religion and cultural identification while Martin felt that respect was acquired through socio-political power. We also further on realize that both leaders culturally identified with Africa as their place of descent (Cone and Witherspoon, p. 247). It can be observed that, Malcolm’s idea of black religion and social identity complements Martin’s idea of political power for equality. Malcolm’s idea of religion for equality was used by martin in the Montgomery bus boycott to advocate religious identity as Christians. Christianity on its part supported the idea of equality for all Christians (Cone and Witherspoon

Self Portrait Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Self Portrait - Essay Example What is more, I had my own future ambitions, which were focused on living a well learned lifestyle that made me financially independent and free from most of the common worries of life. In effect when the opportunity came, I felt the luckiest person in the word for the amazing future ahead in USA and the awful future I escaped for leaving Cuba. There’s millions of Cubans or other countries’ citizens willing the same opportunity and I was one of the chosen one. The second episode was related to a social event in my life, when as part of my long time ambition to attend a world class concert, I attended the concert of none other than Celine Dion. Not only did I attend Celine Dion’s concert but I had the opportunity to sit at a VIP stand that was very close to the stage where I could see the artist clearly and have a full feel of the concert. The show was colorful for everyone who was there but to me, it is more than awesome. Before the time, I had an iPod full of Celine Dion’s songs, which tells how much I love the diva. But from my background, hardly did I think a day was coming when I would sit at her feet and watch her perform. Here was I, the poor, country girl in front of that amazing and divine voice – it was very emotional. It is so pleasant to feel as a social event can complete aspects of a person’s life. The last episode is on my academic life and related to the day of my graduation as a Registered Nurse. Caring for others and being of help to them has been my childhood ambition. When in May 2009 I graduated with BSN from Barry University on May 2009, I was more than joyous. . When I think about my graduation as a nurse, it makes me think everything is possible. This episode gives me so many lessons on the need to be consistent, dedicated and responsible. I always worked (full time job as a waiter) and studied (full time too), had a husband and did house duties as a wife at the same time when I was studying. These factors however

Physiological Psychology and Ocd Essay Example for Free

Physiological Psychology and Ocd Essay Physiological Psychology is as described by Kalat (1998) as the study of the physiological, evolutionary, and developmental mechanisms of behaviour and experience. It is devoted to the study of brain functioning, how Neurons and Glia convey messages to one another and other parts of the body for it to function and work accordingly. Future studies of physiological psychology will help predict behavioural patterns in society and how brain functions can be â€Å"rewritten† through cognitive therapies .e.g. alcoholism, drug addictions. Kalat (1998) further goes onto explain that a Biological psychologist (physiological psychologist) try to answer four types of questions about any given behaviour, how it relates to the physiology of the brain (what parts of the brain are active) and other organs, how it develops within the individual, how did the capacity for this behaviour evolve and why did this behaviour evolve. Without the physiological understanding of how brain process work in relation to behaviour it is difficult to correctly diagnose a behaviour pattern and its cause. Kalat (1998) describes that â€Å"having a little anxiety can be useful†, however OCD is a condition in which there is excessive anxiety. OCD can be explained to a patient in simple physiological terms explaining the behaviour of the brain, for example: OCD patients often have a broken mechanism (being a synapse interaction) in their brain that would usually stop a thought once you have it. In an OCD patient it does not (stop the thought) – so the thought is allowed to revolve. This seems in description that it would sound more like a broken record than OCD really does, but that isn’t what really happens. OCD can be genetic but is most certainly physiological in nature. Without an understanding of brain functioning and how these neurons interact, how can psychologists work to alleviate the symptoms of the disorder? Research into the biological causes and effects of OCD has revealed a link between OCD and insufficient levels of the brain chemical, serotonin. Serotonin is one of the brains chemical messengers that transmit signals between brain cells. Serotonin plays a role in the regulation of mood, aggression, impulse control, sleep, appetite, body temperature and pain. For example persons with unregulated serotonin lead to destructive antisocial behaviour patterns, which society commonly experiences on a growing scale. All of the medicines used to treat OCD raise the levels of serotonin available to transmit messages. Without physiological psychological research into the effects that these medicines have on the brain society would lack the knowledge and understanding of how to diagnose and appropriately treat disorders such as OCD. Modern brain imaging techniques have allowed researchers to study the activity of specific areas of the brain. Such studies have shown that people with OCD have more than usual activity in three areas of the brain. These are: The caudate nucleus, specific brain cells in the basal ganglia, located deep in the centre of the brain this area of the brain acts as a filter for thoughts coming in from other areas. The caudate nucleus is also considered to be important in managing habitual and repetitive behaviours. When OCD is successfully treated with drugs or therapy, the activity in this area of the brain usually decreases. This shows that both drugs and a change in thinking can alter the physical functioning of the brain. The prefrontal orbital cortex, located in the front area of the brain the level of activity in the prefrontal orbital cortex is believed to affect appropriate social behaviour. Lowered activity or damage in this region is linked to feeling uninhibited, making bad judgments and feeling a lack of guilt. More activity may therefore cause more worry about social concerns. Such concerns include: being meticulous, neat and preoccupied with cleanliness, and being afraid of acting inappropriately. All of these concerns are symptoms of OCD. The cingulate gyrus, in the centre of the brain the cingulate gyrus is believed to contribute the emotional response to obsessive thoughts. This area of the brain tells you to perform compulsions to relieve anxiety. This region is highly interconnected to the prefrontal orbital cortex and the basal ganglia via a number of brain cell pathways. The basal ganglia, the prefrontal orbital cortex and the cingulate gyrus all have many brain cells affected by serotonin. Researchers believe that medicines that raise the levels of serotonin available to transmit messages may change the level of activity in these areas of the brain. Kalat (1998) offers the idea that drugs intended to control anxiety alter activity at amygdale synapses. â€Å"One of the amygdala’s main excitatory neuromodulators is CCK (cholecystokinin), which increases anxiety, and the main inhibitory transmitter is GABA, which inhibits anxiety.† Without physiological research into the how and why of brain function, people with disorders such as OCD would not be able to function â€Å"normally† within society. However this type of research and study is not limited just too diagnosing disorders in those with suspected behavioural problems but also allows insight into society as a whole and its interaction socially, emotionally and habitually. New and innovative studies through physiological research have shown that cognitive behavioural therapy can change activity in certain areas of the brain. The discovery could have important clinical implications on how talk therapies improve brain function and advance mental health. Researchers discovered significant changes in activity in certain regions of the brain can be produced with as little as four weeks of daily therapy in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder as published in the journal Molecular Psychiatry. â€Å"The study is exciting because it tells us more about how cognitive-behavioural therapy works for OCD and shows that both robust clinical improvements and changes in brain activity occur after only four weeks of intensive treatment,† said Saxena. Past studies using functional brain imaging studies of patients with OCD have demonstrated that elevated activity along the frontal-sub cortical circuits of the brain decreases in response to treatment with serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SRI) medications or cognitive-behavioural therapy. However, clinical improvement of OCD symptoms was expected to require up to 12 weeks of behavioural therapy or medication treatment, the standard treatments for OCD. Only a handful of studies have looked at how therapy affects brain function, and all previous studies had examined changes over several months of treatment. Continual studies into physiological psychology will enhance clinical practises and provide a platform for more effective treatment of the symptoms related to this disorder. Saxena and colleagues at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA made two novel discoveries in their study of 10 OCD patients and 12 control subjects. â€Å"First of all, we discovered significant changes in brain activity solely as the result of four weeks of intensive cognitive-behavioural therapy,† said Saxena. â€Å"Secondly, these changes were different than those seen in past studies after a standard 12-week therapeutic approach using SRI medications or weekly behavioural therapy.† The researchers obtained positron emission tomography (PET) scans of the ten OCD patients both before and after they received four weeks of a therapy known as â€Å"exposure and response prevention,† which gradually desensitizes patients to things that provoke obsession fears or worries. However, the PET scans in this study also showed a significant increase in activity in an area of the brain called the right dorsal anterior cingulate cortex, a region involved in reappraisal and suppression of negative emotions. Increasing activity in this region corresponded to the OCD patients’ improvement in clinical symptoms after the four-week course of intensive therapy. It is possible to see the huge amount of information that physiological research has bought forth to society through just these examples alone. Physiological psychology is the study of the physiological basis of how we think, connecting the physical operation of the brain with what we actually say and do. It is thus concerned with brain cells, brain structures and components, brain chemistry, and how all this leads to speech and action. Further research as to how growing debilitating disorders such as OCD could be eliminated or drastically reduced in severity has weight in its importance. The research however does not stop with OCD diagnosis but has relevant importance to understand how we take in information in general from our five senses. Future studies based on OCD research could be more relevant than we think to other major issues facing society such as depression, drug addiction and mental health. It is imperative for governing bodies to fund education and research into the study of physiological psychology for this very reason. References: Kalat 1998 Biological Psychology Molecular Psychiatry Molecular Psychiatry 14, 197-205 (February 2009) | doi:10.1038/sj.mp.400213

The Bearer Of The Fruits Of Sin :: essays research papers

The world of Puritan New England, like the world of today, was filled with many evil influences. Many people were able to withstand the temptations of this darker side of the spiritual world, but still some fell victim to the supposed Satan’s will. Such offences against God, in thought, word, deed, desire or neglect, are what we define as sin (Schuler 14). In Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter, the reader is able to observe how one sin devastates three lives. Hester, Dimmesdale, and Chillingworth are all guilty of succumbing to temptation, anger, and desire, causing all to fit the definition of a sinner. Yet, Chillingworth’s iniquities raise him up above Hester and Dimmesdale on the level of diabolic acts. From the very moment Chillingworth is introduced, he is deceitful towards the Puritan society. Chillingworth appears in the novel, seeming to know nothing of the scene at the scaffold. He asks of a townsperson: â€Å"†¦who is this woman? – and wherefore is she here to set up to public shame?† (Hawhtorne 67). Yet, we find in the next chapter that he indeed knows who Hester is, because Chillingworth is the lawful husband of her. He decieves the people of Boston to avoid the humiliation his wife brought upon him. In this respect, Chillingworth sins against the eight commandment, â€Å"You shall not bear false witness against your neighbour† (Schuler 26).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Now, one could state that Hester also sins against the eighth commandment. She never reveals the name of her daughter’s father. And it is stated that one must always tell the truth. Yet, it also states that one must keep a secret whenever asked to do so, and not say anything to damage another’s reputation (Schuler 27). So Hester, in fact, did not sin. She never denies that Dimmesdale was the father of Pearl. She also could not admit the truth because she would break a promise to Dimmesdale and damage his reputation. Dimmesdale also may be accused of this crime, but likewise, he never outwardly states that he was not the father of this child, he merely chooses to remain silent on the matter. While Chillingworth is guilty of breaking the eighth commandment, he also breaks the fifth commandment â€Å"You shall not kill† (Schuler 24). It fact that Chillingworth did not directly kill anyone in the novel. Nevertheless, a serious act of anger or hatred is considered a sin under this commandment (Schuler 25).

Dysfunctional Families In Cana Essay -- essays research papers

Dysfunctional family relationships form the basis of many Canadian short stories. Often, tragedy is the end result of severe family breakdown. In other cases, personality defects are directly traceable to poor family dynamics. In the stories â€Å"Hurt†, â€Å"Fall of a City†, and â€Å"The Sound of Hollyhocks† there were very profound family problems. The difficulty in the father/son relationship in â€Å"Hurt† reflects a role reversal. Even though Stevie is only a young boy, he took care of himself and his father. Stevie made his own meals and when his father was inebriated, he â€Å"...went down to the store and got him a couple bottles of vanilla to sober up on.† (pg. 195) In a family situation a young child such as Stevie should not have the responsibility of taking care of his parent. Moreover, even when Stevie’s father was sober, Stevie could do whatever he liked without consequence. Skip described such a freedom when he said that â€Å"Stevie went to school when he wanted to go...† (pg. 193) This lack of rules or an authority figure demonstrates the dysfunctionality of this family. Also, Stevie’s father was a violent alcoholic. Skip observed that somedays Stevie’s father would be â€Å"...pounding on the walls with his fists and swearing and crying all at the same time...† (pg. 195) The parent/child role reversal , the lack of structure, discipline, and authority in the home and the violent episodes demonstrate the degree of dysfunction in this family. â€Å"Fall of a City† depicts the dysfunctional...

Disadvantages of Wearing a Bra

Title: Disadvantages of wearing a bra Why do women wear bras? Is it to enhance the percieved shape of a woman's breast, minimize or enlarge her perceived breast size, restrain breast movement during an activity, or is it to overcome sagging? Most bras are designed to be form-fitting, to lift the breast of the chest wall if they sag and to retain their movement. All these are advantages of wearing a bra but it has it's disadvantages that can even lead to health issues in the life of women today. Wearing a bra can increase the process of sagging of the breast as well as give rise to many health issues. Sagging of the breast is one major concern in our society today. However, it is a natural, inevitable process that happens to all women at some point. The most notable sagging happens with the process called breast involution which occurs when the milk-making system inside the breast shrinks because it's not needed anymore, but breasts can start sagging a little at any age, because they do not have muscles in them. They have ligaments and connective tissue. When gravity pulls the breasts down, those ligaments and the skin can stretch, and so the breast then sags. This depends on the elasticity of your skin and of your ligaments, as determined by your genes and diet, and also on normal aging processes. Obviously large breasts will sag easier since the gravity is pulling them down more.

Affection and sexuality Essay Example

Affection and sexuality Essay Example Affection and sexuality Essay Affection and sexuality Essay Essay Topic: The Second Sex Abused and neglected children have a more complex development than a normal child. There are two types of parent-child relationship that affects the development of abused and neglected children: conflict and neglect, and physical or sexual abuse. For the first type, the children develop impaired bonding, emotional deprivation and role reversal. For the second type, children develop impaired decision-making skills and imbalanced differentiation between affection and sexuality. Throughout the developmental stages from pregnancy and birth to the child’s growing up years, the parental and societal culture that the child needs to live up with brings conflicting values and meanings the child misinterprets and uses wrongly. During pregnancy and birth, the development is stunted because of the neglect of parents on the basic developmental needs of their child such as being cared for. The primary problem with an abusive parent is the desire for control. And because bringing a child into the world may cause disillusionment since they focus on how the child will love them not the other way around, the strain starts in the relationship. Aside from the mother’s changes in her perceptions and worldviews brought about by childbirth, the father also experiences the same changes. This can affect the relationship between the parents, which can affect that of the child’s relationship with his parents. Without a support system, parents fail to realize the much needed models for emulation of parenthood. Because these parents are so caught up with their expectations and needs, they tend to ignore or fail to realize the needs of their children, resulting to the child’s stunted development. The child’s ability to adapt and cope with his environment is based on how his environment treats him. Children learn by emulating what they see and if their environment is neglectful, then they will fail to develop the necessary qualities that will help them develop into better beings in the future. Abuse and neglect impede in necessary development of the child.