Que Onda Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity Essay

Que Onda Urban Youth Culture and Border Identity - Essay Example Politics of Identity along the Mexican Border In her book, Bejarano makes a strong case for the evolution and synthesis of a unique border identity that manifests itself along the long border that Mexico shares with the USA. In fact, hardly a day passes when we do not hear of something happening on this porous piece of land that separates the two nations. Living along the border has given Latino/as and Chicano/as a unique sense of identity- they either choose to remain true to their roots or create an altered culture and identity that is a hybrid of both American and local values. Using customs, styles, music and language, they create a new subculture that is an expression of their bi-national and bi-cultural experience. The socio-political landscape that they find themselves in while in adolescence helps create a culture that represents, defines and explains their unique identity (Bejarano, 88). For teens, adolescence represents a unique time in their lives when they are reaching ou t to the wider community through establishing friendships and communal bonds in their neighborhoods and localities. It is surprising that even Latino/as and Chicano/as want to be at a certain distance from each other in this respect due to their unique language, music and cultural differences. Each of these groups either adopts their own style of alternative culture, or blends in with the American culture to create a unique American-Latino or American-Chicano style. The unique identifiers are still music, clothing, videos and celebrity watchers and emulators of what they include in their reference groups (Bejarano, 95). Factors Influencing Identity Development along the Border Region There are a myriad number of factors that influence and infringe upon identity development along the border region that separates Mexico and the USA. They could choose to remain true to their roots or alternatively create a culture and identity that is a hybrid of both American and local values. They mi ght well be confused, because even as part of the American population chooses to follow and emulate Chicano and Mexican values in dress, dance and music, most Latinos and Chicanos would still view this with distaste and ridicule. They would resent any effort to popularize and commercialize their values and identity in the name of farcical popular culture, when they see on the other hand that there is still hatred for the Mexican immigrant that crossed the border to earn a better standard of living for his or her family. Indeed the botched up effort to present guayaberas as a Mexican shirt was so ill-fated that it has served as a symbol of shamefulness to Mexicans as a misrepresentation of their culture- in true American style- and has led to retaliatory efforts in schools to create youth’s own ‘Chicanismo’ hybrid style which reflects their experiences in the school setting (Bejarano, 97). It is indeed not surprising that the author found that Chicano/as at Altami ra High School chose to create a distinct sub-cultural identity for themselves as expressed in fashions, music and language, as well as interest in car shows and looking ‘ghetto fabulous’. Meanwhile, it is also clear that Mexicans and Chicanos differ in a number of ways regarding certain values and customs. The Mexicanas find that the major part of even their weekend is consumed by

Rusell’s Theory of Reference Essay Example for Free

Rusell’s Theory of Reference Essay Language is very powerful. It can isolate one individual or allowed it to communicate with other people. We acquire a lot of skills and knowledge through the use of language. We used language for cultural adaptation. Some thinkers would just put it that way, accept language as part of our mundane existence, while others were engrossed on it. More than its social significance one cannot deny that language is important to the discourse of man thus some scholars put much value on the power of language in solving the puzzles in life. The structure of language became a preoccupation not just by linguistics but even by philosophy. It is the hope of philosophy in untangling the mess on the previous era. But before one would even speak of solving puzzles, s/he is already caught in the question as to what is the connection of language to the real world? Is there a world outside the rules of language? With that we begin to digest the underlying themes and issues in the development of philosophy of language. One of the issues concerning philosophers of language is, in what way can language represent the world. Moreover, do names pertains to the things themselves, as we experienced them? Is our description of the world the exact replica of the world? These are questions that not only Philosophy of language discussed but even those interested in metaphysics. If during the time of Descartes, philosophers are preoccupied with the debate between realism and idealism, in looking at the philosophy of language one can see that this debate did not die out but was transformed into a more investigative one such that scholars do not only discuss the world outside our representation of it, but also the connection between words, thoughts, meanings, reality and truth. In tracing the development of philosophy, one could conclude that philosophy undergone three stages; at first, ancient philosophers such as Parmenides and Heraclitus were concern about the world of world (or cosmos),second stage is the world of ideas, were the interest of thinkers includes, the dichotomy between the body and the mind, or of reality and ideas, and lastly is the world of language, were philosophers recognized the muddles of philosophy in the past particularly in the branch of metaphysics is due to the problems in language. How can one expressed or represent the world through language? Are the meanings we associate with the words have something to do with reality? It is in this light that logic was employed by some thinkers in trying to explain the connection of words with the thing itself. Does the word ‘chicken’ for instance pertains to something out there? Are the two thing the same or independent with each other? These will be explored in the succeeding parts focusing specifically on the theory of reference by Bertrand Russell coupled with the reaction of his protege Ludwig Wittgenstein. These two analytical philosophers became very influential that Time magazine(2003) even considered them as two of the 100 most important people of the Century. At first, the theory of reference must be clarified. What do the philosophers such as Russell mean by â€Å"reference? † Reference pertains to the relation derived from the expression and what the person used to talk about such expression (Reimer: 2003). The major question is in what way words can refer? Or what are the rules in referring? This concern about reference is also in relation to truth and meaning. Russell, considered as a descriptivist, believed in the description theory whereby proper name do â€Å"refers† because of the descriptive content associated with it by the speaker (Reimer: 2003). However he also clarified that proper names can vary from one speaker to another. For example, Peter (one person) may be called by someone as her son, and husband by another. As opposed to Frege, Russell go further in explaining that definite descriptions are not really referring expressions because they are not â€Å"logically proper names (Ibid). † In his collaboration with Whitehead, Russell developed his ideas that mathematical truths can be translated to logical truths. This reduction of Logic to Mathematics is known as Logicism. Maybe one would asked, why is there a need for this? Russell together with Whitehead wanted to provide solution in the difficulties of language which is why they look at the possibility that formal rules of logic could help solve the problem. This new tradition in Philosophy marked the attitude of a philosopher in understanding the world by knowing the opportunities and limitations impinge on us by language. Rusell became known in analytical philosophy also because of his theory of logical atomism (Klement:2005). This was derived or grew from the initial collaboration with Whitehead. According to this view, all truths are dependent upon layer of atomic facts (Ibid). He proposed that elements of certain theories be breakdown into simple forms (â€Å"atoms†). Russell’s idea also suggests that atomic propositions are logically independent with each other. Logical atomism is possible when formal logic provides the rules by which we can translate ideal language into their simple, atomic facts and put them in a meaningful context. Upon seeing Russell’s discussion, one of the greatest analytic philosopher has also something say about logic and about reference in relation to truth. The Early Wittgenstein ( He was called as such because the later Wittgenstein in the Philosophical Investigation totally abandoned his assumptions in this early writing), published his known book, Tractatus Logico-Philosopicus which became an a logical piece which explains the metaphysical world. This book was closely linked with Bertrand Russell’s philosophy because it tries to continue some of his ideas and at the same time serve as a reaction to it. The book basically address the problem of the world and language in philosophy. Wittgenstein (1922) believed that the world is represented by thought. His conception of the world is different with the logical atomists in a way that he believed it is made up of facts instead of objects. Wittgenstein’s idea of the world is unique because he considered thoughts and propositions as pictures of the world. Wittgenstein’s investigation in the Tractatus serves to find the limits of the world, thought and language (Ibid). As a consequence of this, he believed that one can only represents through meaningful propositions factual state of affairs that are capable of being pictured. Although he made it clear that the pictorial representations of the world show themselves through logical propositions but they cannot be said. Language therefore serve its function in showing or picturing this facts. Facts according to him are constructed in complex one thus making what one called the ‘world. ’ It must be said that in the Ordinary language tradition, a different Wittgenstein, proposed philosophical investigations with ordinary language and not some theory still trapped within the muddles of philosophy. Wittgenstein for instance would say, that instead of worrying yourself about the meaning of life and trying to look for some explanations (either logical or theological), one should understand how does s/he lives her/his life and is s/he happy in the process. Also in the latter Wittgenstein it was shown his theory the need for individuals to speak the same language. This was advanced in his idea on â€Å"language games’ whereby, if one would look the world, one would realized that there are various use and context of language. That an individual before engaging into the language game should first need to know the rules to be in context. This view is quiet similar to Austin’s theory in the Philosophy of Language entitled, â€Å"How to do things with Words. In as much as it is interesting to discussed the ordinary language theory in detail as part of the analytic tradition, it would be systematic to go back to the discussion of analytical philosophy in general. Going back to Russell’s theory, its contribution to analytic philosophy is that it became an offshoot for the development Tractatus Logico-Philosophicus that further lead to other strands of analytic philosophy. Based from the previous discussion one would realized why analytical philosophy is linked with philosophy of language. Some accounts also called analytical philosophy as ordinary language philosophy but not all thinkers are comfortable to used the terms interchangeably . Russell and Wittgenstein tried to solve some of the problems in philosophy by using logical analysis that would analyze the role of language to reality. The used of language will able the thinkers to solve philosophical problems. This was explicitly mentioned by Wittgenstein in the Tractatus, â€Å"the limits of my language means the limits of my world. † As an overview of the Analytical philosophy, the individual must realized that even though some philosophers adhere to the need for formal and logical analysis, others prefer to used ordinary language theory. Within the Analytic tradition there are various forms such as logical positivism, logical atomism, and ordinary language philosophy. Philosophers are even divided based on these strands. We can only hope that maybe in the future language could provide meanings that would enlighten us in our search for knowledge.

Social Constructions Of Tuberculosis Sociology Essay

Social Constructions Of Tuberculosis Sociology Essay Even in the twenty-first century tuberculosis is a major public health concern, with an estimated 8.9 million new cases and 1.7 million deaths in 2004 Dye, 2006. TB is an infectious disease caused by a bacterium called Mycobacterium tuberculosis and it primary affects the lungs however it can also affect organs in the circulatory system, nervous system and lymphatic system as well as others. Commonly in the majority of cases an individual contracts the TB bacterium which then multiplies in the lungs often causing pneumonia along with chest pain, coughing up blood and a prolonged cough. As the bacterium spreads to other parts of the body, it is often interrupted by the bodys immune system. The immune system forms scar tissue or fibrosis around the TB bacteria and this helps fight the infection and prevents the disease from spreading throughout the body and to other people. If the bodys immune system is unable to fight TB or if the bacteria breaks through the scar tissue, the disease r eturns to an active state with pneumonia and damage to kidneys, bones, and the meninges that line the spinal cord and brain (Crosta, 2012). Thus, TB is generally classified as either latent or active; latent TB is the state when bacteria are present in the body however presents no systems therefore is inactive and not contagious. Whereas, active TB is contagious and can consists of numerous aforementioned symptoms. This essay will attempt to illustrate the ways in which social constructions of TB reflect wider socio-cultural values within contemporary global society. In the first part I will examine the historical context of TB and its link with poverty which continues on in present time. Secondly, I will explore the stigmatism and isolation with TB and finally I will relate the social construction of TB with the work of Emile Durkheim. It is important to recognise the geographical disparities in the prevalence of TB. For example, countries such as Australia have a relatively low incidence of the disease with new cases primarily being identified in migrant populations a decade after their settlement. In some European nations with substantial public healthcare facilities, TB continues to be a problem particularly within large thriving cities such as London. This disproportionate increase in disease incidence compared with other community groups and national rates can be found in those who are socially disadvantaged including homeless, drug and alcohol addicted, people with HIV, prisoner populations as well as refugees and migrantsà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ (Smith, 2009: 1). This demonstrates the negative connotations society denotes to TB infected individuals as well as suggesting that in order to better understand the social construction of TB, the history of the bacterium needs to be explored. In 1882 Koch isolated the Mycoba cterium tuberculosis and it was acknowledged that the disease was spread through overcrowded conditions, insufficient nutrition and a penurious lifestyle. It can be argued that TB has been constructed in two main ways: socially and biologically. Biologically through science as an organism and socially by the community as a slow wasting death that was often associated with pale individuals being removed from the community (Smith, 2009: 1). Throughout history TB has been ambiguously represented. Much of the Western nineteenth century fictional literature highly romanticized the disease and reinforced the prevailing practices and beliefs. Often referred to as consumption; people were described as being consumed and exhausted by the disease as symptoms were assumed to be individuals looking delicate, pale and drained of energy. Treatment during this period in history mirrored these romanticised notions. Medical care was commonly described as a combination of fresh air, companionship and rest. In contrast, many non-European countries negatively popularised TB as part of vampire myths as people tried to make sense of the disease symptoms (Smith, 2010). As a result, diseased bodies were exhumed and ritually burnt to remove vampires existence (Smith, 2009: 1). This demonstrates the contrasting representations of TB within differing societies, suggesting that the hegemonic socio-cultural values of a disease in this case TB pla ys a crucial role in the social representations of a disease. As well as illustrating the importance of considering the impact of spatial and temporal differences. Following the identification of the disease the discovery of streptomycin and other anti-tuberculosis medications quickly emerged. This gave the impression that TB was no longer a major health problem but instead incurable and controllable. Despite being important for treating TN, streptomycin, isoniazid and other anti-tuberculosis drugs contained limits for treatment. Resistance quickly developed and resistant strains of the bacterium quickly emerged limiting the use of many drugs. Consequently, to stop resistance several of the anti- TB drugs are required in combination and need to be taken for a period between 6 months and two years during therapy (Gandy and Zumla, 2002). However, recent outbreaks of multi-drug (MDR) TB have once again brought the disease to the forefront of global health problems. MDR TB is said to have emerged due to inadequate treatment of TB, commonly due to over- prescribing or improper prescribing of anti-TB drugs. Problems with treatment generally occur in immunocompromised patients, such as malnourished patients and Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS) patients (Craig et al., 2007). In addition, it can be observed that the increase in TB closely reflects the rise cases of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and AIDS globally. Frequently, individuals with immune disorders are not only more likely to contract and develop TB, they are also more likely to be in contact with other TB patients due to often being placed in special wards and clinics, where the disease is easily spread to others (Gray, 1996: 25). In 2009, 12% of over 9 million new TB cases worldwide were HIV-positive, equalling approximately 1.1 million people (WHO, 2010). One of the most significantly affected countries is South Africa, where 73% of all TB cases are HIV-positive (Padarath and Fonn, 2010). Furthermore, in the early twentieth century improved medical knowledge and technology allowed for better diagnosis. During this period words such as contagion and plagues were popularly used in negative terms in association to judge societies. TB was reported as a form of societal assessment, infecting the bad and the good being disease free. A number of reports suggest a sense of apprehension became apparent as differing tuberculosis beliefs began to emerge (Smith, 2009: 1). This highlights the importance of social representations in terms of common terms associated with a disease play in the social constructions of TB. Moreover, it could be argued that peoples perceptions of a disease are not only shaped by their direct experiences and the impressions received from others but also significantly through media representations of the disease (Castells, 1998). It is important to recognise the symbiotic relationship between media representations of a disease and the dominant public disc ourses. It should be acknowledged that the term discourse has multiple meanings, nevertheless this essay will employ Luptons (1992) assessment that discourse as a set of ideas or a patterned way of thinking which can be discerned within texts and identified within wider social structures. The discourses that are founded and circulated by the media (mainly newspapers) can be regarded as working to produce what Foucault (1980) calls particular understandings about the world that are accepted as truth (Waitt, 2005). Thus in the process of disseminating such truths, it could be argued that the media as a collective and commercial institution is implicated in governing populations. Meaning that the power of the media can (directly or indirectly) influence the conduct of its audiences (Lawrence et al., 2008: 728). This illustrates that media representations of a disease (TB) impact and are themselves influenced by dominant societal discourses thus helping to shape the social constructions of TB. Moreover, it could be argued that there is strong link between those associated with TB and stigmatism and isolation as well as poverty and dirt (Scambler, 1998). Historically, TB was romanticised and referred to as consumption, however once its infectious nature was recognised this notion quickly changed. By the early twentieth century, the prevailing social and cultural values at the time generally believed that the disease festered in environments of dirt and squalor and was known as the diseases of the poor which could then be spread to the middle and upper classes. However, by the twenty-first century this discourse shifted from the poor (although marginalised groups such as the homeless and those with AIDS were still implicated) to the role played by Third World populations in harbouring the disease which threatens to explode into the developed world (Lawrence et al., 2008: 729). This demonstrates that as societys socio-cultural values change the way in which disease is constru cted and perceived also changes. It is important to consider the ways which these socio-cultural values change as well as acknowledge the interlinked relationship between dominant discourses, media representations and prevailing socio-cultural values. The relationship between TB and poverty has been recognised (Elender, Bentham and Langford, 1998) and arguably may not only reflect medical and social characteristics of poor individuals, but also characteristics of housing and neighbourhood which foster airborne spread of TB infection, such as crowding and poor ventilation. Population groups with an increased prevalence of latent infection (such as new immigrants) are disproportionately found in poor areas- often with lower quality housing (Wanyeki et al,. 2006: 501). This illustrates that not only socio-cultural values influence the social constructions of TB but socio-economic factors such as income and housing play a key role too. Additionally, it is important to recognise the global disparities with TB. For example, Dodor et al (2008) argue that in countries where treatment for TB is not readily available, the disease has become highly stigmatised and infected individuals are exceedingly discriminated. According to Link and Phelan (2001) stigma arises when a person is identified by a label that sets the person apart and prevailing cultural beliefs link the person to undesirable stereotypes that result in loss of status and discrimination (Gerrish, Naisby and Ismail, 2012: 2655). This can be illustrates in common cases where people with TB often isolate themselves in order to avoid infecting others may try to hide their diagnosis to reduce the risk of being shunned (Baral et al,. 2007). From research in Thailand, Johansson et al. (2000) distinguish two main forms of stigma; one based on social discrimination and second on fear from self-perceived stigma. Furthermore, patients commonly experience social isolati on in family sphere where they are obligated to eat and sleep separately (Baral et al,. 2007). This is a common case in countries such as India where little factual knowledge exists about the causes and treatments of TB and access to the necessary healthcare is diminutive (Weiss and Ramakrishna, 2006). As well as many rural communities where knowledge is passed through previous generations; stigmatism and isolation related to TB is substantial- representing the social cultural beliefs of the community. It is important to recognise that the stigma and its associated discrimination have a significant impact on disease control (Macq, Solis and Martinez, 2006). Concern about being identified as someone with TB can potentially put off people who suspect they have TB to get proper diagnosis and treatment. These delays in diagnosis and treatment mean that people remain infectious longer thus are more likely to transmit the disease to others (Mohamed at al,. 2011). In a study conducted by Balasubramanian, Oommen and Samuel (2000) in Kerala, India stated that stigma and fears about being identified with TB were responsible for 28% of patients and this was a significantly greater problem for women (50%) than men (21%). This illustrates those socio- cultural values, for example the gender inequality highly present in Indian societies has a crucial impact on the social construction of TB. Also, in another study of social stigma related to TB conducted in Maharashtra, India, showed that stigma and discrimination of the disease resulted in late diagnosis and treatment. Moranker et al,. (2000) found that 38 out of 80 patients they studies (40 women and 40 men) reported to actively attempting to hide their disease from the community. Social vulnerability contributed to womens reticence to disclose TB, and such women were typically widows or married and living with joint families (Weiss, Ramakrishna and Somma, 2006: 281). This demonstrates the extent to which negative socio-cultural beliefs and values about TB can help to construct the disease- in terms of diagnosis, treatment and contagion. Emile Durkheims (1915) work can help to better understand the argument that social constructions of TB reflect wider socio-cultural values. One of Durkheims core arguments was his claim that the ideas of time, space, class, cause and personality are constructed out of social elements. This allows us to examine the human body not only as a reflection of social elements but it draws attention to changes over time. Durkheims idea that space and classification are socially constructed stems from the collective experience of the social group. According to Durkheim the fundamental social division is dualistic in that one is between the social group and the other not the social group; which he applied to religion resulted in the sacred and the profane. This central framework can then be used to various ways of viewing the world. Simply put as one geographic space could be labelled as A and another as not A. Social anthropologist Mary Douglas (1966) extended this Durkheimian vision and disce rned that: far from a chasm separating the sacred and profane, as Durkheim had argued, there was a potential space which existed outside the classification system: this unclassified space polluted the purity of classification and was therefore seen as potentially dangerousà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Douglass analysis of purity and danger can equally be applied to the rules underpinning public health which are concerned with maintaining hygiene. The basic rule of hygiene is that some things are clean and others are dirty and therefore dangerous. Danger arises primarily from objects existing outside the classification system and therefore by determining what is dangerous and where it comes from it is possible to reconstruct the contemporary classification system (Armstrong, 2012: 16-17). This illustrates the essays central argument that social constructions of TB reflect wider socio- cultural values- meaning that till present day in many parts of the world TB is still perceived as an unknown variable and thus outside of societys normal classification system therefore is commonly professed synonymously with connotations of danger and dirt. These results in significant stigmatism, isolation and discrimination associated with individuals with TB (Heijnders and Van Der Meij, 2006). Furthermore, this highlights the fluid nature of social constructions of TB- meaning that since societies change over time so do their values and beliefs resulting in changes in the ways in which disease are socially constructed. Therefore, in order to fully understand how social constructions of TB reflect wider socio-cultural values, the historical context in which these factors are based and the dominant discourses must be considered. For example, in the mid nineteenth century public health, mainly relied on quarantine as a preventative method, slowly began to classify new sources of danger in objects and processes such as faeces, urine, contaminated food, smelly air, masturbation, dental sepsis, etc. The prevailing public health strategy at the time of Sanitary Science; which monitored objects entering the body (air, food, water) or leaving it (faeces, urine, etc.). Whereas, in the twentieth century new sources of danger emerged including venereal disease and TB .Thus, a new public health regime of Interpersonal Hygiene developed. Interpersonal Hygiene identified the new dangers not as emerging from nature and threatening body boundaries but as arising from other human bodies. TB, which had been a disease of insanitary conditions in the nineteenth century, became a disease of human contact, of coughing and sneezing (Armstrong, 2012: 18). This further demonstrates the changing and interlinking relationship between socio-cultural values and social constructions of TB. In conclusion, this essay has attempted to explore the various ways in which social constructions of TB reflects wider socio-cultural values in contemporary global society, by briefly examining the history of the disease and its prevalence in present time. As well as exploring the relationship between TB and poverty- statistically it can be observed that individuals with TB often belong to marginalised social groups and economically impoverished groups. Also, global disparities of TB prevalence was noted demonstrating that since each society is different and has varying socio-cultural beliefs and in lieu of the social constructionist theory this essay has adopted it could be argued that each society has its own particular social construction of TB influenced by its unique socio-cultural beliefs. This may be problematic given that if social constructions of TB are diverse but TB is perceived as a global health problem thus requiring global action then the nuances between the diverse s ocial constructions of TB will be overlooked thereby arguably hindering the possibility of improving TB diagnosis and treatment. This also points to the need for not only considering the medical sphere of TB but also if we argue that TB is socially constructed then it is important to recognise the need for including the social aspects to health policies. Furthermore, this essay examined the link between TB and stigmatism, isolation and discrimination through time and present day. Establishing that there are two main types of stigma associated with people with TB; self-stigmatism and societal stigmatism. Both are results of the negative connotations TB has held throughout time. Also, I briefly examined the role media representations play on the social construction of TB- particularly newspapers where the reader is viewed as an active agent. Finally, I utilised Emile Durkheims work to better understand and link the arguments presented in the essay. Durkheim states that ideas of time, space, class, personality are all produced with social elements. This highlights the argument that not only does the social construction of TB reflect wider socio-cultural values but that these values change over time thus the social construction of TB also correspondingly changes. Word Count: 2997

Educating Children about the Effects of Smoking :: Cigarettes Smoking Nicotine Education Essays

Educating Children about the Effects of Smoking Many children are unaware of the effects of smoking cigarettes. Children do not know that they can cause cancer. Are companies influencing adults or little children? Cartoons easily impress children at a young age. Cartoons promote violence laughter. Cartoons like Joe Camel promote the use of tobacco.† Old Joe Camel because they believe that such figures will appeal to adult smokers and encourage them to change brands.† As if cartoon interest adults over 18 years of age. Cartoons like Joe Camel is more likely to appeal to a younger generation. As I see little kid’s eyes stuck to the television screen, watching the famous cartoons that they like, the cartoons have these characteristics; they have bright colors and they act cool. I noticed that they like those cartoon. â€Å"old Joe Camel has demonstrated appeal and recognition among young youth†. Joe Camel has the same characteristics he wears bright clothes and wears sunglasses. Wearing sunglasses has always been â€Å"cool† to wear. And as they see Joe Camel acting cool they notice that smoking is also cool. Those commercials show that smoking is cool. The boy’s dream of becoming a cowboy has always existed in little kids. â€Å" cowboys on the open range (the Marlboro image). Have long been a part of childhood fantasy.† I as a child also had that fantasy. My little brother likes to wear tight jeans, squared shirts and his cowboy hat. He admires the real cowboys he even has a plastic horse he rides in. one day I caught him with a stick saying it is a â€Å"cigaro† (cigarette). â€Å"undoubtably , some adults also respond to these campaigns.† If the Marlboro appeals adults figure what ensures us that kids would not. Kids are very easily to be influenced by what may seem cool. Tobacco industries abuse the innocence of children with these advertisements. Smoking is an expensive habit. The average cost of a pack is $3.00 and the average smoker smokes a pack a day. In one year that’s wasting about $1095 or more a year! That’s a lot of money. The Tobacco industry makes billions of dollars each year and they don’t care about your existence all they want is your money.

James Marcia Identity Achievement

Amy Striker Child Psychology 04/11/2013 Finding Your Way Through Identity Crisis Do you remember being a high school and being overwhelmed with all the choices of colleges, majors, occupations etc.? This seems to be the most confusing time of an adolescent’s life and one they will never forget, however what most don’t realize is that there is not just a point that we are all grown up. Instead, there is a very long process and it takes a lot of effort. James Marcia delved beyond Erik Erikson’s stage of identity achievement and created four different levels of this achievement.These levels were distinguished by crisis and commitment. Crisis is defined as a period of identity development during which the individual is exploring alternative, while commitment is personal investment in identity (Marcia, 2003). Identity achievement is obtained when an individual searches for different alternatives, explores those alternatives and makes a commitment to one of the choices . When one is identity achieved they have explored different ideals, occupations, and political views. From the exploration of each, the adolescent finds what they feel they most relate to and commit to those views and ideas.Achievement is also associated with advanced reasoning ability seems that adolescents and adults who can take multiple perspectives on themselves and others also have a ? rmer and more ? exible sense of who they are. For this reason, successful individuals have higher intimacy in their relationships. They are able to commit and feel confident that they will be able to understand their partner’s point of view without having to change their own. However, they have to adapt and understand their own viewpoints while at the same time not experiencing the levels of despair found in less cognitively sophisticated people (Marcia 2003).Moratorium occurs when there is a crisis being faced but no commitment has yet been made. During this phase comes the process of m aking standards for ourselves. Adolescents often express a conflict between their own needs and parental values, and between desire and fear of consequences. In the midst of moratorium, anxiety is likely to be the highest of all the stages, the reason being there is far more uncertainty and pressure residing in the need to make a choice that will change the course of one’s life and career (Marcia 1966).High school students and college students are normally found in this stage. After an individual has reached this stage however, they will very unlikely be going back to foreclosure or diffusion. Foreclosure is the status of individuals who have made a commitment but have not experienced a crisis. This occurs most often when parents hand down commitments to their adolescents, usually in an authoritarian way, before adolescents have had a chance to explore different approaches, ideologies, and vocations on their own.A Foreclosure unquestioningly accepted the standards (usually pa rental) with which she had been brought up, and when pressured by a significant other or their own impulses, clung to rules and authority to guide actions. Those individuals whose entire family is in a particular field may be in this group when they graduate high school and upon their freshman year may begin to go to the way of moratorium, for they are able to explore different ideals in a parent free setting. Diffusion is the status of individuals who have not yet experienced a crisis or made any commitments.Not only are they undecided about occupational and ideological choices, they are also likely to show little interest in such matters. Those who are in the diffusion category are often weary about their life equilibrium being disrupted, they see themselves as the way they are and they are afraid of making changes. These individuals may go into a career office, scoff at the results of their aptitude tests and never end up researching into those ideas as an individual in the morat orium stage would.Difficulty in reaching identity achievement may also come from an avoidance of facing external or internal conflicts that will disrupt our equilibrium that we were comfortable. Ways in which some cope with conflicts may be with assimilation or accommodation. Reacting with assimilation involves interpreting new information according to the schemes, or patterns of thought, we already possess. Someone may use assimilation when they are afraid of changing their major when they are not doing very well perhaps because they are in the foreclosure category and are worried their parents will be disappointed if they do not follow in their footsteps.This person may assimilate by working harder and harder even if they do not get joy in the end. Accommodation involves changing our schemes, or patterns of thought, to better fit with new information. In this case, the student would recognize that he is working hard and isn’t succeeding, but then looking into other majors t hat may suit his skills better, understanding that he needs to create his own identity instead of necessarily following his parents’ occupations. (Kroger 2007). Culture a collective concept providing a common frame of reference for a human group to make sense of reality.Culture is not a stable set of beliefs or values that reside inside individuals but it is located in society, in patterns of practices, ideas, institutions, products and artifacts. As cultural content changes, so do the self-concepts and psychological functions that mediate that culture (Markus & Kitayama, 2010). Adolescents often share daily experiences, hold common values, and face common challenges. A coherent sense of identity supported by agency and self-direction is required to be successful in one's occupational and social life in the United States and other unstructured western societies (Markus 2010). In Western cultures, adolescents are often allowed more freedom in discovering life choices in ideolo gy, careers, and societal interactions. While some adolescents have an easy time figuring out what they want to do with their lives and what their core ideals our, others feel at a loss. Because there is no definite answer and such an excess of possibilities, they may want to sit out of the decision process for as long as possible. This is not beneficial for them and is a consequence of our post-modern cultural goals.Goals that are held to such importance often causes increased stress those children are not ready to deal with. Ways in which to help with these difficulties may be for a counselor to meet with each and every student, once and if it is evident that a child has no idea what they want to do with life, meet with those children on a separate occasion. Parental involvement also play a vital role in the decision making process. Since there are different attachment styles, there cannot be an evaluation of what type of parental involvement is necessary for all children.Just as every child has a different way of making these decisions; parents have different comfort levels of involvement as well. However, it is still essential a parent does not force their ideals and occupation choices onto their children in an authoritative manner; for their children will have an impossible time exploring alternatives if they are frightened they will be scolded when taking their own path. In addition, our culture is often pessimistic about certain careers, causing a child who really feels that that is the career or them to instead choose what their parents want or some other popular occupational choice. Regarding pessimism towards ideals and politics, a person whose parents strictly prohibit all homosexuality may be less likely to stand up for what they believe because they fear negative sanctions from society. Currently, this issue is being addressed by many people coming together to share their own views, making it a simpler task of addressing these alternative ideals. In this way, the excess of possibilities is not as problematic in the discovering of one’s identity.Religion though, is a different story; parents in our culture and around the world expect their children to retain the religion they were centered in. A failure to do so is viewed as disrespect. Seeing that America is a melting pot of cultures, a family strives to maintain their culture for many generations, and waning from the path prevents this cultural harmony. Similarly, it is difficult in our culture to change political views when a family’s viewpoints have been quite close minded.From experience, if a father is republican, they are weary when their son or daughter develops democratic views that oppose their own. Upon discovering such information, parents may say such things as â€Å"I did not raise my children to grow up a liberal† or â€Å"with those views you are taking away all my hard earned money†, sayings that attempt to force the individual to temporarily adapt to their parents demands. Although culture is more far reaching, adolescents spend the most time within their family’s culture, leaving the biggest mark on their identity.Technology holds an important role in post modernism. With technology, individuals who are going through the identity achievement process have many resources at their disposal. They are able to look into different careers with information on the internet being readily available. However, for some adolescents this causes an increase in anxiety because there are again so many choices, and the fear of making the wrong choice deters them from looking. The benefits of technology though, outweigh the cons for there are hundreds of academic sites that are at our disposal for discovering our identity.Cell phones, although sometimes too readily available, allow individuals to feel as if they are more accepted and emotionally supported by many different people at the same time. This aspect is importa nt to identity achievement for when one feels as if they do not have anyone who is emotionally attached to them, they may feel lost and have a more difficult time finding themselves. In counseling, Knowing about how adolescents can more easily go from diffusion to identity achievement can help a counselor make things a bit easier by suggesting ways of going about finding their calling.Also, parents must have a way in which to hear about how perhaps their children may need different outlets to find out what interests them. A counselor for an adolescent who is striving to find their self-definition must discover ways in which to facilitate the motivation aspect of wanting to be identity achieved. A beneficial discussion would be in self-esteem, social relationships and anxiety levels. In addition, just hearing the client talk about who they feel they are, can help them make a major discovery.Research tactics in counseling that would benefit discovery, may be discovering defense tactic s to prevent regression from identity achieved state to diffusion. Those who have many conflicts that they feel as if they cannot overcome may have lowered self-efficacy as well as having regressed, causing them to not be motivated to try new things (Kroger 2000). They see themselves as already trying many different things, failing when they made a commitment, and not wanting to look into other alternatives that they may also fail at.Some adolescents who go to counseling may feel as if their parents’ divorce or another family event has hindered their ability to progress through achievement. These individuals would benefit greatly from counseling only if they are not focusing solely on the problems caused by divorce but ways in which they are not at fault, allowing a feeling of freedom to find their own self. After this realization by these certain individuals, multiple sessions discussing ways in which they can get involved and discover different fields of occupation and idea ls may greatly help their identity achievement path.In addition to these circumstances, those in moratorium are often seen by counselors. When in the moratorium stage there is a greater feeling of anxiety from the uncertainty of the future and stress of making a decision. In a counseling setting, there is a person who is able to be nonattached and give an honest opinion, something that a moratorium individual may have a hard time finding in their daily life. Counseling is the most beneficial for adolescents when they are in their senior year of high school and their freshman year of college.From personal experience observing others, I have found that an individual in senior year feels as if they have reached identity achievement. They have job shadowed during the summer, talked to different teachers and friends about occupation choices and been to see their academic counselor to discuss any problems with their decision. What I see happening to many students is, when they get into th at major, they feel as if they do not want disappoint themselves or their parents if they do not feel like it was the right choice.Although there are many people that they see have changed their paths, the thought of themselves not making the right choice in the beginning frightens them. After all, they may have put forth a lot of effort to find the major they thought was their destiny. These students in particular are the most at risk for regressing from identity achievement to moratorium and perhaps back to diffusion. A counselor’s importance in this point in time is to make the student feel more calmly about changing their major; that it will not upset any other people and if it does the counselor is there to diffuse the situation.Identity achievement is not an easy accomplishment, it is one that takes immense action, contemplation and the biggest decision an adolescent has made so far in their life. Just as there are many ways in which to facilitate the identity achieveme nt process, there are the same about of ways to hinder it. The individual has the ball in their court and it is up to them to make a move or stay where they are in development. uccessful achievement of identity is a requirement of maturity, for within the achieved status, one must have control over their emotions, a need for intimacy, regarding friendship or marriage, be comfortable with their happiness and know what ways they can foster their own development. Counseling is beneficial when a crisis has been experienced and the adolescent is weighing their different options. When an individual has achieved identity and feels confident with most aspects of their being, they are very unlikely to regress.The older one is the less likely regression will occur. References Kroger, J. (2000). Ego identity status research in the new millennium. International Journal Of Behavioral Development, 24(2), 145-148. doi:10. 1080/016502500383250 Kroger, J. (2007). Why is identity achievement so elusi ve? Identity: An International Journal of Theory and Research, 7(4),  331-348. Marcia, J. E. (1966). Development and validation of ego-identity status. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology, 3(5), 551-558. doi:10. 1037/h0023281 Marcia, J. E. (2003).Treading Fearlessly: A Commentary on Personal Persistence, Identity Development, and Suicide. Monographs Of The Society For Research In Child Development, 68(2), 131-138. doi:10. 1111/1540-5834. 00257 Markus, H. R. , ; Kitayama, S. (2010). Cultures and selves: A cycle of mutual constitution. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 5,420430. doi 10. 1177/1745691610375557 Anthins, K. (2011). 7 clues to identity achievement. Retrieved from http://www. psychologytoday. com/blog/who-am-i/201108/7-clues-identity-achievement-part-1. d

Soft Skills Inventory

MSF Soft Skills Inventory 1. Communication Skills: For a previous class, I presented a project on alternative fuels to the class as well as the professor. For this presentation, I communicated to the professor my expertise in this subject by presenting the facts and research I conducted. At the same time, in order to communicate to the students most effectively, I used interactive techniques through questions posed to the class to keep their attention throughout the presentation. During my internship, I would call clients to update beneficiary information.I was able to effectively communicate by having all necessary documents at hand and being prepared to answer any question that they may have. 2. Interpersonal Skills: At my internship, I had the fortune of working with many high ranking professionals in the company. I would sit in meetings with people thirty to forty years older than me. I quickly learned that interacting with them was very different from interacting with friends an d peers. I participated in a group called International Student Connection. I would interact with international students and help acclimate themselves to the campus and American cultural.I would spend time speaking with them to help develop their English, most coming in with only a very basic understanding of the language. 3. Leadership Skills: I had a group project for a class, where we wrote up a proposal about the injustice in Zimbabwe to our state senator. I took the lead in this group by delegating different research responsibilities to each member, where we could at a later time present the research that we found to one another. I also made sure that each person was actively researching by emailing them updates about when we would meet, as well as stay on track with the timeline that we set.During my internship, I had a task to set up a marketing event. I built a team of a couple interns to help in preparing for this event. I took on the main responsibilities of setting up a l ocation and clientele list. I knew however that I needed the other interns’ help in building a full list of potential clients that would attend. Even though this was a event that I was spearheading, working as a team best utilized the different resources that they offered. 4. Teamwork Skills: My pledge class for my business fraternity needed to create a professional, service, and social event for the whole business fraternity.It was clear that we could do this most efficiently by breaking our class up into smaller teams, who in turn would primarily be responsible for one of the event. We would then come together to schedule these dates together. Participating in athletics best exemplifies teamwork, in my opinion. Teamwork was crucial in winning my business fraternity basketball tournament. It also proved to be essential in winning events in the Business Olympics held across campus. 5. Time Management Skills: My part time job during my undergraduate years required working thro ughout the night.I would work from 12 am to 5 am two or three times a week. I would do this while having class at 9 am every morning. Good time management skills were very important in order to keep pace in class while also working these hours. During my last semester for finals, I had four exams over the course of 3 days. The week leading up to finals, I broke down the possible study time that I had and designated time slots in which I would study for a certain subject. Keeping to this schedule as well as being very disciplined was the only way I was able to survive that week. 6. Analytical and Problem Solving Skills:For my project on alternative fuels, I researched all the different technologies that have currently been developed, and those that were still being developed, and then I cross referenced this information with the university’s initiative on going â€Å"green. † I did this in order to find the best ways for the university to become more environmentally fri endly in a cost-effective way. I used my knowledge of the game of basketball in order to run a basketball tournament for a club more efficiently. I used the resources that I had available to run the tournament at a quicker pace, and also saving money, by being charged less time for the gym.