Texting Essay Example for Free

Texting Essay Texting trading written messages over cellphones and other devices is changing the way people communicate, (Janet). Editor Debra Nussbaum writes in an article from the Philadelphia Inquirer that by the early 2000’s Americans sent more than two trillion texts a year, by 2007, texting had exceeded phone calls by a long shot. This has definitely made a huge difference in the way people communicate with each other. To get a letter in the mail is pretty rare today especially knowing that a text will reach a loved one tout de suite. This is most definitely the generation of instant gratification and having no patience, however, that can be a good thing in certain situations. Emergencies are also being relayed instantaneously as well along with important notifications from cell phone companies and colleges. Adults are jumping on the band wagon to stay in contact with their kids, who are most likely only going to communicate in a timely manner via text. There are many good things that have come out of texting, but as usual with all good things there can be downsides. Last year, David Miller, administrator of Iowa Homeland Security and Emergency Management, said 911 text messaging will spread around the state and that texting is one fundamental tool in the next generation of communication with 911. In today’s society, texting is a part of our culture, and even though there are many situations where texting has proven fatal, in a situation like this one, texting has proven to be a more effective and safe way to communicate. Originally 911 texting was promoted for the hearing impaired and people with speech impairments but has recently come in handy in situations where communication with 911 needs to be quiet. If a homeowner’s house was being broken into they could text 911 instead of calling and avoid putting them in a more dangerous situation, like being heard by the intruder. Along with emergencies becoming text savvy, texting has also proven very helpful for parents trying to stay in touch with their college bound children. Many college students are busy studying or hanging out with their friends and don’t have time to pick up the phone and call home. Kim Leonard writes in an article form the Pittsburg Tribune explaining that major cell phone companies reported more people in the 40’s and 50’s are using texting to communicate with their â€Å"sons and daughters on the go†. Texting is second nature for teens and young adults these days but more times than not it isn’t for adults. To help the not so text savvy adults many cell phone companies are making dictionaries with â€Å"text-ese abreviations†. These features are making it easier for parents to be able to communicate and stay in contact with their children as well as stay cool with the new lingo and keep up with their kid’s text language. Texting has grown dramatically beyond the teenage and 20-something thumb generation over the past year, in part because parents are beginning to use the cellphone screen as another channel to communicate with children who otherwise might not have much to say, (Johnson). However, parents aren’t the only ones trying to communicate with their children using texting, colleges are catching on as well. A newspaper source said one college chose to use what’s called â€Å"JANET txt† to stay closer and keep in touch with the students in â€Å"their own language†. By doing this the college has made it easier to get ahold of students to inform them about papers due or class schedule changes or emergencies on campus. Paul Taylor, Network and Corporate Data Manager at Gateway Sixth Form College explains, On one occasion, the college had to close when our water supply was cut off, and we sent texts early the next morning when the supply was restored to tell students that the college was re-opening†¦, (Gateway Sixth Form College). These notifications are a lot easier way to communicate with busy college students and are being used by more than just colleges, today many cell phone companies will text you a notification letting you know your cell phone bill is due or if you’ve gone over your minutes. Theyre promoting phone text messaging plans that allow families hundreds of messages, or unlimited use each month, (Leonard). These unlimited usage of minutes gives teens and adults as much text time as they could want causing people to become more dependent on their phones. Unlimited usage might not be such a bad thing when it comes to parents knowing where their children are when they are with their friends or have an important message to relay to them while they are at school. While their faces may be glued to their phones at least parents know kids will see the message. Because young adults rely on texting most would actually prefer to text then call thus altering the way teens communicate with each other as well. Texting is also cheaper because most of the time its free making communicating between teens much more convenient. There was a point in the not-too distant past when students who wanted to communicate with each other at school passed notes,(Prater). Today teens aren’t passing notes in class, they are texting. Christina Porter, a senior at OHS, explains that she prefers to communicate with her friends by texting rather than calling. Teens are relying on texting so much it can also be a bad thing as well. Instead of paying attention in class they are looking at their phones and waiting for their friend to reply to their text. Walking and texting has become a trend as well. People aren’t paying attention to what’s going on around them anymore because their noses are stuck looking down at their phones. Some people may say that texting has ruined this generation’s ability to have a normal face to face conversation, that they are more antisocial or lack proper communication skills. That may or may not be true but one thing that is proving to be true is that people aren’t just paying more attention to their phones while walking but driving as well. Texting while driving has proven to be fatal which has forced many states to ban the use of any cell phone usage while driving. This is one of the huge downfalls of using texting as a form to communicate. Data from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration reveals that nearly 6,000 people were killed last year in accidents caused by distracted drivers, and 515,000 people were injured. People feel like they are getting away with using their cell phones while driving because the police can’t see the phone in the driver’s hands if they are texting. â€Å"Talking or eating doesnt require that you look away from the road, but texting does. That quick glance can make a huge difference: Texting truck drivers are 23 times more likely to crash, according to a Virginia Tech Transportation Institute study†, (Its dum). Talk or text is the question people should ask themselves if they just can’t detach themselves from their phones long enough to drive to the local market for more milk. Unfortunately teens, because they tend to be more attached to their phones, are the number one offenders of this crime. 46% of teenagers say they text while driving, according to a 2007 AAA study. A new video, made by a British police department, graphically depicts a texting teen crashing her vehicle and has no doubt made an impression on its 1. 8 million YouTube viewers, (Its dum). Hopefully it won’t take a million teens experiencing their friends dying in car wrecks caused by texting to quite the bad habit. While texting and driving have been the cause of numerous deaths on the road, some would argue texting has been the killer of romance as well. Regardless if people want it or not, â€Å"the digital age† has generated a new expectation for modern romance. â€Å"Natural selection may be favoring† the text savvy, jokester rather than the self-assured â€Å"alpha male†, (Has Texting Killed Romance? ). People don’t risk walking up to someone they find attractive any more when it’s much easier to find out what their number is from an outside source and text them. Texting has changed the smooth talker to the smooth texter. â€Å"We havent lost romance in the digital age, but we may be neglecting it†, (Has Texting Killed Romance? ). Some would argue that yes, texting has taken the art of formal, face to face communication out of society but we are a constantly evolving world. Now we can send a text with a picture or talk via video massage. Writing is definitely not going away either it’s just developed into a new form, instantaneous digital delivery. Hopefully we can learn to appreciate the good things that have come from texting and all the other forms of communication. Soon we will be sending 3D images of ourselves on some kind of projector and maybe even talking into our hands. All in all texting is not going away and so we must learn to make it work for the better and not the worst.

Channels of communication in Multi national organisations

Channels of communication in Multi national organisations Communication plays a major role in the development of any multinational organization. The communication flow is controlled by a hierarchical system of managers making the decisions from higher to lower levels in the hierarchical In this process the generated responses and reports communicate from lower to higher level in the organization. Managers also spend time communicating with their peers. Therefore, the upward and downward of the communication indicates its effective functionality in a lateral direction. Mead (1998) describes a multinational corporation (MNC) as services produced in the one or more countries but established as a head office in one country. Here, the functionality of Communication plays a vital role in any organization, in the multinational corporation, MNC, when compared to any localized company. The communication among these channels plays a unique and major role in a MNC at the same time for any complexity in communication of the MNC requires an effective communication which is a challenging task to accomplish. TESCO Jack Cohen who was a stallholder for selling groceries in London market founded Tesco in 1919. In fact TESCO was formed out of a merger with T.E. The first store was opened in 1929 in Burnt Oak, Edgware in North West London where he bought the tea to sell in the stall. From there Tesco was expanded up to 2,200 stores which include hyper markets and Tesco express outlets across the world to satisfy the needs for every customer. Not only being as a company Tesco also provides different kinds of goods and services such as banking, online shopping and insurance to meet the customer satisfactory results becoming the Britains largest retail industry including in the other three continents and also making a profit margin of up to  £3.4 billion with a 468,000 employee force. Tesco is now planning to make a move into market of non-foods with a goal to take a lead position in Asia and even in Central Europe. The Research Problem A in the fields of organizational strategies and internal communication has been conducted and it seems to be a threat regarding the communication and in theories of MNCs. This research will therefore investigate the channels of communication and communication process of TESCO. In the scenario of practical environment this research will analyse the process of internal and external way of communication and the build the gap between the advantages and disadvantages of Tesco. Aims and Objectives The aim of this research is to investigate and expel the internal and external methods of communication there by focussing on the advantages and disadvantages (barriers), of TESCO.   Objectives To study of the communication process in sTESCO To study of the channels of communication in TESCO To study of the internal and external communications of TESCO To find out the communication barriers in TESCO Literature review In any kind of business environment Communication can be described as an exchange of messages from one person to the other person and giving an acknowledgement of the particular message received is understood and expecting some kind of action as a result. According to Wilbur Schramm (1955), communication is the process of establishing a commonness or oneness of thought between a sender and a receiver. In other words, it helps employees to work towards the same goals, by giving them a similar direction through which effectiveness in communication is achieved and helps to create a base and direction for every activity. Communication process in TESCO The purpose of communication within an organisation such as Tesco would be  to give information to its  public  and employees e.g. to perhaps inform staff of a  future  meeting, or to provide customers with details of a promotion. Also Tesco need to collect information e.g. such as personal details of employees, which would be needed for personnel records, or market research data on sales of products. Communication is needed to keep Tesco running smoothly, Tesco employees need to know what he/she has to do, and do it to the best of their abilitys. For Tesco to have a good reputation to the public they need to have good communication to eliminate errors, manage problems and deal efficiently with customers complaints/queries. Communication can take place internally (through bosses and employees, subordinates, colleagues) or it can take place externally (Customers, Suppliers, Media, Shareholders) In businesses, you will find that the point of communication is to influence something in the business. The message is often an instruction and the response should be that the job is done. Communication process Communication involves four elements: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Sender à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Message à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Receiver à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A Feedback These four elements are the principals to getting a message across in resulting in effective communication; you will also find that communication goes in all directions Tesco need to communicate with a range of individuals and organisations. Including their customers, their competitors and their suppliers. Good communication in Tesco is essential if it is going to achieve its objectives and to operate effectively. Tesco have a lot of channels of communication internally/externally between their functional areas. Channels of communication in TESCO Tesco being a large company with 729 stores in the U.K, 979 stores nationally, and employing 280 million nationally, means they have to use reliable sources of communication in order to run an efficient business. Channels of communication played a key role in TESCO. It has established various channels, formal, informal verbal, non-verbal oral, written, technological different electronically means to facilitate the transmission of information throughout the organization. Formal Informal Communication Formal communication is when employees communicate through the official channels that have been set by the business, e.g. weekly staff meetings, reports, forms, memos. TESCO would definitely resort to this type f communication a lot, as Tesco is a big company, there would usually be board meetings for the board of directors etc. Formal communication is much more associated with vertical communication; it usually involves a good organised system, which has to work efficiently and quickly. Informal communication is when people within an organisation communicate but not by using the chain of command or the official channels. You will find this type of communication between employees of the same level, and is very much associated with horizontal and diagonal communication. This type of communication is usually voluntary, and helps to build cooperation between staff. This communication would take place a lot between employees in Tesco. Internal and External Communication Internal communication is communication that is shared by people at all levels within a company.  External communication  occurs between parties inside a company and parties outside the company, such as suppliers, customers, and investors. Both internal and external forms of communication include everything from formal e-mail and official reports to face-to-face conversations and casual phone calls. External communication also takes such forms as customer and supplier Web sites, news releases, and advertising Internal communication Channels are used by Tesco Phone/mobile, fax, email, memo, club cards, letters, notices, meetings, reports. External communication channels are used by Tesco Websites, Tesco cards, Vouchers  Telivision advertisements,   Tesco  online  (internet), video conferencing,   forms. Communication is vital to Tesco because then everyone is clear about objectives, there is smooth and accurate communication both within the organisation (internal) and between the organisation and other individuals (external), ideas and views are clearly heard and everyone in the organisation is kept informed of developments and changes. Tesco uses internal and external communication channels effectively. These channels are influence to the company. By using these channels customers satisfaction is good. Advantages and disadvantages (barriers) of communication in Tesco Communication is an extremely important factor in motivating employees. This may be through 1-to-1 discussions with managers, through the company intranet or newsletters or through more formal structures such as appraisals. Line managers hold a daily Team Meeting to update staff on what is happening for the day and to give out Value Awards. These awards can be given from any member of staff to another as a way of saying thank you and celebrating achievements. .The employees would feel good that the have a say in the work thus motivating them to work hard. Good communication would clear up any misunderstandings and jobs would get done well, and on time. Communication would provide the manager with feedback on previous decisions, and because the company would be consistent and organised less problems would transpire and would brighten the image of the organisation.  Ã‚   Advantages Business dealings are made more effective, fast and reliable Information on customers provides information on customer satisfaction. Tesco is made more accessible to customers, with better quality services, and better communication between the customers and Tesco. Communication internally and externally is made more effective. In Tesco greater communication is there between employees, customers and stake holders. there are many advantages using channels of communication in Tesco. Memo is a perfect channel of communication for employees working in the same branch who want to write quick informal messages. Club-cards are advantage of communication because Tesco stores every item that you have bought when your card is swiped; this means that they know whats been selling the most and the least in that certain Tesco. This information is stored in a database and used for many things such as knowing what items to stock extra of, finding ways of promoting the least selling items   Tesco employees would use word of mouth to communicate in their own branch. Its good for passing brief messages and gets straight to the point without any confusion and misunderstanding. Tescos hold a staff meeting every month. Its to discuss problems, new arrangements, new ideas, promotion ideas etc its a very good form of communication because all staff members are together to all give their input   Websites are used to store lots of information for customers, e.g. latest CDs sold in Tescos, wine, store locaters, careers at Tesco, information on a baby and toddler club etc.     Disadvantages/Barriers of the use of channels of communication in Tesco Barriers can get in the way of effective communication. List different barriers to communication Wrong format, Technical breakdown, Receiver unable to understand message, Attitudes towards sender, Wrong channel, No feedback, Poor timing, Use of jargon, Unclear message, Wrong targets. When determining what barriers might exist to channels of communication in a company, there are various potential barriers to the channels of communication in Tesco. Many problems in an organization occur due to inadequate and imperfect communication. Brooke (1996) states that encoding and decoding processes are the main barriers for communication both between individuals and groups, as well as between different levels in the organization. Poor choice of communication channels can also present a barrier to communication. Finally, cultural differences can be a barrier in that they effect the communication between people from different departments in the organization; for example, the RD department has a long time horizon whereas the production department is concerned with achieving daily targets. Communication barriers Tesco is one of the world largest company. It has good communication channels in company because of that they have less disadvantages/barriers is there. Phoning allows Tesco to contact local Tesco branches, which is ideal  for brief messages but could be a problem for Tesco to phone foreign Tescos due to bad frequency, expensive phone bills misunderstood  messages. Texting from mobiles would only be appropriate for your branch or local branches. Fax is ideal for Tesco to send urgent documents and contracts. The  problems of sending a fax is that you would not be sure who would be  reading your fax, you cant send thick booklets and physical barriers such as lack of paper may occur. Tesco use email because its good for them to communicate with local(LAN) and national (WAN)branches because they can send quick messages. But it is disadvantage sometimes the problems are that you cant be sure that your message will be read. TV advertisements are good because of the large amount of viewers. Its a chance for viewers to see new items and promotions. Some times it is a communicating barrier because of the people who might not pay attention to adverts.   Overcoming the barriers Tesco has a one of the largest company in the world. It has good communication channels. But some barriers is there. If communication is bad then managers may not keep in touch with  employees views this could result in frustration which could lead to a strike. Also the outcome of poor communication is bad decisions being made from bad communication and could result in loss of business opportunities, which could lead to lost money and jobs, this could give the company a bad reputation. Because of this Tesco should reduce these barriers. The company should take some actions to overcome communication barriers. The company will reduce the existing barriers and their consequences will facilitate a more effective communication among the employees.. Company should give good frequency to phone calls to contact the local branches. Every fax message must read because of this company will not miss any urgent documents and contracts. Company use the communication channels to their full capacity. Company has come up with diverse ways of communicating by carefully targeting its messages to individuals rather than groups. Company able to sort out issues and control campaigns on key issues that affect its members as well as the public at large. Methodology Research design This report has involved various sources and information which is important for any researcher investigates a multinational organisation. This research explains the communication process and the data necessary for this study. Channels of communication in multi national organisation states a case study approach is particularly appropriate for individual researchers because covers a wide arrange of sources, including facts, figures, news, opinions and theories, and obtaining the highest quality of information. The standards of a good research therefore will include exploring, describing, explaining, and finally evaluating the information (Ruane, 2005). The case study approach plays an important role in research which deals with the communication process, internal and external communication in the research investigation. Whereas a survey is a systematic collection of information from large study groups usually by means of questionnaires administered to samples of units of population The researcher suggests case study method to conduct this research along with an employee survey because case study method is a qualitative method (Gerring, 2007). The researcher would study the particular problem in depth only in a particular multinational organisation and there is no mean to generalise the findings to other organisations or industries. In this research the evaluations are based on qualitative data which may be defined as the research is that involves analysing and interpreting texts and interviews in order to discover meaningful patterns descriptive of a particular phenomenon (Auerbach Silverstein, 2003, p.3) As the research is qualitative the researcher decided that inductive analysis would be constructive because the inductive method allows theory to be constructed from the outline emerging from research data (Henn et al. 2006 cited in Brown 2008, p 191). However, Saunders et al. (2007, p.120) further points out that unlike the deductive method, inductive method is more flexible and uses qualitative data. For this reason the researcher would be using the inductive method. Data collection method It is planned data to collect primary data by web based approach. Researcher used chosen organisation website to find the data. It generally results in a higher response rate and faster than other methods. The official website of TESCO had distributed via email both internally and externally. de Vaus (2002, cited in Saunders et al., 2007) defined questionnaire as a general term that includes all techniques of data collection in which each person is asked to respond to the same set of questions in a predetermined order. The aim of questionnaires are to gather information and views on channels of communication in multinational organisation, therefore the researcher made certain that each question encompassed this area. Each question was to achieve the aim and objectives of this research, and information was to achieve reaching this goals. At the planning stage the researcher made sure that each question revealed information which are needed and not merely wanted. To maximise the success of the questionnaire, the researcher applied various techniques such as giving the questionnaire a meaningful title, keeping questions short and succinct as possible, offering incentives for the return of questionnaire, and providing the prepaid self reply envelopes with each questionnaire. Sampling The selection of the case company was discussed in the introduction of the thesis and, therefore, the focus here is to describe the sample selection within the chosen organization, TESCO. Within a specific case study there are numerous sites to be visited, events or activities to be observed, and documents to be read (Merriam 1998). In our embedded single case study we visited the web sites of organization however; we had to choose the relevant times for visiting websites. Our method for sampling was non-probability Methodology sampling, meaning that we choose specifically which people would be most relevant and interesting for us to interview with regards to the d problems. Within the frames of this non-probability sampling, we conducted a purposeful sampling. Data analysis During the collection of the primary data, we were very systematic in organizing it in order to have a well-structured database, from which we would later conduct an analysis. We also added our own thoughts and observations in the different documents. The way of getting information is that contact to tesco employees and visit the company websites. From the analysis of the empirical data, we were able to present a number of recommendations to the case company. Further, the data analysis provided us with a proper foundation from which we were able to draw conclusions as well as to discover various theoretical implications. Limitations, validity and reliability The proposed research has some limitations which hampered the validity and realiability of the research. In order to carry out this investigation the researcher has contact Tesco employees, read business communicatio books and search information on tesco website. The results of this research are applicable only selected categeory.it is suggested to carry out a different categories if applicable.The other limitation is that the findings and conclusions totally depends on Questionnaire. Respondents are answering the given questions and if the questions are not designed properly to get the required data from employees the researcher will not perform the objectives of the research. Ethical issues of the research report Ethical issues are always a part parcel of a research project. As Best (2001) points out that the data or information collected should remain unbiased and relevant to the research. There are some ethical issues in this particular research. The researcher will attend these issues and give due importance to this aspect of research. The respondents of the questionnaires will be briefed about the purpose of the project and it will help to build the confidence and participation. Also their participation will be voluntary in nature and they will have the right to withdraw from the process at any time. Also the details of respondents and data collected can be against the right of employees. Reliability of data and intellectual property rights when reviewing the literature. Conclusion I therefore conclude that from my research I have gathered that  emailing is the best form of communicating internally and externally of Tescos simply because all Tescos have the internet so all branches can communicate and also compared to other forms of communication email is the most reliable because physical barriers wouldnt occur as  frequently as faxing or texting. Also from an environmental point of view emailing is very friendly because no paper is being used which would prevent deforestation unlike faxing, letters and leaflets. Computers are rapidly evolving and you can easily say that majority of the public have a computer which is a great from a business point of view for Tesco because the public would be receiving plenty of information through their computer such as vouchers which would entice them to shop there.   Like all big companies, Tesco relies on different departments to help it run, which need communication between them all the time, meaning that if one didnt exist, Tesco would not do so well. Tesco has a tall organisational Structure, due to the number of departments within the business. In order to make sure that these departments work perfectly with each other, Tesco relies heavily on Communication as well, from Written to Verbal, Horizontal to Diagonal, and Formal to Informal. TIME AND RESOURCE PLAN FOR THE RESERCH PROJECT steps List of deliverables Resources Duration SEP/DEC 2010 JAN2011 1 Literature review Books, journals, Internet, computer 2 Design the research Computer, internet and books 3 Preparation of Questionnaire Computer books and internet 4 Collecting e-mail addresses and sending the questionnaire Internet, computer 5 Receiving the Answered questionnaire 6 Data analysis Computer 7 Final report preparation Computer 8 Submission

Importance of Reflective Practice in Counselling

Importance of Reflective Practice in Counselling Reflective practice refers to the capability to reflect on our everyday actions and frameworks, as well as concepts on personal experience as part of a process of life-long learning (Schon, 1983). According to this definition, Bolton (2010) termed this as developmental insight, where the emphasis is placed on the learning from our own experience rather than knowledge gained from lectures or tutorials. On a personal note, I think what is significant about reflection during the course of our practice in this subject is that I am not just looking back on events and actions that has happened to us in the past, but also I am conscious of my emotions, experiences, actions, and behavioural reactions, and thus the utilization of these factors to add on to my existing knowledge database. As such, it is to draw out new and perhaps better knowledge, and in the long run, I hope to have a higher level of understanding. These would be achievable via the few factors that would be discussed in the e ssay, such as questioning and reflecting on my own moral and ethical values and comparing it with the Ethics Code in situations where I am required to act extremely. On another note, by reflecting on my personality profile, I check and reflect if my ideals and passion are congruent with the test that measured my psychological preference and my criterions on decision making. By reflecting on these frameworks, I hope to shed some light on my self-awareness and hopefully gain some new insights so that ultimately, I can improve as a better human being. The Ethics Code The Ethical Principles of Psychologists and Code of Conduct, in another light denoted as the Ethics Code, consists of several clause and terms which serves as a guideline as how a psychologist should behave when conflicting scenarios arise, which could possibly happen on a daily basis. The Ethics Code, however, applies only to psychologists and their work-related activities that are part of their nature of job scope. These usually include an array of activities such as counselling, teaching, supervision, social intervention, as well as conducting assessments through the development of assessment instruments. On the other hand, the violation of the Ethics Code itself does not instantly determine whether a psychologist has violated a law and is liable for legal actions in court. When considering a professional behaviour to be conducted, psychologists must not only consider the Ethics Code, but also to put into consideration applicable laws and the relevant board regulations. Psychologi sts must ensure that the ethical standards are met if the Ethics Code establishes a more stringent standard of conduct that is mandatory by law. Greenberg and Shuman (1998) elucidate that although not always the case, during practice, the law would usually be compliant with the Ethics Code. If, at any point in time, the Ethics Code happens to be with conflict with the requirements of law, I feel that psychologists are supposed to remain committed to the Ethics Code and exercise caution to resolve any conflict while not violating any civil laws. Since the work of a psychologist is to develop a reliable and valid construct of information which are backed by research, and are applied with the intention of broadening our vision and knowledge on behaviour, which essentially creates an opportunity to improve conditions of interaction between society and the individual, the Ethics Code is thought to be able to provide a common set of values in which it is envisioned to offer the general pr inciples as well as rules of decision making to ensure that most of the possible situations encountered by a psychologist can be referred to and resolved. However, Corey, Corey and Callanan (1998) argues that while it holds true that the Ethics Code provides guidelines for ethical conducts, it was not intended to be able to provide specific guidance or solutions to each and every situations that could arise. Though I feel that the Ethics Code is very thorough in its descriptions as it covers a wide scope of possible situations, it is still nonetheless not fool-proof as in specific field such as forensic psychology, where there is a fine line between ethical practice and legal laws. This was backed up by Day and White (2008), who mentioned that ethical dilemmas would arise and explain that especially in the field of forensic psychology, it is not uncommon that practitioners are drawn into legal proceedings. Furthermore, it was brought up by Herlihy and Corey (1997) that although it m ay be consistent with the Ethics Code to breach client confidentiality in situations such as when a client is seen as a threat to self or others, there are many occasions when the ethically responsible course of action is less clear. As such, I feel that while the Ethics Code offers a valid guideline on actions to be conducted in various situations, psychologists should still take into considerations which are the correct and just actions to take and certainly to exercise caution in the behaviours to be taken as a wrong decision could damage a person’s life or damage their reputation. Field trip to Institute of Mental Health The grey area of applicability of ethics in mental health settings is an intriguing issue, especially with personal experience, i.e., field trip to the Institute of Mental Health. While many consider the correct course of action to be in a particular way, health practitioners and their set of code and values may present itself differently. I realized that there exist difficult and conflicting cases that may arise when dealing with people with mental disorders. For example, the ethical standard of conduct would be to inform the clients the truth of their conditions, and avoid actions that are likely to harm clients. However, the very act of informing the clients of their conditions is likely to invoke a response, which in return would most likely aggravate their emotional suffering. An array of misconceptions was cleared when the nurses at the Institute of Mental Health provided a clear explanation of the evolution of treatment of patients changed from the past to the present. One exa mple brought up by the nurse was the usage of straitjacket. A straitjacket is a garment which resembles a jacket, but with long sleeves and is generally used to restrain individuals who would possibly harm themselves, damage furniture, or injure surrounding staffs. Before the development of psychiatric medications, doctors did not know how to properly treat mental disorders such as depression and anxiety disorders. A variety of treatments that was deemed to be cruel by current standards were thus attempted by the doctors, and the straitjacket was one of the treatments used. However, as research allows the development of drugs to suppress the effects of the mental disorders, such treatments were stopped and disallowed to be continued to be carried out to the clients. It was very fortunate to hear from the nurse at the institute that the straitjacket is no longer in usage as it was deemed to be inhumane, and I personally think so as well. Since the drugs are now capable of suppressing the effects of mental disorders, the approach of institutionalizing the clients has been reviewed. Townsend (1976) posits that clients who are institutionalized gets convinced that they are mentally ill, and as they integrate themselves with the institutional life, it would reduce the client’s ability to live outside if they were to get deinstitutionalized. Personally, I feel that dealing with individuals who are affected by mental disorders is a tricky issue, as there are many possible ways to approach the situation. One example would be making the decision as to whether an individual should be institutionalized or not. However, as far as I would suggest, I think that it should be advocated that the criterion of institutionalizing the clients be more strict, for example, admitting only the extreme cases of mental disorders where the clients are not able to sustain normal daily life, as the said effect would cause them to rely on the institution and progressively unable to l ive by themselves, even if symptoms of mental disorders were to subside and doctors claim that they can be discharged from the institution. Awareness Program Autism disorder was the focal point of the awareness program for my group, and there are several pointers in which I am ashamed that I personally have committed. Firstly, it has been found that the lack of awareness in autism disorders has been a very concerning issue, especially in Singapore. Sigman, Mundy, Sherman and Ungerer (1986) explains that many people correctly identified some of the key characteristics of autism, including difficulty communicating, difficulty making friends, love of routine, as well as obsessive behaviours. However, some other common characteristics which I realized upon research, was that individuals who are affected by autism require the need for clear and unambiguous instructions and are susceptible to being disturbed by noise and touch; these points were less well known and could develop misconceptions if the other party was not aware; these were the points in which I was unaware of and would negligibly scrutinize them if I had to repeat my words multip le times and yet they would not understand what I would have said. Upon raising my own awareness of the particular disorder and through some reflection, I felt that many individuals with autism act differently when compared to our typical population. Whether at school, at work or in social settings, people with autism are often taken at face value and thus misunderstood. Individuals with autism may not respond when spoken to or may avoid eye contact from the people asking the question. They could possibly behave in unusual manners in which most people do not understand. Some behaviours are so out of the norm that they were misinterpreted as poor discipline. However, people in society tend to arrive at this opinion solely based on just a brief observation, rather than putting in effort to try to look for further signs to comprehend the nature of those actions taken by these individuals affected with autism, and as such, they often suffer discrimination, intolerance and isolation. For many, that means a lifetime of exclusion from everyday society. We, as individuals, should not be doing this, but rather, embrace the difference and aid them into being comfortable with their surroundings so that they can cope with their everyday lives. Just a simple act of observing them would go a long way in creating a society in which such individuals affected by autism disorder can coexist with us. Nonetheless, the completion for the autism awareness program did not come as an easy task, as it was difficult to acquire access to the relevant institutes of interest. For example, my group was not able to gain access and direct first-hand experience of understanding how individuals with autism would behave in schools, where they are required to interact with their surroundings, and more importantly, their peers. However, this setback did not deter my group from obtaining information. Pathlight school, a school for individuals with autism, however, did release some interactive info rmation such as articles and newspaper cut-outs with regards to the related field, and were cooperative in allowing us to gain as much knowledge as possible despite our lack of first-hand experience. As such, the only methods we were able to procure information was through the information released by the management of Pathlight, as well as the many questions that were relayed through e-mails so that we can gain accurate knowledge regarding autism disorders, and shed some light to others who are not as aware of such a disorder. Nonetheless, I feel that even with the information amassed through research; it is still insufficient to properly account for the wide array of characteristics that are exclusive to individuals with autism. Personality Profile Individuals who go through personal development includes going through events that improve our self-awareness, and it allows us to cultivate our talents and potential, and as such, enrich our quality of life which ultimately contributes to the realization of our passion and aspirations. Based on the MBTI, Davies (2008) proposed that it is an assessment tool used to measure psychological preferences in how individuals perceive the world and make decisions, my personality profile is INTJ. Lawrence and Martin (2001) suggested that the MBTI is a reliable and valid instrument to measure our personality. They mentioned that the test is capable of being retested and are good across age and ethnic groups, and they pointed out that the instrument is set out to measure what the test is supposed to test originally. Based on the MBTI assessment by Myers (1998), it is conceived that INTJs see things from a top-down approach, and are capable of relating new information to overall patterns. They al so find themselves readily synthesizing abstract and complicated theoretical matters, and such mind-sets would lead the INTJs them to value knowledge, as well as expect competence of themselves and others. Personally, I would agree to these points as my ideals of work reside in the fact that if all of the group members are competent, we would be able to complete the work beforehand and leave time and room for improvements to be made before any actual submission is due. This is especially important as having gone through numerous group works, my belief is that the more the content is reviewed, the more insightful it gets as we gain mastery and command in the particular context of research. I feel that in aspects of productive work, even if it is a group project, I prefer to work independently and thereafter team members come together to share their points to strengthen the validity and reliability of the entire project; though I favour the notion of working independently, I would not differ from group norms and still be cooperative towards team members. This was supported by Baron and Baron-Tieger (1995), where they elucidated that INTJs prefer to work independently, and have no particular problems in meeting group requirements as teamwork is not an issue. In another aspect, I value accuracy in my work and ensure that most, if not all of my curiosity in the area I am researching in is satisfied, and, because of my values I find myself inclined to field such as science and research, particularly in fields of forensic psychology. Through the test in which also supports my ideals of inclination to abstract matters and challenges, I feel that forensic psychology is a very interesting path in psychology as it presents abstract ideas and challenges in actual situations and it is my passion, as well as satisfaction to be able to decipher the true meaning and rationale behind human behaviour. Another technique in which I find useful in promoting my self-awareness is th e Johari window. Based on what I understand, the concept of reducing the blind spot by being inquisitive about myself would help in promoting self-awareness, because by understanding how others perceive my in another aspect which I was not able to see, I would be able to reflect on my actions and determine whether adjustments to my behaviour are required. Similarly, Joseph (1969) clarifies that in order to become self-aware and develop as a person, we should know more about ourselves and be informed about what others know about us as well. To conclude, reflection and practice can be considered a subset of the many concepts and values we can pick up along the way of gaining insight on skills that are useful and applicable in our field of study. Through various lessons and facilitation, i.e. the Ethics Code, I was able to build up knowledge with regards to identifying, accessing, as well as making evaluations of information and its applicability to actual practice. Furthermore, the development of skills in professional and personal reflection was significant, as seen I feel that I have gained the capability to identify approaches for the development of appropriate outcomes and predict the indicators of success. Furthermore, by reflecting on the various concepts brought up in the essay, as well as through the course of subject, I feel that I have gained some new knowledge about myself; for example through the concept of Johari window, I realized that to be better self-aware, I needed to be inquisitive about myself, and th is is one of the crucial part of what I think helps in my personal development. References Bolton, G. (2010). Reflective Practice, Writing and Professional Development (3rd ed.). California: SAGE Publications. Corey, G., Corey, M., Callanan, G. (1998). Issues and ethics in the helping professions (5th ed.). California, CA: Brooks/Cole. Davies, S. J. (2008). Psychometric testing: what is Myers Briggs? The Foundation Years, 4(2), 81-82. Day, A., White, J. (2008). Ethical practice from the perspective of the forensic psychologist:Commentary on the uses and value of the Australian Psychological Society (2007) Code of Ethics. Australian Psychologist, 43(3), 186-193. Greenberg, S. A., Shuman, D. W. (1997). Irreconcilable conflict between therapeutic and forensic roles. Professional Psychology: Research and Practice, 28, 50-57. Herlihy, B., Corey, G. (1997). Boundary issues in counselling: Multiple roles and responsiblities. Alexandria: American Counselling Association. Joseph, L. (1969). Of Human Interaction. Palo Alto, CA: National Press. Lawrence, G., Martin, C. R. (2001). Building People, Building Programs: A Practitioners Guide for Introducing the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator to Individuals and Organizations. United States of America: Center for Application of Psychological Type. Myers, I. B. (1998). Introduction to type: A guide to understanding your results on the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator. Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press. Schà ¶n, D. A. (1983). The Reflective Practitioner, How Professionals Think In Action. United States of America: Basic Books. Sigman, M., Mundy, P., Sherman, T., Ungerer, J. (1986). Social interactions of autistic, mentally retarded and normal children and their caregivers. Journal of child psychology and psychiatry, 27(5), 647-656. Tieger, P. D., Barron-Tieger, B. (1995). Do what you are: discover the perfect career for you through the secrets of personality type (2nd ed.). Boston: Brown. Townsend, J. M. (1976). Self-concept and the institutionalization of mental patients: An overview and Critique. Journal of Health and Social Behaviour, 17, 263-271.

Free College Essays - Identity in Their Eyes Were Watching God :: Their Eyes Were Watching God Essays

Identity in Their Eyes Were Watching God    In life everyone tries to find his true identity. For some it comes naturally.   For others, it might take years to find, or it might never be found at all. In the novel Their Eyes Were Watching God, Zora Neale Hurston reveals a woman’s identity through her struggles in life, her treatment by society, and her thoughts on life. Janie is a young African American girl who grew up in a white life style. She believed she was related to the white man until she was around six. This impact changed Janie’s view on life. While she thought she was able to do things, the color of her skin held her back. This made her try harder to accomplish her goals. When her grandmother insisted that she marry Logan, she did not want to.   Even so, Janie married him to fulfill her grandmother’s dreams. Even though Janie did not love him, she struggled until she could not stand it, and finally ran away with Joe. â€Å"It had always been his wish and desire to be a big voice and he had to live nearly thirty years to find a chance.† (28) ***HOW DOES THIS QUOTE RELATE?*** While Janie was with Joe in Eaton Vile, she had a higher status then the rest of the town’s people. Janie tried to interact with them, but Joe would not let her. He thought of Janie as being better than all of them. This led to the way she was treated in society. All of the women in the town thought Janie had everything, but Janie did not. She wanted to be accepted as part of them. When Joe died, people in the town expected Janie to be mournful, so she put on an act for them. â€Å"She sent her face to Joe’s funeral, and herself went rollicking with the springtime across the world.† (88) After Joe’s death Janie continued to run the store. While working, she met Tea Cake, who showed her how to play checkers. â€Å"Somebody wanted her to play. Somebody thought it natural for her to play.† (96) This illustrates how he treated her as equal. Compared to the other two husbands in Janie’s life, Tea Cake was very progressive and open minded. Tea Cake taught her so much that she started to feel more independent. After Tea Cake’s death, Janie grieved on the inside so much that she did not care what people thought of her.

Essay --

Located in central Java in present day Indonesia, The Great Stupa of Borobudur is the world’s largest Buddhist monument. It was constructed sometime around AD 800 as a way of displaying visual teachings of Mahayana Buddhism. The Great Stupa of Borobudur is essentially a symbolic form of both a stupa, a sacred mound of earth with holy relics of the Buddha buried beneath, and a mandala, a mystic Buddhist symbol of the universe. Or as Catherine Albanese describes it â€Å"†¦the mandala meant a circle which signifies the wholeness of the self.† The architectural design of this stupa was different from anything that had come before it and every part of it had some significance in the world of Buddhism. The overall structure of Borobudur is made up of a square foundation along with a total of nine platforms. Of those nine platforms six of them are squared while the remaining three are circular. The structure can be further divided into three main levels: a base, a body, and the top. Each of these levels symbolize the three realms of Buddhist cosmology. The base symbolizes the realm of Kamadhatu; the six squared platforms symbolize the realm of Rupadhatu; and the three circular platforms at the top symbolize the realm of Arupadhatu. The realm of Kamadhatu is also known as the world of desires and it is the lowest level of the three realms. This is where ordinary sentient individuals live out their lives with desires and suffering. The next realm, the realm of Rupadhatu is known as the world of forms and it is the second level of the three realms. This realm is accessed by those who have gotten rid of their desires through meditation, but still have a name and form. It is said that you have to advance up through multiple stages in thi... ...design of Borobudur and the ritual that it entails. The reliefs located on the base and body were there in order to teach initiates the sacred texts as the ascended the mountain in Pradakshina. The elliptical and circular terraces represented the summit of Mt Meru and the central stupa located in the center represented the center of the universe. Through this ritual the state of Nirvana is attained through gradual processes and transitions, not drastic jumps. The architecture of Borobudur would also signify a gradual process as it starts off square in the lower terraces, transitions to elliptical with the first two upper terraces and finally becomes circular in the third upper terrace. People may only speculate as to what things may mean or represent, but one thing for certain is that The Great Stupa of Borobudur was designed and built the way it was for a reason.

Why There is no Model Family? Essay -- Family Psychology, Family Value

â€Å"Family Aint Shit†: Why There is no Model Family A picture that pops into mind when one thinks of the term â€Å"family†: Mother prepares dinner, Father comes home from a hard day’s work, and the children walk into the house from school. The group sits at the dinner table and discusses the day’s activities with a genuine smile on their faces. Everything for this family is perfect. This example is just a traditional family portrait and is far from the reality of many modern families. It is so far from reality that the entire definition of â€Å"family† can be skewed into whatever subjective opinion one wants. Cold-blooded, homicidal menaces to society can create a â€Å"family† by forming a gang which may have more inner peace than a dysfunctional blood family. Friends can consider themselves family even when they share no blood ties. Gay couples, single males, and parents of different ethnicities can adopt a child and form the â€Å"legal† definition of a family. There is no set-in-stone definition of family; with the complexity of the modern world, the term â€Å"family† can be used to describe blood relations or simply any group of people a bond is felt with. The HBO drama The Sopranos promises to make its viewers rethink the term â€Å"family† with a tagline such as â€Å"Meet Tony Soprano, if one family doesn’t kill him†¦ the other family will† (IMDB). The two families the show speaks about are of two different worlds. The first family (often dysfunctional) is Tony Soprano’s blood family that includes his wife and children. The second family (a complete blood-splattered mess) is Tony’s Mafia affiliations. In the episode â€Å"The Happy Wanderer†, Tony takes the role as the head of house in both families and must balance his life between being a Mob boss and bei... ...ll always be there for your family when they need you, and they'll always be there for you. Blood related or not† (Urbandictionary). This definition is a perfect example of why family is about a bond between its members, not something defined by legality. Through many trials and tribulations, the multitudes of different types of families will continue to exist, breaking the mold of traditional ideas and redefining what we come to think of as â€Å"family†. Works Cited â€Å"Family.† Def. 23. Urbandictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. â€Å"The Happy Wanderer.† The Sopranos. HBO. 20 Feb. 2000. Television. â€Å"’The Sopranos’ (1999) - Taglines.† IMDB. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. Vasquez, Adrian. Personal interview. 15 Feb. 2012. White, Rob. â€Å"Indigenous Youth and Gangs as Family.† Youth Studies Australia 28.3 (2009): 47-56. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. Why There is no Model Family? Essay -- Family Psychology, Family Value â€Å"Family Aint Shit†: Why There is no Model Family A picture that pops into mind when one thinks of the term â€Å"family†: Mother prepares dinner, Father comes home from a hard day’s work, and the children walk into the house from school. The group sits at the dinner table and discusses the day’s activities with a genuine smile on their faces. Everything for this family is perfect. This example is just a traditional family portrait and is far from the reality of many modern families. It is so far from reality that the entire definition of â€Å"family† can be skewed into whatever subjective opinion one wants. Cold-blooded, homicidal menaces to society can create a â€Å"family† by forming a gang which may have more inner peace than a dysfunctional blood family. Friends can consider themselves family even when they share no blood ties. Gay couples, single males, and parents of different ethnicities can adopt a child and form the â€Å"legal† definition of a family. There is no set-in-stone definition of family; with the complexity of the modern world, the term â€Å"family† can be used to describe blood relations or simply any group of people a bond is felt with. The HBO drama The Sopranos promises to make its viewers rethink the term â€Å"family† with a tagline such as â€Å"Meet Tony Soprano, if one family doesn’t kill him†¦ the other family will† (IMDB). The two families the show speaks about are of two different worlds. The first family (often dysfunctional) is Tony Soprano’s blood family that includes his wife and children. The second family (a complete blood-splattered mess) is Tony’s Mafia affiliations. In the episode â€Å"The Happy Wanderer†, Tony takes the role as the head of house in both families and must balance his life between being a Mob boss and bei... ...ll always be there for your family when they need you, and they'll always be there for you. Blood related or not† (Urbandictionary). This definition is a perfect example of why family is about a bond between its members, not something defined by legality. Through many trials and tribulations, the multitudes of different types of families will continue to exist, breaking the mold of traditional ideas and redefining what we come to think of as â€Å"family†. Works Cited â€Å"Family.† Def. 23. Urbandictionary. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Feb. 2012. â€Å"The Happy Wanderer.† The Sopranos. HBO. 20 Feb. 2000. Television. â€Å"’The Sopranos’ (1999) - Taglines.† IMDB. N.p., n.d. Web. 24 Feb. 2012. Vasquez, Adrian. Personal interview. 15 Feb. 2012. White, Rob. â€Å"Indigenous Youth and Gangs as Family.† Youth Studies Australia 28.3 (2009): 47-56. Academic Search Premier. Web. 15 Feb. 2012.

Credit Cards

PUBLIC SPEAKING Topic: The using credit card General purpose: To Persuade. Specific purpose: To persuade my audience about the using credit card Central idea : To persuade my audience about the benefits The benefits of using credit card Introduction: American Express, MasterCard and Visa Card are the more popular credit cards in Malaysia. With a credit card in hand, you can make purchases today and pay later, Body: 1) It makes shopping easy – Confidently walk into a shop and buy without having to first look into your wallet 2) Without having to carry loads of cash credit cards provide you the ease of dining at a restaurant without worrying whether you have the money in your wallet to pay for the food 3) All petrol stations nationwide accept credit cards – Making it easy for motorists to stop and fill up their tanks without worrying about having enough cash. 4) Taking a vacation out of town or even overseas can be easily and quickly. – Bookings and payments for tr avel and accommodation can be made via the phone or fax by just quoting your credit card number. Conclusion:Using credit cards also contributes toward the economy as a whole. At the same time, as long as consumer spending takes place, the government is also able to collect revenue in the form of taxes. Therefore, there is no doubt whatsoever that using credit cards has many advantages. BIBLIOGRAPHY American Express, MasterCard and Visa Card are the more popular credit cards in Malaysia. Many Malaysians today carry at least one such card especially since eligibility for such a credit card is a salary as low as RM20 000 per annum.With a credit card in hand, you can make purchases today and pay later, either in full or partially. This is only one of the many advantages and benefits of using a credit card. One of the greatest benefits of using a credit card is the fact that it makes shopping easy. Whether it is a pre-planned shopping trip or a ‘on the spur of the moment’ de cision to purchases an item that has caught your attention, you can confidently walk into a shop and buy without having to first look into your wallet to check if you have enough cash.You also do not have to walk to the automated teller machine to make a withdrawal to pay for your purchase. Besides the convenience of shopping without having to carry loads of cash, credit cards provide you the ease of dining at a restaurant without worrying whether you have the money in your wallet to pay for the food. Can you imagine, you do not even have to scrutinize the price of the dish on the menu and at the same time try to call to mind how much cash you have at hand. All you have to do is just order, eat and sign the receipt. You will be billed later.Today, almost all petrol stations nationwide accept credit cards, thus making it easy for motorists to stop and fill up their tanks without worrying about having enough cash. This not only gives motorist peace of mind when leaving home or driving long distance, but it also gives them a sense of security that they will not lose too much cash in the event of a robbery. Taking a vacation out of town or even overseas can be easily and quickly finalized as long as you have a credit card. All the necessary bookings and payments for travel and accommodation can be made via the phone or fax by just quoting your credit card number.So you can enjoy your vacation without having to worry about to carry so much cash on you. Besides that, using credit cards also contributes toward the economy as a whole. As long as people make purchases as often as they can afford it, there will be a healthy cash flow, constantly generating income for everyone in the retail, food and hospitality sectors. At the same time, as long as consumer spending takes place, the government is also able to collect revenue in the form of taxes. Therefore, there is no doubt whatsoever that using credit cards has many advantages.