Parenting Skills Essay

Explain the different forms of child abuse? Include Shaken Baby Syndrome in your response. The different forms of child abuse are , Physical Abuse , Emotional Abuse , Sexual Abuse , and Neglect. Physical abuse is violence directed toward a child by a parent or other adult caregiver. Emotional abuse is when a caregiver causes the child to feel worthless and rejected . Sexual abuse towards a child may be in a verbal way , leading to physical contact with the child. Finally , Neglect is when the parent or caregiver fails to care for their child’s basic physical , emotional , disciplinary , and/or educational needs. Shaken Baby Syndrome is when an individual shakes a child violently over a period of time leading to the childs hospitalization or worse , death. 2. What types of physical care must a parent provide an infant child? The type of physical care a parent must provide an infant child is , batheing , diaper changes , and dress & fed properly . Its Also a MUST to prop the infants head up properly while giving a child it’s bottle. 3. What are some strategies for helping a child cope with stress? Some of the strategies for helping a child cope with stress are , Encouraging open communication with their child , helping them feel comfortable enough to open up to you about whats bothering them. Helping your child come up with ways to solve their own problems rather then solve them yourself is also a great way. Another way to help a child cope with stress is learning what type of situations put your child in a stressful state, then try avoiding putting them in that situation . Also creating a home environment that is stable abd free of hostility and violence , keeping your own stress to a minimum is also a great way to prevent stress on your child , because chances are you may accidently take your frustration out on your child. Critical Thinking Questions 1.What is the difference between a protective environment and a nurturing environment? The difference between a protective environment and a nurturing environment is a protective environment is when a child is prtected from violence and abuse . They must feel safe in the home , school , and in the community . Helping the child feel as if they can trust her parents , teachers , and other adults in her community . A nurturing environment is when the parent is activiely attentive to their child’s physical and emotional needs , being able to trust their family to care for them and to love them. 2. How do children’s needs change as they grow through development stages from infancy to teen years? How do special needs children differ? During the infancy years a child will need you to do absolute everything for them. During toddler years a child may be able to communicate and do task like feeding themselves with a bottle , spoon , and cup . During elementary years a child will be able to take care of most of of their physical needs , Yet still depend on you to impose structure and rountine. Teenagers will almost never need your help taking care of their physically needs. But with a child who has special needs , depending on their disability you may have to care for the child as if they’re a toddler for the rest of their lives. 3. List and explain factors a parent can control that lead to a nurturing environment. Include characteristics of nurturing parents. A parent can control whether or not there is abuse & violence in their household , Always being avaliable to their child for physical and emotional needs. Asssuring the child that they will always be their to care for them , reminding the child that they’re loved . Setting time aside for family time is a great way to provide a nurturing environment for your child. A nurturing parent will always treat their child according to their needs , focusing their attention whenever possible. Building a loving and caring relationship with their child, listening & allowing their child to express themselves. 4. List and explain factors that lead to poor relationships and that increase the risk of child abuse. Factors that lead to poor relationships and that increase the risk of child abuse may be , Latchkey children, Marital strife and divorce , Substance abuse , HIV/AIDS , or Death. Latchkey children are left alone without adult supervision which can lead to fear and anxiety . Marital strife and divorce may lead to conflict in the home resulting to high level of stress and failure academically and socially . Substance abuse may hinder a parents self-control resulting in a parent who becomes irresponsible and a non-nurturing parents. HIV/AIDS can devastate a family , resulting in a child losing both parents making the child a orphan , It may also cause financial strain on a family . Death can make a child doubt their safety in a normal day to day basis . 5. Why is it critical for a parent to be involved in their children’s education? It is critical for a parent to be involved in their children education . Mainly because kids need motivation , parents want their children to be successful in life. Parents should also be cautious on what they do around their children , because children learn largely by observation. Older Children need to be taught to proactively pursure their academic goals.

Psychopathy And Borderline Personality Disorder Essay

     INTRODUCTION Personality disorders constitute a major group in the classification of mental disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition, text revision (DSM-IV-TR),1 these conditions are defined by maladaptive personality characteristics beginning early in life that have consistent and serious effects on functioning. Borderline personality disorder (BPD) is frequently seen in clinical practice.2 Characterized by emotional turmoil and chronic suicidality (suicide ideation and attempts), this type of personality disorder presents some of the most difficult and troubling problems in all of psychiatry.   The majority of patients with BPD are seen in psychiatric clinics or in primary care. The keys to successful management include making an accurate diagnosis, maintaining a supportive relationship with the patient and establishing limited goals. Although BPD may persist for years, it does not last forever, and one can be reasonably optimistic that most patients will recover with time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Psychotherapy can help speed up the recovery from BPD. The most effective forms of treatment have been developed by psychologists, and therefore when making a referral, physicians should consider a patient’s ability to pay for such therapy.   More research into the causes of BPD is needed, the results of which may help to develop evidence-based approaches to treatment that are practical and specifically designed for this challenging disorder.   THE EPIDEMIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER   Epidemiologic studies of personality disorders are at an early stage of development. Community surveys of adults have indicated that the prevalence of BPD is close to 1% (similar to that of schizophrenia).3,4 About 80% of patients receiving therapy for BPD are women,2 but sex differences are less striking in community samples.4 As is the case for personality disorders in general, BPD is associated with lower social class and lower levels of education.3,4   THE ETIOLOGY OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER We are only beginning to understand the causes of BPD. As with most mental disorders, no single factor explains its development, and multiple factors (biological, psychological and social) all play a role.   The biological factors in personality disorders consist of temperamental (inborn or heritable) characteristics that present in adulthood as stable personality traits: patterns of thought, affect and behaviour that characterize individuals and are stable over time.5 Heritable factors account for about half of the variability in virtually all traits that have been studied.6 Specifically, both affective instability6 and impulsivity7 have a heritable component of this magnitude, and studies involving twins have demonstrated that BPD itself shows a similar genetic influence.8 Also, family history studies have found that impulsive disorders such as antisocial personality and substance abuse are particularly common among firstdegree relatives of patients with BPD.9 Studies of central neurotransmitter activity have shown that impulsive traits, a major component of BPD, are associated with deficits in central serotonergic functioning.10,11 However, the biological correlates of affective instability are unknown, and no markers specific to the overall disorder have been identified.10 The psychological factors in BPD can be striking but are not consistent. BPD first presents clinically in adolescence, at a mean age of 18 years.12 Although many patients describe adversities such as family dysfunction as well as mood and impulsive symptoms that go back to childhood, longitudinal data are needed to determine the precise influence of early risk factors. 13 Reports of a high frequency of traumatic events during childhood in this population need to take into account community studies, which show extensive resilience following trauma, particularly for less severe adversities.13 The most careful studies have shown that a quarter of patients with BPD describe sexual abuse from a caretaker14 and that about a third report severe forms of abuse.15 However, although child abuse is clearly a risk factor, it is not specific to BPD.13 In general, adverse life events are not consistently pathogenic by themselves but, rather, produce sequelae in vulnerable populations.16 Social factors in BPD are suggested by indirect evidence.   Thus far, there have been no cross-cultural studies of BPD, although characteristic symptoms such as recurrent suicide attempts are less common in traditional societies, in which there is little change from one generation to the next, but are on the increase in modern societies and in societies undergoing rapid change.17   DIAGNOSIS AND SYMPTOMS OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER The term â€Å"borderline† is a misnomer, based on an old theory that this form of pathology lies on a border between psychosis and neurosis. Actually, BPD is a complex syndrome whose   central features are instability of mood, impulse control and interpersonal relationships.2 Box 1 presents the DSM-IV-TR1 criteria, reorganized in relation to these basic dimensions, as well as cognitive symptoms.   Since the DSM-IV-TR requires only 5 of 9 criteria to be present, making a diagnosis on this basis leads to heterogeneity; more precise research definitions have been developed that require high scores for all 3 dimensions.18 The affective symptoms in BPD involve rapid mood shifts, in which emotional states tend to last only a few hours.19 When affective instability is monitored with standardized instruments,20 emotions are found to be intense but reactive to external circumstances, with a strong tendency toward angry outbursts. Levels of affective instability are most predictive of suicide attempts.21 Impulsive symptoms include a wide range of behaviours and are central to diagnosis.22 The combination of affective instability with impulsivity in BPD23 helps account for a clinical presentation marked by chronic suicidality and by instability of interpersonal relationships.23 Finally, cognitive symptoms are also frequent. In one case series,24 about 40% of 50 patients with BPD had quasi-psychotic thoughts. In another series,25 27% of 92 patients experienced psychotic episodes.   In a third series,26 psychotic symptoms were found to predict self-harm in patients with personality disorders. BPD is common in practice. A recent study involving patients in an emergency department who had attempted suicide showed that 41% of those with a history of multiple suicide attempts met the criteria for BPD this disorder.27   However, many cases are also seen in primary care settings.   Data from a survey conducted in a US urban primary care practice indicated that BPD was present in 6.4% of a sample of 218 patients.28   Because of the wide range of symptoms seen in BPD that are also typical of other disorders (Table 1), such as mood and anxiety disorders, substance abuse and eating disorders,29 patients may be felt to have one of these conditions while their BPD goes undetected. The most common disorder associated with BPD is depression, but in BPD, symptoms are usually associated with mood instability rather than with the extended and continuous periods of lower mood seen in classic mood disorders.19 Also, because of characteristic mood swings, BPD is often mistaken for bipolar disorder.30 However, patients with BPD do not show continuously elevated mood but instead exhibit a pattern of rapid shifts in affect related to environmental events, with â€Å"high† periods that last for hours rather than for days or weeks.30 BPD may be mistaken for schizophrenia; however, instead of long-term psychotic symptoms, patients with BPD experience â€Å"micropsychotic† phenomena of short duration (lasting hours or at most a few days), auditory hallucinations without loss of insight (patients with schizophrenia do not recognize that a hallucination is imaginary, whereas patients with BPD do), paranoid trends and depersonalization states in which patients experience themselves or their environment as unreal.   24 Finally, patients with BPD are at increased risk of substance abuse, which forms part of the clinical picture of widespread impulsivity.2 To diagnose BPD in practice, clinicians must first establish whether a patient has the overall characteristics of a personality disorder described in the DSM-IV-TR;1 that is, long-term problems affecting cognition, mood, interpersonal functioning and impulse control that begin early in life and are associated with maladaptive personality traits, such as neuroticism (being easily prone to anxiety or depression, or both) or impulsivity. Personality disorders can often account better for the multiplicity and chronicity of symptoms than can alternative diagnoses such as mood or anxiety disorders. The next step is a personality assessment, which requires a good history. Although practitioners will be able to obtain needed information from most patients during a routine visit, they may also, with the patient’s consent, wish to speak to family members or friends.   The final step is to determine the category that best fits the clinical picture. To diagnose BPD, clinicians   need to establish that patterns of affective instability, impulsivity and unstable relationships have been consistent over time.   THE COURSE AND MANAGEMENT OF BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISODERs Managing patients with BPD can be burdensome for clinicians because they may have to deal with repeated suicide threats and attempts over years. Also, patients with BPD do not easily respect boundaries and may become overly attached to their therapists.31 When practitioners fail to diagnose BPD, they may be at risk of becoming overinvolved with patients who suffer greatly but can be personally appealing to the physicians. Fortunately, most patients with BPD improve with time.32–34 About 75% will regain close to normal functioning by the age of 35 to 40 years, and 90% will recover by the age of 50.32 Unfortunately, about 1 in 10 patients eventually succeeds in committing suicide.35 However, this outcome is difficult to predict, and 90% of patients improve despite having threatened to end their lives on multiple occasions. The mechanism of recovery in BPD is not fully understood, but impulsivity generally decreases with age, and patients learn over time how to avoid the situations that give them the most trouble (e.g., intense love affairs), finding stable niches that provide the structure they need.35 BPD is a therapeutic challenge. A series of randomized controlled trials of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy36–47,50,52–54 have been published; however, the trials had a number of defects, most particularly small samples, attrition and durations that were too short (usually 8–12 weeks) for a chronic disorder that can last for years. Finally, outcomes in these studies were generally measured by self-report and did not indicate whether the clinical picture had actually shown full remission. The pharmacologic treatment of BPD remains limited in scope. By and large, the result can be described as a mild degree of symptom relief. A number of agents, including low-dose atypical neuroleptics,38 specific serotonin reuptake inhibitors39,41–43 and mood stabilizers,44,45 all alleviate impulsive symptoms. However, antidepressants are much less effective for mood symptoms in BPD patients than in patients without a personality disorder.48 Benzodiazepines are not very useful in BPD and carry some danger of abuse.49   Thus, although several drugs â€Å"take the edge off† symptoms, they do not produce remission of BPD. Failure to understand this point has led to polypharmacy regimens, on the assumption that multiple drugs are needed to target all aspects of the disorder. The result is that many patients receive 4–5 agents — with all their attendant side effects12 — in the absence of evidence from clinical trials supporting the efficacy of such combinations. Future research may lead to the development of agents more specific to the symptoms seen in BPD.   The mainstay of treatment for BPD is still psychotherapy. Dialectical behaviour therapy is a form of cognitive behavioural therapy that targets affective instability and impulsivity, using group and individual sessions to teach patients how to regulate their emotions. This form of behaviour therapy has been shown to be effective in bringing suicidal behaviours under control within a year.50–53 However, whether this method is effective in the long term is unknown. There is evidence from a randomized controlled trial supporting the use of a modified form of psychoanalytic therapy in a day-treatment setting that also makes us of cognitive techniques.54   Unfortunately, these forms of psychotherapy for BPD are expensive in terms of resources and are not generally available. In practice, therapy tends to be practical and supportive.   Practitioners who manage these cases can also use educational materials for patients and their families.31   BORDERLINE PERSONALITY DISORDER AND SUICIDE   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The main problem that practitioners face in managing cases of BPD is chronic suicidality. Physicians in primary care settings are prepared to care for many patients with psychotic disorders but are likely to ask psychiatrists to manage patients who make repeated suicide threats and attempts, or to suggest hospital admission. However, there has been little research on the   Efectiveness of hospitalization for the treatment of BPD and no evidence that it prevents completion of suicide.55 Suicidality in BPD peaks when patients are in their early 20s, but completed suicide is most common after 3035 and usually occurs in patients who fail to recover after many attempts at treatment. In contrast, suicidal actions such as impulsive overdoses, most often seen in younger patients, do not usually carry a high short-term risk and function to communicate distress.56 Self-mutilating behaviours such as chronic cutting, often referred to as â€Å"suicidal,† are problematic but are not associated with suicidal intent and instead serve to regulate dysphoric emotional states.56 Practitioners should move beyond their concerns about these patients and instead concentrate on managing symptoms and the life problems that exacerbate suicidal thoughts or behaviours.   THEORIES OF BEHAVIOR INTENT   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Explaining and predicting consumer behavior has been the focus of research for many years. Marketing research seeks to find the answers as to why people make specific choices and how can these be predicted.   Are there commonalities among purchasing groups that can be identified as predictors?   The literature available is rich, as researchers try to understand the drive forces and motivators of the consumer. Hovland and Rosenberg (1960) proposed that attitude, acting as an intervening or moderating variable, consists of three components: cognition (knowledge, ability), affect (beliefs, opinions) and conation (behavior or intent of behavior) (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975; Hansen, 1972).  Ã‚   In order for behavior intent to exist, the three components must be present (Fazio & Olsen, 2003). Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) proposed that attitude does not consist of three components, but is the moderating or intervening variable between cognition and the behavioral intent.   Attitude is derived from cognition, which in turn determines the intent to act or not (Ryan, 1982)   They proposed that researchers need to look at four categories: 1) knowledge, opinions and beliefs (cognition) about the object, 2) attitude (affect) towards the object, 3) behavior intent (conation) and 4) observed behavior to the object (Fishbein and   Ajzen, 1975). The specific action cannot be determined by the assessment of the knowledge of attitude toward an object but rather through the person’s intention to perform the act (Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   Previous studies have shown that people may have a positive attitude toward an object; however, the intention of behavior will be negative.  Ã‚   This was found in studies concerning blood donation, condom use, and racial prejudice (Ajzen and Fishbein, 2005; Burnkrant and Page, 1982; Fazio and Olson, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975). Although many previous surveys showed favorable attitudes toward blood donation, condom use, and other races, their intention to give blood, use condoms or socialize with racial groups was negative.   Therefore, the intent of behavior of an individual must be determined, as well as his beliefs and attitude.   An in-depth discussion of each component will be addressed at a later point of this chapter.   MOA THEORY   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Related to the behavioral intent theories is the motivation-opportunity-ability theory of processing information.   Although this theory is in response to communication outcomes, the components are relative to this study.   According to the MOA theory, a person must have motivation, opportunity, and ability to process information in order to develop an attitude towards a brand, which can be enhanced through advertising cues (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Motivation in ad processing refers to the consumers’ willingness to allocate processing resources; whereas, opportunity is the amount of attention that is allocated without disruption; and ability is the â€Å"skills or proficiencies† or prior knowledge (MacInnes et al., 1991).   Each component of the MacInnes et al. model will be discussed in greater detail.   Cognition – Knowledge, Opinions and Beliefs The cognition or knowledge, opinions and beliefs component of the Fishbein and Ajzen model is considered to be the driving force of the model.   Beliefs about an object are formed through direct observation, with information received from outside sources or by inference processes (Fazio and Olsen, 2003; Fishbein and Ajzen, 1975).   The information or knowledge sought in belief formation in a specific situation can be influenced by the effort needed to obtain the information, the time constraint, and the likelihood that the information will be useful (Hansen, 1972).   Opportunity Opportunity pertains to those distractions or environmental factors which affect the consumers’ attention to information (Agho et al., 1993; MacInnes and Jaworski, 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Fazio and Olsen (2003) further proposed in their MODE or Motivation and Opportunity as DEterminants of attitude-behavior relationship that in order for deliberate processes such as activities used in belief formation, opportunity to engage in the deliberate process must first be available, otherwise, the consumer will resort to memory (Fazio & Olsen, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Time is reflective of opportunity as it influences consumer behavior and choices.   This finite and intangible resource is allocated by the consumer by choice, and is acquired by trading for another resource such as money (Bergadaa, 1990).   Therefore, consumers must choose how to use and manage their time.   Okada and Hoch (2004) found that consumers place a higher value on time spent if the outcome is positive and a lesser value if the experience is negative.   Consumers who have little time pressure will process the information in a leisurely fashion.   However, consumers who experience greater time pressure will generally use less time to process the information (Suri and Monroe, 2003).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Therefore, this study will propose that if the consumer has little time or reduced opportunity to expend on search and information gathering, he or she will be more likely to enlist the services of a realtor.   However, if the consumer is seeking monetary savings, and believes that time is less than the value of monetary costs, that consumer will participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction. Reference groups, friends, and family are important resources for the search of information, which is an integral part of buying or selling real estate.   This social network provides a means for sending and receiving information.   Word-of-mouth communication is important in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of the consumer.   â€Å"Personal word-of-mouth influence has a more decisive role in influencing behavior than advertising and other marketer dominated sources (Herr et al., 1991).   Brown and Reingen (1987) found that the stronger the relationship tie, the more influential the communication.   The weaker relationships, on the other hand, were instrumental in developing a bridge in the communication flow and in providing a means for referrals.   The opportunity to obtain information increases as the number of people a person comes into contact with increases.   Ability Ability comprises the second component of cognition.   Not only does the consumer need opportunity to process information, but he or she must have the skill set or ability to access and process the information (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Robben, 2002).   Any increase in ability can reduce the search process for information, as consumers will rely more on internal information than external information (Gibler and Nelson, 2003). The Internet has become a primary source for product research.   By using the Internet, consumers are afforded the ability to research a specific product, as well as compare products, attributes and prices.   â€Å"Retail businesses must struggle with facing an era of unprecedented consumer power obtained through Internet information† (Schoenbachler and Gordon, 2002).   This phenomenon would apply to the sale or purchase of a home as well (Muhanna, 2000).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Technology and the Internet have provided consumers access to information and products that were previously difficult, if not impossible to obtain, as well as have significantly influenced lowering of search costs.   Armed with this advantage, consumers are now afforded with possibilities of researching on the Internet and taking virtual tours, or viewing pictures and descriptions of available properties from the comfort of their own home.   The use of the Internet as one source of information will reduce the cost to the consumer during the search process (Baen, 1997; Baen and Guttery, 1997; Bakos, 1998; Seiler et al., 2001; Giaglis et al., 2002).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Ability is an intangible attribute that is often related to age and education.   As a person ages, or attains higher levels of education, the level of ability increases (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Age contributes to the informal knowledge base while education contributes to the formal knowledge.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Experience is also often associated with the level of ability (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987; Huneke et al., 2004; Maheswaran and Sternthal, 1990).   Alba and Marmorstein (1987) studied the correlation of frequency or the number of times an event occurs, of experience to knowledge levels.  Ã‚   The greater the number of times a person was exposed to information or experience, the process of decision making was observed to be faster and less complicated.   Furthermore, â€Å"task performance is improved by different types of experiences† (Alba and Hutchinson, 1987).   Gibler and Nelson (2003) described that experienced home buyers remember which dimensions were useful in the past; on the other hand, inexperienced buyers ar e more susceptible to external influences, such as real estate agents, in determining their criteria for selection.   Therefore, the more homes a person has bought and/or sold, the more experience he/she has gained, and the less likely will that person enlist the services of a real estate agent.   The measurement of the levels of ability by the consumer can be ascertained by examining age, education level and prior experience.   â€Å"The greater the accumulation of experience and knowledge as one ages creates a reduced desire for additional information† (Gibler and Nelson, 2003).   Conation/Motivation – Dependent Variable   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Conation is defined as behavior or behavior intent.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) determined that conation is motivation or behavior intent.   Behavior only occurs if motivation is present to perform the behavior.   MacInnes et al. (1991) stated in their MOA theory that motivation is defined as the consumers’ desire or readiness to process the information.   Therefore, motivation can be defined as behavior intent.   Opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, and ability, measured by Internet access, education and experience (cognition) directly influence the level of motivation or behavior intent (conation).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hovland and Rosenberg (1959) proposed that attitude consists of three elements:   cognition, affect and conation.   Fishbein and Ajzen (1975) argued, however, that attitude is affect, or the feelings toward a behavior.   â€Å"Attitudes reflect reasons for acting, and focus on what the decision maker does or can do† (Bagozzi et al., 2003)   For the purposes of this study, affect and attitude will be treated as the same and will be referred to as affect.   Affect is the result of cognition (Perugini and Bagozzi, 2001). Therefore, if behavior intent is a result of persuasion and persuasion is the result of cognition, then persuasion will act as a moderating variable.   As the persuasion increases positively and based upon previous studies, behavior intent will increase positively.   Media habits, or message exposure, will also moderate cognition-affect-behavior intent (MacInnes et al., 1991; Mooy and Rubben, 2003).   The higher the levels of exposure to television, radio, newspaper, and internet, the more frequency the messages will occur (Alba and Marmorstein, 1987).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics have been routinely used in marketing to assist in segmenting markets based upon gender, age group, income, culture, marital status, education and household size.   These variables are often referred to as demographics; however, as pointed out by Art Weinstein (1994), many variables used for demography are often socioeconomic.   It is common in marketing research to refer to all of these variables as â€Å"demographics† (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics are commonly used in business management due to the fact that they are easy to collect, group and analyze.   Furthermore, demographic variables typically have an interrelated correlation, which facilitates generalization and analysis of demographic data (Weinstein, 1994).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Household income and household size have a direct correlation with the monetary asset or value.   Consumers with lower incomes, or who have a large number of members in the household, are generally more price conscious.   Therefore, it is proposed that these consumers would prefer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction, foregoing the commissions paid to a real estate agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The purpose of this study is to identify those determinants which persuade a consumer to participate in a For Sale by Owner transaction.   Therefore, in order to identify these factors, the proposed model is an integration of the three major theoretical models discussed. Fishbein and Ajzen’s expectancy value model, and Hovland and Rosenberg’s tripartite theory of behavior, provides the cognition-affect-conation model and cognition-attitude-motivation.   Integrated with this model, is the MOA model as proposed by MacInnes, Moorman and Jaworski (1991), in which behavior is influenced by motivation, opportunity and ability.   Through literature, it has been determined that opportunity and ability are components of cognition, and motivation is influenced by cognition and moderated by affect.   METHODOLOGY Study Population   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The selected population for this study is the participants of a study conducted by Bluefield State College School of Business.   The purpose of the study was to collect raw data regarding the real estate buying and selling behavior of the consumer in the local area, which would be available for future analysis and interpretation.   Their sample is composed of participants over the age of 18 at a local annual exposition held in Mercer County, West Virginia.   Mercer County has a population of 61, 589 people with a median income of $28,130. In 2004, 30,207 housing units existed in the County, with 63.5% of the population living in the same house in 2000.   The homeownership rate was 76.8% in 2000 (US Census Bureau).   The attendance rate at this particular event was approximately 6000 people, approximately 10% of the population (Princeton Mercer County Chamber of Commerce, 2006).   Table 2 provides a summation of the demographics of Mercer County, West Virginia, in comparison to the State of West Virginia and United States averages.   Table 2. Demographic Data Mercer County, WV, State of West Virginia and United States (US Census Bureau, 2000) Demographic Mercer County West Virginia United States Population 62, 980 1,816,815 281,421,906 Median Household Income 28,120 32,967 43,318 Homeownership 76.8% 75.2% 66.2% For Sale By Owner N/A N/A 13% Living in the same home in 1995 and 2000 63.5% 63.3% 54.1% Housing units 30,207 866,944 122,671,734 High School Graduates 72.1% 75.2% 80.4% Bachelor’s Degree or above 13.8% 14.8% 24.4% In order to determine the appropriate sample size needed to complete this study, the following formula was used (Malhotra, 372); whereas the number of possible homeowners is 76.8% or 77% (US Census, 2000), Proportion of population that are homeowners (Ï€) = .70 Desired precision level (D) =.05 Confidence Level (CL) = 95% z value associated with 95% confidence level =1.96: Therefore, the number of samples needed:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n = Ï€(1-Ï€)z2/D2   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(1-.77)(1.96)2/.052   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=.77(.23)(3.8416)/.25   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   n=272.13 or 272 samples needed   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Bluefield State College study contains 356 usable surveys of individuals rather than households, which is in excess of the 272 samples required for this study.   Based upon attendance of 6,000, this represents .0593% or 6% of the attendees surveyed. Instrument   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The questionnaire developed consists of 42 questions including 35 opinion statements followed by 4-point Likert Scale responses and 8 demographic questions.   The Likert responses ranged from â€Å"mostly disagree† = 1 to â€Å"mostly agree† = 4.   Therefore, those who prefer to purchase or sell real estate without the assistance of a real estate agent will answer 1’s or mostly disagree.   These questions were drawn from Mitchell’s 1980 VALS; however, drawing from the works of Wells (1975) the constructs were changed to reflect product specific behavior. Opportunity H1  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As the level of opportunity, measured by time and social contacts, increases, the behavior intent or motivation to buy or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase.      Two variables will be measured to identify the positive or negative level of opportunity.   As previously stated in the literature, opportunity is influenced by time and social contacts. Six opinion statements are used to identify respondents’ attitudes and opinions regarding time, or the lack of time. These statements are followed by four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   An example statement from the questionnaire is, â€Å"I spend more than 40 hours a week outside of the home†.   Those respondents, who disagree with this statement, will have more time available to search or sell a home.   Previous research cited has shown that reference groups are an important factor during the information search phase of the decision making process.   Therefore, the more people a consumer comes into contact with, the greater access to information.   The questionnaire contains eight opinion statements with 4-point Lickert-scale responses.   These statements represent the respondent’s network by asking questions in regards to school, community, church and family gatherings.   It is proposed that respondents who have a larger network of social contacts will have access to more information than those who choose not to participate in outside of the home activities.   Therefore, based upon the scale responses, 1=mostly disagree and 4=mostly agree, responses that are higher numbers, will most likely have a stronger social network.   For instance, the statement â€Å"I am active in my community†, reflects the activities of the respondent.   If the response is a 4, then the respondent has outside of the home social contacts and access to information. Affect H1a  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The direction of the level of affect will moderate the level of motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In order to determine affect, or beliefs, the survey provided seven belief statements.   Respondents responded using a Lickert scale, with â€Å"1† = mostly disagree to â€Å"4† = mostly agree.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I believe real estate agents are a necessity when buying or selling a home†.   Responses with higher numbers will have a strong belief concerning real estate agents. Ability H2  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   As ability, measured by age, education and experience, increases, behavior intent or motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent will increase. Ability is measured by three variables:   experience, Internet access and education. In order to determine experience, the survey provides two questions and twelve opinion statements.   Experience can be measured by the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime.   Respondents to the questionnaire were asked to choose 1, 2, 3, or 4 or more.   As the number of homes purchased or sold in a lifetime increases, the level of experience increases.   The highest possible response will be a 4 and the lowest 1.   Furthermore, experience with a real estate agent is questioned.   If the respondent had used an agent to buy or sell his/her home the answer would be no, represented by the number 1.   If yes, then number 2. Internet presence, which is also an indicator of information access, is determined in the questionnaire by requesting the respondent to choose which email providers they use for email.   The more email providers would indicate a higher Internet usage of the respondent.   Also, based upon the provider, it can be determined if the respondent has high speed cable or DSL access.   Those respondents without email would respond to â€Å"none†. Information regarding education level will then be analyzed to determine correlation with the questions and statements regarding ability.   According to the literature cited, it is proposed that as the level of education, Internet access, and experience increases ability will increase, which will directly impact behavior intent. Motivation (Behavior Intent) The next twelve statements contained in the survey are opinion statements regarding the use of real estate agents, brokers and intentions of the respondent.   A sample statement from the questionnaire is â€Å"I would always use a real estate agent to help with purchasing a home†.   Respondents were given four Lickert-scale responses to choose from with 1 = â€Å"mostly disagree† and 4 = â€Å"mostly agree†.   Therefore, â€Å"3† and â€Å"4† would indicate the respondent’s intent to use a real estate agent, rather than for sale by owner. Media Habits H1b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of opportunity and its relationship with motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent..      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2b  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   An increase in the level of media habits will moderate the level of ability and its relationship with   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Media habits, is also an indicator of information access.   Survey questions ask respondents the number of hours spent weekly watching television, listening to the radio, as well as newspapers read.   It is proposed that as the hours spent watching television or listening to the radio will moderate cognition and behavior intent.   As the number of hours exposed to media increases, the level of behavior intent will increase. Demographics H1c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between opportunity and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   H2c  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographics, measured by age, household income and household size will mediate the relationship between ability and motivation to purchase or sell real estate without a professional agent.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demographic information regarding age, household income and household size will be collected.   This information will mediate cognition and behavior intent. Questions concerning gender, marital status and zip code will be used as descriptor or extraneous variables which are not statistically significant in this study. Data Analysis Descriptive Statistics   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The data that will be used in this study has been collected by the Bluefield State College School of Business; however, statistical analysis has not been completed.   Therefore, raw data obtained will be used for this study. The first step will be determining the descriptive statistics of the variables used in the study.   This will provide the mean, median and standard deviation of each survey question.   The aggregate mean will then be used for each variable.   The results of this analysis will then be used to conduct inferential statistic analysis. Inferential Statistics Inferential statistic analysis will be conducted in four steps.   Multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the affect of the moderating and mediating variables.   The dependent variable is dichotomous; therefore, logit analysis will be conducted, followed by model fit and significance testing. Due to the existence of several independent variables, mediators and moderators influencing the dependent variable, multiple regression analysis will be conducted to determine the relationships (Hair, 2003, p579).   The steps that will be taken to accomplish this, as recommended by Hair (2003, p579) are: assess the statistical significance of the overall regression model using the F statistic with a level of significance

INNOVATION AND CHANGE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

INNOVATION AND CHANGE - Essay Example The organizations which can excel in these activities would be in a better position to fetch a continual competitive advantage over its competitors. The successful and effective utilisation of the inventive technologies and new resources is very much dependent on the capability of an organization to indulge into innovation. However, the introduction of such new technologies can bring in some complex challenges as well as opportunities, leading to considerable changes in the managerial practices to form new organizational environment. As in today’s environment, the organizational and technological innovations are entwined. In the year 1950, Schumpeter considered organizational changes, along with the new processes and products, new markets as the key factors leading to ‘creative destruction’. ... One of the significant issues in carrying out research on innovation is to exactly define the concept, ‘innovation’. There is no need to say that ‘innovation’ is something new or original. Beyond this concept of freshness, the dentition of ‘innovation’ would vary in accordance with academic perspective as well the application of the same. A number of researchers have agreed to the fact that an implied aspect of innovation is surely its usefulness. Hence, it distinguishes the ‘innovation’ from any invention as inventions may not have a practical application. More precisely, as per business sense, it is very much desired that innovation would be contributing to the firm’s performance in one or the other way. There is an ongoing debate whether innovation is a mere process or an outcome of the same. This is significant and may be useful in studying the innovation stages as part of organizational processes. Even, the differences c an be useful to find out at which point the organizations become innovative. Another concern has been raised in defining the ‘innovation’. The innovativeness of any firm can demand the firm to be the first mover in any market or innovator in activities. In the year 1983 Rodgers and after 10 years in 1993, Dowling had said that the firms are required to be among a specific percentage of the adopters to be innovative (Read, â€Å"A Definition of Innovation’). The concept of innovation is pretty wide as there can be various types and stages of innovation and varied level of analysis. In the year 1997, Gopalkrishnan and Damanpour had identified three kinds of innovation: radical versus incremental, technical versus administrative

The marketing communications plan for ultime HP TV Essay

The marketing communications plan for ultime HP TV - Essay Example The marketing communication plan will be divided into two critical sections or stages, of which the first stage spells out the objectives of the plan in terms of the marketing and communication objectives. The second stage of the plan spells out the strategies that will be used in the segmentation, targeting, and positioning processes. Additionally, this report will provide an estimate budget for the marketing communication plan, which will only run for a period of one year and it will only cover the United Kingdom market. According to Malone, the technology industry is busting with innovations in an un-choreographed time schedule, which means that failure to innovate timely product is likely a recipe for failure by the technological companies. The competition is high such that manufacturers in the industry have to continually research and create new products that are more suited to customers’ needs and expectations. Hewlett-Packard Company is a perfect example of a successful company in the global technological industry. The company specializes in the providing technologies, products, software services and solutions for consumers, small and medium term enterprises, and large enterprises.

Hededge funds Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Hededge funds - Essay Example Summary of Data The data used for this exercise consists of monthly returns and Assets under Management (AUM) over a period of ten years (September 1999 – August 2009) for over 28 hedge funds. The information on these sample hedge funds was obtained from the EurekaHedge database which stores information on over 21,000 hedge funds. The sample hedge funds follow one of the following strategies typical of financial institutions operating in this domain: Long/Short Equities CTA/Managed Futures Multi-Strategy Arbitrage The table below details results of the results from the Monte Carlo and the Historical simulation methods using the sample data. Historical Monte Carlo             prob Not Losing prob Number of run > 50% Not losing Not Losing prob Number of run > 50% Drift SD Mean    98.90% 9814 13.05% 1,354 98.95% 9865 13.10% 1319 0.45% 1.59% 0.46% Arbitrage 86.56% 8600 53.01% 5,363 86.02% 8532 53.20% 5371 0.76% 5.63% 0.92% CTA/Managed Futures 87.53% 8729 58.98% 5,944 85. 10% 8434 56.77% 5779 0.86% 6.65% 1.08% Multi-Strategy 86.98% 8611 55.45% 5,595 87.10% 8661 52.53% 5331 0.74% 5.19% 0.88% Long/Short Equities The above results show that the mean monthly returns (lowest to highest) for each fund class are 0.46% (Arbitrage), 0.88% (Long-Short Equities), 0.92% (CTA-Managed Futures) and 1.08% (Multi-Strategy). The dispersion (Standard Deviation - SD) of returns among these fund classes follows the same order suggesting that Arbitrage funds have the lowest mean and the lowest SD while Multi-Strategy funds exhibit the highest mean and highest SD. Summary of Approaches used The analysis uses both the Monte Carlo and the Historical simulation methods for answering the key questions listed previously. The Monte Carlo Simulation method depends on the formulation of an appropriate model that can suitably explain and analyze the monthly returns used as input for this analysis. To model the behaviour of these monthly returns, the concept of geometric Brownian Mo tion (BM) was specified (Rubinstein, 2008). The BM used in this context is a Markov Process which simply means that the monthly returns follow a random walk and exhibit behaviour consistent with the weak form of the EMH (Efficient Market Hypothesis) (Robert, 2004). This implies that the Monte Carlo method in this case utilizes the fact that movements in monthly returns are conditionally independent from such movements during previous periods. Under the Monte Carlo Method, a number of iterations for each test case was conducted to analyze the deterministic model configured using a sequence of random numbers generated as inputs. This simulation technique is especially useful when modelling non-linear, uncertain and complex parameters (Hammersley, 2005). On an average, the current simulations utilize between 5500 and 9000 iterations under any given test case. The Historical Simulation method, also known as back simulation, is part of the Value at Risk (VaR) approach which also utilizes a large number of iterations like the Monte Carlo method. As the name suggests, the Historical method depends on past information on monthly returns (unlike the Monte Carlo method that depends on random input) and simulates useful results through the construction of a CDF (Cumulative Distribution Function) of these monthly returns over time) (Dowd, 2009). Key Findings Monte Carlo Method On the question of the chances of

Sony Playstation Security Breach Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Sony Playstation Security Breach - Essay Example Only a single vulnerability is needed for hackers to exploit and put an entire database at risk. In order to avoid such vulnerabilities, database developers and application developers must dance to the same tune. Sony’s data center in San Diego, CA was hacked into on April 19, 2011. The hackers had gained access of customers’ data through Sony’s PlayStation Network servers. This attack on Sony is said to be the largest personal data heist in history with reports estimating that around 77 million Qriocity and PSN users’ accounts and 24.5 million Sony Online Entertainment user accounts were affected. (Better Business Bureau, 2011). Strange activities had been detected by Sony Corporation on their network system. They noticed unauthorized access of the company’s servers. A day after the attack, Sony decided to power down the affected systems and delayed restoration of the PSN services for users in the U.S until May 14. Users were later on required to change their usernames and passwords as an additional way of curbing further attacks. Since the attackers had exploited Sony’s website via its URL, they were thus forced to disable the page temporarily because attackers exploited the URL of Sony’s website (The Sydney Morning Herald, 2011). Unfortunately, this was not the last attack. A series of attacks on Sony’s Online Entertainment services and the PSN were later on executed during the same period. These attacks were carried out on; Sony BMG Greece, Sony BMG Japan, So-Net ISP in Japan, and servers of Sony in Thailand (McMillan, 2011). It was estimated that the personal information of 77 million Qriocity and PSN users, and 24.5 million online entertainment users was stolen. The attackers rummaged through a wealth of information concerning the users and their attributes such as names of users, their addresses, email addresses, and birth dates. Attackers also approached the login information of users such as

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest - Essay Example She is therefore the opposite of what a woman should be, especially one that is a nurse, and, as such, she represents the castrating female that men might fear. Argument We meet Nurse Ratched when she comes upon the black boys, who are, throughout the novel, a kind of background chorus, nameless and faceless, but always a part of the action. The boys are not doing anything particularly wrong, just standing around and talking. Nevertheless, Ratched descends upon them in fury - â€Å"she knows what they been saying, and I can see she's furious clean out of control. She's going to tear the black bastards limb from limb, she's so furious. She's swelling up, swells until her back's splitting out the white uniform and she's let her arms section out long enough to wrap around the three of them five, six times...† (Kesey, 1962, p. 5). What is interesting is the hyperbole that Kesey uses to describe the nurse – that she is large as a tractor, that her head is huge. This is told from the perspective of the Chief, and it is clear that the largeness of the nurse is symbolic of her degree of intimidation over the men. The description also makes her seem not just womanly, but not human. She seems more monstrous. This is symbolic, too, of her castrating female, as a monster is somebody who would represent somebody who might castrate a man. Nurse is somebody like a Medusa, who can turn men to stone just one glance. Therefore, it is obvious that Kesey wants us to see that Nurse Ratched is not just not maternal or caring, but that she is downright evil. Then, the description of the nurse changes, as she puts on her face for the people of the ward who might view her. It is obvious that she puts on a facade for people, as she does not want the world to view who she really is. When the other patients come out from their rooms to investigate what the commotion is, she immediately puts on her facade of sweetness - â€Å"smiling and calm and cold as usual† (Kesey, 1962, p. 5). Her actual physical features are very feminine - â€Å"face is smooth, calculated, and precision-made, like an expensive baby doll, skin like flesh-colored enamel, blend of white and cream and baby-blue eyes, small nose, pink little nostrils – everything working together except the color on her lips and fingernails, and the size of her bosom† (Kesey, 1962, p. 5). In other words, what the Chief perceived before – the nurse as big as a tractor, with arms long enough to wrap around the men six times, etc. - that represented the nurse's true self, which is that of the castrating female. The outward appearance, on the other hand, represents the face that she puts to the world, which is that of a feminine woman who is not controlling, authoritative or castrating. Like a sucubus, the mythical beautiful woman who may harm or kill men through their seductive ways, Nurse Ratched hides her true demon under a facade of beauty, which makes her all the more insi dious and all the more likely to be successful in castrating men. Her allure is on the outside, while her demonic side is on the inside. The power struggle with McMurphy represents the struggle with a man that she essentially cannot castrate, and this leads not only to her undoing, but McMurphy. Ratched has effectively neutered every other man who is under her umbrella of power, so that they do what she says, but McMurphy is different. He is different from the time that he presented himself into the ward - â€Å"

Shutter Island Movie Review Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Shutter Island - Movie Review Example Firstly, director Scorsese intertwines war-induced mental trauma of Teddy Daniels with personal tragedy of Andrew Laeddis. This compounds the confusion for the audience, but also adds a political dimension to what is an exposition on psychiatric illness. Toward the end of the film it is unveiled how the whole of the Shutter Island is a set up to play along the illusions of Andrew Laeddis. So, when we construct the film from backwards, it is obvious that Laeddis is the only ‘patient’ there is. The mysterious disappearance of Rachel Solando is a ploy designed to put Laeddis in situations of acute emotional tension, with the aim of correcting his aberrations. Perhaps, even all the ‘inmates’ of the wards A, B and C were part of the ploy, or perhaps not as mentally ill as is conveyed to Laeddis/Daniels. As the story unfolds, we see how only a porous line separates the dreams and realities of Laeddis. At first, Laeddis, in his persona of Teddy Daniels, is given a warm welcome by the hospital staff and their chief Dr. Cawley. But soon he becomes â€Å"increasingly suspicious of the doctor and his staff, and when he begins experiencing fierce migraines and vivid visions of tragedies in his own past, he begins to fear that he has become Cawley’s latest experiment.† (Thomson, 2010) For nurses and therapists, one of the questions at the center of the film is the debate in the choice of lobotomy and drug therapy. During the 1950s when the film is being set, this was a dominant debating point in psychiatrist circles. Even Dr. John Cawley talks about this debate and his preference for non-interventionist methods. He suggests that he would first try humanitarian methods of talk-therapy, failing which the patient would be tried drug-therapy. It is only as a last resort that surgical procedure would be prescribed. This is a very sensible position to take, for today’s psychiatry suffers from ready resort to medication,

Depression and African-American Men Essay Example for Free

Depression and African-American Men Essay First of all it is important to understand what really constitutes depression. All of us feel down from time to time perhaps based on having a bad day. However when feelings of sadness last for several weeks, months, or years, and are accompanied by other symptoms such as change of appetite, isolation from family and friends, sleeplessness, etc. these are symptoms of depression. In 1999 Dr. David Satcher, Surgeon General of the United States, and an African-American, released a Report on Mental Health that was a landmark moment for America. This was the first comprehensive report on the state of the nations mental health issued by Americas physician-in-chief. It is both an inventory of the resources available to promote mental health and treat mental illness, and a call to action to improve these resources. It paints a portrait of mental illness, filling the canvas with the faces of America, revealing that the effects of mental illness cut across all the nations dividing lines, whether gender, education, economic status, education, or race. However, the 2001 supplement to the original 1999 report indicates that it probably affects African American men more adversely than it does the general population.Mental Health: Culture, Race and Ethnicity, which is the title of the supplement by Dr. Satcher, says that racial and ethnic minorities collectively experience a greater disability burden from mental illness than do whites. The supplemental report goes even deeper in that it highlights the disparity that exists for black men in mental health as it does in relation to most health problems. For example, African-American men are more likely to live with chronic health problems, and studies show that living with chronic illnesses increases the risk of suffering from depression. In a 2002 report, The Burden of Chronic Diseases and Their Risk Factors, the Federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention points out that African American Men have the highest rates of prostate cancer and hypertension in the world. The report also says that black men are twice as likely as white men to develop diabetes, and suffer higher rates of heart disease and obesity. The American Cancer Societys report entitled Cancer Facts and Figures, and written in 2003 found that black men are more than twice as likely as white men to die from prostate cancer. We are also more likely than others to wait until an illness reaches a ser ious stage before we seek treatment. Often times treatment is not sought until we are in emergency rooms, homeless shelters, or prisons. According to a report by the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation in 2003, men in general are three times less likely than women to visit a doctor, and African-American men specifically are less likely than white men to go to a doctor prior to them being in poor health. This is the case for physical ailments. When one factors in the stigma attached to mental illness, and other barriers that keep us from getting help, it is easy to see why black men are even less likely to seek treatment for depression. Yet, the nation, including the African-American community is often silent on this issue. The silence on the subject among blacks is due, in part, to our lack of vocabulary to talk about depression. We call depression the blues in the black community. We have been taught, at least in the past, and, to a certain extent even now, to shrug off this mental state. For many of us, it is not just a fact of life; it is a way of life. When bluesmen used to sing, Every day I have the blues or It aint nothing but the blues or similar words from hundreds of songs, they do more than mouth lyrics. They voice a cultural attitude. They state an accepted truth at the heart of their music: Having the blues goes along with being black in America. In addition, from the time we are young boys, black males have ingrained into us an idea of manhood that requires a silence about feelings, a withholding of emotion, and ability to bear burdens alone, and a refusal to appear weak. The internal pressure to adhere to this concept of masculinity only increases as we sometimes experience various forms of racism in a society that historically has sought to deny us our manhood. The internal wall that often keeps black men away from psychotherapy goes along with external barriers built just as high, if not higher. Mental health practitioners are overwhelmingly white, with the proportion of black psychiatrists, psychologists, and psychoanalysts estimated at less than three percent of the nations total. This would mean that even if black men were to break through the self-imposed barriers and seek professional help for mental issues, it may be difficult to find someone with whom they can build a rapport, and whom they feel can relate to them, and they can trust. This feeling of comfort is what allows a patient to reveal his most intimate secrets. As Dr. Richard Mouzon, a prominent black clinical psychologist puts it, Many of us grow up feeling that it is dangerous to give up too much of yourself to the white man. Theres no denying that access to mental health care is restricted for Americans in general. In private health insurance policies and government medical assistance programs, psychotherapy is too often considered a luxury rather than a necessity. It has been said often times that the only people with a guaranteed right to health care are the inmates of our jails and prisons. That is even more true of mental health care.Unfortunately, this is a right that is of marginal value; while many black men receive their first treatment for mental illness behind bars, that treatment is likely to be directed at keeping them under control rather than alleviating the effects of their illness. Our health care system assures preventative measures and early intervention for mental health problems only to the privileged, just as it does for physical health problems. The disparity is so great in minority communities that for many, mental illness receives attention only when it reaches a florid stage, in public hospitals emergency rooms and psychiatric wards, or worse, in its aftermath, when people with mental illness may end up behind bars and in morgues. According to a new study reported on by the Health Behavior News Service, jobless African-American men appear to be at a greater risk of suffering from depression. While the issue of unemployment offers at least one possible explanation for why the symptoms of depression might be experienced, more puzzling is the fact that African-American men who were making more than $80,000 per year were still at a higher risk for depression. In order to come to their conclusions, Dr. Darrell Hudson, Ph.D., and his fellow researchers carefully screened the data provided by the National Survey of American Life. During their analysis, they took into account how much various factors such as social class, income, education, wealth, employment, and parental education level related to depressive symptoms. After measuring depression in a very comprehensive way, the results were not very consistent. We need to figure out as a general public: Is there a cost associated with socioeconomic position or moving in an upward trajectory? said Dr. Hudson. For the purpose of the research 3,570 African-American men and women who experienced depressive episodes within the past year of their lives were studied. Men who made over $80,000 per year reported more symptoms of depression than those making less than $17,000 per year. However, unemployed black men were more likely to report depression during that year compared to employed men. Men who completed some college or beyond were less likely to experience depressive symptoms than those who did not complete high school. Women, on the other hand, did not appear to suffer the same rates of depression. Females who earned between $45,000 and $79,000 were less likely to report symptoms of depression than those with the least income. The study appeared in the journal Social Psychiatry and Psychiatric Epidemiology. According to Dr. Hudson: One thing could be going on with African-American men with greater incomes. The more likely they are to work in integrated settings, the more likely they are to be exposed to racial discrimination. Racial discrimination can undermine some of the positive effects of socioeconomic position like the increased benefits of more income. Some black men who suffer from depression may think suicide is the answer. It is not. Men that become suicidal dont realize that they are repeating the cycle, burdening their children with the same loneliness the father had endured. Their kids would grow up with the knowledge that their father had taken his life. Depression can be very paralyzing to African-Americans. This vile illness affects men from all walks of life, from the black executive to the young street hustler. In many documented cases, several socially advanced black men have suffered from depression for many years and refused to receive treatment. This is a very disturbing undercurrent. If educated, accomplished, and highly informed black men refuse to seek treatment for depression, just imagine how difficult it is for uneducated or poor black men to seek help. Some experts believe that depression is likely a key factor in a 233 percent increase in suicide in black males ages 10-14 from 1980 to 1995. According to Dr. Satcher: Black men feel that they have to be twice as good as other people, that you cant be weak because people will take advantage of you. Those pressures work powerfully against a black male seeking treatment for depression and other mental illnesses. About one in four African-Americans is uninsured, compared with about 16 percent of the U.S. population overall. African-Americans are less likely to receive antidepressants, and when they do, they are more likely than whites to stop taking them. Particularly troubling to those who study and treat mental illness in black men is their disproportionately higher rates of incarceration than other racial groups. Nearly half of the U.S. prison population is black, and about 40 percent of those in the juvenile justice system is black. It is a very difficult and very serious situation for these young men and for society. Psychiatrists who work with the homeless as well as with black youth say they see dozens of black males each year head to jail or juvenile justice when they should be in treatment centers.They blame,in some form or another, depression, or other related mental illnesses. It happens all the time and its very alarming, said Dr. Raymond J. Kotwicki, Medical Director of Community Outreach Programs, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, at Emory University School of Medicine, in a recent statement. While all mental illnesses often come wrapped in some sort of stigma or negative connotation, mental illnesses in black men are even more entangled. Historical racism and current cultural biases and expectations all play a part, mental health advocates say. Nearly two-thirds of African-Americans believe that mental illness is a shortcoming that can be overcome through prayer and faith, according to a study by the National Alliance for the mentally ill. Certainly prayer and faith may be helpful to someone suffering from mental illness, but is not a replacement for treatment by a professional. The neglect of emotional disorders among men in the black community is nothing less than racial suicide.Many experts argue that the problem of depression in black America can be traced back to the time of slavery, when it was believed that blacks were unable to feel inner pain because they had no psyche. This myth has damaged generations of African-American men and their families, creating a society that sometimes has defined black men as being violent and aggressive, without considering that depression (or other related mental illnesses) might be one root cause. The consequences of untreated mental illness can be dire. And the tragedy of the worst outcomes can be no greater than when the disorder is depression, one of the most common and treatable mental illnesses. The disease is painful, and potentially fatal, but eighty percent of those who get treatment get better. Yet, quite sadly, only twenty-five percent of those who need help get it. African-American men are especially prone to put ourselves in mortal danger because we readily embrace the belief that we can survive depression by riding out the illness and allowing it to run its course. The internal walls we build to keep out the world, along with the walls that society sometimes builds to isolate us, cut us off from the help we need. So we suffer, and we suffer needlessly. Please do not be ashamed of seeking help if you feel that you are suffering from depression, or any mental illness. There are very likely resources right in your own city or town such as a county Mental Health Center, even if you are uninsured. Those who are insured may choose a private hospital or psychiatrist, but dont hesitate to get help. One resource that is available would be to call 1-877-331-9311, or 1-877-568-6230 to talk to a specialist at any time. This could change your life immensely, and could indeed save your life.

Biodiversity Lab Essay Example for Free

Biodiversity Lab Essay 1. Explain how the ecosystem was affected by the missing species for each round of the demonstration. a. Round 1 = white bead representing lichens. Our laboratory reading for the experiment stated that lichens are instrumental in the development and needs for all species. The text stated, â€Å"Lichens play a part in the creation of soils from which plants can obtain nutrients. Like all living organisms, lichens need nutrients and energy to grow. Nutrients may be obtained from the air including dust, water, and from the substrate organisms grows on obtaining energy through photosynthesis, which is the role of the algal partner. They may also be incidentally fertilized hybrid and insect dung† (Bottcher Rex, 2012, p. 43). With the information obtained from the reading, without lichens, bees, trees, flowers, and humans will all have negative repercussions. b. Round 2 = Yellow bead, representing bees. No bees and lichens the trees will not be pollenated, which will result in a loss of a food source  for humans since bees pollenate trees and flowers for food. Without bees to pollenating, the ecosystems takes another dramatic step towards extinction. One study stated, â€Å"Deduction from floral structure indicates that the flowers of many crops and wild plants are adapted for bee pollination. Further experimental studies of pollination are much needed, to see whether inadequate pollination limits seed set, and which insect species are potential or actual pollinators. The adequacy of pollination of a given plant species will vary regionally with climate, habitat and the nature and density of the local pollinator community† (Corbet, Williams, Osborne, 1991, para. 3). Minus the bees, the results for all other species will be negatively impacted. c. Round 3 = Orange bead, representing trees. The trees are dependent on lichens and with lichens removed. The trees will not have enriched soil to keep living. This is the reason for loss of oxygen for all species who require it and without bees, the fruit that some trees produce will cease to exist, causing food shortages and lack of shade and protection for flowers and humans (Bottcher Rex, 2012). d. Round 4 = Red bead, representing flowers. Lichens removed the soil could not adequately support nutrients required to keep alive. The flowers needs protection and shade from trees to sustain life and the trees were removed due to soil composition and loss of lichens from ecosystem. 2. Provide one action we as humans engage in that leads to the extinction of each of these components. Action affecting Lichens = The use of pesticides, chemicals, other pollutants, and people cause damage to this component that can lead to the irreversible impact on the lichens. Action affecting Trees = The destruction of soil and pollution, a major area where humans are impacting trees is through the removal of forests for trees to support human projects and constructions. â€Å"Ninety-three percent of the forestland in the United States is Privately owned† (Hazel baker, 2008, para. 1). Action affecting Flowers = Even though our chemicals are killing these flowers and making the soil contaminated and resistant to flower species. The use of pesticides and other chemicals, flowers are not engineered like crop seed to survive these chemicals. Action affecting Bees = Due to several human factors, bees are being threatened and destruction of their habitat is the number one reason. For a habitat to remain successful and sustain populations it must provide nesting sites and a seasonal succession of forage, and humans are depleting these areas through population growth and industrialization (Corbet, Williams, Osborne, 1991). 3. Provide three specific actions that humans can take to minimize our impact on the ecosystem and ensure the survival of lichens, trees, flowers, and bees. Action 1 = Bees are a critical part of the ecosystem. Humans need to ensure habitat sustainment to sustain bee populations do not deteriorate to levels that cannot be corrected. â€Å"Bees need food (nectar, pollen) provided by insect-pollinated plants in order to reproduce and produce more bees† (Corbet, Williams, Osborne, 1991, p 2). By creating hives and environments that are conducive to bee sustainment, it is possible that strides can be to reverse the downward trend in populations. This is critical as one study showed. It stated that the loss of bees was a domino effect to other species. It stated, â€Å"If bee pollinated flowers  do not seed, the integrity of Europe’s remaining semi natural vegetation will be destroyed and the colorful flowers of the countryside will be lost. This in turn will deprive many other herbivorous or seed-eating insects, birds and small mammals of their host plants and/or food,  with consequent further loss of species diversity†(Corbet, Williams, Osborne,1991, p 2). Through the saving of the bees, the increase of pollinated of other species helps ensure survival of flowers Action 2 = Humans can stop polluting the soil and surface of lands through illegal dumping, spills, etc. that contaminate and kill lichens that are critical in soil creation and providing nutrients to other plants and trees. With the help of government agencies and through stricter enforcement, creation of neutral pesticides and chemicals, and other products to eliminate harm to the environment and providing a healthier ecosystem for all life to thrive. Action 3 = The best way to save our tree populations is to protect the public lands from forest harvesting and ensure there environmental regulations for commercial logging businesses. â€Å"93% of the forestland in the United States is privately owned† (Hazelbaker, 2008, para. 1). That means that there are plenty of lands available for harvesting and ensuring forests do not die off and leave the negative impacts and loss of a precious resource. Due to the benefits that can be found in the national and state forests, such as clean air, fresh water, etc. I feel it is a good practice to prevent commercial access on these lands. These lands serve as a refuge to wildlife and often provide unique opportunities to the citizens who rarely get an opportunity to experience nature and these environments. POST LAB QUESTIONS 1. Develop a hypothesis on which pot you believe will contain the highest biodiversity. Hypothesis = One pot has direct exposure to sunlight it will have the highest level of biodiversity 2. Based on the results of your experiment, would you reject or accept the hypothesis that you produced in question 1? Explain how you determined this. Accept/Reject = Reject. Table 2 of this experiment, the pot that was placed from all windows had a greater diversity of growth from the random seeds planted in it, versus the one with direct sunlight. The pot that had direct sunlight yielded smaller totals in each of the five plants planted in each pot as well as a smaller overall plant yield. While some individual plants had close results, there was a total difference of the total plants of 48. 3. If each pot was a sample you found in a group of wildflowers, would you determine based on the diversity of flowers that the ecosystem is healthy? Why or why not. Answer = I would say that each sample would yield results of a healthy ecosystem based on the diversity in each sample. Each plant has samples of  all five seeded plants planted and yielded results in two weeks. While both specimens yielded results, I would say the ecosystem sample that was not in direct sunlight did show signs of a healthier ecosystem and believe that the temperature and light changes the other sample was exposed to could have played a part in the results. Example, living in Arizona my residence has low humidity and low temperatures at night and moderate temperatures in the mid-morning through sundown that affected the sample with sunlight exposure. The other sample, the one away from the windows, sat in the middle of my apartment on a shelf in the laundry room, with no direct exposure to sunlight, but not completely in the dark, had more stable temperatures and had constant ambient light exposure through the day and did not suffer cold drafts from the windows that could have made the other specimens plants yield lower results. 4. How does biodiversity contribute to the overall health of an ecosystem? Provide specific examples and utilize at least one scholarly resource to back your answer. Answer = Biodiversity contributes to all levels of an ecosystem. â€Å"Biodiversity, short for biological diversity, includes the genetic variation between all organisms, species, and populations, and all of their complex communities and ecosystems. It also reflects to the interrelatedness of genes, species, and ecosystems and their interactions with the environment† (Bottcher Rex, 2012, p. 39). The experiment with the two pots is similar to that of a forest ecosystem. â€Å"A functioning forest ecosystem, for example, exhibits rates of plant production, carbon storage, and nutrient cycling that are characteristic of most forests† (Chapin, Costanza, Ehrlich, Golley, Hooper, Lawton, Tilman, 1999, para. 9). The five seeds that grew in each pot were sharing nutrients from the soil and the evidence showed that certain species thrived in numbers over the others that grew. As one research analysis on biodiversity, there are always species interactions that have impact on the other species. The study stated, â€Å"Ecosystem functioning results from interactions among and within different levels of the biota, which ecologists describe as a nested hierarchy. Example, green  plant production on land is the end product of interactions of individual plants nested within populations; interactions among populations nested within a single species; interactions among a variety of species nested within a group of functionally similar species; and so on up to the level of interactions between different types of ecosystems nested within landscapes† (Chapin, Costanza, Ehrlich, Golley, Hooper, Lawton, Tilman, 1999, para. 11). While some ecosystems continue to exist, some thrive, the harm being done to, and overall health of the ecosystem is dependent on the actions we as humans take. Our society has destroyed ecosystems, species, etc. and pollution, air quality, and other factors have seen many ecosystems destroyed and become extinct. â€Å"From current research, we have identified the following impacts on ecosystem functioning that often result from loss of biodiversity: -Plant production may decline as regional and local diversity declines; -Ecosystem resistance to environmental perturbations, such as drought, may be lessened as biodiversity is reduced. -Ecosystem processes such as soil nitrogen levels, water use, plant productivity, and pest and disease cycles may become more variable as diversity declines† (Chapin, Costanza, Ehrlich, Golley, Hooper, Lawton, Tilman, 1999, para. 11). In the end, if action is not taken soon, the devastation created through our industrialization, over population in countries across the world, etc. can lead to consequences that can see more devastation and harm that may not be able to be undone if our society fails to take the necessary action to sustain life of all ecosystems. References Hilmo, O., Sà ¥stad, S. M. (2001). Colonization of old-forest lichens in a young and an old boreal i Picea abies forest: an experimental approach. Biological Conservation, 102 (3), 251-259. Chapin III, F. S., Costanza, R., Ehrlich, P. R., Golley, F. B., Hooper, D. U., Lawton, J. H., Tilman, D. (1999). Biodiversity and ecosystem functioning: maintaining natural life support processes. Washington, DC: Ecological Society of America. Hazelbaker, J. (2008). Logging on national forests national forest management zero cut – no. Retrieved from: http://www.worldissues360.com/index.php/logging-on-national-forests-national-forest-management-zero-cut-no-26744/. Corbet, S. A., Williams, I. H., Osborne, J. L. (1991). Bees and the pollination of crops and wild flowers in the European Community. Bee World 7 (2), 47-59.

Theories of Cultural Criminology

Theories of Cultural Criminology Contemporary Issues in Criminology:  Cultural Criminology Critically discuss its theoretical underpinnings and evaluate whether this theoretical approach serves as a useful explanation of criminal behavior in modern Britain. Cultural criminology is the approach to the investigation of crime that its criminality and its control are based in the context of culture. This means, that institutions of crime control, and crime by it self are seen as products of culture. Cultural criminology’s study is approached with theories, methods, and political analysis. There are two key elements that interact, and cultural criminology wants to pay its attention on this interaction which is between: the ascending and descending of the connection of constructions. It always focuses upon the adjoining generation of meaning around this interaction such as: making and breaking of the rules of law, innovation and infringement in politics. (www.culturalcriminology.org) Particularly, cultural criminology is an observation performed by Ferrell Sanders (1995), and implemented by Redhead (1995) and others and linked specific academic threads to discover the meeting of cultural and criminal procedures in current social life. (Kane 1998) In modern society the crime practice and crime control, with cultural dynamics, are connected and cultural criminology discovers the various ways in which they connect. In other words, what cultural criminology supports, is the idea that the centrality of meaning and representation in the structure of crime as a temporary fact. From this point of view, the traditional ideas of crime and crime awareness to add pictures of illegal behavior and symbolic appearances of law reinforcement, famous culture structures of crime and criminal behavior. Scholars are allowed from this big interest and concentration on culture, and people have better understanding of crime, as remarkable activity, and also comprehends the politics that contest for criminal control. (www.culturalcriminology.org) Cultural criminology unites at a very high level, the clear-sight of sociological criminology with the orientations toward picture and design, which is given by the cultural studies area. Cultural criminology has appeared from a much more mixed co-process of criminology, sociology and of course cultural analysis and this is because of the wide contribution of criminology and culture combined. This appearance was the basic track for the well educated people who worked in association with the Birmingham School of Cultural studies, the National Deviancy Conference, and in Great Britain with the ‘new criminology’ in the 1970s. (www.culturalcriminology.org) After reviewing the kind of modern power, the academics studied the extensions of social level that had to do with culture and ideology. Forbidden subcultures but also easy-going countries (that have another meaning of life), have been observed by those academics. After the observation, they examined what came in between these two different ideologies who guide lawful control and social inspection. (www.culturalcriminology.org) Any regulation that is living and affluent is a topic to ordinary processes of regeneration and refreshment. Criminology is the alike. It has had its humanist Marxist, feminist, and rationalist, between other reappearances and is presently being delighted to one more ‘paradigm shift’ in the shape of a self-styled ‘cultural criminology’. A current unique issue is Theoretical Criminology (2004), which was dedicated to the appearance and predictions of this new kid on the rational block. According to Hayward and Young’s (2004:259) opening essay of the particular topic, cultural criminology is: ‘the placing of crime and its control in the background of culture; that is, observing both crime and the organization of control as cultural products –as inspired creations. (O’Brien 2005, p. 599) The main area that new criminology examines most, is how actors derive meaning, and also looks on how to use the analysis of the examination they are focusing on, to find what leads to breaching the law as every day routine. (ibid.: 260, 266). Understanding its mental heritage in 1960s radicalism and by noticing and observing the strange and not well known subcultures upon that radicalism as more of criminological work, the argument pays attention to its humane certifications and oppositional political motions. â€Å"Indeed, cultural criminology describes it self as, and delights in, working ‘at the margins of ‘mainstream’ criminology, for two reasons, first, because ‘it is here, in these forgotten spaces that the story of crime so often unfolds, and secondly because mainstream criminology is dominated by ‘administrative rationalization and statistical complexity†. (O’Brien 2005, Ferrell 1999 p. 599) Whether a new mental try does not actually stands for what cultural criminology really is, instead of a logical process of past work on different subcultures is still in question, and it is worth it if is a category it self and given a suitable historical reflection. (O’Brien 2005, p. 599) Usually, criminal behavior means sub cultural behavior. Individuals and activities which are known as criminals are formally produced by the limits of different and criminal subcultures. Criminologists have accredited this from the interactionist criminology of the Chicago School and Edwin Sutherland to the sub cultural theories of Cohen, Cloward and Ohlin. (Ferrell, 1995 p.26) Either if it is carried out by a group of people, or just by one person, specific criminal acts are usually set up within incited by sub cultural. Even though the boundaries may still have an inaccurate definition, and the membership may increase in numbers as well as the level of commitment, these subcultures include final human relationships for those who take part in them. â€Å"Biker, hustler, Blood and Crip, all name sub cultural networks as much as individual personalities.†(Ferrell, 1995 p.26) As Sutherland and the Chicago School knew from fifty years ago , and while immeasurable case studies have been certified, criminal subcultures merge not only proximities of personal relationship. To be able to discuss about criminal subculture, the ability to accredit a group of people and a truss of symbols, meaning and education is required. Members of criminal subcultures always adapt and discuss ‘motives, drives, rationalizations, and attitudes’, they perform a different kind of language, look/style, personality and they take part at a larger or smaller level, in a subculture, a way of life which they chose.(Ferrell, 1995 p.26) The sub cultural meaning mostly action, personality, and status is organized around the style which the subculture’s member decide to have. Delicacies of chosen style, defines what crime means, and difference for sub cultural members, agents of legal control, consumers of intercede crime pictures and other people. We must be clever enough to understand the criminal acts and chosen aesthetics they have for their selves. (Ferrell, 1995 p.26-27) â€Å"Katzs research, for example, has linked criminal acts and aesthetics by examining the styles and symbolic meanings which emerge inside the everyday dynamics of criminal events and criminal subcultures. By paying attention to dark sunglasses and white undershirts, to precise styles of walking, talking, and otherwise presenting ones criminal identity, Katz has sketched the alternative deviant culture, the coherent deviant ‘a’esthetic in which badasses, cholos, punks, youth gang members, and others participate. In these cases, as in other forms of crime on and off the street, the meaning of criminality is anchored in the style of its collective practice. The bikers ritually reconstructed motorcycle, the gang members sports clothing and tattoos, the graffiti writers mysterious street images, and the skinheads violently provocative music constitute the essential cultural and sub cultural materials out of which criminal projects and criminal identities are constructed and displayed. Once again, participation in a criminal subculture, or in the culture of crime, means participation in the symbolism and style, the collective aesthetic environment, of criminality.† (Ferrell, 1995 p.27) A recent study by the British cultural studies tradition to Katz and other new criminologists has concluded that style and symbolism not only bind with the wide social and lawful relations in which these subcultures are caught. Criminal subcultures and their styles accelerate out of school, age, ethnicity, gender and legal inequalities repeat and resist these social wrong lines. This interaction of sub cultural style, inequality and power in turn, reminds of Becker’s classic criminological thoughtless that we have to investigate, criminal subcultures and also legal and political powers who built these subcultures as criminal. After we do the study, we see that these powers (authorities) both opposing to sub cultural styles, and themselves, putting symbolic and stylish strategies of their own against them. The criminalization attempts of legal and political supporters show again the control of cultural forces. In criminalizing cultural and sub cultural actions, and demonstrating for public support, ethical capitalists and legal authorities influence legal and political structures, but possibly more, so structures of mass symbolism and perception. (Ferrell, 1995 p.27, 28) To seize the real meaning of criminalization and crime, cultural criminology should count the powers of criminal subcultures as well as for the powers of mass media. Nowadays, intervene pictures of crime and criminal abuse, is harming as slowly-slowly and by doing that, helps the public to draw opinions and policies that have to do with crime. But obviously these modern cases construct on latest interceded constructions of crime and its control. In the United States, criminalization of marijuana fifty years ago was based on a try to wake people up to see the danger and face it, as unambiguously defective symbol in Los Angeles newspapers. (Ferrell, 1995 p.28) â€Å"In the mid-1960s, shocking media reports of rape and assault placed the circumstance for a permissible campaign in opposition to the Hells Angels; and at approximately the matching time, lawful harassments on British mods and rockers were lawful throughout the medias consumption of sensitive symbols.† In the 1970s, the mutual relations amid the British mass media and criminal justice system formed a discernment that mugging was a terrifying new injures of crime. And throughout the 1980s and untimely 1990s, mediated horror legends justified wars on drugs, gangs, and graffiti in the United States, and shaped instants of mediated moral panic over child cruelty and child pornography in Great Britain.† (Ferrell, 1995 p.28) This concentration on cultural dynamics, the composition of deviant intellectual opinions, the motion behind obedient frontiers, show the probabilities for a reviewable cultural criminology and a kind of postmodern cultural criminology too. Contemporary public, feminist and cultural theories are increasingly moving behind obedient limitations and divide categories to build synthetic, postmodern expectations on cultural and social life. Although grated by their eclectic and divergent parts, these opinions use some same general ideas, between them, the perception that the everyday culture of people and the everyday culture of people and teams merges strong and clashing separations of style and meaning. (Ferrell, 1995 p.36) â€Å"The symbolism and style of social interaction, the culture of everyday life in this way forms a contested political terrain, embodying patterns of inequality, power, and privilege. And these patterns are in turn intertwined with larger structures of mediated information and entertainment, cultural production and consumption, and legal and political authority. As the sort of cultural criminology outlined here develops, it can integrate criminology into these synthetic lines of situated inquiry now emerging under broad headings like postmodernism and cultural studies.† (Ferrell, 1995 p.28) Although grated but their electric and divergent parts, these opinions use some sane general ideas, between them, the perception that the everyday culture of people and teams merges strong and clashing separations of style and meaning. Consequently cultural criminology gives the chance to criminologists, to reinforce their own thoughts and beliefs on crime with perceptive from different areas, but providing at the same time for their colleagues in the studies of culture, sociology of culture, studies on media, and wherever they can adopt their thoughts from, criminalization, and their connection to political and cultural procedures. Folding or breaching the motions of criminology in order to build a cultural criminology, undercuts modern criminology, not more that it extends and vitalizes it. Cultural criminology extends criminology’s sectors contain words conventionally considered external to it like: popular music, style, media operations and texts, and gallery act. Likely, criminology is introduced in contemporary discourses with these worlds and gives a termination of criminological perspectives are very important to them. Crime and culture’s relation, and the wider relation among criminology and modern social, cultural life, are both of them enlighten within cultural criminology. (Ferrell, 1995 p.36-37) References: Ferrell, J. (1995) Culture, Crime, and Cultural Criminology [on-line]. Journal of Criminal Justice and Popular Culture. Available from: http://www.albany.edu/scj/jcjpc/vol3is2/culture.html [Accessed 1 March 2008] O’ Briem, M. (2005) what is cultural about cultural criminology? British Journal Criminology, [On-line] Available from: URL: E:UniModulesWhat is Cultural about Cultural Criminology O’Brien 45 (5) 599 British Journal of Criminology.htm [1 [Accessed 2 March 2008]. Ferrell, J. Cultural criminology. Blackwell Encyclopedia of Sociology [on-line]. Available from: -http://www.culturalcriminology.org/papers/cult-crim-blackwell-ency-soc.pdf