Review of Scoring Rubric

Self Perspective Essay Example

Self Perspective Essay Example Self Perspective Paper Self Perspective Paper The Positives and Negatives Is self- Identity created over time, or are we born with It? Self identity, also known as self concept, self perspective or self construction refers to how a person university of Texas In Austin, Texas. In their article Self Verification 360 degrees: Illuminating the Light and Dark Sides they explain the self verification theory. North and Swan explain, Self verification theory asserts that people are motivated to seek confirmation of their negative as well as positive self-views (n. Page). They also note, Because self views serve these vitally important functions, people become invested in maintaining them (n. Page. ). George Orwell is an English journalist and novelist. His book, Down and out in Paris and London, Documents the life of the lower class people in Paris and London in the 1 us. Of these people, Boris creates his self-identity through being overly optimistic, Bozo creates his self-identity through being an artist, Payday creates his-self Identity through his self-pity and Charlie is through his lies. Boris, Bozo, Payday and Charlie all do not match up with Swan and Norths self- reification theory. Then enters Boris, Boris was a Russian waiter. He is by nature overly optimistic and creates his self-identity though it. Boris explains, l have always said it, there is nothing easier to get than money (Orwell 44). ). If money was so easy to get then he wouldnt be in the situation that he is in. Most times he says things that are obviously untrue such as, Boris states, Oh we shall find something. I have got a few cards up my sleeve. There are people who owe me money, for instance-Paris is full of them (Orwell 29). If there were really people all over Paris that owed him money then e would be collecting the money. Boris also states, What things a man can do with brains! Brains will make money out of anything (Orwell 31). There he goes again with being overly optimistic he has a brain but has gone days without eating before. When Orwell first meets up with Boris one of the first few words out of his mouth was starving to death is this goes on much longer (Orwell 28). Swan and Norths self verification theory, assumes that people work to preserve their negative as well as positive self views by seeking confirmation for these self One time in particular Orwell goes into description about Boris regimen to get ready. Orwell says, He shaved without soap and with a razor- blade two months old, tied his tie so that the holes did not show, and carefully stuffed the soles of his shoes with newspaper (30). Orwell also notes, Finally when he was dressed, he produced an ink bottle and Inked the skin on his ankles where It showed through his socks (30). The fact that Boris goes to such extreme lengths to make himself look presentable says a lot about how he wants people to perceive him. He wants his self Image on the outside to look as good as possible when fledgling a Job. Other than the times he gets dressed up to look for his past mistresses and tells them about his misfortune. Orwell says, Sometimes in hopeful moments Boris spent fifty centimes on a stamp and wrote to one of his ex mistresses, asking for money'(34). Boris doesnt fit Swan and Norths theory because he doesnt try to get confirmation from people he Just does as he wants. Hes not ashamed of being poor. Bozos self-identity is created through having no self pity. He has a mangled leg and earns a little bit by drawing chalk paintings on sidewalks. He struggles inside the roll of desperate poverty so he can have some sense of dignity. He wore the usual beggars clothes but wore a collar and tie and was proud to wear it. Orwell writes, The collar a year or more old, was constantly going around the neck, and Bozo used to patch it with bits cut from the tail of his shirt so that the shirt had scarcely any tail left. (166). Orwell notes, His damaged leg kept getting worse and was going to have to be amputated one day (166). Orwell also says, With all this, he had neither fear, nor regret, nor shame, nor self pity. Orwell 166) Bozo explains, Being a beggar, he said, was not his fault (Orwell (166). Bozo cared about what others thought of him as he was constantly fixing his collar. He was also always reminding Orwell that he wasnt just someone who begged for money (167). Orwell states that, He considered himself in a class above the ordinary run of beggars, who he said, were an abject lot, without even the decency to be ungrateful (16 7). Even though Bozo was a beggar, in a way he felt he was better than all the other beggars. He had no self pity on himself. He provided a service than rather than Just a jugular beggar. The people didnt pay him to go away he got paid for his services. Bozo doesnt match up with Swan and Norths theory, Self verification theory asserts that people are motivated to seek confirmation of their negative as well as positive self-views (n. Page. ). Bozo wants people to look at the positives about him. He doesnt want people to seek confirmation on the negative views about himself. Then enters Payday, he creates his self-identity through his self pity. He was dressed better than most tramps he wore a tweed shooting Jacket and a pair of old evening trousers with the braid still on them (Orwell 149). The braid that was still on his pants in his mind was a lingering scrap of respectability he made sure when it was loose to sew it back on (Orwell 149). He tried to keep up his appearance as much as possible he carried a razor and a boot brush that he would not sell (Orwell 150). He had sold some of his other belongings such as his pocket knife and his papers but wouldnt sell his boot brush or razor. Even though Orwell says Payday was horribly ashamed being a tramp he still ad picked up all the little tricks that all tramps did (150). When they walked by a vending machine he would pull the lever to make sure that no loose change came out and he never missed a cigarette end on the ground. Even though he was horrible ashamed of being a tramp, in public he still did all these little things that tramps did. Payday doesnt fit the theory of the Texas University Professors Swan and North, Self verification assumes that people work to preserve their negative as well as positive seeking confirmation for these self views. As Orwell writes about Payday he says, The thought of his bad luck never seemed to leave him for an instant (152). Payday is always is so negative that he doesnt fit Swan and Norths theory. Payday never gives anyone anything positive to seek confirmation of; he is always talking about all the negatives in his life. Charlie is a young man who seeks his self identity through being the center of attention. Orwell explains, He was a youth of family and education who had run away from home and lived on occasional remittances (10). Charlie would bang on the zinc bar and yell for silence (96). The stories Charlie told were not always to be awaken seriously. Charlie wanted to be liked but by the public as he always wanted to be the center of attention but his stories werent any nature to be liked. Charlie says At twenty -two I am utterly worn out and finished (Orwell 10). He tries to make him sound older and worldly than he actually is. Charlie goes into his story of him drugging his brother and robbing him of all his money (Orwell 11). Then with the money he got a guide and wanted to go to the borders (Orwell 12). He basically goes on to say he paid money and got to do whatever he wanted with a girl. Which is he ultimately raped her. (Orwell 13). Charlies story was disgusting. He wanted to be the center of attention and always be telling stories. Even though everyone knew they were most likely not true. Charlie does not go with Swan and Norths self verification theory of people are motivated to seek confirmation of their negative as well as positive self- views (n. Page. ). Charlie doesnt really care what people think he Just wants to tell his stories and wants people to listen to him. In conclusion, the book Down and Out in Paris and London by George Orwell, ho is an English Journal and Novelist had a few interesting characters. Self-identity is created over time as we are not born with it. Boris creates his self identity through being optimistic and tries to get self verification through talking about positive things about himself as well as the negative things about himself. Bozo is a street artist also known as a Screener; he creates his self-identity by having no self pity even though his life is never going to get any better. Bozo is always looks on the bright side of everything. Payday creates his self identity though having self pity. Payday is a man who is quite ashamed of being a tramp. But he still has picked up all of the tramps little tricks throughout his time and doesnt try to hide them.. At last there is Charlie he is a young man from money and education. Charlie created his self identity through being a liar. He is also quite a story teller. Ultimately Charlie, Bozo, Payday and Boris do not match up with Swan and Norths Self Verification theory of, people are motivated to seek confirmation of their negative as well as positive self- views (n. Page). Can one change their self identity multiple times throughout their life?

Club IT, Part 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Club IT, Part 2 - Essay Example Vendors will have the ability to restock for the owner at the appropriate time. In the paper, l am using the traditional systems development life cycle which â€Å"provides the user with a tentative system for experimental purposes at the earliest possible time.† (Kellen and Night, 2001, pg 51 ) Keywords: website optimization Club IT Technical Issues Club IT has done a very good renovation of its club and have in turn attracted a very good clientele to their club which is a big step. The technical aspects of club improvement include hardware and operating systems, networking, data management systems, and applications software. The lack of a good quality Internet is a big hurdle. During my observation night, l had to deal with slow Internet which was a dial up type in a cramped room. This really slowed down my research that evening and putting into consideration the type of clients that this club attracts, it needs an improvement. If the club can acquire a better type of Intern et, it would also service Club IT’s customers who mostly are Net Generation and Millennials. These customers regularly use mobile technologies such as Blackberries, PDAs, camera phones, and other wireless communication devices. Club IT should also consider having wired and secure network connections for their offices. The club owners should also consider expanding their offices and using fewer machines in their offices. The club produces its own merchandise which is displayed on its website. Although this is a good thing, they should include a shopping cart and snippet code to ensure easy location of required products. Since most of their clients shop online, this would increase traffic to their website and attract their competitor’s customers and get the niche they need to gain the competitive advantage over the rest. For the site to be secured, the user should be provided with a unique username and a password which is alphanumeric to ensure security. His password sho uld expire after a period of one month to ensure that they are not hacked easily. Relocation of ticket sales should be made so that they can also take advantage of these resources. The company’s website has limited its access to only the administrators. This has served as a shortcoming to its vendors who could play key role in developing the cost benefit of the company. By giving access to its suppliers they will be able to notice the various market changes as well as enable them to find an array of reports that provide analysis of how their products are selling. In the future, the club owners will be able to exchange information with the vendors directly ensuring that they have the competitive advantage over their competitors. Over time, this type of system enables the website owners to keep track of their individual sales and their respective curve chains. Each department should get their own portal on the website to enable accountability. The different departments should a lso be accessible to each other to make it simple to communicate with each other e.g. the accounts department accessing the staff portal to pay them. The staff should also be given unique passwords and usernames which cannot be compromised. A virtual firewall should be implemented to avoid unauthorized access. Recommended project development methodology The recommended development methodology is the linear methodology. This type of methodology divides the project into sequential phases which

An address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of Essay

An address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of America adopted by a convention of Negroes held in Alexand - Essay Example An address to the Loyal Citizens and Congress of the United States of America adopted by a convention of Negroes held in Alexandria, Virginia, from August 2 to 5, 1865 This document was written by the African Americans who were once slaves and who had survived the chaos of the American Civil War. These Americans are from a slave state. The first thing once is see is how well the document was written. It is written in formal English and appears to be something which a lawyer would write. One would have to say the document reflects the high education level that some African Americans had gained in spite of the hostile atmosphere of racism that surrounded them. This address underlined the participation and sacrifice of African Americans in the Civil War. It notes that there were 200,000 black soldiers participating. Their undying devotion to the Northern Union cause was confirmed, the address says, by the exclamations that escaped Northern prisoners shouted, whenever they saw a black fa ce. History tells us that after the Civil War a repressive period toward African Americans followed during the Reconstruction Era. The South had been defeated, but that later came back and re-installed their repressive and brutal control over black people, expressing their racism in every way and manner they could. What is interesting about this document is that the newly freed blacks saw that this was going to happen. They express to the Congress of the United States that the loyalty the former residents speak of was only "lip deep"! This expression is unique for us, showing how words and their uses have evolved. Today we no longer use that expression and one would guess it would be called archaic at present. But the expression is full of knowledgeable insight. One must look at the quoting of numbers. The people who wrote the document were fully aware of the strength of the south, of how many of the rebels had been paroled or given amnesty. With such insight, their claim that there will be "unfriendly legislation" - which they quoted to make the term sand out, and setbacks in what the North had accomplished for black people, stands clear and well spoken of. The purpose of the document draws clear. The African Americans were asking for the right to vote before the southern voters re-kindled and passed racist laws. (Congress would later pass the 15th Amendment in 1869 given African American males the right to vote. It would be ratified in 1870). They provided several arguments. One argument was that they will be able to distinguish between a traitor and a loyal man. They pointed to how 12,000 black voters helped Governor Seymour return to his position in New York, along with another politician. This argument, then, addressed the political needs of the Democratic party at that time. But more important was that the African American contingent pointed out that with possession of the ballot, they would be able to protect themselves. Another interesting archaic word phrase came up. They were looking for an equal chance to protect themselves against the "white traitors varnished and japanned," they say, made again citizens with the oath of amnesty. The African Americans assume that the northern whites had faith with them and hence could not deny them the vote. But was this true? Did whites have faith in the blacks? What is very interesting is that this appeal also shows the atmosphere of mistrust that seem to float around all involved parties. It was no cakewalk, after the Civil War. Abraham Lincoln had made the move of emancipation after the War had started and late into it, 1863. Even his move reflected the hesitant nature of American politics. Lincoln probably knew that attitudes had to be given time to change and that at the time he issued the Emancipation Proclamation, that it was the best time to do over a weak South. But the Appeal shows how the black people knew that the Southerners were still not ready. They had still not changed their minds and were still racist. In the paragraph before last, the African Ameri

Paper discussing the theme and proving it in Sophocles's play Oedipus Essay

Paper discussing the theme and proving it in Sophocles's play Oedipus the King - Essay Example Aristotle (1998) stated â€Å"the tragic hero falls into bad fortune because of some flaw in his character of the kind found in men of high reputation and good fortune such as Oedipus.† In this statement, he indicates Oedipus had a flaw that, because of his high station, would ultimately cause his demise. In this essay I will argue how Oedipus from Oedipus the King by Sophocles is a protagonist driven by the passion of pride and how this largely contributes to his own downfall, placing the discussion within the context of the classical definition of a tragedy. As has been mentioned, the classic definition of a tragedy begins with the driving force behind the action which was referred to as hamartia. Hamartia is commonly referred to today as a tragic flaw (â€Å"Aristotle†, 1998). It is the concept that a noble man will fall not as the result of a vengeful god or violation of the god’s laws per se, but rather as a result of some inherent flawed portion of his character that causes him to act in a specific way or make a particular mistake in judgment. In much of Greek tragedy, this tragic flaw appears in the form of an excessive pride on the part of the protagonist that renders them incapable of listening to the counsel of others or of correctly perceiving the events taking place around them. This behavior or mistake will be the actual cause of ruin thus illustrating that the fall of great people is not necessarily the will of the gods but are instead manifestations of the gods allowing humans to act of their own accord, for b etter or worse. In Oedipus the King, the action opens as Oedipus is approached by plague-stricken masses asking help from him as king. When he sees his people gathered around him as if he were a god, his response to them is â€Å"What means this reek of incense everywhere, / From others, and am hither come, myself, / I Oedipus, your world-renowned king† (4-8). Although the people of Oedipus’ day did turn to

Essay on theories and models of health promotion

Essay on theories and models of health promotion The word health came from the old English word for heal (hael) which means whole, indicating that health concerns the whole person and their integrity, soundness, or well-being (Crafter 1997). Health can be defined as a state of well-being, interpreted by the World Health Organisation as a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being, not merely the absence of disease or infirmity (WHO 1946). Health promotion (HP) is the process of enabling people to increase control over and to improve their health. HP is a positive concept emphasizing social and personal resources as well as physical capacities. WHO (1984) In this assignment I will discuss health, HP principles, changing peoples behaviour and attitudes and I will also apply the application of a HP strategy (Beatties model). Beattie (1991) identifies three areas, health persuasion, personal counselling and community development. It also incorporates the knowledge, attitudes and beliefs (KAB model) which helps to support Beaties theories. His model offers a structural analysis of HP approaches. This model involves advice and information that is evidence based, insuring that the correct information is available to the client so she can make an informed choice, as the Nursing and Midwifery council (NMC 2008) stipulates. The KAB model, when applied, concentrates on what makes a person want to change. Dahlgren and Whitehead (1991) discuss the layers of influence on health and its social and ecological theory. They also attempted to link the relationship between the individual, their environment and disease. Individual people are at the centre, with a set of fixed genes. Surrounding them are influences on health that can be changed or modified. The first layer is personal behaviour and ways of living that can promote or damage health. e.g. ones choice to drink alcohol. Individuals are often affected by friendship patterns and their communities. The next layer of Dahlgren and Whiteheads theory is social and community influences, which provide mutual support for members of the community in unfavourable conditions. But they can also provide no support or have a negative effect. The third layer includes structural factors such as housing, working conditions, access to services and provision of essential facilities. Festinger (1957) used the term cognitive dissonance to describe a persons mental state when new information is given. This prompts the person either to reject the new information (as unreliable or inappropriate) or to adapt attitudes and behaviour, which could fit with it. Bradshaws needs also plays a critical role in HP. The schedule of antenatal care is dominated by a medical model. When providing care, the needs of women must be heard and incorporated into their care. Bradshaws needs can be used by midwives and other professionals to identify womens needs in pregnancy. This can lead to the type of healthcare which is more likely to address the social determinants of health and improve health outcomes for pregnant women. Normative Need: As defined by an expert, to be a need that all require. Such as the advised number of antenatal visits. Felt Need: an individual or groups own personal need. Expressed Need: A felt need which turns into an expression for help Comparative need: Comparing the needs of different groups and finding a common occurance. Bradshaws concept has four different types of need: My HP strategy focuses on Bradshaws comparative need. To educate women of 30yrs+ to abstain from alcohol during pregnancy. This is evidence based on research showing the link between alcohol and FAS. HP is a key part of the midwifes role. However, the effectiveness of its practice is often not easily recognisable. The document, Saving Lives-our healthier nation, (DOH 1999), suggests that individuals are not solely responsible for their own ill health. Health professionals i.e. Midwife and the government all play an important part in working towards achieving health for all and reducing inequalities in health and health care provision. The report also states that Healthcare authorities and primary care groups have a responsibility towards public health. (DOH 1999) The Royal College of Midwives (RCM 2000) suggests that maternity care is not just a delivery service. Midwives make a major contribution to family well-being and the wider public health and its contribution is yet to reach its full potential. HP is often used to describe behaviour or actions, which directly or indirectly influence the health of others. This may include preventing ill health, maintaining positive health, raising public awareness of health issues, protecting the public from harm, educating people to make healthy lifestyle choices and reducing inequalities in health and provision of healthcare (Dunkley 2000). HP within midwifery, involves enhancing positive health and reducing the risk of ill health through education. For expectant mothers it is a time of immense psychological and physiological development. During this time the woman acquires a great deal of new and sometimes confusing information from family, friends, magazines and health professionals. Midwifes have a duty of care to inform women about health damaging behaviour where this may occur. They also have a duty to encourage discussion on such topics i.e. alcohol in pregnancy, nutrition and choices of feeding. Following articles written in the Guardian and Telegraph newspaper in February 2010 stating that the Department of Health advice is that women should not drink at all when trying to conceive or when pregnant, but if women do chose to drink they should not have more than one or two units once or twice a week and not drink enough to feel drunk is what inspired my decision to look at Alcohol in pregnancy for this HP. The National Institute on Alcohol and alcoholism (NIAA) clearly states that NO alcohol should be consumed in pregnancy. The Telegraph newspaper in January 2009 reported that OLeary (an Australian scientist) states Women who drink five small glasses of wine during the course of a week in the first three months of pregnancy increase their risk of a premature birth by 70 per cent, even if they stop later. Research from the Infant feeding survey 2005 shows that drinking alcohol socially when pregnant has a higher occurrence in women in the 30-35 year age range and above. The Royal College of Obstetricians and gynaecologists (RCOG) 29th June 2010 stating there is no evidence that a couple of units of alcohol once or twice a week will harm an unborn baby. These contradicting reports led me to research the need for a HP on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. Professor Phillip Steer of the RCOG believes that if women ate and drank a more healthy diet this would result in healthier babies thus a healthier nation. Another specialist, Dr Raja Mukherjee, consultant psychiatrist and expert in foetal alcohol syndrome, stated that if a wealthier woman who has previously consumed wine on a regular basis, continues into her pregnancy, she is in the high risk group. He reports that they are actually putting their babies at risk before they even know they are pregnant, in some cases. Mukherjee (NOFAS) also reported that one of the most severely affected children he has seen, was born after a wealthy woman continued to consume half a bottle of wine 2 to 3 times a week. In my HP plan I wanted to target women in the older age ranges. Using the media to publicise the damage caused by alcohol consumption in pregnancy. My idea constituted a run of billboard posters depicting babies being forced to consume alcohol as well as television advertising. The adverts would be hard hitting with a simple dont drink slogan. The campaign would be called the you drink, I drink campaign. The primary aim would be to stop women drinking alcohol in pregnancy. The secondary aim would be to at least educate and inform women of the concerns related to drinking alcohol. Both aims would hope to have an effect in reducing the cases of fetal alcohol syndrome, currently 1:100, (NOFAS 2010), caused by drinking alcohol in pregnancy. Models have been used in HP for some time, but can they be a part of midwifery? It could be claimed that the unique and individual situations of pregnancy and birth do not lend themselves to categorising women and their needs. Every woman and every pregnancy is different. Could it be possible to apply a standard package of professional care? If midwifery is viewed as a health-promoting activity, then it may be that HP models and approaches can enhance the way that midwives deliver care by developing an agreed research-based framework, which, rather than labelling women, standardize good practice (Crafter 1997). The NHS plan, (NHS 2000), which seeks to develop an NHS that is patient-centred and fit for the 21st. Century, suggests that the role of the midwife should be developed in public health and family well being. Whilst researching my strategy I found that the first reported association between maternal alcoholism and a characteristic pattern of cranio-facial, limb and cardiovascular defects in the offspring was published in The Lancet Saturday 9 June 1973. Since then the results of a large body of research have been published. This is clearly an indication that a new HP aimed at pregnant women is needed! In 1996 the RCOG published a guideline on alcohol consumption in pregnancy. They wrote that there was no conclusive evidence of effects in either growth or IQ at levels of consumption below 120 gms per week. Nonetheless, they recommended that women should be careful about alcohol consumption in pregnancy and limit this to no more than one standard drink (8 gms of alcohol) per day. This disagrees with the recommendations from NICE. Who state that if a woman does decide to drink alcohol, she should drink No more than one or two units, once or twice a week. It is clear that the consumption of alcohol during pregnancy cannot be deemed without risk, however, controversy continues as to whether there is any safe level which women should be advised not to exceed. According to The National Organisation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS), the medical and scientific literature overwhelmingly supports the hypothesis that there are risks of alcohol related brain damage from drinking low to moderate amounts of alcohol during pregnancy.   Based on these findings, NOFAS position is that there is no safe time, no safe amount, and no safe alcohol during pregnancy. (NOFAS 2007) The obvious way forward is to re-educate women through HP. There are key drivers in health matters such as the National institute of clinical excellence (NICE) and the Acheson Report for the Department of Health, which was a report to contribute to the development of the Governments strategy for health and an agenda for action on inequalities in the longer term. The publication in February 1998 of the consultation paper Our Healthier Nation; a Contract for Health was an important landmark. It identified the need to improve the health of the worst off in society and to narrow the health gap as an overriding principle. (DOH 1998) The report took into account the main features of Our Healthier Nation as they affect inequalities. It discussed tackling inequalities in the settings of schools, the workplace and neighbourhoods. The section on the NHS included an element on the reduction of inequalities through local partnerships taking into account plans for Health Improvement Programmes and Health Action Zones. It also takes into account the changes outlined in the White Paper The New NHS: Modern and Dependable. Whilst developing my HP strategy I looked for current Local and National strategies. The key strategy is that of the National Organisation on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (NOFAS). They offer an extensive service, including conferences, support group meetings, publications and in particular the Baby Bundle Project. The training for Midwives Project is an initiative of NOFAS-UK to provide useful and positive health information about the consumption of alcohol in pregnancy. Midwives play an important role and can help prevent FASD. Another key strategy is Drinkaware. Drinkaware aims to change the UKs drinking habits for the better. They promote responsible drinking and find innovative ways to challenge the national drinking culture to help reduce alcohol misuse and minimise alcohol-related harm. They are an independent, UK-wide charity, who are supported by voluntary donations from across the drinks industry to equip people with the knowledge they need to make decisions about how much they drink. Drinaware also helps tackle alcohol misuse. As well as working with other organisations and individuals across the UK to fulfil the educational, community and awareness campaigning function envisaged in the Governments Alcohol Harm Reduction Strategy. They also provide easily accessible, evidence-based information about alcohol and its effects, to employers, young people, teachers, parents and community workers, such as Midwives. They use a range of advertising mediums, such as film, multimedia and TV. Another National strategy is NICE. Their current recommendations on alcohol in pregnancy is that Pregnant women and women planning a pregnancy should be advised to avoid drinking alcohol in the first 3 months of pregnancy if possible, because it may be associated with an increased risk of miscarriage. But as previously discussed they also advise that women planning a pregnancy or in the first 3 months should not drink at all. The negative theory of this is that the government is presuming that all women will know what 8g of alcohol is, or 1.5 units. Should the government be advising women in a more user friendly way? The HP strategy advising women what they should or should not do will fail as not all women will know how much is too much. This creates a concerning risk. The government need to re-address the strategy to be usable by midwives and pregnant women alike. They should be re-thinking ways to educate women as to what a measure of alcohol is. Nice is also adding to the confusion in saying avoid alcohol then expressing that it can be drunk but in moderation. This sends a very confusing message to health promoters and pregnant women. According to NICE it is the responsibility of the midwife to educate their clients in the safe levels of alcohol consumption at their first meeting. At the expectant mothers first visit to the antenatal clinic the midwife should explain how the pregnant woman will be monitored with regular examinations and tests to ensure that the pregnancy is progressing normally. It should also be emphasised that the womans health inevitably influences that of the fetus and can have major impact on health in childhood and later life. Midwives need to advise their clients on what is safe. Would it be safer and clearer to advise all women, all of the time, not to drink alcohol at all? But the midwife would then not be offering the woman informed choice. It is the role of the midwife to offer lifestyle advice and to tell women of the implications of what alcohol consumption can do to a fetus. Then as Beatties model states, its the clients prerogative to choose what their actions are but it is the midwives role to try to encourage a change in previous unhealthy behaviour. During the development of my HP strategy i gained a peer review. (See appendix A). The positive feedback was tremendous. Confirming that I had correctly assessed the need for the target audience to be women aged 30-35 years+ and that a hard hitting advertising campaign was the right route to take. It highlighted the need to define which health models i would use and I decided on Beatties and KAB rather than Tannahill, which is another well know model. Although I did realise the need to decide on a primary and secondary aim for my promotion. The review also highlighted the need to be able to assess the success of this strategy. This would be easily measured by seeing a reduction in babies born with FAS. During antenatal care Midwives impart relevant information in a teaching way, but it is of no value if that teaching is facilitated in a lecturing style. Women wont learn if spoken at. It is not possible to provide an exhaustive coverage of pregnancy, labour, and the postnatal period during a set of 3/4 classes. A childbirth educator can boost her clients self esteem by valuing everyones comments and creating an atmosphere in which learning is a shared experience. The aim of childbirth education, therefore should be to help the women understand the importance (for their mental health) of getting the information they need, and to empower them to ask questions when and of whoever they want. It has been clearly demonstrated that a womans mental health after delivery has been closely linked to the amount of information she received during her labour (Oakley 1980). Health promoters are not always effective at providing information. Hillan (1992) suggests many women feel that there are a variety of ways during an antenatal class to empower women to ask questions of their caregivers. Women can be empowered by the attitude of their teacher. In Beattie (1991) Strategies for HP, he incorporates empowerment as an important aspect of his model to empower individuals to have the skills and confidence to take more control over their health. Analyses of empowerment shows there is a need to distinguish between self-empowerment and community empowerment. Self empowerment is used to describe HP strategies which are based on counselling and which use non-directive, client centred approaches aimed at increasing peoples control over their lives. Midwives frequently engage in client-centred work, as they are concerned with facilitating client autonomy. The client sets the agenda and the health professionals role is facilitating, guiding, supporting and empoweri ng the client to make informed choices (Dunkley 2000). Community empowerment is used to describe a way of working which increases peoples power to change their social reality. It is also a way of working which seeks to create active participating communities who are empowered and able to challenge and change the world about them. This approach helps people identify their own concerns and gain the skills and confidence to act upon them. It is unique as a bottom-up strategy and calls for the different skills from the health promoter (Kendall 1998). The midwife, becomes a facilitator whose role is to act as a catalyst. Carl Rogers has also developed the theory of facilitative learning. The basic premise of this theory is that learning will occur by the educator (in this case, the Midwife) acting as a facilitator, thus establishing an atmosphere in which learners feel comfortable to consider new ideas and are not threatened by external factors. When teaching adults we must be aware of their different learning styles. Adult learners are a very diverse group. Andragogy (the teaching and learning of adults) was first developed by Alexander Knapp in 1833. Then in 1984 Knowles used Knapps theory and expanded on it. Knowles emphasizes that adults are self-directed and expect to take responsibility for decisions. Adult learning programs must accommodate this fundamental aspect. Knowles himself changed his position on whether andragogy really applied only to adults and came to believe that pedagogy-andragogy represents a continuum ranging from teacher-directed to student-directed learning and that both approaches are appropriate with children and adults, depending on the situation. (Knowles 1984) Beattie offers a structural analysis of the HP approaches. He suggests that there are four paradigms for HP. These are generated from the dimensions of mode of intervention which ranges from authoritative (top-down and expert-led) to negotiated (bottom-up and valuing individual autonomy). Most HP work involving advice and information is determined and led by practitioners, or midwives in this case. The work and thoughts of Carl Rogers in the 1960s have been formative in understanding the importance of self-awareness and the experiential learning in helping individuals to understand and make decision. It is therefore important before commencing adult education to examine the structure of the model and look at whom it is aimed at. It is important when working within a team that certain values are shared and made explicit so that the carers can work towards the same goals and the recipients of care can be clear about the standards and outcomes to expect. Developing and working with unified models and approaches in health promotion and midwifery can therefore help midwives to communicate with each other more effectively and strengthen initiatives, which benefit everyone (Crafter 1997). The transition to parenthood is an emotional time for both the pregnant woman and her partner. The shift from marriage or partnership to the first pregnancy is a major transition point in a womens life. It is also the time that HP can have its biggest effect. Women are open to learning new things and hearing from many different sources about whats best for them during this time. A number of studies have suggested and therefore confirm this theory that the most difficult transition for couples to make is the birth of the first child (Cowan Cowan, 1992). All major transitions involve making changes and a period of disequilibrium. A professional career woman may find the whole process out of her control and be left reeling. Motherhood can significantly challenge a womans sense of identity, revealing a tension between personhood and parenthood. Antenatal classes, media, books etc all play a part in acclimatising the woman to her new role. Other outside influences are the social surroundings. Pregnant women from lower or working classes may not feel they have the same support as those from middle or upper class social areas. They may not reach out to areas of support, including what we consider basic antenatal care. Younger mothers may look at parenthood through rose tinted spectacles, imagining their baby will sleep through the night. While the more mature first time mother is more realistic in her outlook. This is where HP again plays an integral part in educating the woman through sources of media, care and through learning in the community. Expectations and theories have changed greatly over the last 40 years. Older mothers are more common as are teenage mothers. Teenage mothers in the 1960s were sent away to discreetly have their babies, now they are a common part of the community with different needs to that of the older mother. HP has to be aimed at all groups all of the time. It is up to the care giver to facilitate this information at the right level for each individual case. Good quality teaching, support and HPs received well, all contribute to the transition to parenthood, thus increasing the confidence of the new parent. After all, it is one of the most vulnerable times in their life. With successful antenatal learning in place this would then enhance the transition to parenthood and that of attachment. Bowlby (1969) devoted extensive research to the concept of attachment, describing it as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings Proximity Maintenance The desire to be near the people we are attached to. Safe Haven Returning to the attachment figure for comfort and safety in the face of a fear or threat. Secure Base The attachment figure acts as a base of security from which the child can explore the surrounding environment. Separation Distress Anxiety that occurs in the absence of the attachment figure. Bowlby (1969)Bowlby believed that there are four distinguishing characteristics of attachment: These characteristics are learned as children and are what we use when moving from childhood to parenthood. Without a good base we cannot expect new parents to successfully proceed into parenthood without some re-education and the support of quality care givers. In conclusion, the RCM Vision 2000 describes the midwife as a public health practitioner. Midwives have always enhanced, facilitated and supported factors, which promote physical health, psychological, social and spiritual well being for the woman and her immediate family. Some of the key points that should be considered for the future of midwifery HP practice, is that it needs to be clearly defined, national and political recognition of the midwives contribution to public health should be improved and midwives should promote health within the socio-culteral and economic context of how individuals live their everyday lives (Dunkley 2000). Providing antenatal care to woman and fetus demonstrates a unique opportunity to enhance holistic health through advice, guidance, support and social networks where the woman can be offered further specialised care if needed. This assignment has discussed the concept of health and HP, the value of alcohol avoidance and briefly the effects on the pre gnant woman. Beatties and KAB model was used to show the importance that a supportive environment is created in which people can challenge ideas and question beliefs. Beatties model is adaptable and could be applied to many scenarios, the model shows a knowledge of awareness of adult education by provoking a deep understanding of processes and problem solving, and therefore the quality of teaching and the learning process. There are a number of ethical issues involved in parent education. Participants need to be listened to carefully and their questions answered truthfully, which gives a positive effect on the woman and leads to the skills and confidence to take more control over their health.

Heraclitus - Permanent Flux :: essays research papers

Permanent Flux It is said that every great journey begins with one step. This is not true. A more accurate saying would be, â€Å"every great journey begins with the idea of the journey†, thus leading to the idea of the step, and so on. The steps will surly follow an idea, but nevertheless the ideas will always precede any action. Once one gets an idea in one’s head, one must either forget it, or act on it. Such as the case with the first Philosophers, known now as the Pre-Socratics. The Pre-Socratics, which started around 600 B.C.E., formed ideas of a journey to enlightenment of their society. Instead of dismissing this idea, they thrived off it and took the first steps toward teaching an entirely new way of thinking. These first thinkers of philosophy, which has an appropriate meaning of the love of wisdom, wanted to know more about life, earth, the stars and most importantly, the â€Å"being† of it all. Though not the first of the original thinkers, Heraclitus of Ephesus, wa s among this group of lovers of wisdom and revolutionized the world with his idea of â€Å"being† and allowed mankind to follow in his steps. The Pre-Socratics are known for creating philosophy by searching for a rational order to their world and their being. Prior to the philosophers, man simply accepted the mythological stories and supernatural concepts. The philosophers, however, approached questions to by observing their surroundings. This was the world they could touch and feel, therefore making it an ideal foundation to their quires. The first of the Pre-Socratics examined the natural world and assumed the â€Å"stuff† that made all things â€Å"be† came from the natural surroundings around them. For example, by an early scientific and rational approach, the Pre-Socratics took the four elements of the world, as they knew them to be (water, air, earth, and fire), and studied them. Some deduced water to be the â€Å"stuff†, while others looked to air, or the earth to answers their zealous questions of being. Heraclitus, on the other hand, found a unity in all the elements, and related â€Å"beingà ¢â‚¬  to â€Å"fire†. His reference to fire, however, is purely metaphorical. While his predecessors focused on the actual elements they felt were the â€Å"stuff† that made the existence of being, Heraclitus’ only focused on fire to demonstrate his metaphysical concept of constant flux. Heraclitus is noted for saying, â€Å"there is nothing permanent except change.