Aggregate supply and demand Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Aggregate supply and demand - Term Paper Example The resources that the world is endowed with are limited As a result the net profit increases. Answer 1: Resource Allocation Resource Allocation is the method in which the limited resources of an economy are distributed among the alternative uses that satisfy the wants of the users. The process of decision making by which it is determined which want is to be fulfilled and which is not is part of the allocation process. Scarcity This concept in economics means that the human needs cannot be completely satisfied because an economy does not have the sufficient resources that can contribute to production. The scarce resources include the factors of production, i.e. land, labor, capital and organization. For example, the amount of land that can be used for productive purposes is limited. This means that land is a scarce resource and the supply is limited (Schiller, 2010). Competitive Advantage A country X has a competitive advantage over another country Y if the country X has abundant res ources that are required to produce a good in the country and thereby enjoys a price advantage over the other country. For example, a country may be labor abundant compared to another country that is labor is available at a cheaper rate compared to the first country. Thus it reduces the cost of production for that country. Hence the first country has a competitive advantage over the second country in the supply of labor force.... Role of Supply and demand The market forces of demand and supply are instrumental in determining the price and quantity at which the trade between the buyers and sellers would take place. The market equilibrium will be achieved at the point where the quantity demanded will be equal to the quantity supplied (Pindyck and Rubinfeld, 2001). In the above figure the downward sloping graph depicts the demand for a good in the economy and the upward rising curve is the supply curve. At the equilibrium point the price at which the good is supplied is P* and the quantity demanded is Q*. Answer 2 The Laissez-faire theory has come from this concept in which there is opportunity for free entry and exit and the government does not impose any restriction on the functioning of the markets. On the other hand in the mixed economy the ownership of the means of production is shared between the government and the private players. In such economies the government has significant control over the economic variables though the capital accumulation is done mainly by the private sector (Conklin, 1991). The socialist economies are almost contradictory to these economic systems. In such a kind of economy the ownership of the factors of production remains with the general public. Such a kind of economic system is a planned one and the decision of allocation of the resources remain with the government. So the demand and supple forces are less significant in case of the socialist economies. Answer 3 If a particular business has abundant resources that it needs for its production them the company would be able to make huge profits compared to the other companies. For example, suppose a company that produces cloth has greater access

Key Transformation for Deckers Outoor Corporation Research Paper

Key Transformation for Deckers Outoor Corporation - Research Paper Example Therefore, this assignment utilizes the Burke-Litwin Causal Model in discussing how these factors integrate with each other in Deckers Outdoor Corporation (DOC). It is necessary to note that all factors are critical when the enhancement of performance of an organization is the key point (Burke & Litwin, 1992). According to the model, structure refers to an arrangement of functions, responsibilities of those working in an organization, those authorities represented in the organization, as well as communication that assist the organization to attain it goals and strategy. Identification of DOC structure will aid in comprehending the variables highlighted above. Deckers utilize a decentralized structure for its management. In this method of management, the top management delegates the key responsibilities of the organization to the middle managers, who in turn direct the workforce on what they ought to do. It is, therefore, evident that the top management spends much of their time in de veloping useful ideas that would propel the company to attain success (Burke & Litwin, 1992). At Deckers, the application of the decentralization principle has significantly assisted it in various ways. As this structure allows the employees involvement in decision making for the organization, it makes them feel empowered unlike in a centralized management system. These employees attain satisfaction after seeing their ideas being implemented for the growth of the organization. Moreover, decentralization relieves the owner of DOC from pressures that emanate from managing the operations of an organization solely. After the delegation of such duties to other individuals in the organization, the owner of DOC spends adequate time in devising strategies to utilize in the expansion of the business (Burke & Litwin, 1992). Such a principle permits him to have unlimited time to meet those clients known to donate drastically to the intensification of the organization’s activities. At De ckers, communication is vital for its success. This is because communication is a vital constituent for the development of such an organization. According to sources, Deckers has implemented a flexible communication program to enhance understanding for every worker in the organization. For instance, at the quarter end of the organization’s calendar, the CEO meets with all employees in the corporate office in order to discuss issues of significance to both the company, as well as the individuals. They refer this meeting as all hands meeting, where they discuss a wide variety of topics such as salary increments, compensations along with any changes that the company would find it convenient to implement. It is thus clear that the overall structure of DOC plays a crucial part towards its growth. The other transactional variable described by the model concerns with the tasks and skills held by an individual. Therefore, this part of the assignment aims to understand the task perfor med by Deckers’ employees, along with their skills. According to sources, Deckers is a footwear manufacturer located in several states of America. The most current information reveals that Deckers manufactures six dissimilar brands of footwear. The increase in the products provided by Deckers allows it to employ an approximated 1900 staff across the states. Recruitment of a large proportion of staff in the organization attracts different skills, and this enhances the organization’

Hindu Temple Architecture in the Taj Mahal

Hindu Temple Architecture in the Taj Mahal Traces of Hindu Temple Architecture in Taj Mahal As mentioned earlier in the previous chapter that many critics have found Urdu traces and Taj building is a symbolical representation of Mughal monument only. But Professor P.N. Oak challenges such ideas and brings out a critique that the Taj Mahal is actually a Hindu Temple of Lord Shiva (Tejo-Mahalaya). As P.N Oak also theorizes that a stone inscription which is known as the Bateshwar inscription is kept in the Lucknow Museum which shows that this monument can be a temple of Lord Shiva. It was found that the size of Mumtaz’s cenotaph is not of height of an average Islamic woman of the seventeenth century and the grave is not of appropriate dimensions. It could be said that the Shiva Linga which is considered as very sacred and holy is actually under the grave. The grave is on the first floor so it is not clear if Mumtaz’s body is really buried in Taj Mahal because bodies are usually buried in the earth and not in the flooring. This grave of Mumtaz is of the height of Hindu Shiva linga and if further digging would be allowed the result would come hence forth. Taj Mahal bears a lot of Hinduism traces and all such marks have been pointed out by P.N. Oak in his book. On the arch of Taj Mahal’s main tomb there is a trident (trishul) which is emblem of all Hindu Temples in India and no mosque or any other Muslim monument has a trident over its tomb. All plants and trees which are present in the gardens of the Taj Mahal are sacred to Hindus like Lotus, Tulsi, Banyan trees, etc. The main patterns are drawn which are found are Bel leaves and Harshringar flowers, these are actually used as an offering to Lord Shiva. There is a central chamber in between of eight doors which provides us the idea where the emblem of Lord Chandra-manleeshwar was present. The proper flooring of this central passage also gives us an idea that Lord Chandra- manleeshwar used to dance to worship Lord Shiva. The high doom above it is also a common feature is dripped over the Shiva linga from a bowl hanging on a certain height. Even the guides of Taj Mahal tell to all visitors about the tradition of a drop of rain water which is falling from height of the dome on the grave in the central chamber, this is actually a place from where the water used to drop on the Shiva Linga in the older times. There are silver doors and golden railings which are in the fixtures of the Taj Mahal, clearly give the Indianness to the monument because till date we can find such fixtures in our Hindu Temples. There are some ancient Hindu colored sketches of eight directional pointers, sixteen cobras, thirty two tridents, and sixty four flowers of lotus which are in the multiple of four which is considered auspicious in Hindu religion. This sketch is designed in the Taj Mahal’s central chamber, from the grave of Mumtaz this pattern can be seen very clearly. Even Tavernier also mentioned that the bazar used to be placed in the six courts of the Taj Mahal and this thing is everyone knows that in the tradition of Hindus fairs and bazars are set up around temples till date. On all four side entrances of the Taj Mahal, there is trident (trishul) is inlaid, which is exclusive weapon of Lord Shiva. It clearly proves that it is a Shiva temple. Some pointed out that the Taj Mahal dome has the Arabic engraving ‘Allaho Akbar’ meaning ‘God is Great’. These words were engraved on pinnacle ordered by Shah Jahan after he took over the Hindu temple and commandeered to change in Islamic use. But the same replica of the pinnacle inlaid in the red-stone courtyard does not have that Islamic inscription. Then there are spacious decorated chambers and an adjoining long corridor with the entire length of those apartments. These chambers are basically at the lower level than the basement central chamber. The chambers which are right under the graves of King and Queen on two floors which are sealed in a haphazard way with bricks are likely to have Hindu idols and inscriptions. The corridors which may be running under the red-stone terrace, they all are sealed. Likewise all the ventilator type openings and doors in the apartment row have also been crudely walled up under the red-stone terrace. We will be able to see the beauty of the underground apartments if those fillings are removed. It is very much possible that Taj Mahal has two floors above the river bed and one in the basement which has been sealed by Shah Jahan. ‘Taj Mahal’ is a foul form of Sanskrit ‘Tejo Mahalaya’ meaning ‘Resplendent Shrine’. This name also attach to Lord Shiva because his third eye is said to emit a fit if luster that is ‘Tejo’. Even if we look at the real meaning of the term ‘Taj Mahal’ it means a ‘crown residence’ and not a tomb . If these graves would have been the real graves, they wouldn’t have been so much decorated because in Muslim culture graves wouldn’t have been so much decorated. The corpse of Mumtaz, if it is buried in the Taj Mahal, it cannot be in the ground floor or in the basement chamber. There are other a Hindu symbols which are found in the Taj Mahal, like use of the sacred Hindu chant ‘OM’. ‘OM’ is crafted into the marble flower of lotus both lotus and OM are symbolically apart of Hindu culture which are present on the walls of Taj Mahal even on the so called â€Å"graves†. Any student or scholar of architecture can clearly tell that the ‘flower’ drawn on the marbles is a part of ancient Hindu temple drawings and not of any Muslim sepulcher workmanship. There is one important point also that time or rather span of death of Mumtaz is not clear. Some historians says that, she died in 1630 or 1631or 1632 A.D., and in the illustrious sepulcher it is written that she died in 1629 A.D. It is absurdto think nobody knows the correct timing of Mumtaz’s death. In fact, Taj Mahal has Hindu palace dimensions. Taj Mahal has many doors which are in spiked shape. There are red stone corridors, thorns and rooms all these attributes are just like typical Rajput building. ‘Ghat’ which is very common in temple palace, exists in Taj Mahal. Gateways of the Taj Mahal which are now closed were earlier the place to bathe in the river and go boating. Many rooms in the Taj Mahal complex are the drum houses. These drum houses are a part of Rajputana architecture. It is obvious that in memorial place no drum houses are planned to make, and there is no music places made in any Islamic buildings, music is actually restricted, hence the drum houses clearly prove the hand of Hinduism in the Taj Mahal. There are so many rooms for guests, army detachments, waiters, caterers etc for any royal purposes. Such architecture is never used in making any tomb. All the walls and doors are also in Hindu dimension, like silver doors which have been discussed earlier. In the Taj Mahal there are four towers at the each doorway. The top of the tower is made up by brass Kalases. Kalases is a Sanskrit word and this word can never be connected to any tomb and also does not fit the Taj building architecture. ‘Kalas’ signifies a shinning pinnacle made up by brass or gold. This word only comes in a connection of temples or any Hindu palace but Taj Mahal’s top of the tower uses similar material and hence this also gives us the hint of Temple like palace instead of a burial tomb. Three different scientific tests took place to find out the actualities of Taj Mahal. First one is Donodo chronology, in this test wood sample is taken of respective historic building. Second one is Thermoluminescence, in this test a brick powder or whole brick is taken and find out when this brick was baked. This test is very helpful in finding the age of the historic buildings. Third test is Carbon-14 test; this test is helpful in finding out the actual age of any living organism like wood piece or bone. Professor Mills from New York took the Carbon-14 test by taking out small wooden piece of one of the Taj Mahal’s wooden door. This report published in the Itihas Patrika. It was found out that the probable age of the sample is from 1448 and 1270 A.D. This test clearly proves that the Taj Mahal existed much before Shah Jahan. But here I would like to tell readers clearly that the age which was proved in the test was of the Northeastern doorway and not of the Taj Mahal’s marble. In this chapter, many examples have been discussed which clearly tell that Taj Mahal is basically a Hindu ancient temple (Tejo Mahalaya) and not a tomb.

The Market Orientation of Coca-Cola Essay -- Business Management Studi

The Market Orientation of Coca-Cola I had researched the information by contacting the Coca-Cola's customer service help-line for an information pack and by contacting The Coca-Cola Company's Industry and Consumer Affair's officer (Alneka Warren) by email. I have also visited the Business library for further information relating to Coca-Cola and used various textbooks and various web sites from the internet. The two marketing orientations are: 1. Product orientation 2. Market orientation Product orientation This can be defined as "An approach to business which places the main focus of attention upon the production process and the product itself" (Needham & Dransfield 1995). Market orientation Market orientation is defined by Ian Chambers as "A market orientated business is one which continually identifies, reviews and analyses consumer's needs." Market orientation is reflected on the Coca-Cola Company's mission statement: "Consumer demand drives everything we do." Another brief from their mission statement includes "We will serve consumers a broad selection of the nonalcoholic ready-to-drink beverages they want to drink throughout the day." Coca-Coca has an "action orientation", instead of waiting for change to happen it is at the leading edge, driving action forward. Findings A market orientated organisation like Coca-Cola would: ? Know what its customers, consumer, client needs. As they know people like Coca-Cola and want it available to them. ? Understand ...

A Cybernetic Approach to Controlling Health Problems

For several decades, health issues have increased by more than 8.5% each year. According to a recent study conducted by the center for Disease Control and Prevention, 65% of US adults are either overweight or obese. The rate of diabetes are increasing in the United States, with a 27 percent increase seen in the last five years. The high cost of health care also poses a major threat to the nation's economy. However, health problems can be prevented to a large extent by controlling people's lifestyle. Group discussions and conversations may help people to adopt a healthy way of living. Therefore, Cybernetics which is the study of conversation/communication and control/regulation can be used to help solve this problems. This study aims at using cybernetics as a model for controlling health problems. Addiction In developed countries of the world like USA, where the literacy rate is above 95%, people know that leading a healthy lifestyle removes the risk of chronic health issues to a considerable margin. However they most times do not adopt a healthy way of living. Why? Addiction has ruined the healthy life style of people. For example- people may be addicted to sleeping and do not exercise, addicted to eating foods with high calories that causes them obesity and make them prone to heart problems. Addiction is a condition in which a consistent desire/craving to repeat an addicted behavior exceeds the ability to rationally stop doing so. When the more you have, the more you seem to need to achieve the same effect or result. This effect can be displayed as a positive feedback loop where the want continues expanding within the loop.Some background about feedback loops – Feedback loops are of two forms: negative feedback loop and positive feedback loop. Negative feedback loops strives towards balance and stasis by subtracting error with each cycle. A good example of negative feedback loop is homeostasis, the body's system for keeping itself chemically and temperature balanced. Positive feedback loops, by comparison, add the variations of each cycle. As a result they can become potentially dangerous as their effect mount with each event. Hypothermia, shock, heatstroke are examples of positive feedback.Figure-1 models addiction (nicotine addiction) as a positive feedback. The desire for smoking continues to increase in the loop for achieving the same level of satisfaction. The first day, Bob needs to smoke once and get satisfied. The second day, he needs to smoke twice to get the same level of satisfaction. Gradually, his cravings and urge to smoke increases along with the frequency.Controlling the Uncontrollable(addiction)The graph above (Figure-1) indicates how the addiction continue to expand in a positive feedback loop. Also, Bateson's examination of alcohol addiction contended that the very attempt to regain discretion, to be a â€Å"commander of one's own spirit†, added to the heightening of the alcoholism. Moreover, the Twelve Step Program of Alcoholics Anonymous-which has been effectively adjusted to a huge number of addictive practices, offers recuperation by â€Å"surrendering† that is, by stopping to deliberately try to stop the addiction. Subsequently, the person who is addicted does not have an essential variety to control addiction.At the point when Addiction becomes uncontrollable, how can it be controlled? Ludwig's research on Alcoholics mind demonstrates that â€Å"developing the right mind frame† (sufficient inspiration) for sobriety improves the probability that an individual can figure out how to resist his addiction .Sufficient inspiration or adequate motivation can solve the puzzle of addiction as an uncontrollable event. The diagram beneath demonstrates the cybernetic approach to deal with controlling health issues by inspiring individuals to follow a sound way of life (work out, yoga, healthy food and so on.), that is abstaining from an unhealthy way of life.Reward/Incentive SystemPeople have various needs including monetary needs, physiological needs, safety needs and esteem needs. An individual can be motivated for performing an activity using proper incentives which may help in fulfilling some of his needs. A reward system could be a web application like Weight Watchers or an organization such as a health club. Below is a model of an incentive system used in motivating a person to exercise regularly. The model also shows that the system can keep refining or modifying the incentive system to make sure that the user is always motivated.Group Affiliation/FriendsGroups, friends and circle of relatives assist in controlling addictions and regulating the manner people live. People develop trust, care and similarity in a group that offer intellectual strength for controlling their cravings. It has additionally been proved that the group association programs offer long- term remedy for addiction in comparison to short-term remedy provided through medication therapy. Self-assist programs like Alcoholics anonymous, rational healing or women for Sobriety, assist in gaining control over addiction through assisting the affected person to integrate into a self-assist group. Trust Trust is a system-related concept and that is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. Figure-4 demonstrates the system model of trust between two actors (trustor and trustee). The trustor continually accesses the behavior of the trustee against his mental model of trustworthiness, which results in increased trust if the behavior matches with his mental model otherwise decreased trust. Trustworthiness relies on three variables which relate to perception about the person to be relied on: competence, integrity and benevolence. ‘Competence' is the perceived potential of the trustee, as measured through indicators which includes training or credentials, experience, and reliable past performance. ‘Integrity' is the degree to which the trustee is considered to perform with honesty, fairness, and consistency of actions and words. ‘Benevolence' concerns the extent to which the trustee demonstrates care and consideration for people he or she interacts directly or indirectly. In addition to the above-recognized antecedent variables, trust also relies on the ‘context' within which the trustor and trustee are embedded. It could affect the extent to which the trustee is rated on antecedent variables particularly competence. For instance, a person may be perceived as competent in one context but no longer in another. Furthermore, it is essential to differentiate between Interactions among unfamiliar others and ongoing interactions among familiar others for trust. In a social system, trust could be unidirectional or bi-directional. Also, trust may be commutative.After the developement of trust, the trustor (Alice) feels confident and becomes willing to take actions based on the suggestions, actions and decisions of the trustee (Bob) to an extent proportional to the trust level in the trustee. Now, when Bob says that he controlled his blood sugar level by following the recipes from the diabetic cook-book, Alice feels confident the same recipes in the diabetic cook-book works and she is now motivated to follow them too. It also gives her a social proof of the reliability of the recipes from the diabetic cook-book. Figure-6 is the conversation model of this trust and social proof scenario between Alice and Bob.CareCare is also a continously evolving state of information aquisition, processing and feedback.Similarity, trust, understanding and reciprocity make the important variables. It is also dependent on context and familiarity/relationship between individuals. Below is a figure which shows a model of care between Alice and Bob and how care helps them for abstinence. Bob's behavior is matched to Alice's mental model of a person she would like to care for. If there is a positive match,then the care for Bob increases otherwise it decreases. When there is a match, she cares about what Bob's expectations are from her. She feels a sense of responsibility/accountability for Bob's expectations because she does not want to disappoint him. Similarly, Bob also does a behavior assessment of Alice against a mental model of a person she would like to care for. Its also important to note that both may have different perceptions or mental models of the persons they may like to care for. Also, care may be unidirectional as well. Now when Bob makes a suggestion to Alice about losing weight, she feels responsible/ accountable for losing weight as she cares about Bob. Similarly, Bob feels responsible/accountable for not smoking when Alice asks him to quit smoking.Figure 7: Care/Accountability/ResponsibilitySimilarityIn comparism to trust and care, similarity also is a constantly evolving state of information acquisition, processing and feedback. The antecedent variables for similarity might include mental attitude, behavior, hobbies, age gender and race.The figure below shows how similarity motivates Bob for exercising frequently because he gets competitive and inspired by Alice.The table below summarizes Trust, care and similarity. Antecedent Variables MotivationTrust Competence, Integrity, Benevolence Willing to act on the basis of words, actions anddecisions of anotherCare Similarity, Understanding, Trust, Reciprocity Accountability,ResponsibilitySimilarity Mindset, hobbies, age, gender, race Competitiveness,InspirationFigure 9: Summary for Trust, Care and SimilarityAlternative model for Accountability, Responsibility, Competitiveness and collaboration in a self-help group.

Communication and Care Professionals

Unit 501 – Use and develop systems that promote communication Learning Outcome 1. Be able to address the range of communication requirements in own role. 1. 2. Explain how to support effective communication within own job role. There are a number of reasons for communicating as a manager and leader such as delegation of work, supervision, building a team, interviewing, etc. As well as the need to communicate in many different levels of communicators such as clients, family members, staff, senior staff, other managers, other professional.Different mix of people require a different type of communication. Throughout the duty manager might be undertaking the variety of roles when advising, instructing, welcoming, assessing, observing, informing and counseling. Whatever the communication need or type, a good working relationship, trust and ability to talk openly are essential and therefore the need to adjust the communication to each circumstance. in supporting others to became eff ective communicator, it is necessary for leader to be an effective role model and where able to reflect effectively on how you communicating your messages.If we support all our communication by accepting and valuing the people with whom we interact in the expression of warmth and a non- judgemental attitude, we will improve our communication skills no end. So effective communication can be supported by ensuring that staff are all well aware of the need to be flexible in the way in which they communicate within varied contexts and to engage in communication which is empathic and values people with whom they interact. 1. 3.Analyse the barriers and challenges to communication within own job role. There are a range of barriers and blocks in communication like: * Difference in culture and values. Living in multi-cultural society it is important to be culturally aware in our interpersonal interactions. It is includes not only cultural differences but also the differences in values that pe ople hold. By developing a respectful curiosity about beliefs and practices within all service user's lives, we are able to communicate in more meaningful ways. Negative feelings about the person you are speaking to or taking personally what the person are saying. We may not share the views of people we communicate or particularly like the stance the person takes, but as the manager and leader in a setting we do have to show tolerance of these views and to be fully aware of how we come across to those we are communicating with. One of the things we often do not pay enough attention to is our body language.The way in which we present ourselves can have as much if not more impact on whether our message is listened to and understood. It is vital that our bodily actions match our speech. * Difficulties in own life, tiredness, feeling unwell. Self management highlights the need to manage those emotions we feel and manage them appropriately. So we may feel angry at somebody, but as a mana ger and leader, showing that anger inappropriately will have negative effect on relationships. Feeling unsafe due to person's behavior. We can overcome the problems associated with aggression by using our own verbal and non-verbal communication skills in a calm, non-threatening way, being clear and assertive in the way that they communicate with people who are aggressive, ensuring that the environment is used to defuse or de-escalate an aggressive situation and empowering people to take control of situations that they find stressful. * Not listening effectively.Active listening shows that staff and clients have been heard and the way in which we do this is with the following skills: acknowledging and reflecting feelings, body language, restating, paraphrasing, summarising, questioning. * Noise, inappropriate environment. Another area where communication could break down is an inappropriate environment. Manager must be aware of need for privacy when carrying out sensitive types of co mmunication. The initial impact of a room or building, for instance, is it welcoming, tidy, level of noise, can have huge effect on how people feel and can influence the success of an interaction.Learning Outcome 2. Be able to improve communication systems and practices that support positive outcomes for individuals. 2. 2. Evaluate the effectiveness of existing communication systems and practices. The initial assessment must be done from the first meeting with person to establish a baseline of the person’s ability and communication method. Everyone involved with care of the person should be made aware of this baseline so they can evaluate the effectiveness of any agreed ways of communication.Comparing the baseline with current findings helps us to identify the effectiveness of agreed ways of communication. Positive changes may indicate that agreed method of communication is effective and should be encouraged to continue or possibly adapted to make even more improvement. Findi ngs which show a decrease in the person’s ability need to be investigated further. Whatever the cause, the person should be supported to manage their communication ability, to prevent further decrease, and identify alternative methods of communication where possible.Once we have identified and supported the person to use agreed method of communication, we will need to work with others to identify ways of supporting the person to develop their communication continually. Others may include family, speech and language therapists, behavioural support workers, occupational therapists, psychiatrists, psychologist. When somebody masters their agreed method of communication to support their specific communication need, it may be time to introduce alternative methods to aid them to develop their communication further.Care professionals communicate with people using services very frequently and in a variety of ways. These can include formal meetings and appointments to assess a personà ¢â‚¬â„¢s health or wellbeing problems, to review a person’s progress or recovery, in informal conversations during activity sessions and in brief interactions in the corridor, for example. To ensure that they communicate effectively, care professionals need to use language that isn’t too technical, scientific or based on professional jargon.This can frustrate and intimidate people who use services, particularly if they feel that their concerns aren’t being responded to in an appropriate manner. Effective communication and interaction enable people who use care services to feel more supported, are essential for identifying and responding to their individual care needs and form the basis of a trusting, respectful care relationship. 2. 3. Propose improvements to communication systems and practices to address shortcomings.Health and social care professionals need to be able to communicate effectively with people who use care services. Once they become aware that an individual needs assistance to communicate effectively, a care practitioner should ensure that suitable human or technological aids to communication are made available. Care professionals communicate effectively when they are able to ‘connect’ directly with other individuals. To be able to do this well, a care professional must adapt to the communication and language needs and preferences of others.This includes people who are unable to use spoken language and people who have sensory impairments that limit their communication and interaction abilities. Some people may develop their own way of communication because they do not have the ability to communicate in more formal manner. A sensory disable people usually use aid techniques and specific forms for communication. Effective communication and interaction play an important role in the work of all health and social care professionals.For example, care professionals need to be able to use a range of communication and in teraction skills in order to: †¢ work inclusively with people of different ages and diverse backgrounds †¢ respond appropriately to the variety of care-related problems and individual needs of people who use care services †¢ enable people to feel relaxed and secure enough to talk openly †¢ establish trusting relationships with colleagues and people who use care services †¢ ask sensitive and difficult questions, and obtain information about matters that might be very personal and sensitive †¢ obtain clear, accurate information about a person’s problems, symptoms or concerns †¢ give others information about care-related issues in a clear, confident and professionally competent way.Collating or collecting information about somebody’s communication and support provided is essential in monitoring the effectiveness of the person’s communication. We can collect the information observing the person, getting feedback from others and rec ording information. Learning Outcome 3. Be able to improve communication systems to support partnership working. 3. 2. Compare effectiveness of different communication systems for partnership working. Health and social care work is now based on multi-professional and multi-agency working. This means that care professionals need to be able to communicate effectively with colleagues from a variety of different care disciplines.A multi-professional team might include nurses, care workers, social workers, occupational therapists, clinical psychologists and psychiatrists, for example. Each of these care professionals has a particular disciplinary training and a range of specialist skills. They also share some core skills in working with people who are mentally distressed. Members of this team will need to be able to use their one-to-one and group communication skills flexibly so that they can talk to, share ideas and collaborate with their team colleagues in ways that benefit the people in their care. Care professionals involved in multi-professional teams may communicate in both formal and informal contexts. When team members get to know each other very well, they may use more informal language at times.However, multi-agency working often requires care professionals to communicate more formally, using agreed plans and agendas to achieve specific goals. Formal communication may be used to ensure that the professionals and agencies involved in this kind of collaborative working are clear about each other’s responsibilities and don’t drift into miscommunication, compounding problems. 3. 3. Propose improvements to communication systems to support partnership working. Collating or collecting information is essential in monitoring the effectiveness of the communication systems. We can collect the information observing, getting feedback from others and recording information. So we need to work with others to identify ways to support the continued developmen t of communication.Care professionals communicate with colleagues and other professionals in many contexts every day. Effective communication requires personal and professional respect for others, trust in the judgement and values of colleagues, good verbal and listening skills. Care professionals may communicate formally and informally with colleagues and others working in partnership. Effective communication and interactions enable people to work more efficiently and to collaborate with and support each other in teams. In formal communication the specific writing skills needed by care professionals are generally learnt in practice and quickly become part of a care professional’s skill set.However, it is important for care professionals to regularly review and reflect on their written communication skills to ensure they are using them as effectively as possible. Learning Outcome 4. Be able to use systems for effective information management. 4. 1. Explain legal and ethical t ensions between maintaining confidentiality and sharing information. Tensions caused by confidentiality: the need for consent to share information; understanding when information may be shared without consent; concept of ‘need to know’; need for transparent policy and protocols for information sharing. In many cases, the passing information is routine and related to the care of the person concerned. However, this is only with the agreement of the person.But it is essential that only that is required for the purpose is passed on. Sometimes there are situations when we need to break confidentiality and pass information without consent but we must do this when we have good reason to believe that there is a risk of serious harm to someone. Good practice involves asking people if you can let other people know things, if not we can't give any information even to close relatives only because they want to know. Exception to this rule is when others have a need to know. For exam ple, managers, colleagues or other professional because they may need to help to make decisions or will be working with the same person. 4. 2.Analyse the essential features of information sharing agreements within and between organisations. Every organization have a policy on confidentiality and the disclosure of information. In my organisation Policy on Confidentiality and Policy on Record Keeping relate to it. The main point of these policies are: * All information we receive about or from service users is confidential and that only those people who need to know the information will have access to it * Individual and home records are kept in a secure fashion, are up to date and in good order * Service users have access to their record and information, as well an opportunities to help maintain their personal records.Staff working in health and care sector have a duty to respect individuals personal information, not discus client out of work place, ensure that all written informatio n is signed and dated and stored in a secure manner, are not left out, are accurate and up to date, the passwords and computer screens are used in computer systems, information shared with appropriate peoples and on need- to- know basis. Managers responsibility for maintaining confidentiality is to be convinced that policies and procedures are appropriate and operational within your area and staff are provided training covering basic information about confidentiality, data protection and access to records.

The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald R. Ford

The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald R. Ford Becoming vice president or President of the United States are no small feats. But between 1973 and 1977, Gerald R. Ford did both- without ever getting a single vote. How did he do that? In the early 1950s, when Michigans Republican Party leaders urged him to run for the  U.S. Senate  Ã¢â‚¬â€œ generally considered the next step to the presidency – Ford declined, stating that his ambition was to become  Speaker of the House, a position he called the ultimate achievement† at the time. â€Å"To sit up there and be the head honcho of 434 other people and have the responsibility, aside from the achievement, of trying to run the greatest  legislative  body in the history of mankind,† said Ford, â€Å"I think I got that ambition within a year or two after I was in the House of Representatives.† But after over a decade of putting forth his best efforts, Ford continually failed to be chosen as a speaker. Finally, he promised his wife Betty that if the speakership eluded him again in 1974, he would retire from Congress and political life in 1976. But far from returning to the farm, Gerald Ford was about to become the first person to have served as both Vice President and President of the United States without being elected to either office.   Suddenly, its Vice President Ford In October 1973, President  Richard M. Nixon  was serving his second term in the White House when his Vice President  Spiro Agnew  resigned before pleading no contest to federal charges of tax evasion and money laundering related to his acceptance of $29,500 in bribes while governor of Maryland. In the first ever application of the vice-presidential vacancy provision of the  25th Amendment  to the U.S. Constitution, President Nixon nominated then House Minority Leader Gerald Ford to replace Agnew. On November 27, the Senate voted 92 to 3 to confirm Ford, and on December 6, 1973, the House confirmed Ford by a vote of 387 to 35. One hour after the House voted, Ford was sworn in as Vice President of the United States.   When he agreed to accept President Nixons nomination, Ford told Betty that the Vice Presidency would be a nice conclusion to his political career. Little did they know, however,  that Fords political career was anything but over.   The Unexpected Presidency of Gerald Ford As Gerald Ford was getting used to the idea of being vice president,  a spellbound nation was watching the  Watergate scandal  unfold.   During the 1972 presidential campaign, five men employed by President Nixons Committee to Re-elect the President had allegedly broken into the Democratic National Committee headquarters in Washington D.C.s Watergate hotel, in an attempt to steal information related to Nixons opponent, George McGovern. On August 1, 1974, after weeks of accusations and denials, President Nixons Chief of Staff Alexander Haig visited Vice President Ford to tell him that the smoking gun evidence in the form of Nixon’s secret Watergate tapes had been exposed. Haig told Ford that conversations on the tapes left little doubt that President Nixon had taken part in, if not ordered, the cover-up of the Watergate break-in. At the time of Haigs visit, Ford and his wife Betty were still living in their suburban Virginia home while the vice presidents residence in Washington, D.C. was being renovated. In his memoirs, Gord would later say of the day, Al Haig asked to come over and see me, to tell me that there would be a new tape released on a Monday, and he said the evidence in there was devastating and there would probably be either an impeachment or a resignation. And he said, Im just warning you that youve got to be prepared, that these things might change dramatically and you could become president. And I said, Betty, I dont think were ever going to live in the vice presidents house.   With his impeachment almost certain, President Nixon resigned on August 9, 1974. According to the process of presidential succession, Vice President Gerald R. Ford was immediately sworn in as the 38th President of the United States.  Ã‚   In a live, nationally televised speech from the East Room of the White House, Ford stated, I am acutely aware that you have not elected me as your president by your ballots, and so I ask you to confirm me as your president with your prayers.   President Ford went on to add, My fellow Americans, our long national nightmare is over. Our Constitution works; our great Republic is a government of laws and not of men. Here, the people rule. But there is a higher power, by whatever name we honor Him, who ordains not only righteousness but love, not only justice but mercy. Let us restore the golden rule to our political process, and let brotherly love purge our hearts of suspicion and hate.   When the dust had settled, Fords prediction to Betty had come true. The couple moved into the White House without ever living in the vice presidents house.   As one of his first official acts, President Ford exercised Section 2 of the 25th Amendment and nominated Nelson A. Rockefeller of New York to be vice president. On August 20, 1974, both Houses of Congress voted to confirm the nomination and Mr. Rockefeller took the oath of office December 19, 1974.   Ford Pardons Nixon On September 8, 1974, President Ford granted former President Nixon a full and unconditional presidential pardon absolving him of any crimes he might have committed against the United States while president. In a nationally televised TV broadcast, Ford explained his reasons for granting the controversial pardon, stating that the Watergate situation had become â€Å"a tragedy in which we all have played a part. It could go on and on and on, or someone must write the end to it. I have concluded that only I can do that, and if I can, I must.† About the 25th Amendment Had it happened prior to the ratification of the 25th Amendment on Februayr 10, 1967, the resignations of Vice President Agnew and then President Nixon would have almost certainly triggered a monumental constitutional crisis.The 25th Amendment  superseded the wording of Article II, Section 1, Clause 6 of the Constitution, which failed to clearly state that the vice president becomes president if the president dies, resigns, or otherwise becomes incapacitated and unable to perform the duties of the office. It also specified the current method and order of presidential succession. Prior to the 25th Amendment, there had been incidents when the president was incapacitated. For example, when President Woodrow Wilson suffered a debilitating stroke on October 2, 1919, he was not replaced in office, as First Lady Edith Wilson, along with the White House Physician, Cary T. Grayson, covered up the extent of President Wilsons disability.  For the next 17 months, Edith Wilson actually carried out many presidential duties.   On 16 occasions, the nation had gone without a vice president because of the vice president had died or had become president through succession. For example, there was no vice president for almost four years after the assassination of Abraham Lincoln. The assassination of President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963, prompted Congress to push for a constitutional amendment. Early, erroneous reports that Vice President Lyndon Johnson had also been shot created several chaotic hours in the federal government. Happing so soon after the Cuban Missile Crisis and with Cold War tensions still at a fever pitch, the Kennedy assassination forced Congress to come up with a specific method of determining presidential succession. New President Johnson experienced several health issues, and the next two officials in line for the presidency were 71-year-old Speaker of the House John Cormack and 86-year-old Senate President Pro Tempore Carl Hayden. Within three months of Kennedys death, the House and Senate passed a joint resolution that would be submitted to the states as the 25th Amendment. On February 10, 1967, Minnesota and Nebraska became the 37th and 38th states to ratify the amendment, making it the law of the land.

How to Return a Value in JavaScript

How to Return a Value in JavaScript The best way to pass information back to code that called a function in JavaScript is to write the function so the values that are used by the function are passed to it as parameters and the function returns whatever value it needs to without using or updating any global variables. By limiting the way in which information is passed to and from functions, it is easier to reuse the same function from multiple places in the code. JavaScript Return Statement JavaScript provides for passing one value back to the code that called it after everything in the function that needs to run has finished running. JavaScript passes a value from a function back to the code that called it by using the return statement. The value to be returned is specified in the return. That value can be a  constant value, a variable, or a calculation where the result of the calculation is returned. For example: return 3;return xyz;return true;return x / y 27;​You can include multiple return statements into your function each of which returns a different value. In addition to returning the specified value the return statement also acts as an instruction to exit from the function at that point. Any code that follows the return statement will not be run.function num(x, y) {if (x ! y) {return false;}if (x 5) {return 5;}return x;} The above function shows how you control which return statement is run by using if statements. The value that is returned from a call to a function is the value of that function call. For example, with that function, you can set a variable to the value that is returned using the following code (which would set result to 5). var result num(3,3); The difference between functions and other variables is that the function has to be run in order to determine its value. When you need to access that value in multiple places in your code, it is more efficient to run the function once and assign the value returned to a variable. That variable is used in the rest of the calculations.

How to Get a Student Visa to the United States

How to Get a Student Visa to the United States Students who want to travel to the United States in order to study need to meet specific visa requirements. Other countries (UK, Canada, etc.) have different requirements that play an important role when deciding where to study English abroad. These student visa requirements may change from year to year. Types of Visas F-1 (student visa). The F-1 visa is for full-time students enrolled in an academic or language program. F-1 students may stay in the U.S. for the full length of their academic program, plus 60 days. F-1 students must maintain a full-time course load and complete their studies by the expiration date listed on the I-20 form. M-1 (student visa). The M-1 visa is for students who participate in vocational or other recognized nonacademic institutions, rather than language training programs. B (visitor visa). For short periods of study, such as a month at a language institute, a visitor visa (B) may be used. These courses do not count as credit toward a degree or academic certificate. Acceptance at a SEVP Approved School If you would like to study for a longer period of time, you must first apply and be accepted by a SEVP (Student and Exchange Visitor Progam) approved school. You can find out more about these schools at the Department of State Education USA website. After Acceptance Once you are accepted at  a SEVP-approved school, you will be enrolled in the Student and Exchange Visitor Information System (SEVIS) - which also requires the payment of  a  SEVIS  I-901 fee of $200  at least three days before submitting your application for a U.S. visa. The school to which you have been accepted will provide you with a form I-20 to present to the consular officer at your visa interview. Who Should Apply If your course of study is more than 18 hours a week, you will need a student visa. If you are going to the U.S. primarily for tourism, but want to take a short course of study of less than 18 hours per week, you may be able to do so on a visitor visa. Waiting Time   There are several steps when applying. These steps may differ, depending on which U.S. embassy or consulate you choose for your application. Generally speaking, there is a three-stage process for obtaining a U.S. student visa: 1) Obtain an interview appointment 2) Take the interview 3) Get processed Allow six months for the entire process. Financial Considerations Students are also expected to show financial means to support themselves during their stay. Students are sometimes allowed to work part-time at the school they are attending. Student Visa Requirements Acceptance by university or learning institutionKnowledge of English language (usually established through TOEFL scores)Proof of financial resourcesProof of non-immigrant intent For more detailed information visit the US State Departments F-1 information page Tips Double check requirements at the consulate or embassy near you before beginning the process.Find out which school you would like to attend and make sure that it is SEVP-approved.Apply to the school you would like to attend before applying for a visa.Pay the SEVIS I-901 fee well before your visa Interview. Source Your 5 Steps to U.S. Study. EducationUSA.

See attachment Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 5

See attachment - Coursework Example If a species dies faster than it reproduces, there will be a great decrease in population size. The fourth factor that affects population size is the availability of food and an appropriate habitat. Food provides the species with energy and ability to reproduce. In the video, there are some factors mentioned above that affect population size. Firstly, the birth rate of the nutria is quite high compared to other species. This is because the female can give birth to three litters in a year and each litter contains roughly six young ones. Another factor that affects population size is immigration. This evident in the fur farms in Canada and United States of America, where populations of nutria have drastically increased. Another factor is the availability of food and the appropriate environment. This allows for the growth of the species. It is my prediction that there will be a decrease and eventual depletion of the nutria population after the land is depleted of the nutrias’ food resource. This is because the nutria will migrate in search of food in other fertile regions. Secondly, the remaining nutria will eventually die of starvation due to a lack of nourishment. Thirdly, the nutria will become pests resorting to scavenging and stealing food from

Purchase profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Purchase profile - Essay Example Initially, the internal emotional appeal of buying a nice sporty car was on his list. Especially when his friends talk about how this brand performed and how handsome a particular brand looks. But as he spent more time pondering, the emotional appeal loses its weight and his focus is now turned to logical appeals. He begun browsing the internet for the specification of the cars, its performance, fuel consumption, etch related to cost. The recent increase in gasoline pump prices also made him think about his options seriously. During the process of logical consideration, external influences played in. He realized that it is not practical to have a sports car and concluded he needs a larger car that could fit the whole family for car pooling, outing etch. This is the Household Life Cycle factor at play where consumer’s choices reflect what particular life stage the consumer is. In the case of my father, he is a family man and that segment usually prefers big cars, houses etch. His motivation of buying a new car was practical. It will save him the inconvenience and cost of going to the repair shop which became more frequent. He also realized that he incurs opportunity cost every time he sends the car for repair. Culture and values also came into factor in deciding to buy a new car. Private vehicles are a necessity and public commuting is not in vogue in America. It could be attributed to impracticality also because there a lot of areas in the US which are not accessible by public transport. Emotional appeals in advertisements may hold sway in my dad’s decision making process but ultimately, it will be the logical appeal that will prevail because of his stage in the household life cycle where he is a family man, who needs a larger car that performs well and does not cost that much to purchase and maintain. Finally, the strongest influence in my dad’s decision making process of what particular car and brand to

Profile in Leadership Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 2

Profile in Leadership - Term Paper Example nd of the coin is the pro choice debate that believes that a fetus does not have rights and whether to abort pregnancy or not is dependant on the fetus’ mother. According to the pro-life opinion and even according to the pro-choice opinion, a fetus has similar rights that are entitled to a human being (GeÃŒ rard 138). But pro-choice perspective states that a fetus does not have the ability to make decisions and have no self awareness. Pro-life perspective counters this argument by stating that individuals who are regarded as adults, and are retarded, do not have ability to make reasonable decisions and experience lack of self awareness. Pro-life advocates state that if a fetus is a human being, he has rights and by aborting a fetus, the society takes away the fetus’ right to make decisions and choose what is best for himself. Pro-choice advocates state that a fetus is not a fully developed individual and does not have any human rights and by not allowing a female to abort pregnancy, the law and the society is infringing upon the rights of the women to decide what is good for her (Panza 235). For this purpose, pro-choice take a utilitarian stance and state that those decisions should considered as right that have the highest number of positive benefits as compared to the costs that are incurred due to that particular action (Soble 6). Several advantages have been figured out that are achieved by the society if abortion takes place. These advantages include population control and well being of the society. The cost is the death of a fetus which does not even have complete human rights. Pro-life advocates even take a religious stand and state that a fetus is a human life and all living individuals are sacred and the decision of life and death is in the hands of God so abortion should not take place as by aborting, individuals are working against God’s will. Abortion leads to cognitive dissonance among health care professionals, health care professionals have

Mobile Phones Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3500 words

Mobile Phones - Coursework Example (Ahonen and Melkko, 2008, 44-99) Phyically, it' very imilar to the iPhone 3G, much more o than the Diamond, complete with lim, candybar form factor, a large creen dominating the front panel and minimalit control. Compare the phone ide by ide and you'll find that dimenion are remarkably imilar too, though the Omnia i a little limmer, narrower and horter than the iPhone 3G, at 12.5 x 112 x 56.9mm compared to 12.3 x 115.5 x 62mm. o how exactly doe it tack up elewhere Well, a you'd expect from a modern Window martphone, there' a pile of feature and many of thee appear to match or outtrip the iPhone 3G equivalent. It ha a five-megapixel camera on the rear with an LED flah and a VGA video call camera on the front - the iPhone' i three megapixel le and it ha no video call feature. It alo ha HDPA of up to 7.2Mb/ec, a 624MHz proceor, Bluetooth, Wi-Fi, a GP receiver and an FM radio. Plu it come with a decent helping of torage - either 8GB or 16GB with microD expanion a well. It creen, however, at 3.2 inche in't quite a luxuriouly paciou a the iPhone' and it 400 x 280 reolution i alo inferior. There' alo no 3.5mm headphone ocket and though a converion dongle i included in the box, we'd ooner not have to carry an adapter around jut to liten to muic and it eem a needle overight given the capaciou torage on offer. (Ahonen and Melkko, 2008, 44-99) The camera, however, i the main highlight here. ... You can ue the Omnia for proper nap - not jut contact profile picture. urpriingly for a Window Mobile device, the Omnia alo boat iPhone-like peed and reponivene and it' a darned ite nippier than the HTC Touch Diamond - even with the Diamond' latet firmware applied. Application launch peedily, browing the web on the phone' uperb Opera Mobile 9.5 web brower i zippy and the accelerometer, which rotate the orientation of the creen from portrait to landcape a you flip the phone around in your hand, work jut a you would expect it to, complete with fancy animation. amung' touch-driven uer interface i a valiant effort at dealing with the inadequacie of Window Mobile' UI, too. Interetingly, amung provide no tylu towage on the Omnia - the tylu attache to the phone' lanyard loop intead. Thi wouldn't be an iue, of coure, but unfortunately the one key area where the Omnia can't compete i with the iPhone' beautifully elegant operating ytem. It tart well. When you firt fire the phone up you're confronted with a blank creen and a crolling toolbar arranged down the left hand ide. Thi contain a number of attractive, graphical widget that you can drag into to the blank pace to diplay tuff like recent email, the time, currently playing muic track, phone profile, calendar, analogue and digital clock and o on. (Ahonen and Melkko, 2008, 44-99) Thee don't jut diplay information, though, they provide baic control too, o not only can you ee who your mot recent email i from, you can alo click it to read it in full, or croll back to ee who the previou mail wa from. Muic track can be paued and kipped and favourite contact can be added or removed a well. (Kelly , 2008, 04-22) It' an intereting approach and allow

Discussion Board reply Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Discussion Board reply - Assignment Example Different factors control a working environment. Personal psychological status of the worker has a major influence on how he interacts with his coworkers and how well he can execute the tasks. Motivation is another factor that controls his morale and quality of work. A highly motivated employee has a higher moral, a higher self esteem and therefore a higher acceptance capacity. His work is quality work, his interaction is healthy and both his work and family life are in acute balance. A comfortable psychological condition is necessary. Sexual harassment is the most prevalent psychological torment prevalent in our present day work routines. Dual sex work oriented coalition is inevitable but sometimes the most primitive human lust starts to control ethical behavior causing serious consequences. (Paludi, 2010) This approach of managing ad formulating certain directives principles for its prevention utilizing both pedagogy and andragogy techniques will definitely lay out fruitful results. If need be different therapists, shrinks and other law enforcement agents should be employed to manage to manage and provide certain directives for every worker and

Weed should be legalized Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3250 words

Weed should be legalized - Essay Example There is a big difference in the quality of instruction, too. While the teacher presents things in logical order, allowing one idea to build off of another, self-instruction in order to fulfill course requirements means you go backwards through this progress in bits and pieces, taking more time to understand than would have been required to start. I would also try to focus more on getting assignments done on time as the course requires instead of pushing them to the last minute. I think I would be able to organize my thoughts better and get them in better shape before trying to communicate them with someone else. I would probably focus less on making the words look pretty by using fancy phrases and complicated sentences and spend more time working on making my arguments strong and well-supported. I. Legalizing drugs would result in a reduction of property loss and many violent crimes at the same time that it would increase tax revenues and relieve social services to more appropriately address drug issues. I placed the argument regarding economic concerns first as a means of involving the reader’s mind and attempting to appeal to his logic. I followed this with a brief history of how attempts to prohibit drug use in this country have traditionally failed as a means of appealing to the reader’s sense of history and precedent. I then concluded with an appeal to today’s situation regarding drug laws, pointing out again how they fail to make sense logically and end up hurting society more than helping in an attempt to appeal to emotions, thus leaving them with the strongest appeal. Several countries throughout the world are working to decriminalize or legalize less harmful drugs such as marijuana, currently classified as a Class C drug, as a means of addressing the growing problem of the war on drugs. Rather than providing the United States and other countries

Discussion Board reply Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 7

Discussion Board reply - Assignment Example Different factors control a working environment. Personal psychological status of the worker has a major influence on how he interacts with his coworkers and how well he can execute the tasks. Motivation is another factor that controls his morale and quality of work. A highly motivated employee has a higher moral, a higher self esteem and therefore a higher acceptance capacity. His work is quality work, his interaction is healthy and both his work and family life are in acute balance. A comfortable psychological condition is necessary. Sexual harassment is the most prevalent psychological torment prevalent in our present day work routines. Dual sex work oriented coalition is inevitable but sometimes the most primitive human lust starts to control ethical behavior causing serious consequences. (Paludi, 2010) This approach of managing ad formulating certain directives principles for its prevention utilizing both pedagogy and andragogy techniques will definitely lay out fruitful results. If need be different therapists, shrinks and other law enforcement agents should be employed to manage to manage and provide certain directives for every worker and

Analyzing Psychological Disorders Essay Example for Free

Analyzing Psychological Disorders Essay Schizophrenia is a mental illness that is chronic and severe. It can be a disabling illness that affects men and women with the same ratio or frequency. This term is from a Greek word that means having a â€Å"split mind†. Though this usage in medical terms is not accurate. The Western perception of this illness is their belief that the term is equal to a disorder of split personality. They have been found to be very distinct mental disorders. People afflicted with schizophrenia do not manifest split personalities. Schizophrenia is an illness hat affects the mind and is characterized by the disability of perceptions and manifestations of reality. Schizophrenia has five classifications. The first is the paranoid type where hallucinations and delusions are present but there is absence of disorganized behavior, thought disorder and active flattening. The disorganized type of schizophrenia occurs when active flattening and thought disorder are both present. Catatonic schizophrenia occurs when there is evidence of psychomotor disturbances. There is the presence of psychotic symptoms in the undifferentiated type but there is also absence of criteria for the other types of schizophrenia. The residual type is wherein all the symptoms of the mental disorder is present at low level of intensity. Signs and symptoms for people with schizophrenia suffer from delusions and false faith in their personal convictions despite the presentation of evidence disproving the matter. This symptom is not explained by a persons cultural background and orientation. Those afflicted also suffer from hallucinatory perceptions that can manifest when there is a lack of external diversion. The most common type of hallucination is the hearing of voices and other sounds. There is also the manifestation of disorganized attitude, behavior and thoughts. Speech is also incoherent and disorganized. The person suffering from this type of mental disorder display catatonic behavior wherein the persons body may become rigid and unresponsive. The causes of schizophrenia are unknown. There are a lot of factors that are said to be involved with the formation of this illness. There is an interaction between genetics, biology, psychology and the environment that leads to the mental disorder. Medical science does not have a full understanding of all the causes and other concerns related to the mental disorder. Recent research and medical studies is slowly but surely shows improvement and progress that would help define the causes of schizophrenia and their explanation. An increase in the dopaminergic activity that is inside the mesolimbic pathway of the brain is a constant and significant finding (Bentall 2005). Data gathered from a PET study shows suggestions that the lesser frequency the frontal lobes are activated during a task that involves a working memory there is a greater increase in the abnormality of dopamine activity in the striatum that is though to be related to deficits in neurocognition in schizophrenia. While the credibility of the diagnosis has introduced many difficulties in the measurement of the relative effect of genes and the factor of environment, more and more evidence have suggested that environmental and genetic factors can combine and create a reaction that would lead to the mental disorder of schizophrenia. Suggestions have also been made regarding the diagnosis of schizophrenia had an important genetic composition but that is influenced by the stressors or factors relating to the environment. The concept of a vulnerability that can be inherited from by some people can be destroyed by psychological, biological and environmental stressors. This is known as the stress-diathesis model. The idea that psychological, biological and social factors is more significant is called the biopsychosocial model in analyzing the causes of schizophrenia (Goldner, Hsu 2002). The approximate degree and frequency of hereditary causes in schizophrenia has a tendency to vary because of the difficulty in the separation of the effects of the environment and genetics. Twin studies have both suggested that there is a high rate of cases involving schizophrenia caused by genetic factors. It is possible that schizophrenia is a mental condition that is complicated in hereditary nature with many genes likely interacting to increase the risk of schizophrenia or the separate parts that can also occur that will lead to its diagnosis. Studies in genetics have implied that genes that increase the risk for the development of schizophrenia are not specific and may also increase the risk of development of other psychotic disorders. A breakthrough in recent research also suggested that very rare copies or omissions of small DNA sequences within the genes that are known as copy number variants were also related to the increased rate of risk for the development of schizophrenia (Noll 2006). It has also been thought that factors that cause schizophrenia can combine in the early development of the human brain during pregnancy. This would later increase the risk of developing schizophrenia. One finding that raised a great amount of curiosity is that people who were diagnosed with the mental illness is said to have been more possibly born in spring or winter in those living in the northern hemisphere of the planet. There is current evidence that exposure to infections during the prenatal stage can increase the risk of the development of schizophrenia in the age of maturity. This finding provides additional proof that linked the utero-developmental pathology with the risk of developing the mental disorder. Social conditions also help the increased risk of schizophrenia. People who are living in a highly urbanized environment have been found out to be exposed to great risk of being afflicted with the mental disorder. Poverty, poor living conditions and social status has also been found to contribute to the risk factor. Migration of people that is related to social problems like racial discrimination, unemployment and people coming from broken families also become factors of developing schizophrenia. There has been an implication made regarding the risk factor of childhood abuse and trauma that can cause schizophrenia later on in life. Lack of support and family dysfunctions also increase the risk but not directly connected to parenting. Substance use have also been found to increase the risk of schizophrenia but the relationship of this link is found to be complex. There has been some difficulty in distinguishing a clear relationship of substance use and the mental disorder. There is also solid evidence that the usage of certain illegal substances can start the onset or relapse of the mental illness in some people. These people who were diagnosed with schizophrenia use these substances to overcome negative emotions that comes with the intake of anti-psychotic medication and the mental condition itself. Negative feelings of paranoia and anhedonia were considered to be primary characteristics. The ingestion of amphetamines can trigger the brain to release dopamine that would increase dopamine activity. It is this excessive increase in activity that it is known to be partially responsible for the manifestation of psychotic symptoms of the mental disorder. This is partially supported by the idea that amphetamines can worsen the symptoms present in schizophrenia. This type of mental disorder can be triggered by heavy usage of stimulants and hallucinogens. One study has suggested the that the use of cannabis contributes to the occurrence of psychosis though some researchers suspect that the use of this substance was only a small part of the many factors of schizophrenia (Green 2002). There is also a number of psychological reasons that have been implicated in the development and sustainability of schizophrenia. A number of cognitive biases have been named in those that have been diagnosed and those that are at risk especially when there is the application of stress or in a state of confusion overly increased attention to potential threats, arriving at conclusions and impaired reasoning. There is also the manifestation of difficulty in differentiating from inner speech mechanism to one coming from an external entity and difficulty in retaining concentration. Case Studies: Anxiety Tom is an engineer, he is happily married, and he is the father of three bright, healthy children. By all appearances, his life is stable and satisfying. Tom, however, suffers from continual worry that he has a difficult time turning off. His anxiety may center on anything from his perceived health problems (he has recently been to his doctor for a physical, but no health issues were discovered) to money and job responsibilities. At times his anxiety peaks to the point that it interferes with his ability to function on the job. Physical symptoms include muscle tension, headaches, and hot flashes that often accompany Tom’s anxiety. Tom often feels nauseated, and he becomes easily fatigued. When he feels anxious, Tom has difficulty concentrating, he becomes irritable, and he has difficulty falling asleep at night. All of these symptoms have been present for the last 6 months. Tom has tried to talk himself out of his anxiety, but this has not worked for him. Toms wife is supportive, but she does not know what to do for her husband (Hauser, 2005). Neural circuitry involving the amygdala and hippocampus is thought to underlie anxiety. When confronted with unpleasant and potentially harmful stimuli such as foul odors or tastes, PET-scans show increased bloodflow in the amygdala. Possible mechanism is malfunction in the parabrachial nucleus, a structure in the brain, that among other functions, coordinates signals from the amygdala with input concerning balance. The amygdala is involved in the emotion of fear. Biochemical factors come into play. Low levels of GABA, a neurotransmitter that reduces overactivity in the central nervous system, contributes to anxiety. A number of anxiolytics achieve their effect by modulating the GABA receptors.

Adult Mental Health And Professional Practice Social Work Essay

Adult Mental Health And Professional Practice Social Work Essay Within my assignment I will demonstrate my understanding of mental health and the direct correlation to my professional practice. I will clearly define and critically evaluate two of the dominant perspectives which are significant in mental health theory and practice, the biomedical and the social causation perspective. By explaining my practice with regards to the case scenario 1 Ahmed, I will substantiate my understanding of both perspectives, examining the advantages and disadvantages of each by considering how I might undertake and assessment and how I might address issues identified from the case scenario including the impact of discrimination and the importance of anti oppressive practice. I will evidence my knowledge and understanding of relevant issues including reflecting the perspective of the individual, by drawing up an intervention plan, including identifying clearly my understanding of the legal framework within which I would practice. Issues of mental health are approached from a variety of different perspectives and using a variety of different terminologies. Many have the greatest confidence in scientific or biological approaches, whilst others prefer more holistic or social approaches. The biomedical medical model of mental health has been dominant simply because the dominant profession is psychiatry. Psychiatrists are medically trained and therefore tend to see the main purpose behind their work as the diagnosis and treatment of illness or disorder (Rogers and Pilgrim,2005).The simplistic view of cause and effect whilst beneficial if you have broken your leg or have diabetes, is not the same for mental illness. There are organic brain diseases or illnesses such as epilepsy and huntingdons chorea which may manifest in symptoms often associated with mental illness (Rethink,2007) and therefore it is vital that the possibility of underlying physical causes are examined. The bio medical model utilises ideas of a single underlying cause and therefore treatment of the cause will lead to a return to the pre existing state(Wade and Hallingan,2004).Another assumption is of a normal existing state, and therefore an ability to measure evidence of abnormality thus concluding w ith a diagnosis. Traditional bio medical models focus on the pathology of the illness rather than understanding the illness whether it is biological, social or psychological. Criticism of the biomedical model is that it is a simplistic model in a very complex arena. Reductionist explanations of mental health reduce mental health issues to the smallest possible factors, simplistic but clearly flawed (Crossley,2006). One of the most predominant arguments is the involvement of environmental factors in shaping our behaviour. A persons environment can shape their behaviour and this is a constant process. An individual may be born with certain genes but environmental factors such as society and a persons family can shape further behaviour (Nettleton, 2006). In reducing a concept to its component parts and simplest terms many important aspects are overlooked. Individual factors are hard to explain under reductionism, because reductionist explanations generalise behaviour. Each individual is unique and responds differently. A reductionist explanation would be genetics, but the same behaviour in two people could be caused by separate environmental and biological f actors and therefore limiting the reductionist explanation (Crossley,2006). Reductionist explanations can be useful, by reducing complicated concepts to their component parts but sometimes this offers a simple solution to an otherwise more complicated problem. For example giving anti-depressants to someone who is depressed may seem like the most favourable solution, but this may overlook the real problem such as bereavement, financial or work problems. Iatrogenesis is another arena that is problematic for the bio medical model. Iatrogenisis is often associated with adverse effects resulting from medical interventions (Heller et al, 1996) but can and is viewed as the direct result of the intervention which impedes a persons recovery, and therefore could include psychiatry which is the predominant force in the bio medical model. Labelling with regards to mental health diagnosis is another criticism of the bio medical model. Scheff (1999) understands mental illness as a result of societal labelling. Simplistic put, society has views on what is socially norm and acceptable, any deviation from these norms, results in a label of mental illness. The social causation model suggests links between social disadvantage and mental health problems. These social disadvantages are prevelant in many areas education, health, employment, income and social inclusion. Poverty and social class have been determined as the two significant factors of social causation and the link to mental illness (Murali and Oyebode, 2004). Lynch et al (1997) found people living with financial difficulties on a long-term basis, were much more likely to suffer from clinical depression than those who did not. Studies into mental health suggest there are stressors associated with low status and this creates an environment for increased risk of developing mental health problems. Payne(1999) in the 1999 PSE study provides evidence that people who live with various aspects of poverty, deprivation, unemployment and social exclusion are more likely to have mental health problems, although the relationship between poor mental health and these aspects are complex. I will examine employment in more detail. Research shows that less than 40% of employers would consider employing a person with a mental health issue (Rethink, 2009).Consequently the prejudice and discrimination people face as a result of a mental health diagnosis presents problems in itself. In 2002/ 2003The Citizens Advice Bureau conducted research regarding social exclusion and mental health and their results were stark. 60% of people with mental health problems gave up work as a result of discrimination, prejudice and stigma. 61% per cent of male adults with a psychiatric disorder are in full-time or part-time employment. Whereas the figure is 75% of men with no psychiatric disorder (Mind,2010b). If an individual has maintained a job or found employment then if they are affected by relapses this again impacts financially. With these statistics in mind it is clear to see that many who experience mental health issues will also be affected by economic hardship. Living on state benefits and sometimes less, as a result of an inflexible benefit system, can also result in a vicious circle of deprivation and poverty in all aspects of their lives, not only economic but in health, social activity and participation. The social causation model defined within the social model needs to be understood by practitioners as it acknowledges the experiences of individuals, as well as being the springboard for challenging the socio political environment which contributes to social problems, which in turn impact on an individuals mental health. This is fundamental for practitioners as one of the key roles of social workers is to challenge and champion social and political change (Horner,2006).According to Rogers and Pilgrim (2006) race, gender and age are all areas of disadvantage than can be investigated via social causation. This would support the findings of several studies which highlight the relationship between some of the identified areas and poor mental health. Examples to illustrate these links are, Irish men have three times higher psychiatric admission rates than the general population (Fitzptrick, 2005); women are more likely to be treated for mental health problems than men (Mental Health Found ation, no date) and in research by Beecham et al (2008) it was identified that fewer than 10% of older people with clinical depression were referred to specialist mental health services compared with about 50% of younger adults. These stark differentials question the basis of these statistical differences and one explanation is social causation. In recent years there has been a shift in Mental Health legislation. Although the Mental Health Act 1983 remains the primary legislation, there has been the addition of the Mental Capacity Act 2005 which provides a legal framework to protect individuals who lack, or may lack capacity. The Mental Health Act 2007 amended the MHA 1983 and the MCA 2005. Along with these amendments to legislation there has also been a radical shift in policy documents from central Government. These policy shifts demonstrate the need to understand mental health in a more holistic context. The emphasis is shifting from purely medical perspectives with a recognition of how the social perspective has an impact on a persons mental health well being. A plethora of policies from government such as Tackling Health Inequalities (DOH, 2001); Working Together UK Action Plan on Social Inclusion(DWP, 2008) and Child Poverty Review(H.M. Treasury,2004) have been designed to tackle social inequalities such as health, in come, work and education as well as a recognition for the need for more person centred approaches to delivering services. This does not detract from the clear message from legislation that risk and public safety are of paramount importance. The debates about care or control and rights versus risk are ever present particularly with high profile cases such as Christopher Clunis and Michael Stone were pivotal in the changes to the Mental Health Act in 2007. The Mental Health Alliance (2006) maintain that legislative reforms which enables individuals to access services within the mental health arena when they need it, as opposed to imposing treatment, would be a more viable option and address the issue of risk in a more proactive way. The Mental Health Act 1983 still remains the overarching legislation regarding mental health in the England today and is the only piece of legislation that permits the detention of an individual before they have committed an offence and purely on the basis that they might pose a threat to themselves or others(Golightly,2008).The changes in 2007 allowed for approved mental health professionals rather than the traditional approved social workers. One could argue that if this is eradication of the social worker role and the move to further medicalise mental health (as the approved mental health professional can be health background rather than social care). The Mental Capacity Act 2005 might be viewed by some as contradicting the Mental Health Act 1983. After all a person suspected of having a mental illness may fulfil the section 3 test of capacity under the Act, and under the principles of the act is able to make unwise decisions, but the Act makes no stipulation regarding these unwise decisions. Clearly committing a criminal offence is an unwise decision and a person committing the offence could clearly know and understand their action and face consequences laid down under criminal justice legislation. Under the Mental Health Act a person is not required to have committed an offence to be detained, a suspicion of possible harm to self or others is enough to warrant a section 2 assessment for involuntary admission. This arena has been addressed with and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 amendment to the Mental Health Act 1983 whereby an individual cannot refuse treatment if that treatment is deemed necessary under the conditions of the Men tal Health Act in that the MHA effectively overrides the MCA if the person is or deemed to be mentally ill. This is a contradiction regarding any other forms of medical treatment for a physical condition such as treatment for cancer or radical surgery(if a person meets the capacity assessment criteria), a person can refuse treatment for any other physical health condition but not for mental illness as a person can be detained to compulsory treat. New Horizons is a cross government programme which was launched in 2000 which identified not only the need of improved mental health services but the recognition the importance of maintaining good mental health and well being for everyone and covers childhood to old age (DOH,2009). It clearly recognises the impact of social factors aiming to address social inequalities identifying health, education and employment as important factors in an individuals well being and the impact on mental health. The Mental Health Act 1983 is the primary legislation which covers the assessment, detention, treatment and rights of people with a mental health condition. Following the psychiatric model the practitioner would need to make an assessment of Ahmeds functioning identify the signs and symptoms which he is exhibiting for Ahmed these would be his day to day functioning he has rent arrears, utilities have been cut off; personal care evidence suggests he lives on takeaways; social functioning he is a loner and he goes into the town centre shouting apparently aggressive; thoughts he appears to be having delusions that his mother is not his real mother, and possibly hallucinations evidenced with him shouting, but not directed at anyone. The psychiatric model uses judgements of normal which are not objective, but on agreed standards of normal within a cultural and social context (Esyenck,1994 and Giddens,1997). But the question has to be who is the predominant force in that society and how does this impact on individuals from differing cultural backgrounds in the teat of normality. Although the case study has not specified Ahmeds cultural background it is an area which needs due consideration. There are discussions regarding psychiatry as being colour blind and culture blind. Fernando(2002) examines the rationale for these concepts in relation to hearing voices, and explains perhaps cultural stereotypes which do not consider multi cultural dimensions are responsible. Fernando(2002) draws upon the studies relating to high proportions of British African Caribbean men being labelled as aggressive, perhaps due to the appearance or interpretation of symptoms leading others to define the symptoms within the mental health arena (Nazroo and King, 2002). Fernando (2002) expounds further by explaining this could also be related to society norms. The norms are dictated by the predominant forces within society. When individuals do not conform to social norms they are subject to sanctions in order to ensure conformity this is evident within the legal justice system a person commits a crime a punishment a fine or community service order or prison sentence is served. The parallels for m ental health could be seen that if a person does not conform then admission to hospital, intervention and treatment may be viewed as the sanctions to deviating from those perceived norms. Risk management is a highly politicised area with the primary objective in the political arena to manage risk, whilst improved outcomes for individuals appears to be in secondary (Holloway,1996). Holloway(1996) goes on to say in order to understand and therefore manage the risk then as a practitioner you need a very detailed understanding of the individual. Good practice regarding risk management is about a clear foundation for the decision and an expectation for the proposed outcome, as well as provision for change if the intended outcome does not occur (Petch,2001). A discussion with Ahmed regarding voluntary admission for assessment and treatment would be deemed appropriate given the assessment. The Mental Health Act 1983 clearly states in section 131 that voluntary admission should always be used if the person is willing. Should Ahmed resist treatment and admission to hospital then it would be necessary to address the need for detention under section 2 of the act. This provision is made with the agreement of 2 doctors ideally one who knows Ahmed perhaps his GP, and an approved mental health professional (AMHP). Under the Mental Health Act 1983 section 2 allows involuntary admission to hospital for assessment and treatment. Under section 2 Ahmed does not have the right to refuse treatment. Once Ahmed is admitted to hospital then assessment for a diagnosis would be paramount. The two diagnostic and classification tools used in modern psychiatry are the DSM IV codes and ICD 10 codes (Bolton, 2008). Although there are differences in these codes, the premise for these codes and outcomes are the same. These codes represent the bio medical model, the reduction of the illness to signs and symptoms to which a psychiatrist can determine a diagnosis and treatment based on that diagnosis. Whilst this may be useful for organic brain disorders for the majority of mental health problems where there is no definitive biological condition, the diagnosis simply reflects the individuals reflections on how they think and feel. The treatment plan would be developed based on the assessment outcome (diagnosis). Often treatment ranges are limited with a high emphasis on drug interventions, where the primary objective is to stabilise Ahmeds mental health condition in an effort to return him to a functional state. This medicalised response and the use of drugs could be viewed as a means of social control (Rogers and Pilgrim, 2005). By drawing on the theory of social causation this would enable me to support Ahmed to analyse the issues he is facing in a non judgemental way. Oppression and discrimination is observed in the lives of people from marginalised groups (Dalrymple and Burke,1995) and as practitioners we have an obligation to challenge discrimination and oppression. Personal experiences are clearly associated with social, cultural, political and economic divisions and therefore understanding these areas in context to the individual is vital in understanding and challenging the oppression and discrimination they may encounter (Adams et al, 2002). The stigma attached from having mental health problems cannot be underestimated. Research by the Department of Health Attitudes to Mental Illness in 2007 showed that whilst many of the negative pre conceived ideas and beliefs held by society about people with a mental health illness were diminishing, but the changes year on year were not significant. This may be due to education and understanding of mental illness and the understanding of the effects of discrimination and stigma. The Time to Change Programme (2008) is by its own admission, nationally and globally the most ambitious plan to stamp out discrimination faced by people with mental illness. Stigma poses a threat to all aspects of an individuals life if diagnosed with a mental illness, they contribute to social isolation, distress and difficulties gaining and maintaining employment. In a survey by Crisp and Gelder (2000) discovered there were consistent themes of perceptions of people who had a mental illness. Some views were common amongst the several diagnoses, namely they were difficult to talk to and they were unpredictable to assumptions of being dangerous. Completing a Community Care Assessment in accordance with the NHS and Community Care Act 1990 would be necessary in order to identify Ahmeds needs and how those needs would be best provided for. The assessment would include information from Ahmed as well as significant others where applicable and determine need on a short and / or long term basis (Sharkey, 2007). The assessment does not detract from the need of some immediate intervention, to work directly with Ahmed to address some of the immediate issues such as his rent arrears (which would immediately reduce the threat of eviction) and getting his utility services back in place. Acute and crisis services and intervention were designed to offer support in a less restrictive and stigmatising way than traditional formal of intervention such as compulsory admission (Golightly,2008). Crisis intervention is a model of intervention which ideally prevents the situation from deteriorating further and builds on existing resources and strengths in order to improve the situation (Ferguson,2008). This could assist Ahmeds mental health and well being as well as his environment and other social factors i.e. relationship with mum and neighbours. The intervention allows a recent Cochrane review found that home care crisis treatment, coupled with an ongoing home care package, was a viable alternative to hospital admission for crisis intervention for people with serious mental illnesses and probably more cost effective (Joy at al, 2006). Working directly with Ahmed using a task centred approach would be ideal as it is a very practical based approach. The work is time limited, structured and problem focused(Parker and Bradley, 2007, p.93). An example for Ahmed might be: Outcome : Pay off rent arrears so no longer in debt. Rationale: this would immediately reduce the risk of eviction as well as encouraging Ahmed to take responsibility for his situation in a supportive and empowering way. Steps: Agree a payment plan with Ahmed that is manageable within current budget ( £10 every 2 weeks) Once plan agreed Ahmed to visit housing provider to agree payment plan and request an update every month on arrears. Pick up benefits every 2 weeks, on a Tuesday, and immediately pay 2 weeks rent at paypoint in post offices along with agreed  £10 arrears and obtain receipt. For the purpose of this assignment I have listed some of the actions which could be identified in order to support Ahmed. Pay off rent arrears. Benefits assessment to ensure Ahmed is claiming his benefit entitlement. Tenancy support worker in order to support with tenancy related issues such as rent, utilities and maintaining a tenancy agreement. Support worker to assist with increasing his contact and reduce social isolation. This could be simply going out for a coffee or some other activity which Ahmed identified. To explore if Ahmed has concerns regarding psychiatry, and his reluctance to meet with the psychiatrist this is vital it may simply be he forgot about the appointment or further issues regarding his concept of psychiatry. To work with Ahmed to explore his thoughts regarding his mother and assess the foundation for his thoughts that she is not his mother. To gain understanding on any other significant relationships in the past (there is mention in the case study of children) and the possibility of re-connection with his children and wider family connections. Re-connection with community whether this would be utilising self help groups, classes which may hold a particular interest or active engagement in community/ voluntary projects to build self esteem and confidence and develop a sense of purpose and engagement. Explore training / employment options To support Ahmed to begin a life story book or consider psychology intervention. To offer support to examine Ahmeds current strategies of coping recognising his abilities through the strength model and supporting him to identify any patterns and how to deal with them. To develop a contract for future work in order to be clear of professional boundaries and expectations from both parties and how intervention might look in the future should this be required. Should the circumstances not improve or continue to deteriorate then there is a possibility of seeking hospital admission either, voluntarily or in accordance with the Mental Health Act 1983. More people than ever are being detained in hospital under compulsory orders. Admissions to hospital under the Mental Health Act 1983 have risen by nearly 30% in the past decade in England. According to a report from three national mental health charities, Rethink, Sane and the Zito Trust, this figure is a worrying reflection of the care for people with mental illness (Kmietowicz, 2004). A sobering thought for any professional. As a practitioner I have learnt that causes of mental health issues are often complex and can involve a combination of biological vulnerability, environmental factors, social stressors, social networks, supports and relationships, psychological orientations and learned behaviour. Coppock and Hopton (2000) state: each perspective on mental distress and therapeutic intervention has its own internal logic(p.175) and stress the importance of recognising the alternatives, otherwise, practitioners are in danger of becoming a rigid in their practice, not work in a pe rson centred way. Having a critical perspective and understanding of the variety of theoretical perspectives and approaches regarding mental health is beneficial. It is clear that these perspectives whether biomedical or social have added to our understanding of mental health. The relative merits of the various perspectives are constantly argued, most characteristically by pointing out the limitations of the differing perspectives. Such critiques can be productive but are only a step in a larger task to develop broader perspectives that can be productively incorporate the different useful insights reached from each of a variety of different points of view. A person centred approach to mental health would seem the optimum approach when examining mental health issues. It recognises the uniqueness of individuals and accounts for all the possible variables and their interactions from social causation, stress vulnerability, gender etc. which would enable practitioners to examine issues within a broader holistic context, instead of rigid simplistic processes of bio medical model (Freeth, 2007). Word Count : 4007