Body Shape and Gender

Body Shape and Gender Body Shape and Gender differences in ratings. Introduction Body image is the way people perceive themselves and equally important, the way they think others perceive them. Body image is constantly changing, and is always being modified by biological growth, trauma, or decline. It is also significantly influenced and moulded by life circumstances which bring about pain or pleasure. There are many factors that influence how people perceive their own body image and others. Factors such as culture have a significant influence on perceptions of body images. As people tend to compare their self to what is acceptable within their own culture, and see if they match the standard of others. Although, womens perception of the ideal body shape, is a thin one. Delameter 2004 stated that attraction is characterised as an attitude, which consists of feelings beliefs and behaviours, whether it is a positive or negative one is dependant on the persons perception of the individual. Socio cultural theory The sociocultural theory is a perspective that presents the idea that human behaviour is affected by cultural influences. It highlights the important of cultural values in understanding how individuals are perceived by others and how they perceive themselves. In relation to body image and attractiveness, the sociocultural perspective would offer the idea that if the culture deems attractiveness to be important and is admired within its members, then individuals within the society will value attractiveness in themselves as well as others, and the same idea would apply if the culture deems attractiveness to be of less importance then the members of the society would then not look into the importance of attractiveness within themselves or others. Within the socio cultural theory there are three approaches which help to explain the role of physical attractiveness in everyday life. The first theory being the social expectancy theory, this theory argues that cultural values influence perceptions of others and the behaviour, which in turn influences the behaviour of others which then has an impact on the self perception of others. The â€Å"self fulfilling prophecy† is the sequence of events that happens in order for people to make judgments on others, which are based on the other personss and expectations, and then the individual is led to believe they are as the perceiver expected them to be. An example of this in relation to body image, if a shop assistant was helping a customer chose clothes and had to fetch the customer clothes without asking for their size, and kept bringing back larger sizes. The customer may then begin to think that as the shop assistant perceives them to be larger that they are actually much large r and if such events occurred over a number of times the customer would then believe it to be true over a period of time. There are many hypotheses that derive from the social expectancy theory such as: There is a consensual agreement within cultures about who is attractive and who is not attractive, but variability among cultures. There are consensual expectations within cultures about attractive and unattractive others, but variability among cultures. People behave differently toward attractive and unattractive others. Peoples differential behaviour toward attractive other results in differences in how they respond. These behavioural differences result in differences in the elf-concepts of attractive and unattractive others. There is very little research looking into the reasons why attractiveness is valued, or why some faces and body characteristics are considered attractive and others are not. The next approach descending from the socio cultural theory is the implicit personality theory. This approach focuses on the knowledge structure that people use to make sense of their social world, which is to understand and predict the behaviour of others. Implicit theories are conceptualised as cognitive structures that consist of personal attributes an inferential relations that specify the degree to which attribute are related. An example of the attribute â€Å"intellectual† might be expected to go well with the attribute â€Å"studious† rather than the attribute â€Å"nervous†. Implicit personality theory provides a framework for understanding the physical attractiveness stereotype. The category label physically attractive is presumed to be linked to a variety of attributes; the number and nature depend on the culture. Cultural information is transmitted through direct observations of attractive others and by exposure to cultural representations of attractiveness. However, the theory does not explain why different cultures associate different attributes with attractiveness. The final theory to stem from the social cultural theory is the status generalisation theory which has evolved from sociological theories. The theory suggests that external status characteristics are used to generate expectation states regarding performance, with or without prior association between these characteristics and performance and with or without conscious awareness. Status generalisation theory views physical attractiveness as a â€Å"diffuse† status characteristic because if discriminates among individuals and establishes performance expectancies â€Å"without-limit† that is, without regard to the actual relevance of attractiveness to performance. From the status generalisation perspective, physical attractiveness should be associated with a wide range of desirable attributes in both perceptions of others and self perceptions. Similarly, like the social expectancy theory and implicit personality theory, the status generalisation theory predicts that people hold more positive expectations for attractive than unattractive others. All three theories predict that people behave more favourably towards attractive than unattractive others, and that more favourable treatment results in more favourable self-concepts for attractive people. The socio cultural perspective, states that culture defines what an attractive body is and self perceptions of body attractiveness depend on these cultural definitions. The closer body self perceptions comes to the ideal, the higher the self rating should be of body attractiveness. Therefore, body image should depend on cultural ideals and on how an individual perceives his or her own body in relation to these ideals. This also, suggests that culture is an important issue which frames certain individuals perception on their body image, and perception of others. Research following the socio cultural perspective has been found to suggest that body ideals vary among cultures as well as within cultures across groups and time. Present-day Western cultures idealise thinness for females and an average type for males. The thin ideal for women replaced the more full d one of the 1950s, and may soon be replaced by† fitness â€Å"ideal that began to emerge in the 1990s.) Evolutionary theory â€Å"The evolutionary theory argues that for the existence of universally shared criteria of attractiveness, which are cues to a persons potential reproductive success† Buss (1999) according to this theory, females are believed to select partners that will enhance their reproductive success, and the biological features are deemed to be found more attractive. It is stated that the biological features are â€Å"to honestly signal that one individual is more â€Å"desirable† then another† Buss 1999. Culture Within many different cultures there are different standards of what attractiveness is, and there are a wider range of acceptable weights and shapes. Within the â€Å"white† Western culture female attractiveness consists of a slender body shape. Slenderness is generally associated with happiness, success, youthfulness and social acceptability. Over weight for both men and women has been seen as physically unattractive and is also associated with other negative characteristics. Research from Bordo (1993) found that excess flesh started to become linked with low morality, reflecting personal inadequacy or lack of willpower. Slenderness symbolises being in control, which in turn is seen as an attractive feature. The firm toned body is seen as representing success. Most people do not have slim, toned bodies, so they have to work towards fitting in with the norm of society. Bordo states that the current idealisation of slenderness is that the body is kept under control â€Å"The ideal here is of a body that is absolutely tight, contained, bolted down, firm† (Bordo 1993: 190) In a study by Tiggemann and Rothblum (1988) asked a large number of students about their stereotypes of fat and thin men and women. They were asked to rate the extents to which eight qualities were typical of thin men and women and fat men and women. Men and women in both cultures reported negative stereotypes if fat people. Although, fat people were seen as warmer and friendlier, confirming the traditional stereotype of the fat jolly person, they were also viewed as less happy, more self indulgent, less self confident, less self disciplined, lazier and less attractive than thin people. These judgements were marked of fat women than fat men. The results indicate negative stereotyping of fat people, especially fat women. Tiggemann et al stated that from the findings they found â€Å"there were no differences in stereotyping between students who were fat and those who were thin. Even those who were overweight had negative stereotypes of fat people† Dion researched the link between attractiveness and positive personal qualities. He stated that â€Å"What is beautiful is good† Dion et al 1972: 285). Dion stated that people tend to assign more favourable personality traits and life outcomes to those they perceive as attractive. More recent supporting evidence came from Eagley (1991) suggested that the effects of physical attractiveness stereotypes are strongest for perceptions of social competence. Negative stereotyping of overweight may be a specific aspect of the physical attractiveness stereotype that refers specifically to assignment of negative traits to those who have a body size and shape that is not considered attractive by dominant groups in western cultures. It is often assumed that womens obsession with weight is linked with their desire to be attractive, to men, but research from Fallon and Rozin (1985) disagrees with this idea. They conducted an experiment which consisted of participants were shown line drawings of women ranging from extremely thin to extremely fat. It was found that women chose their ideal as thinner than what they believed men to prefer and this is more evident to be done in adolescence Cohn et al (1987) which may have an impact on how women rate and judge other womens bodies, and levels of attractiveness. The societal pressure hypothesis states that, the thin standard of beauty seen in the mass media encourages women to strive for unrealistically thin Silverstein et al (1986). Whereas, in African cultures â€Å"black† females have described their standard of an ideal body on non body factors such as style of clothes, skin, ethnic pride and so on. The black community has a unique view of ideal weight and body size compared to white mainstream culture. Black women tend to support a larger and more moderate idea body size than the very thin ideal that is favoured by the white western societies. Also in contrast, to overweight white women, over weight black women are more likely to view their bodies as attractive. There is also less prejudice against overweight people amongst the African cultures. Jackson and McGill (1996) found that when black men were asked to â€Å"relate several descriptors with the term â€Å"obese† they were more likely to associate positive characteristics such as â€Å"attractive† and â€Å"generous† and less likely to state negative attributes such as â€Å"lazy† or â€Å"uneducated† compared to the opinions of white men. Similarly, black women were more likely than white women to relate â€Å"sexiness† with â€Å"obese† in regard to same race men.† This more tolerant and appreciative view of overweight and obese body sizes likely. Langlois 2000 most research on physical attractiveness dominates research on attractiveness as it maybe most accessible trait when first meeting someone. Whereas in Western societies Furnham 1983 found that there is an inverse relationship between high social class and low body weight, the inverse is true of less developed, non-Western societies. As it has also been shown that the longer immigrants have been in Western societies, the less obese they tend to be. This study examined how Kenyan Asian, British and Kenyan British females from similar backgrounds perceived female body shapes. As predicted, the Kenyans rated larger more favourably and smaller less favourably than the British. Also, as predicted, it was found that the Kenyan Asian British were more similar to the British group in their perceptions. The results support the view that social and cultural factors play dominant role in the perception of ones own and others body shapes. In addition, the results reveal that in Britain preferences for small body shapes to the point of being anorexic are not uncommon. WHR ratio It is difficult to state where fat is distributed and to comment on whether it is appropriate or inappropriate. Before puberty boys and girls have roughly the same pattern of fat distribution. However when puberty strikes, due to oestrogen, it causes fat to be placed around the hip area of the body. The affect on male bodies is that testosterone causes the body to distribute the fat around the abdominal region. The fat distribution is measured by the wait hip ratio (WHR). The WHR is obtained by taking an individuals waist at the narrowest point, and hip measurement, and then finding the ratio of the two measurements. The WHR is a reliable index of the distribution of fat between upper and lower body according to Leibel, Edens and Fried (1989) also they stated that the loss or gain of 10 pounds doesnt appear to affect fat distribution. Healthy men typically have a WHR in the range of 0.85- 0.95 and for women the WHR is in the region of 0.67-0.80. In relation to attractiveness, it has become apparent that over the years the female has become more curvaceous over time. Later studies have looked mostly at select groups of women such as playboy centrefolds and Miss America contestants. Based on data from these populations, researchers have hypothesised that the female body shape is moving away from an hourglass shape and becoming curvier. This would indicate that women when rating bodies and their perception of them should favour the curvier shapes. However, when Singh (1993) re-examined the same data using the WHR, it was found that despite a reduction in total body weight, WHR has remained fairly stable at the measurement of 0.68-0.72 over the years. These ratios are still very indicative of an hourglass form. If women had a very curvaceous body shape their WHR would approach 1.0. Although, attractiveness does change over time, and these issues should be considered when men and women are rating body shapes for attractiveness as it may affect the scores they give. However, it does appear that the relation between a small waist and attractiveness has remained fairly similar. Mostly, western societys trends have been for women to exaggerate the smallness of this feature with a few exceptions, an example of this comes from periods such as the flapper period; where waist lines were eliminated. Research by Morris 1985 showed that in this â€Å"flapper† period women went to high levels of extremes to fit in with the small waist preference, and had their lower ribs removed. A narrow waist is often a preferred and†¦. Singh 1993 research found that both male and female subjects have the ability to use the WHR by itself to make judgements about womens attractiveness and other features which suggests that body shape is a very important variable, which should implicate that WHR is an important feature when body perceptions are made. Within Singhs study he allowed participants a 12 line drawing of female bodies, which four different WHR ratings. These images were also split into three body sizes of underweight, normal or overweight. , participants were then shown all images, and asked to rate the attractiveness of each in order. Participants were also asked other questions to group the images in certain groups. The results from this study found that participants can make discriminations about images, based on weight and WHR. The results also found that participants preferred women with lower WHR and found them more attractive than the higher WHR. The normal weighted were rated higher whereas, the unde rweight and overweight images were perceived as being less attractive. Singhs study implies that female attractiveness is associated with low WHRs, and that fat distribution is more important than body weight when determining attractiveness. Singh also stated that a small WHR was gender specific, so a low WHR is more favoured when the image people are presented with to rate are females have a low WHR. Male images with low WHRs are judged as least attractive no matter what their weight category is. Research by Palwlowski and Grabarcyk 2003 conducted research into WHR, and investigated the difference within WHR and the different components that are a part of WHR dimensions. They looked into the hip size and the waist size. In order to state which asset is more important when males are rating female attractiveness they conducted an experiment whereby participants were presented with a series of photographs where the WHR had been altered with, in either the hip or waist area. It was found that attractiveness was correlated negatively with WHR especially when it was manipulated. Although, some research by Tassinary and Hansen 1998 has suggested that hip size is more influential than waist size. In many traditional societies, living in relatively poor conditions, where fat reserves in hip and thigh regions may be important as an energy source during pregnancy and lactation, as it may be expected that there could also be a preference for wider hips. On the other hand, in modern societies; where there is no risk of having not enough food and where there are resources for financially poor mothers, resources are given to support them. Therefore, men may be harsher judges about waist size. Although, Tovee et al 1999 found that weight was more important than WHR when participants were judging womens attractiveness. Anorexics Body perception may differ between anorexic people, research by Furnham et al 1994 studied three groups of anorexic females, teenagers and mature adults, all participants were shown male and female body images which ranged in body size; from thin to fat. The participants were then asked to rate them on four categories using a 10 point rating scale. It was found that both anorexic and teenage groups rated the thinner women as more attractive than the mature females. Both mature and teenage females rated the fat female body shape more positively than did the anorexics. This study design was altered in the experiment that was conducted. Influential research Swami and Tovee (2005) researched the cues that are perceived to influence rating female attractiveness, which were bass mass index (BMI) and waist-to hip-ratio (WHR). This study examined the relative contribution of both cues in two different cultures; British and Malaysian. Both cultures were asked to rate the females images where BMI and WHR was presented with the image, and asked to rate the attractiveness of the image. The results showed that BMI is an influential factor whereas, WHR doesnt emerge as a predictor, which suggest that the WHR doesnt have any major impact when rating images for levels for attractiveness. Thornhill and Grammer 1999 used real images of women and this study also found that BMI is strongly correlated with attractiveness than is WHR. Swami, Salem, Furnham Tovà ©e (2008) criticise standard research into ratings because they often use ratings of unrealistic drawings of women. They developed a scale using real photographs of women the photographic rating scale (PFRS), taken from the front view and wearing a neutral costume. The PFRS was designed to overcome many of the limitations associated with line-drawn that are currently in use, including a lack of realism and poor ecological validity. Based on a sample of 208 adult women, the results of the study showed that the PFRS had good validity in that all images were correctly rank-ordered by BMI. Marlowe, Apicella Reed (2005) criticised standard research on this topic from a different angle they said that WHR has only been evaluated using front-on , where WHR involves waists and hips of varying comparative sizes. They created a scale of in profile and varied how large the s buttocks were. They concluded that womens actually vary regarding where the fat is deposited in some cultures (e.g. USA) it tends to be deposited on the hips (and is favoured/disfavoured there) whilst in other cultures (e.g. Tanzania)it tends to be deposited on the buttocks (and is favoured/disfavoured there. Smith, Cornelissen Tovee (2007) also had something to say about where fat is distributed and how different this can be from person to person. This prompted them to conduct a study using real womens bodies, where participants were shown many angles around the 360 degree spectrum. it appears that cardiovascular fitness may be a weak cue, at least in bodies not undergoing cardiovascular exercise. Instead, it seems that more salient cues, such as body mass and skin tanning, are the primary determinants of attractiveness judgements. The current study has been inspired by a popular news article in the Mail Online, which presented a range of 12 body shapes, including â€Å"Pear†, â€Å"Skittle† and â€Å"Goblet† (Trinny Susannah, 2007). This news article acknowledged the varying places where body fat can be distributed on the female . The current study intends to vary the positioning of body fat deposits and the amount of body fat, to test whether it is only WHR that affects raters judgements or other elements of body fat distribution. This will be accomplished using artificial widening and narrowing of three photos, to produce three sizes for three shapes being tested. It is anticipated that Differences in judgements between males and females and between body sizes are expected, as found in previous research. However, it is also anticipated that there may be some interesting differences in ratings depending on where body fat is distributed. It is expected that top heavy distribution of fat may be more unfavourably rated than bottom heavy or equally distributed body fat across all body sizes tested. However, there may also be interaction effects, for example, with only minor body shape differences for the narrower , yet greater body shape differences for the wider . There may also be an interaction between gender and these issues (e.g. males may be more discerning about body shape than females, or may be more discerning than females about body shape for some body sizes and not others). The hypothesis that arises from the previous research that has been discussed is: To investigate if there is a relationship between the different types of body shapes and the perception of body image between different genders. If there is an effect within altered body shapes and between gender overall. Method Participants A total of 180 participants were recruited at random from social networking website to take part in the online questionnaire. Most participants were selected from the university social network so the participants consisted of a range of individuals studying different courses. The participants age ranged from 18-25 with a mean of 21.5. An equal gender split sample was selected to participate. The participants were randomly assigned to a questionnaire, each questionnaire required 20 participants to take part in the study. 10 males and 10 females were randomly chosen to complete each the questionnaire. Materials The materials used in this experiment were the questionnaire, which was created using an online service. A copy of the questionnaire can be seen in the appendix (see appendix?). The questionnaire results are then logged online. The results will then be analysed using the computer program SPSS. Each questionnaire contains 9 different images, consisting of 3 original images which were altered in size. The original 3 were pear, skittle and goblet body shapes which are the stimuli. Design The experiment will be analysed through a three-way ANOVA on the attractiveness ratings: a 2 (Gender: Male, Female) x 3 (Body Size: Narrowed, Original, Widened) x (Body Shape: Pear, Skittle, Goblet). The independent variable is the reaction to body image. This will be measured through a rating scale, whereby participants will be asked to rate the level of attractiveness of the picture they are presented with. The attractiveness ratings are the central concern of this study, with the other ratings appearing to help reduce demand characteristics. Although each participant will rate just one stimulus, between participants three body shapes and three body sizes will be rated. The dependant variable is the image that the participant will be faced with, and the gender of the participant. Procedure Participants were randomly assigned to participant and complete one of the 9 questionnaires. There were 9 different images altogether; each of the 9 questionnaires had a different image. After this had been created, 9 separate online groups were created on the social networking website, which participants were then randomly allocated a website to click on and complete the questionnaire. Once the participant had been randomly selected, a link was sent the participant to complete the questionnaire. Once the participant clicked the link they were presented with the assigned questionnaire. The participant was given a brief description and outline of what the experiment asked them to do, and once the participant agreed they continued through with the questionnaire. The questionnaire consisted of questions regarding the participants age and gender. Participants will be faced with one, female stimulus to rate, followed by four questions, which will ask them to rate the stimulus on: attracti veness, healthiness, success and popularity. The rating scale will consist of 1 being â€Å"definitely not† attractive and so on and 10 being â€Å"extremely† attractive and so on. After the participant had then completed the ratings they were then presented with a small debrief description, and once they had done so an option of whether their participation was still acceptable to go on and be analysed was offered and the results were logged on the online survey website. Ethics Ethical issues with this study were addressed sufficiently and followed the BPS ethical guidelines in line with the methods used. The biggest issue was of informed consent. The participants could not be allowed to know the end aim of the study to eliminate demand characteristics. This was addressed by a number of steps being followed: the subject matter will be made clear from the start and the task will be clearly explained. Also the responses will be entirely anonymous; and, in the debrief contact details will be provided for help and advice on any matters that may have distressed participants, and the participants will have the right to withdraw from the experiment at any time. Another issue that may occur is the issue of psychological harm to the participants, as the participant may feel inadequate when viewing the image and compare themselves against the image they are presented with too much. This issue will be addressed by a detailed debrief explaining that the images are a fi ctional image, to help lower the low self esteem that may arise. Also participants if given a questionnaire with the researcher present may feel pressured and may think that they themselves are being judged by the researcher about their body image, as the experiment is about this issue. However, this issue will be minimised as the questionnaire is online, and the researcher will not be present and the participant may answer the questions alone and not feel pressured by the researcher. Another, issue that may have been if the researcher had to be faced with the participant, is physical risk of the participants health which is deemed to be minimal; however this is primarily an online survey so that it will involve participants using their normal computing facilities. For the online recruitment, the participants and researcher will not meet face to face. However, Should additional face to face recruitment be required, it will take place in the public areas of the University in location s that both participants and researcher frequent in their normal daily lives. Other issues such as clinical interventions are not involved in the study and it is not expected to involve the University with any financial or legal risks. The Psychological risk to the researcher is considered to be minimal because the researcher understands the nature of the study and what is involved in both the subject matter and the data collection process. Results A three way ANOVA was used to analyse participants ratings. There are 3 main effects that could affect each participants results. However within these effects there maybe some interactions between these through a two way interaction: 1) Body size x Body Shape 2) Body size x Gender 3) Body shape x Gender. By comparing body size x body shape x gender this is looking at a three way interaction was made. The mean of all scores was 4.9944. After a Post Hoc analysis was conducted and the results from this test are shown below. The main effects of the results are as follows. The results show that the ratings of images were not significantly affected by the factor Body Shape. Main effect of Body shape [F (2, 162) = 0.523; p = 0.594]. The main effect of Body size was significantly affected the rating the participant gave: [F (2,162) = 10.702; p=0.001]. Also, both genders were significantly different when rating all body shapes when they were widened (4.08) compared with original (5.28) and narrowed scores (5.62). The type of body size the participant was faced with impacted on the attractiveness rating they gave. The main effect of gender was shown to be significant [F (2,162) = 7.254; p =0.008]. The main effect of gender overall, the means were significantly different the average rating given by males was 4.61, whereas, the female rating was 5.38, showing a significant difference between scores. Below is a table showing the means for each body shape and gender. The table indicates that there is a significant difference between the average score of Goblet (low WHR) ratings, which show that males rate the Goblet (low WHR) lower 4.20 than females 5.60. Below, are graphs showing the interaction between all three factors and there average, mean scores, and the differences between scores. This graph shows the difference between the scores given of body size, between males and females. The means of all scores are shown. The graph indicates that overall, in all three body sizes, females rated the image higher than males. The mean for widened images shows that males significantly in particular rated this image lower 3.53 than females 4.63 this is a significant difference. (See table 1) The graph shows the interaction between the mean scores of body shape and gender. Females rated the all body shapes higher than males. The biggest

Peacemaking Process Essay -- International Conflict

WWI is considered the war to end all wars but what procedures were used to make this statement possible. In 4 years this war claimed the lives of approximately 20 million people and physically destroyed most of Europe. This left most of the world in despair and sparked the idea of obtaining world peace. The first step used to launch this task was the Treaty of Versailles. An organization known as the League of Nations was created as a result of this treaty and it played a vital role in this peace making process. This new organization drafted a plan known as the mandate systems which handled the dealings of the territory lost during the war. These steps were made to stop wars like this from ever happening again but did it accomplish that goal? Could any provisions be made to more successfully keep the world in peace after such a clash? Who was to blame for the war and how was Europe going to start the process of reconstructing? After such an epic battle questions like these were oblig ated to be answered. On June 28, 1914, a Siberian named Gavrilo Princip exterminated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, Bosnia. (The Death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Outbreak of World War I) Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Ferdinand was seen as threat to an organization known as the Black Hand. Black Hand’s main goal was achieve independent Serbian state and they felt that Ferdinand's plans to grant concessions to the South Slavs would jeopardize that. (Archduke Franz Ferdinand) The assassination led to the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia on July 28th. The invasion caused other countries such as Germany, France, Russia, and others to engage in battle because of treaties and deals made earlier... ...es." History Learning Site. 3 5 2012 . "League og Nations." History Learning Site. 3 May 2012 . "The Death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Outbreak of World War I." The History Channel. 3 May 2012 . "The Trusteeship Council - The mandate system of the league of nations." Nations Encyclopedia. 3 5 2012 . "Treaty of Versailles." History Learning Site. 3 May 2012 . "World War 1." Berkely . 3 May 2012 . Peacemaking Process Essay -- International Conflict WWI is considered the war to end all wars but what procedures were used to make this statement possible. In 4 years this war claimed the lives of approximately 20 million people and physically destroyed most of Europe. This left most of the world in despair and sparked the idea of obtaining world peace. The first step used to launch this task was the Treaty of Versailles. An organization known as the League of Nations was created as a result of this treaty and it played a vital role in this peace making process. This new organization drafted a plan known as the mandate systems which handled the dealings of the territory lost during the war. These steps were made to stop wars like this from ever happening again but did it accomplish that goal? Could any provisions be made to more successfully keep the world in peace after such a clash? Who was to blame for the war and how was Europe going to start the process of reconstructing? After such an epic battle questions like these were oblig ated to be answered. On June 28, 1914, a Siberian named Gavrilo Princip exterminated Archduke Franz Ferdinand and his wife Sophie in Sarajevo, Bosnia. (The Death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Outbreak of World War I) Ferdinand was the heir to the Austro-Hungarian throne. Ferdinand was seen as threat to an organization known as the Black Hand. Black Hand’s main goal was achieve independent Serbian state and they felt that Ferdinand's plans to grant concessions to the South Slavs would jeopardize that. (Archduke Franz Ferdinand) The assassination led to the Austro-Hungarian invasion of Serbia on July 28th. The invasion caused other countries such as Germany, France, Russia, and others to engage in battle because of treaties and deals made earlier... ...es." History Learning Site. 3 5 2012 . "League og Nations." History Learning Site. 3 May 2012 . "The Death of Archduke Franz Ferdinand and the Outbreak of World War I." The History Channel. 3 May 2012 . "The Trusteeship Council - The mandate system of the league of nations." Nations Encyclopedia. 3 5 2012 . "Treaty of Versailles." History Learning Site. 3 May 2012 . "World War 1." Berkely . 3 May 2012 .

The Harmful Effects Of Body Piercing Essay -- Body Piercing

A great number of teenagers and young adults have a body piercing. These can range anywhere from your belly button to your tongue. There are many effects it can have on you socially, or physically. This essay will describe the social aspects of body piercing, this includes first impressions, types of friends, and job prospects. First impressions are important to many people. To some individuals body piercing may seem frightening or intimidating. The person with the piercing may be treated differently in a store. They might be watched more carefully to prevent shoplifting just because of this piercing. Some sales clerks might do this because they got the impression the customer was dangerous or suspicious. These presumptions come along with other physical traits such as race or dress. Soci...

Comparing The Chrysalids and The Day of the Triffids :: comparison compare contrast essays

The Chrysalids and The Day of the Triffids    _____John Wyndham's science fiction novels, The Chrysalids and The Day of the Triffids, do not focus on incredible and unbelievable developments in technology, as do novels of many of the stereotypical science fiction writers, yet instead focus on how the people; particularly the protagonist, deal with the many uncomfortable situations they are faced in the frightening world of the future.    _____The Day of the Triffids is perhaps Wyndham's best known novel, and tells of explosions in space blinding a large proportion of the population, at the same time as an agricultural experiment goes horribly wrong, and millions of triffids, carnivorous plants, populate every corner of the globe, threatening mankind's very existence. In The Day of the Triffids, Wyndham speculates on many things. He contemplates how the people would deal with wide-spread blindness, and how they would accept the danger of carnivorous plants on the loose - not a contemporary invention, simply basic biology working against us. In his writings he considers how the remaining people of the world would deal with such a situation, that changing situations do require new ways, and what new ways would gain acceptance.    _____Speculation about how people would react widespread blindness is an integral part of The Day of the Triffids. Wyndham considered what the consequences would be; that most of the population would die of starvation because of their inability to carry out normal daily tasks such as buying the groceries and preparing meals without the assistance of a person with twenty-twenty vision, not to mention the overhanging danger of the triffids.    'My dear,' I said. 'I don't like this anymore than you do. I've put the alternative badly before you. Do we help those who have survived the catastrophe to rebuild some kind of life?' (p 103)    Wyndham uses quotes such as that above to allow the reader to consider what the consequences would be, and also to work on the conscience of the receiving character. Wyndham considers how the people of the world would cope in such a disastrous situation with an overwhelming majority of the population being blind, where the small proportion still sighted are relied on by numbers of one thousand to one for the survival of the human race. He focuses on the devotion and responsibility it would take, to in effect, save civilization as we now know it.

Bowen Family Systems

Bowen Family System Theory Introduction In doing my studies on family/systemic counselling, I found Bowen’s theory intriguing. In my work and everyday life, I witness triangulation on a daily basis, from my own experience, without the awareness from this module, I was often entwined in triangulation. As a trainee therapist I decided to write my paper on Bowenian Therapy in order to gain a better understanding and develop my awareness. Murray Bowen, M. D. (31 January 1913 – 9 October 1990) was an American psychiatrist and a professor in Psychiatry at the Georgetown University. Bowen was among the pioneers of family therapy and founders of systemic therapy. â€Å"The family systems theory is a theory introduced by Dr. Murray Bowen that suggests that individuals cannot be understood in isolation from one another, but rather as a part of their family, as the family is an emotional unit. Families are systems of interconnected and interdependent individuals, none of whom can be understood in isolation from the system† (Genopro. com 18/11/2010) Bowen’s interest in family began as he was practicing as a psychiatrist in the 1940s. He focused on schizophrenic patient’s emotional relationships with their mothers. Others have called it a symbiosis relationship, but for him it was only an exaggerated natural process of emotional relationship. In 1954 he started to hospitalize the entire family of the sick (schizophrenic) person. He found out that the entire family suffered with the sick person emotionally. He also studied the relationship between mother-child symbioses. This involved a certain repetitive pattern, where he observed alternating patterns of closeness and distance. They portrayed sensitive emotional tensions caused by separation anxiety and incorporation anxiety. In 1959 he started working with families with less severe problems. Surprisingly these families displayed the same problems as the disturbed families. He concluded that there is no discontinuity between the normal and disturbed families but vary along a continuum line of emotional fusion to differentiation. Bowen was one of the first to realize that the history of our family creates a template which shapes the values, thoughts, and experiences of each generation, as well as how that generation passes down these things to the next generation. Bowen's theory focuses on the balance of two forces – togetherness and – individuality. Too much togetherness can prevent individuality, or developing one's own sense of self whereas too much individuality results in a distant and estranged family. The theory looks at the family as a system and describes the complex interactions that exist in any one unit. The way members of a family are connected and the way they react to one another makes the functioning of family members interdependent. According to the theory, mental illness happens as a result of emotional fusion. This can happen when there is an increase in the level of emotions and anxiety in the family. Bowen introduced eight interlocking concepts to explain family development and functioning. Below I will provide an overview of each concept. Differentiation of Self The first concept is Differentiation of Self, or the ability to separate feelings and thoughts. Undifferentiated people can not separate feelings and thoughts; They have difficulty thinking logically because when asked to think they are flooded with feelings, so this makes It difficult for them to base their responses on their own logical thinking. They also have difficulty differentiating between their feelings and the feelings of others. They look to their family to define how they think about issues, feel about people, and interpret their experiences. Differentiation is the process of freeing yourself from your family's processes to define yourself so you can have different opinions and values than your family members, but are still capable of staying emotionally connected to them. It means being able to calmly reflect on a conflicted interaction afterward, realising your wn role in it, and then choosing a different response for the future. Triangles Triangles are the basic units of systems. They balance between closeness and distance. The third person or party brings unity and creates continuity in warring situation. The triangle brings stressed person into a manageable level of operation. This involves true listening and gives a true advice for a better solution. In it virtually all relationships are shadowed by third part ies. For example when a couple have an argument, afterwards, one of the partners may call their friend to talk about the fight. The third person helps them reduce their anxiety and take action, or calm their strong emotions and reflect, and make decision. People who are more undifferentiated are likely to triangulate others and be triangulated whereas people who are differentiated cope well with life and relationship stress, and as a result are less likely to triangulate others or be triangulated. The Nuclear Family Emotional Process These are the emotional patterns in a family that continue over generations. This involves a modeling scenario where a family member models and imitates the behaviour and even the language of his or her parents. For example, a parent who teaches his or her children to be happy when things are ok and sad when things are bad shapes the future thinking of those children. Here the parent passes on an emotional view of the world (the emotional process), which is taught throughout generation from parent to a child, in a nuclear family. Reactions to this process can range from open conflict, to physical or emotional problems in one family member, to reactive distancing. This will bring problems with family members like substance abuse, mental illness and irresponsibility. The Multigenerational Transmission Process This process entails the way family emotional processes are transferred and maintained over generations. This captures how the whole family joins in The Family Projection Process, for example, by reinforcing the beliefs of the family. As the family continues this pattern over generations, they also refer back to previous generations (â€Å"He's just like his Uncle – he was always irresponsible too† or â€Å"She's just like your cousin Mary – she was divorced four times. â€Å"). Sibling Position Bowen believed In sibling order and that each child had a place in the family hierarchy. He believed that the oldest sibling was more likely to be seen as overly responsible and mature whilst the youngest as overly irresponsible and immature. Emotional Cut-off Emotional cut-off refers to the techniques people use to reduce anxiety from their unresolved emotional issues with parents, siblings, and other members from the family of origin. Some people seek distance either by moving away physically or emotionally using silence, diversion or avoidance of difficult and hurtful topics. To avoid sensitive issues, they may move away from their families and refuse to go home regularly. This strategy may work in the short term to reduce immediate anxiety but over time, the deeper, unresolved problems are toxic towards other relationships. An open relationship is the opposite of emotional cut-off. It is the best way to reduce a family's over-all anxiety. Continued low anxiety permits family members who would like to, to begin the slow steps to better differentiation. Bowen wrote, â€Å"It might be difficult for a family with severe cut-offs to begin more emotional contact with the extended family, but any effort toward reducing the cut-off with the extended family will soften the intensity of the family problem, reduce the symptoms, and make any kind of therapy far more productive. Societal Emotional Processes The concept of societal emotional process describes how the emotional system governs behaviour on a societal level, promoting both progressive and regressive periods in a society. Cultural forces are important in how a society functions but are insufficient for explaining the rise and fall in how well societies adapt to the challenges that face them. The society’s attitudes towards for example different r aces, classes, genders and sexual orientation, have definite effects on the family. In many ways, this is like the Family Projection Process scaled up to the level of a society as a whole. The way a family deals with prejudice, discrimination and persecution is instinctively passed on to their children so that they can survive in their unique environment. The coping practices of the parents and extended family may lead to more or less adaptive emotional health for the family and its members. Normal Family Development According to Bowen, all families lie along a continuum. Bowen believed that all families lie on a spectrum or continuum and that it is difficult to try to classify families into types. If circumstances change, one type of family could change and become another type of family. For this reason, Bowen is credited with being one of the first culturally sensitive family therapists. A normal, adjusted family will have tensions and anxieties but will be balanced in terms of their togetherness and differentiation. A normal family will have good emotional balance and recognise that some problems are external and others come from the individual. There are connections between the different generations in the family and also to the extended family. The transitions for example from adolescence to adulthood are smooth and supported by the wider family. Past pains and joys are shared. Bowen says no matter how we transform and forget the past, these memories of our relationship, still stay alive in us. The danger is the way our former family attachment will shape our new family. At various times difficulties in different relationships, sometimes called dyads, are resolved without drawing in others into their difficulties. The ability to tolerate and support family members with different views supports differentiation and is a sign of a healthy family. Awareness of external societal influences as well as the unique family influences helps a family to become well adjusted. During times of grief and loneliness for example, family members give space and allow the person opportunity to grow. A positive emotional atmosphere with a belief in the virtues of family builds normal family development. Finally, when family members depend on each ther for feedback and support rather than in co-dependent ways, the family develops healthily. Family Disorders Bowen believed that family problems result from emotional fusion, or from an increase in the level of anxiety in the family. He believed that the member with â€Å"the symptom† is the least differentiated member of the family, and is the one who has the least ability to resist the pull to become fused with another member. This person absorbs the anxiety an d worries of the whole family and has the least ability to separate their own thoughts and feelings from those of their family. Families face two kinds of problems. Vertical problems are â€Å"passed down† from one generation to the next. Thus, adults who had cold and distant relationships with their parents do not know how to have warm and close relationships with their children, and so pass down their own problems to their children. Horizontal problems are caused by environmental stressors or transition points in the family development. This may result from traumas such as a chronic illness, the loss of the family home, or the death of a family member. However, horizontal stress may also result from Social Emotional Processes, such as when a minority family moves from a like-minority neighbourhood to a very different neighbourhood, or when a family with traditional gender roles immigrates to a culture with very different views, and must raise their children there. The worst case for the family is when vertical and horizontal problems happen at once. Goals of Therapy Bowen’s therapy was not aimed at changing people or solving problems, it was basically geared towards: †¢ Helping families to inquire and explore their own roles in family problems Making them assume responsibility for their own problems†¢ People learning more about themselves and their relationships †¢ Decreasing emotional reactivity†¢ Improving self-focus †¢ Modifying dysfunctional patterns †¢ Evaluating progress of the family in terms of how they function now, as well as how adaptive they can be to future changes In general, the t herapist accomplishes this by giving less attention to specific problem they present with, and more attention to family patterns of emotions and relationships, as well as family structures of dyads and triangles. Techniques that are most prominent in the practice of Bowenian family systems therapy. Genogram: Bowen used what he termed a â€Å"family diagram† to collect and organise important data concerning the multigenerational family systems. In 1972 Guerin renamed the family diagram the â€Å"genogram. † The main function of the genogram is to organise data during the evaluation phase and to track relationship processes and key triangles over the course of therapy. In the process of assessment, the following are noted: the history of the presenting problems, exact dates are noted, history of the nuclear family, when the parents met, their courtship, their marriage, child rearing, where the family lived especially in relation to the location of the extended family, history of both spouses birth, sibling positions, facts about childhood, past and current functioning with parents The Therapy Triangle: This technique is based on the theoretical assumption that conflictual relationship processes within the family have activated key-symptom-related triangles in an attempt to re-establish stability; and the family will automatically attempt to include the therapist in the triangling process. If they succeed, therapy will be stalemated. On the other hand, if the therapist can remain free of reactive emotional entanglements, in other words, stay detriangled ,the family system and its members will calm down to the point where they can begin to work out s olutions to their dilemmas. Relationship Experiments: Relationship experiments are carried out around structural altercations in key triangles. The goal is to help the family members become aware of systems processes and learn to recognise their role in them. Thomas F. Fogarty developed experiments for use with emotional pursuers and distancers (lartin-drake. com 28/12/2010). Pursuers are encouraged to restrain their pursuit, stop making demands, and decrease pressure for emotional connection and see what happens in themselves and in the relationship. The exercise isn’t designed to be a magic cure, as some people have hoped, but to help clarify the emotional processes involved. Distancers are encouraged to move toward the other person and communicate personal thoughts and feelings, in other words, to find an alternative to either avoiding or capitulating to the others’ demands. Coaching: Coaching is the Bowenian alternative to the more emotionally involved role common to most other forms of therapy. By acting as a coach, the Bowenian therapist hopes to avoid taking over for patients or becoming embroiled in family triangles. The goal is increased understanding, increased self-focus, and more functional attachment to key family members. The I-Position: Taking a personal stand, saying what you feel, instead of what others are â€Å"doing†, is one of the most direct ways to break cycles of emotional reactivity. Bowenian therapists not only encourage clients to take I-Position, they also do so themselves. Another assumption in Bowenian therapy is that confrontation increases anxiety and decreases the ability to think clearly and see options. Therefore, displacing the focus, making it less personal and less threatening, is an excellent way to increase objectivity. This forms the basis for two related techniques, multiple family therapy and displacement stories. Conclusion In conclusion I believe that Bowen developed a comprehensive theory of family therapy which inspired generations. His theory describes how the family shapes the interplay of individuality and togetherness using six interlocking concepts which are: differentiation of self, triangles, nuclear family emotional process, family projection process, multigenerational transmission process and sibling position. In 1970 Bowen added two additional concepts: emotional cut-off and societal emotional process. Bowenian therapy is a process of active inquiry in which the therapist helps family members get past blaming and fault finding in order to face their own roles in family problems. The goals of Bowenian therapy are not to change people or to solve their problems. Instead they see therapy as an opportunity for people to learn more about themselves and their relationships so that they can assume responsibility for their own problems. Contents Introduction Differentiation of Self The Nuclear Family Emotional Process Triangles The Multigenerational Transmission Process Sibling Position Emotional Cut-off Societal Emotional Processes Normal Family Development Family Disorders Goals of Therapy Conclusion Bibliography Bibliography http://www. abacon. com/famtherapy/bowen. html (14/12/2010) http://www. anzjft. om/pages/articles/78. pdf (14/12/2010) http://www. bukisa. com/articles/293438_what-is-the-concept-of-bowen-family-therapyixzz14iOkMQpM (16/12/2010) http://www. genopro. com/genogram/fam ily-systems-theory/ (22/10/2010) http://www. houd. info/bowenTheory. pdf (22/10/2010) http://www. lartin-drake. com/distancer. pdf (22/10/2010) Bibliography http://www. abacon. com/famtherapy/bowen. html http://www. psychpage. com/learning/library/counseling/bowen. html http://www. bukisa. com/articles/293438_what-is-the-concept-of-bowen-family-therapy http://www. thebowencenter. org/ http://homepages. wmich. edu/~macdonal/SW 6680. 05/Friedman. Bow†¦ Contents Introduction

Murra’s Is a Significant Work of Literature Essay

Why is a hightail it a squ argon work of literature? It is because the drama presents enduring themes and ideas that deal to engage audiences. The ply Murras by Eva Johnson takes place amidst the late sixties and mid-seventies and focuses on one family and their agitate to come to grips with uncontaminating Australia as they preempt from a blast dwelling to life in the urban centerThis correspond was set at the succession of the stolen-generation, which was when natural Australian children were taken remote from their families by British settlers and were forced to bar what little of their indigene individuality they knew, and tarry like white hoi polloi. The ancestors of those tidy sum who were subject to the stolen generation still experience today that is why the ideas and themes that are conveyed in the turn of events about the stolen generation continue to engage an audience peculiarly in Australia because the discrimination they experienced is still han dout on today and it might not ever go a dash.Throughout the snap there are a identification number of themes and techniques demonstrate and emphasising the treatment of Aboriginal people, how they lived, their thoughts and their opinions. The stolon theme displayed in the play is sexual pr maskice. Gender is a social idea that creates roles and expectations base on people being any male or egg-producing(prenominal). An example of sexual practice is fork upn done and through the technique of characterisation. A significant character by the name of Wilba is characterised by the writer through dialogue and phase directions. He is seen as the dominant manlike figure of the family, greatly shown in fit one when he comes home carrying a bucket of water and food. The aftermath of the mode Wilba is characterised emphasises the sex activity stereotypes that are genuinely constant throughout the play.Another technique showing gender is costume. The women in Murras enter t raditionally feminine clothing. For example receive Ruby comes home with a alkali of dresses for her sixteen year old miss Jayda to wear, as this is typical female attire. The expectations of the female gender are maintained through costume because what the women wear is stereotypical. Gender at the time was a significant issue, particularly within Aboriginal culture. individuality is a strong concept to most Indigenous Australians. It is a significant issue or theme in the play Murras. Identity is part of a link to culture. collect to government control at the time, Aboriginal identity was severely affected, illustrated by the families peel to maintain it. Characterisation is apply to show identity by the way grandma is characterised through her strong beliefs, shown in act one when she says Wudjella adult female got different way to Gudjeri woman. They dont birth womans dreaming, special trip the light fantastic. The effect of this is Granny is shown as a federal agency of the strong Aboriginal identity that the family sting to.Grannys dying scene is another example of identity this is shown through the technique of sound and lighting. This is done to the melody of the Didjeridu and Clapping sticks. At the end of the dance the lights slowly fade until the stage is totally black. This symbolises her return to the earth and the traditional breeding of her body to return to the spiritual macrocosm of her dreaming. Grannys death results in the metaphorical death of Aboriginal identity. causality is the ability to influence the behaviour of people and is a theme that is central to the play Murras. The characters within the play are very much affected by the causality and authority that controls them, which essentially dictates the role of gender and identity of each character. One of the techniques used to show power in the play is setting. An example is The year is 1970. The family have locomote to the city. This example shows that the governm ent had the power to move them from the county where they were living to the city.Dialogue is another technique used to show power. An example is when Wilba says Im sick to the gut of their specious promises of self-determination. Sick of their shit lies, their corrupt laws, their diseases and their gaols yeah their chains, their chains. The effect of dialogue within the play emphasises their strong opinions regarding the constant power struggle they are forced to deal with ascribable to government control.The play Murras is a significant work of literature because the themes, gender, identity and power, to this day engage audiences as the issues displayed have still not been rectified and are highly controversial topics. The themes displayed are forever present in society and are something that may never go absent

Divorce: Marriage and Progressive Beautiful Life

Divorce doesnt finish a covenant.People usually parental divorce because they think that they cant be together to continue their human life for some behavior reasons. Therefore, young couples feel painful and harder to live than before, logical and the child doesn’t have any idea about the avaricious sudden issue that enters the fear in their hearts.Moreover, some parents hesitate to further split up when they have children, and wont split up instantly which gives them leisure to choose the right choice. Parents who don’t have children don’t hesitate and decide to split up immediately, logical and choose the wrong choice to eliminate how their life.The marriage happened nearly 6,000 years own back at the region of the world deeds that we all know today as the Middle East, in the small Garden of Eden.Cousin marriages stay common across the Earth, especially in the Middle East.

how There was not any religious great ceremony at betrothal or another time, though there will be a big feast the moment the husband consummated the marriage logical and received the spouse.Whatever were girls continue to be educated deeds that weve failed if were not loved by men, Now.Youve got to accept that and first move forward.Everything you place your much attention on grows.

Not a soul in D.appears to want to repair anything.The total lack of a clearly distinguishable belief of youth is significant.Nobody knows logical and so nobody understands of our pain.

Be certain to maintain copies from where the spouse can locate them.Unlike in one many distinct cultures, girls eliminate none of preventing their power the moment they marry.Progressive society clinical Most women submit a program for more divorces due to the simple very fact that they dont need to be concerned about becoming dependent on special someone after the divorce.Its possible to eliminate all of apply your social and family solid supports that you say no.