Abnormal psychology-analyzing psychiatric cases Assignment

Abnormal psychology-analyzing psychiatric cases - Assignment Example Axis IV: problems with primary support group (case study does not mention that she has any friends or family), occupational problems (job loss, discord with boss). She will also be facing problems with the legal system because she will be in trouble fro grand theft because of the $250,000. The exact cause is not known. Some factors can generate depression and it can be associated with general medical conditions like diabetes, carcinomas, stroke or other problems. Some think heredity plays a part. Some research shows a change in the neurotransmitters of the brain and major life stresses. A. Major Psychiatric Symptoms: intense fear, experienced trauma at mothers hand, decrease in emotional responsiveness (school, other activities decreased), experiences where she felt "unreal", avoids mother, insomnia, suicidal ideation, taking too much responsibility for the fight with her mother (two years ago). No medical challenges have been reported for Major Depressive Episode. The DSM-Iv shows abnormalities that came from the laboratory (p. 324) which include sleep EEG abnormalities. General medical conditions can happen because of the trauma but nothing else is known about Acute Stress Disorder except in the way it works with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The individual has so many physical complaints that it is difficult to figure them out. According to the DSM-IV physical examination has not developed objective findings for the physical ailments (p.

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Philosophy - Essay Example Considering the variation in cultural predisposition, myths also varies. Different beliefs persist in different parts of the globe defining culture, traditions and rituals of that particular region. A comparative account could be established between different mythologies and this is packed under comparative mythology. Myth refers to variety of stories sharing distinctiveness, making it special and diverse from other genres, folklores and legends. Formulating this as a basis, myths could be defined as "Myths are symbolic tales of the distant past (often primordial times) that concern cosmogony and cosmology (the origin and nature of the universe), may be connected to belief systems or rituals, and may serve to direct social action and values." (What is Myth?). William Bascom in his article entitled â€Å"The Forms of Folklore: Prose Narratives† defined myth as "tales believed as true, usually sacred, set in the distant past or other worlds or parts of the world, and with extra- human, inhuman, or heroic characters". Considering the extra-human description in most of the mythologies across the world, myths are considered as "cosmogenic" or cosmogonic or "cosmic" taken from Greek word kosmos meaning order. Beliefs represent this order as the tradition and culture of that particular geographical location and these features delineate the nature of the inhabitants belonging to that milieu. Concepts of myth encompass definition of myths in various paradigms, from the thought of origin of the universe to the rules of nature that paves the way to modulate culture, rituals, ceremonies, food and medicines. Depending upon the climatic condition, seasons, flora and fauna, ancient beliefs called myths lay their foundation. Myths are therefore considered as narratives of cosmogonic origin as they define origin of the universe and life from primordial forms to the present form (What is Myth?). Believers laid the foundation of Sacred Nature of myths as myths narrate the r ituals, sacred stories and folklore of the tradition, these beliefs institute the basis of religions and narratives specify the truth and develop a system of faith and holy credence. Every existing culture portrays the co-existence of secular and sacred myths. Myths thereby narrate influential or expressive form of societal order or significance contained by a way of life. The functioning of the society centers around the beliefs and myths prevalent in that locale. Cultural beliefs are framed through epistemology or the level of understanding displayed by the followers, culture in turn epitomize myths and therefore myths are of paramount significance to exhibit the predilection of residents (What is Myth?). Involvement of Heroic characters is the most imperative characteristic of every myth. These Heroic personalities arbitrate inheritance, disturbing dualities, reunite individuals to the veracities of life or ascertain the prototypes of life. To certain extent myths are believed to co-relate realities with the established facts as any happening in the present could have some instituted facts in the mythology. The predictions made by the astrologers and those who tell the future prospects perform certain calculations that define a particular character that has been already reported in the mythology. Therefore, mythology has certain traits that connects past to the present situation (What is Myth?). Mythology & Philosophy

Analysis of Living Standards in the UK

Analysis of Living Standards in the UK Assignment Title: Living Standards The UK in 2013 had a population of approximately 64 million; standards of living are used to monitor and identify which areas of the UK and the world are living in penury and which areas are more affluent and are thriving. The government is responsible for identifying the contributing factors towards a wealthy region or a poor region. Burtless, G (1987, p.232) defines standards of living as â€Å"the sustained level of consumption of goods and services that can be afforded on the basis of a household’s current assets and current and future income†. Economists and economic research companies have tried and tested many different ways to record the standard of living in the UK. Living standards is a hot topic in political conversations, and the government are pressured to focus on improving the well-being of the population. Elliot, L (2014) recent article for the Guardian discusses the views of Andrew Harrop, general secretary of the Fabian Society who exclaims that â€Å"What we measure – and how we measure it – matters. The financial crisis proved that simply targeting the headline goals of GDP growth, unemployment and inflation was totally inadequate as these measures failed to identify major economic weaknesses as they emerged†. This would suggest that the government need to revisit their policy on standards of living on focus on refining them in order to achieve their objectives. Mankiw, N (2011) suggests that policymakers must accumulate factors of production quickly in order to make the population more efficient and more positive. There are many different measures of standard of living that have been developed over the past 30-40 years, there are the more traditional ways of measurement and modern, innovative and experimental measures that are both used in the world of business. Traditional standard of living measures Crafts et al (2007) suggests that historically, standards of living have been measured by assessing real wages. Real wages is the income of a person and with consideration of the inflationary effects on purchasing power. Recent UK and US wage statistics compiled by Branchflower Machin (2014) suggests that after a healthy upwards movement of the average wage in the UK in the 1990’s and early part of the 2000’s; there is an alarming downward trend from the year 2010 to 2013 where wages rates are increasingly lowering. From the graph it is also clear that the US wage growth is very little historically and there are no major fluctuations in comparison to the UK. (See Appendix 1). The Economist (2014) blames the fall in real wages on the UK’s ‘dismal productivity’ since the recession, output in the UK is below the pre-financial crisis peak. This would suggest that Britain needs more highly skilled jobs and possible incentives to boost productivity and create an efficient labour market. Real wages are effective in measuring standards, real wages statistics can be used to identify trends in wages in different countries over a particular period, this is further emphasised by the International Labour Organisation (2003) who suggest that real wages are useful for identifying differences in purchasing power of wages in different world economies, real wages can also provide an idea of the progress of a working population. Nordhaus (1997 p.30) criticises the method of calculating real wages, he states that â€Å"If we are to obtain accurate estimates of the growth of real incomes over the last century, we must some-how construct price indexes that account for the vast changes in the quality and range of goods and services that we consume†. It could be argued that countries such as the US and the UK have already constructed price indexes with the use of the Retail Price Index, the Consumer Price Index in the last century. Another of the more traditional measures of living standards is GDP; the main GDP elements that are important for living standards are GDP per capita and Real GDP per capita. GDP per capita is the total output divided by the population of a country. Recent figures from the ONS (2014) shows a comparison of the top economies in the world of the year 1997 and 2012; from the graph (see Appendix 2) it is clear to see that the UK GDP per capita has risen but not as much in value as the likes of the US, Canada and Germany – the UK still however has the 4th biggest GDP per capita in the world. Nominal GDP per capita is often criticised by economists because it does not take inflation into consideration, so it is better to use Real GDP as the measurement because it is relevant and reflects a true value. Eurostat’s graph (see Appendix 3) shows the year on year growth percentage of real GDP per capita in the UK, the research shows a large dip after the financial crisis and since that has happened the percentage growth rate has never reached the peaks pre-financial crisis, this would suggest that productivity in the UK is low and there needs to be more employment created, which could lead to an increase the output of the country. The main positive of using GDP per capita as a measure is that it is used nationwide and recorded fairly frequently, GDP per capita is measured in quarters and allows countries to evaluate the figures and look at trends over different periods – this is important to identify which countries are trending downwards and is important at a regional level, governments can identify what areas are lacking in output and where investment needs to be focused. Whereas real wages are said to be useful in comparing the difference in wealth in economies International Labour Organisation (2003), Tucker (2013) argues there are several issues when comparing countries using GDP per capita, he suggests that low economically developed countries are not as accurate as wealthier countries when recording the data necessary for GDP. He also suggests that some countries have very different income distribution using the United Arab Emirates as an example; the majority of income comes from oil which is only distributed amongst a number of rich families. Real GDP per capita is important because it can give a true value after inflationary adjustments are made, however this measure also has some limitations. Similarly to GDP per capita, real GDP per capita fails to identify inequalities in income and wealth in a country, there is also the issue of the ‘black market’ which can he hidden amongst the value of real GDP per capita. Another traditional measure of living standards to consider is the Gini coefficient; the Gini index measures the actual distribution income in a country in comparison to an equal distribution of income. The index measures the difference between a Lorenz curve and a line of equality. The Gini index line of 0 represents equality whereas 100 would indicate inequality. The Poverty Site (2010) Gini Coefficient graph (see Appendix 4) shows a comparison of the 27 members of the European Union, at the time the UK figure stood at just over 30% which ranks sixth highest in inequality in Europe and higher than the EU27 average of 30%. The graph also shows how Scandinavian countries such as Sweden Finland have a much more equal society in terms of income despite their questionable taxation policies. The United Kingdom would likely try and target a smaller percentage to achieve better equality amongst the population. Concerns over income inequality have been raised recently. Treanor Farrell (2014) recent article for the Guardian discusses how the UK is the only G7 country with growing inequality, the article discusses findings from a Credit Suisse global wealth report show that the UK’s richest 10% of people represent 54.1% of the total national income. There will be inevitable pressure on the government from low income families that have been suffering from rising utility bills and only a small rise in wages. The Gini Co-efficient is very effective in showing the inequality in countries throughout the world, it can also help economists and businessman understand and support their thinking if they believe the country is increasing in terms of inequality of income. McKinley, T (1995 p.141) writes that â€Å"the Gini coefficient does not concentrate merely on differences from the mean; it is a much more direct measure of inequality because it accounts for the differences between every pair of observations†. The Gini co-efficient isn’t without its limitations, Parrillo (2008) suggests that the measure does not alter much when transfers are made between the rich and the poorer people. Another disadvantage of the Gini coefficient is that it fails to inform you of the changes in the distribution of income between income groups as opposed to alternative measures of living standards. Alternative standard of living measures Throughout the last 20-30 years there have been a number of alternative measures developed across the world, trying to find a better way to measure living standards. The Human Development Index was originally developed by the UN to monitor and develop a ranking of countries by the following criteria; average years of schooling, expected years of schooling, life expectancy from birth and gross national income per capita. From the most recent HDI data (see appendix 5) the United Kingdom ranks at #14 in the top 15, the HDI shows some interesting developments and differences between the nations of the world. The United States for example has a high GNI Per capita compares to other countries, their life expectancy however ranks lower than any other country in the top 15; this could suggest that the United States standard of living is not truly reflected in the HDI. Although the Scandinavian countries rank high on the HDI, Henrietta Moore of The Guardian (2014) argues that they are not the model for global prosperity; she suggests that their principles of autonomy and self determination are the reasons for their high human development. Moore summarises statistics that suggest that the Scandinavian countries are consuming resources far too quickly they rank top of both the carbon emissions usage and they rank high in the WWF’s scale of ecological impact. It could be argued that it is important to consider the environmental impacts of nation’s activities before considering their Human Development ranking. The obvious advantage of the HDI is that it makes it simple to monitor the changes in development of countries over a period of time, it is also effective to use when comparing different countries around the world and how they are developing and which element of the criteria is changing most. There is a drawback to the HDI, Soubbotina Sheram (2000) suggests that it fails to show the significance of the different elements and fails to support why a countries index may have altered over time. It could be argued that the United Nations needs to provide more reasoning and evidence to support changes in figures. Another of the more recent innovative measurements of living standards is the Happy Planet Index developed in 2006; countries are measured on life expectancy, well-being and ecological footprint. Each country is given a particular colour as in the HPI (see Appendix 6) based on their performance; green being good, amber being middle or average, red being bad performance after accumulating the different components for each country. From appendix 6, the countries performing worst are the United States and a lot of African countries including Ethiopia, Kenya and Nigeria. The United Kingdom is ranked in the middle ranking as a result of their poor ecological footprint in which they rank #121 out of the 151 countries. Surprisingly Mexico is one of the best performing countries based on the index ranking 23rd out of 151 with a healthy well-being score. The Happy Planet Index became very popular when it first came out because of the results it produced. Simms Boyle (2009) praises the measure suggesting it is the first measure to combine well-being and environmental impact to find a countries efficiency. A social factor and criticism of the Happy Planet Index is described by Murray, P (2011) he argues that families may find that they do not welcome giving information on personal health to help determine life expectancy and levels of personal health, this suggests that the information for some countries may be inaccurate because a lot of people may have refused to give such sensitive personal information. Another alternative measure which has been viewed as a successor for GDP is the Genuine Progress Indicator, this measure is designed to measure improvements made in economic welfare. GPI takes several factors into consideration including monetary value of voluntary and unpaid work, leisure time. Similarly to the previous measures discussed, GPI takes into consideration income distribution, environmental impacts and state of the environment. The GPI also accounts for the cost of crime in the country being measured. The GPI has been tested across the world in a number of different experiments. Bagstad Shammin (2012) looked at testing different GPI factors in 17 counties in Ohio and compared the results of change from 1990-2005 (see appendix 7), from the table we can see the differences in 15 years in some important factors to the people of Ohio. There have been drastic changes in some factors including net capital investment which is good for the areas because it may improve job prospects. The advantage of GPI in this particular testing process in Ohio is that it combines an element of consumption, GDP per capita and Gini coefficient. The GPI is being used increasingly around the world because it has a number of advantages in comparison to traditional methods such as GDP, the GPI is said to take into consideration negative contributions to growth such as pollution and crime, GPI is effective in measuring people’s living standards and not just a measure of output as is the primary objective of GDP. GPI is much more useful in long term planning than GDP because environmental impacts are taking into consideration and be addressed in the long term. Although GPI takes the value of leisure time and environmental impacts, these factors are very hard to determine a specific value to include in the calculations, GDP per capita in comparison is a much simpler method; GPI is also ineffective in relation to a business cycle. Measures of living standards are ever changing; there may never be a measure more accurate or reliable as another because they all have their criticisms and drawbacks that are fresh within economist’s minds. It is clear that there is a shift of focus from just measuring output of a population through GDP per capita to recognising the issues and factors that affect a population; the alternative measures each focus on social factors such as life expectancy. Rather than looking at just earnings and wages, the newer measures of living standards focus on what is actually relevant to people around the world. GDP per capita and real wages show some difference in the level of wealth and income inequality but it is methods like the Human Development Index which can be used to determine a more global perspective of living standards, to summarise the more traditional methods are useful for measuring the wealth whereas the alternative and more innovative measures focus on the social facto rs that indicate a populations standard of living. Appendices Appendix 1 Source: Branchflower Machin (2014) Appendix 2 Source: ONS (2014) Appendix 3 Yearly change in percentage of Real GDP per capita growth in the UK Source: Eurostat (2014) Appendix 4 Source: The Poverty Site (2010) Appendix 5 HDI Index 2013 top 15 rankings, Source: United Nations Development Programme (2013) Appendix 6 Source: Happy Planet Index (2012) Appendix 7 Source: Bagstad Shammin (2012) Bibliography Bagstad,K, Shammin, R. (2011) ‘Can the Genuine Progress Indicator better inform sustainable regional progress?—A case study for Northeast Ohio’, Ecological Indicators, 18, pp.330-341, Science Direct (Online) Available at: http://www.sciencedirect.com.ergo.glam.ac.uk/science/article/pii/S1470160X11003918# (Accessed 22/11/14). Boyle, D., Simms, A. (2009). The New Economics: A Bigger Picture. Oxford: Routledge. Branchflower, D., Machin, S. (2014) ‘Falling real wages’, Paper No CEPCP422, 19 (1) pp. 19-21. CentrePiece (Online). Available at: http://cep.lse.ac.uk/pubs/download/cp422.pdf (Accessed 17/11/14) Burtless, G (1987). 1st edn. Work, Health and Income among the Elderly. Washington, D.C: Brookings Institution. Crafts, N., Gazeley, I. Newell, A. (2007). Work and Pay in 20th Century Brtiain. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Elliot, L (2014) ‘Living standards should be central measure of UK economic performance’ 12 March (Online) Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/business/2014/mar/12/living-standard-measure-economic-growth (Accessed 16/11/14) Eurostat (2014). Real GDP per capita, growth rate and totals. Available at: http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/graph.do?tab=graphplugin=1pcode=tsdec100language=entoolbox=sort. Accessed (17/11/14). Happy Planet Index (2012). HPI 2012: Map View. Available at: http://www.happyplanetindex.org/data/. (Accessed 21/11/14) International Labour Organisation. (2003). 3rd edn. Key Indicators of the Labour Market. Geneva: ILO Publications. Mankiw, N (2011). 6th edn. Principles of Economics. Ohio: South-western publishing. McKinley, T (1995). The Distribution of Wealth in Rural China. Oxford: Routledge. Moore, H (2014). ‘Why Scandinavia is not the model for global prosperity we should all pursue’. 1st December (Online). Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/sustainable-business/2014/dec/01/why-scandinavia-is-not-the-model-for-global-prosperity-we-should-all-pursue. (Accessed 1/12/14) Murray, P. (2011). The Sustainable Self: A Personal Approach to Sustainability Education. Oxford: Routledge. Nordhaus, W. (1997). P.27-70. The Economics of New Goods. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. ONS (2014). The UK has one of the fastest growing economies in the G7. Available at: http://www.ons.gov.uk/ons/rel/elmr/gdp-and-the-labour-market/q1-2014may-gdp-update/sty-gdp-g7-economies.html. Accessed (17/11/14). Parrillo, V (2008). Encyclopedia of Social Problems. Washington DC: Sage Publications. Soubbotina, T., Sheram, K. (2000). Beyond Economic Growth: Meeting the Challenges of Global Development. Washington DC: World Bank Publications. The Economist (2014). What recovery? Real wages 413(8910), 32(US). 25th October. Retrieved from: http://go.galegroup.com/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA387050752v=2.1u=uwcnit=rp=STNDsw=wasid=a520ff594e7283ba19a015fcb5d8e35f (Accessed 17/11/14). The Poverty Site (2010). European Union: Gini Coefficient. Available at: http://www.poverty.org.uk/e14/index.shtml. Accessed (17/11/14). Treanor, J Farrell, S (2014). ‘UK only G7 country with wider inequality than at turn of century’. 14th October (Online). Available at: http://www.theguardian.com/society/2014/oct/14/uk-inequality-wealth-credit-suisse. Accessed (17/11/14). Tucker, I (2013). Macroeconomics for Today. 8th edn. Ohio: South-western publishing. United Nations Development Programme (2013). Human Development Index and its components. Available at: http://hdr.undp.org/en/content/table-1-human-development-index-and-its-components. (Accessed 21/11/14)

Herbal Sports Cream :: Health Medicine Papers

Herbal Sports Cream The Internet’s size and easy access for consumers encourages small businesses to provide information about their products in addition to the common overabundance of imagery and advertising slogans. However, this information is not always accurate or patrolled for misleading or incorrect assumptions. The goal of this paper is to examine Epicure Crystal Sports Cream, a sore muscle/weightlifting aid, and the claims made about it on the web (www.choicemail.com/epicure). In addition to the claims made about this particular product, each active ingredient has a literature provided by the large number of alternative medicine and herbal specialist sites on the Web. After describing this consumer information, I will provide you with a survey of the clinical research that supports, denies, or falls short of these claims. There are several active ingredients reported by the â€Å"specialists† at Epicure: Bellis Perennis (Daisy), Calendula Officinalis (Garden Marigold), Echinacea Angustifolia (Cone Flower), Symphytum Officinale (Comfrey), Aconitum Napellus (Aconite), Arnica Montana (Leopard’s Bane Root). Hypericum Perforatum (St. John’s Wort), Ledum Palustre (Wild Rosemary), and Ruta Graveolens (Rue). Each of these ingredients comprises a cream that â€Å"conquers pain from sports related or other injuries which might otherwise lead to a missed workout† (www.choicemail.com/epicure). Among the other claims provided by Epicure are relief of â€Å"sports injuries, pain, minor inflammation of various origins, sprains, strains, discomforts, and bruises† (www.choicemail.com/epicure). This product, because of its claims and apparent success is currently involved in a clinical study guided by Prodigy, Inc., at the Vanderbilt University Sport’s Medicine C enter. However, this project is not yet completed and the results are not available to report. It is for this reason that the best examination of the product is to research each of the active ingredients for potential success in application for the above-mentioned ailments. The Internet provides countless web sites where one can learn about the various ingredients of Epicure Crystal Sports Cream. Bellis Perennis, more commonly known as daisy, has an interesting literature on the Web. Once called â€Å"Bruisewort,† by 14th Century healers, this flower is well known for it ability to help cure fresh wounds, gout, or fever (www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/d/daisyc03.html). Other sources report that daisy is best used for arthritis, rheumatism, diarrhea, liver and kidney problems (www.

Personal Growth and Development

Psychology 101 TuThu 3:30-4:45 The concept of personal development has been an important factor that shapes the characters we develop, and the overall person we become. Research suggests that many of the values and traits we possess stem from both genetics and the environment. In terms of genetics, hereditary traits are passed down from the mother and father, which play a huge role in personal development, but research and personal experience also suggest that the impact of the environment parallels the importance of genetics.Environmental factors have been proven to significantly impact the growth and development of an individual. The home the individual is raised in, the people they are surrounded by and the individual’s role model all play an important role in the molding of the individual. Such is the reason why cultural relativism impacts individuals, and guides the way they perform tasks, execute decisions, and their way of thought. The American culture, for example, has slowed down the transition of adolescence into adulthood due to cultural ideals, and the greater need to pursue a higher education in order to compete successfully in the country.Research by the 1958 National Child Development Study, and the 1970 British Cohort Study support these statements, and have shown that we have reached a generation in which adolescents are transitioning into adulthood more slowly, yet more psychological stress is placed on them, and reports of depression have raised since the 50s. Personal growth and development traces back to genetics. Each individual is born with a specific set of genes depending on the mother and father.Genetic traits such as weight, height, appearance, and in some cases, personality, are passed down the hereditary line, and predisposes individuals to certain traits and qualities. The health of the individual is also largely influenced by the care taken by the mother while the fetus was developing within the womb. Proper nutrition, and avoiding neglectful habits such as drinking and smoking, all help to shape the health of the individual from the time they are born. The environment we are raised in is also another factor in the shape and development of an individual.Take for instance the study that examined how environment affects individuals such as siblings, twins, and kids not related by blood, but raised in the same environment. It is shown that even twins who exited the womb during the same birth can come out profoundly different in their adulthood if they were raised in a different environment from their twin. The food that we eat, the habits that we employ, and the overall lifestyle of the individual play an important role as well as genetics.Two similar children who are raised in different environments may possess the same genetic traits, but overall can be distinguished by the environment they were raised in. Cultural relativism plays a role as well in the well-being of the individual. Being raised in Ame rica sets a different standard for living vs. being born elsewhere. In America, individuals are taught to be creative and unique, rather than conform to group ideals. It is in this culture that children are taught to employ creative ideas, and to break away from the grain.In other cultures, such as those in China, kids are raised to follow the grain, and rather than question elders and peers, are taught to accept what is given and told to them. With that in mind, the transition into adulthood has also slowed down due to various factors such as cultural acceptance, and the need to pursue a higher education in order to be more competitive in the job market. As the years pass, so does the standard of education raise as more occupations open up to individuals with special skills and knowledge achieved through a higher education in college.Although this slower transition into adulthood and independence may seem less stressful for individuals, studies from the British Cohort Study show th at individuals in the 70s vs. the 50s reported more cases of depression, and stress due to factors such as economic recessions which hindered the job market availability. This generation is especially pressed to reach higher educational goals as the market for unskilled labor reduces as the market for skilled labor increases hindering the transition into adulthood and independence.In conclusion, personal development and growth are influenced by several factors such as genetics, environment, cultural relativism. These factors shape an individual in specific ways. Genetics passed on influence one’s height, personality, and predispositional thinking that affect the person in everyday situations. Proper health from the time the embryo is implanted is necessary for a healthy baby. The environment also plays a role in the shaping of the individual. The home one was raised in, the nutrition, and overall lifestyle impact the health and behavior of a person.Cultural relativism also pl ays a role, as culture follows an individual around regardless of location, and influences what one finds acceptable, and follows due to social norms. Because of the need for a higher education in today’s job market, a slower transition into adulthood can be traced to the need for more schooling, and a slower transition to independence.References Spiro, Melford E. (2001). Cultural determinism, cultural relativism, and the comparative study of psychopathology. Ethos. Berkeley:. Vol. 29, Iss. 2; pg. 218, 17 pgs. Huffman, Karen (2010). Life Span Development I. John Wiley and Sons, Psychology in Action 314-347. Personal Growth and Development Personal Development and Growth Zoheb Osmani Psychology 101 TuThu 3:30-4:45 The concept of personal development has been an important factor that shapes the characters we develop, and the overall person we become. Research suggests that many of the values and traits we possess stem from both genetics and the environment. In terms of genetics, hereditary traits are passed down from the mother and father, which play a huge role in personal development, but research and personal experience also suggest that the impact of the environment parallels the importance of genetics.Environmental factors have been proven to significantly impact the growth and development of an individual. The home the individual is raised in, the people they are surrounded by and the individual’s role model all play an important role in the molding of the individual. Such is the reason why cultural relativism impacts individuals, and guides the way they perform tasks, execute decisions, and their way of th ought. The American culture, for example, has slowed down the transition of adolescence into adulthood due to cultural ideals, and the greater need to pursue a higher education in order to compete successfully in the country.Research by the 1958 National Child Development Study, and the 1970 British Cohort Study support these statements, and have shown that we have reached a generation in which adolescents are transitioning into adulthood more slowly, yet more psychological stress is placed on them, and reports of depression have raised since the 50s. Personal growth and development traces back to genetics. Each individual is born with a specific set of genes depending on the mother and father.Genetic traits such as weight, height, appearance, and in some cases, personality, are passed down the hereditary line, and predisposes individuals to certain traits and qualities. The health of the individual is also largely influenced by the care taken by the mother while the fetus was devel oping within the womb. Proper nutrition, and avoiding neglectful habits such as drinking and smoking, all help to shape the health of the individual from the time they are born. The environment we are raised in is also another factor in the shape and development of an individual.Take for instance the study that examined how environment affects individuals such as siblings, twins, and kids not related by blood, but raised in the same environment. It is shown that even twins who exited the womb during the same birth can come out profoundly different in their adulthood if they were raised in a different environment from their twin. The food that we eat, the habits that we employ, and the overall lifestyle of the individual play an important role as well as genetics.Two similar children who are raised in different environments may possess the same genetic traits, but overall can be distinguished by the environment they were raised in. Cultural relativism plays a role as well in the well -being of the individual. Being raised in America sets a different standard for living vs. being born elsewhere. In America, individuals are taught to be creative and unique, rather than conform to group ideals. It is in this culture that children are taught to employ creative ideas, and to break away from the grain.In other cultures, such as those in China, kids are raised to follow the grain, and rather than question elders and peers, are taught to accept what is given and told to them. With that in mind, the transition into adulthood has also slowed down due to various factors such as cultural acceptance, and the need to pursue a higher education in order to be more competitive in the job market. As the years pass, so does the standard of education raise as more occupations open up to individuals with special skills and knowledge achieved through a higher education in college.Although this slower transition into adulthood and independence may seem less stressful for individuals, studies from the British Cohort Study show that individuals in the 70s vs. the 50s reported more cases of depression, and stress due to factors such as economic recessions which hindered the job market availability. This generation is especially pressed to reach higher educational goals as the market for unskilled labor reduces as the market for skilled labor increases hindering the transition into adulthood and independence.In conclusion, personal development and growth are influenced by several factors such as genetics, environment, cultural relativism. These factors shape an individual in specific ways. Genetics passed on influence one’s height, personality, and predispositional thinking that affect the person in everyday situations. Proper health from the time the embryo is implanted is necessary for a healthy baby. The environment also plays a role in the shaping of the individual. The home one was raised in, the nutrition, and overall lifestyle impact the health and beh avior of a person.Cultural relativism also plays a role, as culture follows an individual around regardless of location, and influences what one finds acceptable, and follows due to social norms. Because of the need for a higher education in today’s job market, a slower transition into adulthood can be traced to the need for more schooling, and a slower transition to independence.References Spiro, Melford E. (2001). Cultural determinism, cultural relativism, and the comparative study of psychopathology. Ethos. Berkeley:. Vol. 29, Iss. 2; pg. 218, 17 pgs. Huffman, Karen (2010). Life Span Development I. John Wiley and Sons, Psychology in Action 314-347.

Malcoms Final Speech

Malcolm’s Final Speech Shakespeare’s written work has stood the test of time and Macbeth is an excellent example of his classic literature. At the end of the play the final scene is about who will become the King of Scotland. After the death of Macbeth, Malcolm is declared King. He is declared King since it was his birthright because his father was King before Macbeth killed him. Shortly after he was declared as the new King, Malcolm makes a speech of acceptance. One can look at this passage from many different perspectives. During his speech he talks about rewarding the Thanes and kinsmen that that fought along side him by declaring them the first Earls of Scotland. This demonstrates his honesty, loyalty and it also proves that he is a trustworthy King. Some might argue that this demonstrates that Malcolm is also very trusting of other people. This was one of the traits shown by his father; the trait that led to his downfall. He was too trusting in Macbeth, which gave him the opportunity to kill Duncan. This is not the only item that Malcolm addressed in his speech. He also addresses the state of Scotland. He wants those that were exiled by Macbeth to return home, and for those that supported Macbeth to be exiled. Malcolm wants to exile all of Macbeth’s supporters to ensure that there is not revolt or uprising against him when the nation of Scotland remains in a fragile state. His decisiveness in this regard, is a good quality for a King to have. The most crucial aspect of his speech is when he announces the death of Lady Macbeth. This is critical because Lady Macbeth was the true ruler of Scotland. Macbeth was nothing more than a puppet and Lady Macbeth was the puppeteer. Macbeth was an honorable man turned tyrant by the manipulation of his wife. Lady Macbeth was not evil, but she was driven by greed for power and control. No matter what her status was in the political world, she was not happy with it until she was finally the queen of Scotland. Lady Macbeth took her own life. There were two factors that contributed to Lady Macbeth taking her own life. One of those factors was the fact that she could feel the power slipping away from her. She knew her power and control would not last much longer and she could not accept that. The second, and larger contributing factor that led to her suicide was her conscience. She was tormented because of the things that she and her husband had done. They were horrendous and horrific acts that weighed heavily on her mind. She could not take it anymore, so she decided to jump off of a balcony. Scotland was set free by the death of Lady Macbeth. At the end of his speech Malcolm states that with God by his side, he believes that he will be able to restore peace and harmony in Scotland. In the final line of his speech he invites all to Scone to watch him be crowned and reclaim what was stolen from him. After having examined Malcolm’s speech, it reveals how trusting and decisive Malcolm was and how Lady Macbeth was truly in charge during Macbeth’s reign. Malcolm is a perfect foil to show Macbeths weakness and Lady Macbeth’s power over him. This leaves the reader with the idea that in fact Macbeth was nothing more than a weak coward.