Drugs and there effect on society Essay Example for Free

Drugs and there effect on society Essay We opened the chapter with the story about an outdoor company, and we end it with a story about another outdoor company. The company we’re discussing this time, based in Portland, Oregon, was the brainchild of a small group of executives who left big times jpbs at Patagonia, Nike, and Adidas. These individuals shared a belief that ‘ in addition to generating a profit, companies have an equal responsibilities to create positive social and environmental change.’ Putting their beliefs into action, the group formed Nau (which is Maori for ‘Welcome! Come in†). and Nau id not just another outdoor company! When deciding what Nau was going to be like and how it was going to do business, the founders knew they didn’t want to do things the way they’d always been done by traditional businesses. CEO Chris Van Dyke said, â€Å"We started with a clean whiteboard. We belived every single operational element in our business was an opportunity to turn traditional business notions inside out, integrating environmental, social, and economic factors.† From design to sales to finances, Nau is driven by these factors. Everything in Nau’s operation had been approached with sustainability and social justice â€Å"filter.† In the design area, the company, in partnership with its suppliers, developed 24 of its 32 fabrics to be more sustainable and to combine performance and visual appeal. Each supplier, manufacturer, and even Nau itself is bound by a code of conduct. To ensure that all parties are living up to the standards, their actions are overseen by an independent, nonprofit auditing and research firm. In the sales area, the way the company retails its products is also unique. Using a concept it calls a â€Å"Web-front,† Nau has combined the efficiency of the Web with the intimacy of a gallery like boutique. In the â€Å"store†, customers can try on clothes, but they use self-serve kiosks to purchase from the Web. Because in-store inventory is greatly reduced, the stores are small 92,400 squares feet compared to the standard 4,000 plus square foot outdoor retail store) . This approach saves operating expenses because less energy and fewer materials are used. Good for the planet†¦..good for the business. Finally, Nau has a unique financial approach it calls â€Å"aggressive altruism†. The company has pledged 5 percent sales to charitable organizations dedicated to solving crucial environmental and humanitarian problems. The â€Å"philanthropic  gold standard† is 1 percent of sales, and the average among all corporations is 0.047 percent. But although the amount it gives is unusual, what happens with Nau’s dollars is really exceptional: Nau puts the giving decision in the hands of its customers. They’re asked to indicate which â€Å"Partners for Change† they’d like their 5 percent to go to. Using this â€Å"conscious choice† process, Nau is â€Å"calling its customers out, daring them to connect the dots.† Discussion questions 1. What do you think of Nau’s approach to doing business? Is it being ethical and responsible? Discuss. 2. Will Nau’s approach have a limited appeal, or do you think it had staying power? What drawbacks might there be to what Nau is doing? 3. Is it a business’s responsibility to get customers to â€Å" connect the dots’ and make choices about social issues? 4. Are there lessons here for other businesses? Discuss. INSTRUCTIONS: 1. Students are required to form a group of 4 (FOUR) to 5 (FIVE) persons. One of the group members should be assigned as the group leader. Deadline: Submit your report in Week 5, which is 18.04.2014 (FRIDAY) before 12pm. * Late submission will not be entertained and you should bear the consequences.

Effects Of Eating Too Much Fast Food

Effects Of Eating Too Much Fast Food Would you like some fries with that, sir? This is what you hear at any McDonalds restaurant you can come by. You order a burger, and they offer you their crispy, yummy, juicy, famous French fries. Your brain is telling you to take it, but your heart is telling you to stop because it can hardly breathe anymore. People, with their busy schedules, go to fast food restaurants everyday without thinking if it is a good idea to eat there or not. It is cheaper and faster than other restaurants but the food is not good for their health. Despite its convenience, fast food can be very dangerous to us in the long run, which is why we should be aware of the risks and effects that it can give us so we can live a healthy lifestyle. One problem with fast food restaurants is that it is very addictive. Once we eat there, we want more of it because it is so cheap, yummy and filling. Living near by a fast food restaurant doesnt help either because we will want to eat there more. It will be the first place well think about when we get hungry. It will be a good hangout place also with the wireless internet routers added to the place. Another problem is their growing number of restaurants and their advertisements. We find them everywhere; on the road, on taxis and buses, on billboards, on buildings and other places. Also, we dont have to go to their restaurants to get their food because they now have their delivery hotlines. It increases the number of people eating fast food because most people like it better when their food comes to them instead of the harder, traditional way of sitting and eating at a restaurant. Lastly, fast food restaurants provide us food with food content that gives us very little nutritious content. They use very cheap ingredients which make fast food contain high amounts of sodium, cholesterol, fat and calories which can cause certain diseases like obesity, high blood pressure, and other heart diseases. Fast Food Addiction Bringing young children to fast food restaurants for breakfast is a bad decision to make because the child can get addicted to the flavour and taste of the food. Once the child gets addicted to it, he or she will not stop asking for more. The idea that fast food is better than other food will be implanted into their heads and they will get addicted even until adulthood. It is better to make children practice eating more nutritious food such as vegetables and fruits. Fast Food Restaurants and Advertisements We dont have time to prepare a meal with the busy schedules were given now, we think its better to eat at a fast food restaurant instead and we forget about eating healthy. Fast food is getting more in demand as we know it, resulting to the growth of the fast food industry. As they get bigger, more people will come to eat at their restaurants. Now with their delivery hotline, people can just make an effort to call their numbers and the food will be delivered to their doorstep after half an hour. With a quick drive-thru, you get your food in less than 15 minutes or less! They make everything easier and faster for us because they know that thats what we want. We also see so many advertisements around us, whether we are at home or on the road. The advertisements are on the radio, on billboards, on the internet, in newspapers, and in magazines. Its as if theyre calling out to us and putting the idea in our heads to eat their food at their nearest restaurant as soon as possible. They give us easy to remember numbers so that we can call them anytime and anywhere without having to look at the directory book. Most fast food restaurants are now open 24/7 so we can stop by or call them anytime we want. Because its so easy, we get so used to eating at fast food restaurants that we dont need to look at their menus to know what we want. This just shows us that eating there is more of a routine for us now. At about three in the afternoon, we get hungry and the first thing that pops up in our heads is Im craving for McDonalds Chicken McNuggets right now, with fries and an Apple pie! What most people dont realize is that eating too much of it is very dangerous for us because we are not aware of the content. Food Content Fast food can make us very full even at a cheap price. The reason for this is because fast food restaurants use cheap ingredients for their food which contain high amounts of sodium, cholesterol, calories and fat (Childrens Hospital Boston). There are a lot of uses for sodium. It can be used to preserve food, enhance its flavour, and to prevent the growth of pathogens. But sodium can cause very dangerous effects if one consumes too much of it. It can give us an increase in blood pressure and a high risk of heart diseases. According to the American Heart Association, it is best if one limits their sodium intake to less than 1,500 mg of sodium per day(American Heart Association, Inc.). The food on the McDonalds menu with the highest sodium content is the McDonalds Spanish Omelet Bagel with a sodium content of 1570 mg (Fast Food.com). Thats more than the sodium intake one must consume per day in a single bagel. Fats, with the right amount, are good because it keeps us warm and cushions our organs inside our body. Some fatty acids are essential to our body because they are used up for energy and become part of our body chemicals, such as hormones. Fats are classified into two types: saturated fats and unsaturated fats. Unsaturated fats are found only in plant products while saturated fats are found in animal products. Another name for saturated fat is cholesterol. Cholesterol helps the body to absorb what we need, although too much cholesterol is also bad for our body. It can cause heart diseases and osteoporosis because it can thin the bones (Berkoff 124). Calories are released in the digestion and absorption of food. Some food and drinks contain calories. We should not worry about if there are calories in food or not, but how much calories food has. The recommended calorie intake per day for us is 2000 calories. Fast food is packed with very high amounts of calories that one breakfast meal can have up to 1000 calories. Thats half the calories you can take up in a day. Obesity Fast food can cause us a lot of bad diseases like obesity and high blood pressure. Being obese does not only lower our self-esteem, it can also increase risks of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, arthritis, diabetes and some types of cancer. Statistics show that more than 190 million in the American population are obese and the diseases that are related with obesity costs 147 billion dollars every year (Doane). Clearly, something has to be done about this, and not only in America. We should be very aware of the food we eat and the things we do. One way is to not make eating fast food a routine for us by thinking of the possible consequences it can give us. A good idea to prevent obesity is to maintain a healthy lifestyle and exercise daily to use up the energy that we consume. One child struggling with obesity stated that she started gaining weight when her family started buying cheaper foods (Doane). She observed that she became obese when they started to budget their food and to get cheaper food instead, namely, food from fast food restaurants.

Equivocation and Double Meanings in Macbeth :: GCSE Coursework Macbeth Essays

Equivocation and Double Meanings in Macbeth Shakespeare uses equivocation not to confuse but to either get across multiple meanings or to leave dialogue and events in the play open ended. Equivocation can be seen with the witches and whenever they talk. The witches are themselves a vague set of characters who talk in a puzzling riddle-like manner. For instance when Macbeth goes to see them for the second time they are very vague about predicting his future, intentionally confusing him and making him overly confident. An example of this riddled dialogue goes like this: All (three witches): Listen, but speak not to't. Apparition: Be lion-mettled, proud, and take no care Who chafes, who frets, or where conspirers are: Macbeth shall never vanquish'd be until; Great Birnam wood to high Dunsinane hill Shall come against him. Macbeth: That will never be: Who can impress the forest, bid the tree ... That excerpt shows how the witches twist and play with Macbeth's mind and feelings. By the end of the Apparition's lines, Macbeth is convinced he can not be killed by anyone, and so grows in confidence till seething and almost rupturing with it. It also shows Shakespeare's use of equivocation and how, unless certain lines are studied, their true, if vague, meaning cannot be seen or understood. The quoted phrase, â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† is used frequently, the phrase itself is an oxymoron. Early in the play the reader sees Macbeth as the hero because he has saved all of Scotland from the Norwegians. Duncan, honoring Macbeth, says, â€Å"More is thy due than more than all can pay.† (Act 1, Scene ) Towards the middle of the play the reader suddenly begins to pity Macbeth, slowly realizing his encroaching insanity for what it is, a downward spiral of death and increased mistakes. Finally, at the end of the play, the reader's opinion of Macbeth moves more towards hate and a feeling that Macbeth is unmistakably evil. As the second witch said: By the pricking of my thumbs, Something wicked this way comes: (-Act 4, Scene 1) Such is Macbeth's fair to foul story in a flash. There is also Lady Macbeth, Macduff, Malcolm, and Donalbain, and perhaps even Banquo. Each of these character's development follows the â€Å"fair is foul and foul is fair† format.

Australian Poet Kenneth Slessors Use of Imagery Essay -- Night Ride O

Australian Poet Kenneth Slessor's Use of Imagery Slessor's complex poems use many types of imagery, his imagery is one of his artistic techniques which defines him from other poets in Australia. One could say that his powerful words paint a picture for the reader but as they say, seeing is believing. Slessor uses many types of imagery however death, time and water are the main ones. He uses these in his poems Night Ride, Out of Time, Five Bells and Beach Burial. Slessor in Night Ride talks about the journey of life, he talks of death as being slow, depressive and lonely. He says, "Soon I shall look out into nothing but blackness". This dark portrait of death is dark, fearful yet beautiful. In Out of Time, slessor again about death. He say's, "The gulls go down, the body dies and rots". This literal image of death which one can not talk of it as being beautiful, quite the opposite actually. In Beach Burial however he paints a soldiers death. Slessor says, "Enlisted on the other front". The reader envisions this as if their soldiers were doomed before the battle, the 'other front' which he talks of is of course the afterlife. Later in the poem he says, "The convoys of dead soldiers come". His use of the word convoy gives the audience a military type picture, but mental image is copious amounts of soldiers coming to their deaths. His imagery of time too is very important in his poems. In Night Ride, he talks about time as being slow but fast at times. A train which the ... Australian Poet Kenneth Slessor's Use of Imagery Essay -- Night Ride O Australian Poet Kenneth Slessor's Use of Imagery Slessor's complex poems use many types of imagery, his imagery is one of his artistic techniques which defines him from other poets in Australia. One could say that his powerful words paint a picture for the reader but as they say, seeing is believing. Slessor uses many types of imagery however death, time and water are the main ones. He uses these in his poems Night Ride, Out of Time, Five Bells and Beach Burial. Slessor in Night Ride talks about the journey of life, he talks of death as being slow, depressive and lonely. He says, "Soon I shall look out into nothing but blackness". This dark portrait of death is dark, fearful yet beautiful. In Out of Time, slessor again about death. He say's, "The gulls go down, the body dies and rots". This literal image of death which one can not talk of it as being beautiful, quite the opposite actually. In Beach Burial however he paints a soldiers death. Slessor says, "Enlisted on the other front". The reader envisions this as if their soldiers were doomed before the battle, the 'other front' which he talks of is of course the afterlife. Later in the poem he says, "The convoys of dead soldiers come". His use of the word convoy gives the audience a military type picture, but mental image is copious amounts of soldiers coming to their deaths. His imagery of time too is very important in his poems. In Night Ride, he talks about time as being slow but fast at times. A train which the ...

Louis Xiv and Versailles

Louis XIV and Versailles Early Versailles In 1651, when Louis XIV was only thirteen, he visited Versailles for the first time. His next visited in 1661, he had fallen in love with the place. From 1664 to 1668, his efforts to rebuild the palace centered on the park and groves. In 1669, the king decided to enlarge the castle with the help of Le Vay and sculptor artist like Francois Girardon, Antoine and Le Hongre Etienn Coysevox. Versailles is a masterpiece. There is no way to describe Versailles Palace in one sentence.Value of Versailles Huge beyond belief, this place gives you a good idea of when it was â€Å"good to be the king†. Versailles was grand, luxurious, and expensive to maintain. It has been estimated, maintenance and maintenance, including the care and nurturing of employees and the royal family, consumed as much as 25% of the total income of the French. Daily Life at Versailles Life at Versailles was very orderly and rigid. Hundreds of officials help the king to wa ke up, dressed and prepared for duties of the day.Quite often the royal family became tired and escape to the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, where they feel more comfortable. The tightly provisions of Versailles rather than the comfort. While the royal family living in magnificent luxury, all others have been placed in tight areas. In summer, the palace was burning hot, while in winter it was freezing The palace is a city to itself. All government officials, servants and employees, household, and the royal palace to live in, respect the rules of Louis XIV.Versailles was open to the public. It is considered fashionable for Parisians to drive to the palace, where they can see the royal dinner. Versailles and Absolutism Louis XIV built Versailles was not only so that he can have a nice house. He built it as a way to keep his nobles in line. Louis wanted to make sure he had all the most powerful people with him at all times. So he created Versailles and all ceremonies of the court, to ke ep the courtiers listen to him . It's not cheap to keep up with Louis XIV and his different lovers.A large amount of money necessary to buy the most fashionable clothes and all the parties to the king. So, the courtiers can not plot against their king. This is one of the reasons that the absolute has a strong organization in France. However, the unfortunate grandson of Louis, Louis XVI did not have his grandfather's political astuteness ,and all of Louis XIVs careful plotting and planning could not keep the House of Bourbon from falling during the French Revolution. Louis Xiv and Versailles Louis XIV and Versailles Early Versailles In 1651, when Louis XIV was only thirteen, he visited Versailles for the first time. His next visited in 1661, he had fallen in love with the place. From 1664 to 1668, his efforts to rebuild the palace centered on the park and groves. In 1669, the king decided to enlarge the castle with the help of Le Vay and sculptor artist like Francois Girardon, Antoine and Le Hongre Etienn Coysevox. Versailles is a masterpiece. There is no way to describe Versailles Palace in one sentence.Value of Versailles Huge beyond belief, this place gives you a good idea of when it was â€Å"good to be the king†. Versailles was grand, luxurious, and expensive to maintain. It has been estimated, maintenance and maintenance, including the care and nurturing of employees and the royal family, consumed as much as 25% of the total income of the French. Daily Life at Versailles Life at Versailles was very orderly and rigid. Hundreds of officials help the king to wa ke up, dressed and prepared for duties of the day.Quite often the royal family became tired and escape to the Grand Trianon, Petit Trianon, where they feel more comfortable. The tightly provisions of Versailles rather than the comfort. While the royal family living in magnificent luxury, all others have been placed in tight areas. In summer, the palace was burning hot, while in winter it was freezing The palace is a city to itself. All government officials, servants and employees, household, and the royal palace to live in, respect the rules of Louis XIV.Versailles was open to the public. It is considered fashionable for Parisians to drive to the palace, where they can see the royal dinner. Versailles and Absolutism Louis XIV built Versailles was not only so that he can have a nice house. He built it as a way to keep his nobles in line. Louis wanted to make sure he had all the most powerful people with him at all times. So he created Versailles and all ceremonies of the court, to ke ep the courtiers listen to him . It's not cheap to keep up with Louis XIV and his different lovers.A large amount of money necessary to buy the most fashionable clothes and all the parties to the king. So, the courtiers can not plot against their king. This is one of the reasons that the absolute has a strong organization in France. However, the unfortunate grandson of Louis, Louis XVI did not have his grandfather's political astuteness ,and all of Louis XIVs careful plotting and planning could not keep the House of Bourbon from falling during the French Revolution.

Behavioral Medicine in Psychology

This study was undertaken to research behavioral medicine in psychology. In summary, this research examines the origins of behavioral medicine, reviews the psychosocial and behavioral mechanisms, and describes concrete and practical implementations of behavioral knowledge as they have been applied to medicine. The purpose of this work is to outline main features of behavioral medicine and its utilization in psychology. Behavioral medicine is an interdisciplinary field of study integrating the behavioral, social, and medical sciences (Miley, 1999, p.10).It grew out of behaviorism in the early 1970s and integrated psychology into physical illness. Schwartz and Weiss defined the term: Behavioral medicine is the development and integration of biomedical, psychosocial and behavioral sciences' knowledge and techniques relevant to health and illness and the application of this knowledge and these techniques to prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and rehabilitation† (1978, p. 249-51).The area of behavioral medicine includes behavior-change programs which operate different health-related activities (self-examination for early symptoms of disease, following special diets, exercising and taking medicine) (Pierce, 2004, p. 380). Some history should be given. Between the burst of enthusiasm for learning based therapies in the 1920s and their revival in the 1960s a great deal of laboratory research and refinement of learning theory was carried out by Clark Hull, B. F. Skinner, Neal Miller, and others.By the 1950s, efforts to apply more sophisticated learning theories to psychopathology became widespread. The early psychoanalytic approaches soon gave way to experimental studies aimed at identifying psychological factors believed to play a major role in the development of specific somatic complaints. These initial attempts to link personality types to specific disease states were generally disappointing but nevertheless established a firm basis for interdisciplinary resear ch in the new field of behavioral medicine.Rather than attempting to change problem behavior, however, these efforts mainly translated the clinical theory and lore of psychoanalysis into the language of learning theory. The most ambitious of these translations was Personality and Psychotherapy, by John Dollard and Neal Miller (1950). Dedicating their book to â€Å"Freud and Pavlov and their students,† Dollard and Miller sought â€Å"to combine the vitality of psychoanalysis, the rigor of the natural-science laboratory, and the facts of culture† (p.3). They called psychotherapy a â€Å"window to higher mental life† and â€Å"the process by which normality is created† (pp. 3, 5). Accepting psychoanalytic views of psychopathology and its treatment, Dollard and Miller mainly sought to state these views in more rigorous terms derived from laboratory research on learning. Despite the basic contrasts listed earlier, psychoanalytic and learning theories converged in several ways.They stated, both explained mental processes largely in terms of principles of association, whereby sequences of thoughts are governed by previous contiguities among ideas, similarity of content, and other shared features. This associationistic view of mental processes was the basis for the psychoanalytic technique of free association, as well as the psychoanalytic theory of mental symbols. Psychoanalytic theories and most learning theories postulated that reduction of organically based drives promoted the learning of important responses, attitudes, and emotions.Psychoanalytic theory and learning theories blamed childhood experiences for most adult psychopathology but did not actually test the relationships that were assumed. Neal Miller began his career strongly influenced by his psychoanalytic training, so his earlier work reflects a more psychological approach to behavior. Impressed by his clinical observations of the effects of conflicting motivations, he search ed for underlying mechanisms involved, which led to work in brain stimulation and control of autonomic responses utilizing biofeedback techniques.His research emphasizes the interrelationship between physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. Miller took his undergraduate training at the University of Washington, completed his master's degree at Stanford University, and received his Ph. D. from Yale University in 1935. Trained as a psychoanalyst, he combined clinical observation and a broad line of research that led to such important contributions as the frustration-agression hypothesis and social learning theory.Searching for the underlying causes of conflicting motivation, he moved into the area of brain stimulation and then to an interesting and highly controversial series of studies involving the control of autonomic responses utilizing biofeedback techniques. After a distinguished career at Yale and the Institute of Human Relations, he moved to Rockefeller University in 1966 w here he continues his interests in physiology, biochemistry, and pharmacology. Professor Miller served as president of the American Psychological Association in 1969.In 1969 Neal Miller, in an article in Science, summarized a series of studies in which, by the use of Skinnerian reinforcement strategies, he and his associates had trained animals to bring a number of internal bodily functions seemingly under self-control. The bodily functions thus trained included blood pressure, urine formation, heart rate, body temperature, and bowel distensions. Together with other demonstrations of a similar kind, often with human subjects, this work led to a new form of therapy called biofeedback.Using sophisticated equipment for monitoring and displaying to the patient the moment to moment fluctuations in blood pressure, skin temperature, heart rate, muscle tension, blood volume, or brain waves, a host of investigations began to report the success in treatment by biofeedback and other self-condi tioning methods of headache, muscle tension, high blood pressure, nervousness, Raynaud's disease (in which one's finger tips and toes become so cold that they lose all blood circulation and bring on excruciating pain), tics, bedwetting, and a host of comparable disorders.A new subspecialty in medical psychology and medicine was being born. The name given to it was behavioral medicine. As this field has developed its scope has expanded. It now includes the helping of patients who want to quit smoking, give up drugs, lose weight, take their insulin or follow the prescribed treatments for other conditions where therapy fails for lack of compliance to a regimen that is known to be effective. It also includes individuals who are healthy and want to remain so by jogging, eating low cholesterol and other more healthful foods, abstain from alcohol, and so on.A brief historical review of the developments in medicine and in psychology which led to the emergence of behavioral medicine and beha vioral health as viable, interdisciplinary specialties is available elsewhere (Matarazzo, 1980, 1982). The emergence of health psychology as a vigorous new discipline is a natural outcome of scientific and technological advances within psychology. Experimental and physiological psychology have contributed greatly to this evolution, beginning with Pavlov's early work with dogs at the turn of the century. His concept of conditioned reflex provided the basis for much of classical learning theory.In the 1920s, Walter Cannon introduced the concepts of homeostasis and fight versus flight. Neal Miller applied aspects of these earlier theories to an understanding of the role of conditioning in psychophysiological change and how certain aspects of the autonomic nervous system could be controlled. The modern use of biofeedback treatment to teach an individual how to control muscle tensions, blood pressure, and other physiological processes developed out of these earlier efforts. Psychophysiol ogy made contributions to behavioral medicine.Psychophysiological applications to behavioral medicine typically involve the monitoring of physiological functions in relation to concurrent emotional and behavioral states. Originally, psychophysiological studies were confined to the laboratory or clinic, and explored the cardiovascular and neuroendocrine responses to stressors, individual differences in reaction patterns, or changes in physiological function with behavioral interventions. Laboratory studies remain the mainstay of psychophysiology, but the development of ambulatory methods has increasingly led to investigations under everyday or naturalistic conditions.Describing psychophysiology as a method of studying relationships between physical responses and ongoing behavior places no limits on the nature of the physiological processes being monitored. Indeed, one of the characteristics of psychophysiology has been the development of technology to assess more and more sophisticat ed and precise aspects of cardiovascular function. In the behavioral epidemiological study, physiological measures are typically collected under office or clinic conditions on one or a few occasions, whereas psychophysiologists are predominantly concerned with dynamic interrelations between behavior and physiology.Psychophysiological research in early behavioral medicine was dominated by studies of biofeedback and the voluntary control of blood pressure and heart rate (Beatty & Legewie, 1977). Over the last years, mental stress testing in the laboratory has become the major research paradigm (Steptoe & Vogele, 1991). It has involved studies of many clinic and high-risk groups, and assessments of a wide range of physiological processes in response to a variety of conditions, such as problem solving, stress interviews, and information-processing tasks.The methodology of mental stress testing in the laboratory has been thoroughly reviewed in various texts (Matthews, Weiss & Detre, 1986 ). Reservations concerning the reliability of laboratory assessments have largely been allayed by a new generation of investigations, indicating that, provided care is taken with physiological measurement and administration of behavioral stimuli, reliable and consistent response patterns are observed. The psychophysiological treatment par excellence is biofeedback. Biofeedback is a research-based empirical approach, with greater emphasis on replication of results and cautious examination of evidence.Yet biofeedback pursues the same goal as other body therapies, that of using individual awareness and control over the body to enhance personal potential, health, and growth. It brings together humanistic conceptions of mind and body with sophisticated electronic technology to produce powerful strategies for self-control over consciousness, emotion, and physiology. The area of volitional control of physiological activity has contributed significantly to the growing field of behavioral me dicine and health psychology. The beginnings of biofeedback go back to the late 1960s.Kenneth Gaarder points out that biofeedback was not so much a discovery as it was â€Å"an awareness which emerged from the Zeitgeist† (Gaarder & Montgomery, 1979). Many researchers of the 1950s and 1960s can be cited as independent founders of biofeedback. For example, Hefferline conceptualized biofeedback as a powerful tool, perhaps more powerful than Gestalt awareness exercises, to expand body awareness and self-awareness (Knapp, 1986). As with other so-called departures in psychology, there were earlier examples. The primary training method developed and utilized in this learning process has been labeled biofeedback.Its theory grounded on the concept introduced by Elmer Green: Every change in the physiological state is accompanied by an appropriate change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unconscious, and conversely, every change in the mental emotional state, conscious or unco nscious, is accompanied by an appropriate change in the physiological state. (Green, Green, & Walters, 1970, p. 3) This initial research activity began to stimulate more interest, among both the scientific community and the general public, in the area of biofeedback because of its' many potentially important clinical and medical applications.For example, it would be therapeutically valuable if it was possible to teach patients with hypertension how to lower their blood pressure, or to teach patients with headaches how to control the vasodilation process involved in the pain phenomenon. Indeed, Birk (1973) was the individual who coined the term behavioral medicine to describe the application of a behavioral treatment technique (biofeedback) that could be applied to medicine or medical problems (e. g. , headache pain).Each school of body therapy or body work presents a different manifestation of the fundamental psychophysiological principle that we can intervene somatically and produc e changes in emotion and relationship, and inversely, that we can intervene psychologically, with somatic consequences. Each of the body-therapy approaches emphasizes a dual psychological and somatic intervention, and each emphasizes breathing, muscular rigidity, and the physical blocking of memories and affective experiencing. In turn, each body therapy seeks to release the individual from physical inhibitions and to restore a full psychophysiological selfregulation.The work of Alexander Graham Bell ( 1847-1922), the inventor of the telephone, with the deaf, and his interest in using the visible display of speech sound, either by means of ‘manometric' flames or by an early form of kymograph, in order to help the deaf to reproduce correct sounds, would seem to utilize feedback principles ( Bruce, 1973). However, it needed a dramatic event to focus attention on the area of feedback control. This event took place at the 1967 annual meeting of the Pavlovian Society of North Ameri ca in the form of a report by Neal Miller (1968).He introduced a technique that his colleague, Jay Towill, had first devised. This involved immobilizing animals with D-tubo curarine, artificially respirating them, and with electrodes placed in the so-called ‘pleasure centers' in the brain, operantly conditioning various physiological systems. For example, it was reported that the animal could learn, through operant conditioning, to increase or lower blood pressure, increase or decrease heart-rate, kidney flow, and so on. The reward was, in each case, a brief electric pulse delivered to the pleasure centres.The use of D-tubo curarine to produce paralysis of skeletal muscles was an attempt to avoid the possibility that the animal was modifying its autonomic responses via voluntary activities, such as changes in muscle tension or breathing pattern or rate. Research papers soon followed, and in a series of studies carried out with Leo DiCara on the curarized rat, the instrumental conditioning of heart-rate, blood-pressure, and renal blood-flow and–in collaboration with A. Banuazizi–contraction of the intestines, appeared to be demonstrated. Reports from other laboratories seemed to support Miller's findings.

John Dewey on Education Essay

John Dewey, Mortimer Adler and Nel Noddings impacted our system of education in very profound ways. Dewey believed that there should be communication between the student and the teacher. Adler believed that schools should only teach the traditional courses (English, Math, Science, Social Studies and Foreign Language). Noddings believed that teachers should be more caring towards their students. John Dewey’s idea of education greatly affected our system of education today. John Dewey’s ideas for education were to concentrate on students’ psychological and sociological qualities. Dewey believed in promoting an â€Å"unconscious education† where â€Å"the individual gradually comes to share in the intellectual and moral resources which humanity has succeeded in getting together. He becomes an inheritor of the funded capital of civilization† (Dewey 261). In other words, he thought this was a good method for teachers to analyze a student’s behavior in order to teach them more effectively. This also provided an opportunity for the student to learn without even realizing it. Dewey stated that a student’s psychological needs were the basis of his method of education. The child’s own instinct and powers furnish the material and give the starting-point for all education† (Dewey 262). Dewey stressed the idea that, â€Å"Without insight into the psychological structure and activities of the individual the educative process will†¦be haphazard and arbitrary† (Dewey 262). Dewey was also extremely interested in the social aspects of a student. He said that the, â€Å"knowledge of social conditions, of the present state of civilization, is necessary in order to properly interpret the child’s powers† (Dewey 262). This was a new technique for an educator to see and distinguish the instincts and tendencies in a student. Therefore, in order for an educator to know more about a student he/she must first study the student’s psychological traits in order to understand the unique characteristics of a child’s capacities, interests and habits. Then the teacher must translate their findings into terms of what they believe the child is capable of in a social setting. In my opinion, Dewey showed a balance between the dialectic of academics and affective goals. This is also known as transaction, which is having both the teacher and the student interact in the classroom. Dewey believed that the academic goals of education should be, â€Å"a process of living and not a preparation for future living† (Dewey 263). He stated that the teachers’ job is not to influence him but to help guide the student into successfully forming with the community by letting the student experience some life occurrences. â€Å"The teacher is not in the school to impose certain ideas or to form certain habits in the child, but is there as a member of the community to select the influences which shall affect the child† (Dewey 263 – 264). Dewey also believed that tests should only be used to examine a child’s social capabilities in the real world. â€Å"Examinations are of use only so far as they test the child’s fitness for social life and reveal the place in which he can be of the most service and where he can receive the most help† (Dewey 264). In my opinion, this would be more of a conceptual test where the child can voice his or her own opinions. Dewey’s main affective goals were to deepen the child’s meaning of himself and his values. It is the business of the school to deepen and extend his sense of the values bound up in his home life† (Dewey 263). Dewey believed that it was important for the school to implement lessons that related to what a child would do at home. The school would also be responsible for simplifying their social life because; â€Å"existing life is so complex that the child cannot be brought into contact with it without either confusion or distraction† (Dewey 263). Therefore, if the child is exposed to too much social stimulation he will become, â€Å"either unduly specialized or else disintegrated† (Dewey 263). I believe that Dewey’s views show that he is against standardization in schools. He believed that there was a lack of conscious states in schools. He asserts that children are, â€Å"thrown into a passive, receptive, or absorbing attitude† (Dewey 265). Dewey’s viewpoint is still an active discussion topic in today’s education system. However, some school districts insist on rote learning because their schools receive more funding when there is a high percentage of passing students on standardized tests. According to Linda McNeil, students are taught on how to pass these tests without really learning. For example, McNeil states that, â€Å"students report that in the drills on the TAAS reading section, they frequently mark answers without reading the sample text. They merely match key words in an answer choice with key words in the text† (McNeil 218). According to Dewey, this is â€Å"not permitted [in following] the law of nature† (Dewey 265), resulting in â€Å"friction and waste† (Dewey 265). Dewey believed that proper instruction should be exemplified by, â€Å"the preparation and presentation of lessons [which] might be more wisely and profitably expended in training the child’s power of imagery and in seeing to it that he was continually forming definite, vivid, and growing images of the various subjects with which he comes in contact in his experience† (Dewey 266). Standardization is not they key component of education, even though the state and federal government believe this is an important element for success. According to Gerald Bracey, when students are applying to college, the SAT exam should be used as a guideline and not the final decision in acceptance. Bracey stated that the, â€Å"SAT scores had been falling for fourteen years† (Bracey 47). He also stated that, â€Å"While the developers of the SAT still called their test a ‘mere supplement,’ the public now saw it as the platinum rod for measuring school performance. And that performance was getting worse† (Bracey 47). Somehow over time, a student’s SAT score developed into an extremely significant number which seemed to become the overall determination of a student’s intelligent. It seems harsh and unbalanced to put so much emphasis on one test. Of course, applicants are told that in combination with their SAT scores; their grades and outside activities are taken into consideration for college admittance. But the truth is these SAT scores still remain a huge factor for college applicants. Studies have shown that a high SAT score does not guarantee high grades in college however the politics behind these tests are stronger than the public’s opinion in order to get these tests repealed. Standardized tests do not lead the student to come into contact with the subject at hand or the experience related to it. They also do not show the overall picture of an individual or what he or she can contribute while attending college. Scott Thompson is against the test-based reform of today’s society. Thompson claims that, â€Å"The human hearts and minds of others, I believe, are simply too complex and too inaccessible to read as a book† (Thompson 160). Thompson argues that the differences between test-based reform and standards-based reform. He concluded that standards-based reform involves more cooperation from parents, teachers and the students. It also gives the students a high-quality method of learning and not simply learning techniques for test taking. â€Å"We should be interested in students who can produce high quality work rather than students who have mastered the ability to take standardized tests† (Thompson 159). Thompson would love to see that the idea of standardized tests be abandoned in the future. Thompson argues that by giving these students standardized tests that they are reducing their potential of demonstrating their intellect, social and personal sides to the community. Test-based reform, through its focus on high-stakes test, narrows the curriculum to what is included on the tests and reduces instructional practice to test preparation† (Thompson 159). In contrast, â€Å"standards-based reform†¦involves a complete abandonment of the bureaucratic, ‘seat time’ approach to education and replaces it with a system of learning communities dedicated to helping all students reach their intellectual, social, and personal potential† (Thompson 159). To summarize, without requiring students to take standardized tests they will greatly increase their academic potential and affective abilities. Bill Bigelow also stresses his concern of standardization. He believes that, â€Å"social studies knowledge is little more than acquiring piles of disconnected facts about the world† (Bigelow 231) and that â€Å"the world can’t be chopped into multiple choice questions, [in] that you can’t bubble in the truth with a number-two pencil† (Bigelow 239). Bigelow would be ecstatic to see the state do away with standardized tests. He demonstrates some strong educational goals that the state should follow that show a balance between academic and affective goals for education. He claims that teachers should, â€Å"construct rigorous performance standards for students that promote deep thinking about the nature of our society. These efforts should acknowledge the legitimacy of a multicultural curriculum of critical questions, complexity, multiple perspective, and social imagination. They should recognize that wisdom is more than information† (Bigelow 239). I agree with his statement. When considering the famous quote, â€Å"knowledge is power†; have we gained knowledge when we have learned the means by which to pass a standardized test? Or has knowledge been gained when a student has the sense of understanding conceptual ideas about society and civilization as a whole? I feel that standardized testing is something elected state officials want because these tests provide numbers and numbers are easy to put into a spreadsheets and show which schools are getting high scores and which schools are getting low scores. It is an easy format to determine budgets; one test is suitable for all students. It is harder to define guidelines on how or what teachers should teach conceptually because that leads to a broader spectrum of learning. In conclusion, I believe that standardized tests are the â€Å"dumbing down of America†. These tests inhibit our abilities to question and reflect. The state and federal governments do not really want the American public to get smarter. They want a simple way to control what students learn and how they learn it. While many people agree that standardization is not improving learning, we are still unable to do away with these tests due to all of the politics involved. I would love for high schools to be more like colleges in that, teachers can use whatever methods of teaching they like just as professors do. Unfortunately, this is not the case. Obviously, there are essential fundamental topics that much be taught that are necessary in order to have the basic foundation on which to grow intellectually. I feel that once a student has mastered the basics, it is crucial to one’s development to discuss controversial issues and to intelligently question the ways of the world. I agree with Bill Bigelow; I do not believe that one test is a thorough determinant of a student’s ability and mastery of various concepts. A famous quote by George Santayana states, â€Å"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it†. With all the controversial issues and problems in the world, shouldn’t learning how to use one’s mind and think â€Å"outside the box† be considered an integral part of learning? Isn’t it important and valuable to society to be able to intelligently discuss solutions rather than just be considered smart because you aced the SAT?