How Accurate Is It to Say That the Black Power Movements Essay Example for Free

How Accurate Is It to Say That the Black Power Movements Essay In some ways I agree that the Black power Movements of the 1960’s achieved nothing for the Black people because by 1968 little had changed, and it is therefore easy to claim that Black Power movements achieved nothing, and in fact had a negative impact on black Americans. However in some ways I disagree because the Black Power movements in the early 1960s coincided with the peak of success for the Civil Rights campaign such as the freedom cities of 1966 or the Free D. C. movement. Firstly I agree that the Black Power Movements achieved nothing for Black people relations between King and other Civil Rights groups were never entirely secure, and he was often accused of taking credit for the efforts of others, for example in the student sit-ins of 1961. He was criticised for a cynical use of children in the Birmingham campaign of 1963 and for cowardice in halting the first Selma March. These attacks reflect internal rivalries that had nothing to do with Black Power. They increased after 1966 when he moved his focus to the north. The Chicago campaign of 1966 was a dismal failure and also revealed a cultural gap between the respectable bible-belt leaders of the south and the ghetto-based youth of the north, who found Malcolm X a more inspiring figure. The whole situation was made much worse by the war in Vietnam, which diverted money and media attention and created a widening gap between black and white communities. Many black people resented having to fight for a country that valued them so little, while white public opinion saw the refusal of some to serve, like Mohammed Ali, as unpatriotic. The most important point, however, is that once legal equality had been achieved in 1965 and the focus shifted to the social and economic effects of long-term discrimination, King’s methods were ineffective. Secondly the Chicago campaign. The Albany movement Thirdly the Memphis Sanitation workers strike. The Mississippi Freedom Summer On the other hand the Freedom cities were aimed to bring ‘home rule’ to the black community of Washington D. C. The project was started with the demonstration against the way the local schools were administered. Towards the end of 1966 the black citizens of Washington D. C. had won the right to elect their own school boards. SNCC gained $3 million worth of government funding to improve community policing. SNCC innovated similar projects for example in New York the campaign saw black people take control of the intermediate School in Harlem as well as in Mississippi set up a Child Development Group in which the group raised $1. 5 million from the churches and the federal government in order to set up 85 head start centres to support young children . Furthermore the March on Washington was a massive success groups such as the SCLC. SNCC, CORE and the NAACP were involved it was also to commemorate the 100 years since the Emancipation Proclamation was created the campaigned was initially designed to pass a Civil Rights Bill. 250,000 people marched to the Lincoln memorial to hear Kings famous ‘I have a dream speech’ as well as other figures of the Civil Rights Movement. The March drew a vast amount of media attention. The March ensured support for new civil rights legislation which gave the government power to desegregate southern states. It presented the civil rights movement as a united front. Additionally the Birmingham campaign aimed to desegregate the city’s largest shopping areas schools and public parks as well as demanding an end to racial discrimination in employment. ‘Bull’Connor obtained a court injunction against demonstrations in certain precincts to weaken protests. The 3rd of May the police demonstrators with high pressure fire hoses and arrested and imprisoned 1300 children which caused a media frenzy Kennedy was sickened by the images of police violence from Birmingham. The significance of the campaign was that the department stores were desegregated and the racial discrimination was ended. The Greensboro sit-ins were a success it aimed to desegregate public places such as restaurants or swimming pools. In February 1960 the sit-in escalated to 300 students by the fourth protest it became highly influential as there were similar protests like watch-ins in cinema which by the start of 1961 over 70,000 people black and white had taken part in demonstrations. The significance of the sit-ins brought a mass of media attention which increased the support towards the civil rights campaigns. By the end of 1961 810 towns had desegregated their public places. Woolworths lost decreased by a third during the campaign which showed the economic power of black people. Finally the Freedom rides designed to turn de jure victories of Morgan v. Virginia and Boynton v. Virginia into de facto desegregation of interstate transport and interstate transport facilities set up by SNCC and CORE. The significance of the freedom rides was that it showed that Kennedy supported the civil rights movement and that it marked a new high cooperation within the civil rights movements. The Poor Peoples Campaign aimed to create a coalition big enough to solve the social and economic problems identified during the Chicago campaign In conclusion the Black Power declined very quickly in the late 1960s because its organisation was very poor and it had little money to support itself. It also declined because the government preferred King’s the peaceful methods to the violence and hatred of Black Power. Thus it seemed as if Black Power had not achieved anything of real importance for black people, and was a factor in the ending of the civil rights movement as a whole. However, it can be said that Black Power did manage to achieve something for black people as a whole. Black Power leaders did try to help the people in the inner-city ghettos, and they did increase black pride and a sense of Black Nationalism. Malcolm X in particular was very important in raising the morale of many black people, and became a hero to young black people in the USA and around the world. The emergence of the Black Power movements in the early 1960s coincided with the peak of success for the Civil Rights campaign the legislation of 1964-65. Thereafter, the focus of campaigns had to move the practical issues related to social and economic deprivation, and the ability to exercise the rights that had been gained. By 1968 little had changed, and it is therefore easy to claim that Black Power movements achieved nothing, and in fact had a negative impact on black Americans. It is hard to deny that the Black Power movements had a damaging impact in the 1960s. The preaching of Elijah Mohammed and later Malcolm X that integration was impossible and undesirable, that white people were devils and Christianity just a legacy of slavery, created a mirror of white racism that could only be divisive. They rejected the support of white liberals and divided white from black. They subjected integrationist leaders like Martin Luther King to campaigns of personal abuse, calling him a hypocrite, a coward and an Uncle Tom. They even indulged in vicious internal feuding, such as the assassination of Malcolm X by members of the Nation of Islam in 1965. Incidents of violence, such as attacks on white people, the race riots of Harlem in 1964 and Watts in 1965, damaged the black community and created a white backlash. This threatened the promised government expenditure on housing, schools and job creation under the Great Society. As casualties from Vietnam increased, they campaigned against the draft and argued that black youths should not serve, infuriating an increasingly patriotic public and media. The existing Civil Rights movement disintegrated, as the student organisations led by SNCC under Stokely Carmichael adopted Black Power symbols and slogans, and refused to co-operate with Martin Luther King’s SCLC. The government and many white Americans saw the black communities as ungrateful, and King as a spent force. The links that had helped him to gain reforms and investment disappeared, and nothing of significance was achieved for black Americans after 1966. The emergence of Black Power was totally negative. 24. In many ways, however, this argument is over-simplified. The problems faced by the Civil Rights movement in the 1960s had begun to surface before the Black Power movements developed, and could be said to have contributed to their growth. Relations between King and other Civil Rights groups were never entirely secure, and he was often accused of taking credit for the efforts of others, for example in the student sit-ins of 1961. He was criticised for a cynical use of children in the Birmingham campaign of 1963 and for cowardice in halting the first Selma March. These attacks reflect internal rivalries that had nothing to do with Black Power. They increased after 1966 when he moved his focus to the north. The Chicago campaign of 1966 was a dismal failure and also revealed a cultural gap between the respectable bible-belt leaders of the south and the ghetto-based youth of the north, who found Malcolm X a more inspiring figure. The whole situation was made much worse by the war in Vietnam, which diverted money and media attention and created a widening gap between black and white communities. Many black people resented having to fight for a country that valued them so little, while white public opinion saw the refusal of some to serve, like Mohammed Ali, as unpatriotic. The most important point, however, is that once legal equality had been achieved in 1965 and the focus shifted to the social and economic effects of long-term discrimination, King’s methods were ineffective. This means that by 1966, methods of campaigning to improve conditions for black people had to change, and the Black Power movements did offer some alternatives. When the Black Panthers set up community projects and policed the housing estates of Chicago, they offered a more direct and practical form of help. More generally, Black Power offered black people a sense of their own culture and pride in their identity. The late 1960s saw changes in music, fashion and style that celebrated black identity rather than attempting to look like whites, such as the Afro hairstyles, the growth of a new soul music and the later development of hip-hop and rap. The use of Black Power salutes by American athletes offended many whites, but it drew the attention of the world to the continuing levels of discrimination suffered by many black Americans. It is difficult to measure the results, but it can be argued that by helping to maintain attention on the problems and demanding change, the Black Power movements helped the black communities to keep fighting for better conditions. By comparison with the gains made through ‘peaceful’ protest, the impact of Black Power was mixed and its achievements limited, but to claim that it achieved nothing for black people is an exaggeration.

Negative Effects of Childhood Obesity

Negative Effects of Childhood Obesity Stella Badalyants Abstract The purpose of this research paper is to inform about negative effects of childhood obesity. Children’s choices in foods are largely influenced by media and commercial advertising. Obesity has become a growing health concern at a very young age. Cultural differences including national history showed to have an effect on weight in children. Overweight children not only suffer from serious physical health issues but also with psychological problems brought on by teasing in school. Other factors like race, family background and age showed to make a difference in body weight. Parental supervision is important to prevent this growing desease, including television monitoring and consumption of foods high in sugar and fats. Childhood obesity has been one of the most serious medical health conditions for both children and adolescents. It occurs when a BMI or body mass index is 20 percent greater than normal which is when a child is above the normal weight to height ratio. In the past several decades a spike in overweight and obese children occurred in Western nations. Countries like Canada, Germany, Israel, Greece, Ireland and New Zealand have all become victims to this disease. With U.S. leading the way at 32 percent of overweight children and 17 percent of whom are obese (Berk, 2012, p.417). In 1995, health-care costs associated with excess weight were $51.6 billion or 5.7 % of the total U.S. health care expenses. Also, excess weight decreases productivity and leads to loss of work time (Peralta-Alva, et al., 2005).Childhood obesity has even spread to China, where 20 percent of children are overweight and 7 percent are obese, a percentage that was almost none existent one generation prior to this gener ation. In high populated cities obesity in children rose to 10 percent. Additionally, a Chinese culture belief that extra body weight shows prosperity and health has contributed to an alarming number of growth in obesity. It was carried over from centuries ago when famine caused numerous amounts of deaths. Childhood obesity also paves the way for future health problems as adults such as diabetes, high blood pressure and high cholesterol, not to mention emotional and social difficulties. Obesity can also lead to poor self-esteem and depression; as well as a leading factor to severe complications including stroke, kidney failure, and circulatory problems that heighten the risk of blindness and amputations. Many psychologists also believe that weight bias can be contributing to obesity. Children who are overweight or obese tend to be vulnerable to negative comments and more prone to being victims of bulling. Classmates are common critics of obese children, and school is usually the setting where weight-based teasing and victimization happens. Psychologists also have done studies which showed that negative opinions about overweight children begin as early as age 3 to 5 in the preschool age. Preschoolers consider their overweight peers are mean and less wanted playmates compared to non-overweight children. When poled for their opinion, many children viewed over weight kids as stupid, ugly, lazy and have little to no friends. The children are then poled again at elementary school age and their opinions only get worse with reports that obese peers are selfish, dishonest, socially isolated, and are prone to teasing. The issue has become so common that research now informs us that based on a child’s weight we can predict if they will be victims of bulling due to their weight. (Griffiths, Wolke, Page, Horwood, 2006). Preconception of overweight children can damage the psychological state and increase exposure to depression, anxiety, low self-esteem and poor body image. Consequently, obese youth that are being victimized by their classmates are more likely to have suicidal thoughts than those overweight students who are not bullied. Also, having to deal with humiliation about weight only increases the possibility of participating in unhealthy eating habits as well as lower levels of physical activity. Recent research has found that gilt of being overweight is associated with greater calorie intake, lower energy outflow, and over all less weight loss in adults seeking weight loss treatment (Carels et al., 2009). Obesity has been influenced by many factors, especially those in demographic and social-economic nature. Agricultural efficiency improvements have taken place due to decrease in trade barriers which has led to lower service prices. Fast-food chains are all offering fries, burgers and soft drinks at low costs. U.S. has spent $7.3 billion in advertisement for food in 1999, $765 million of that was spent on advertising gum and candy. Advertisement for soft drinks were at $549 million and snacks were at a somewhat low of $330 million (Story et al., 2004). High fructose corn syrup has been linked to childhood obesity in many studies. The fact that soft drinks are pumped full of high fructose corn syrup only adds to the problem. Innovations in technology have been a blessing and a curse, on one hand efficiency and productivity has increased in jobs that require labor, however those same labor saving gadgets decrease the amount of effort put into the job, therefore decreasing the amount of calorie burn per activity. Technology such as television, computers and dishwashers have all been created to save time and provide entertainment, but overuse of these tools has led to a much more serious issue. Biking and walking among Americans has decreased drastically, on the other hand, driving has increased as a source for transportation. Even short trips to the store or park have been largely dominated by vehicle transportation. Children have started losing a large amount of exercise time due to increased time spent playing video games and watching television. Cooking and preparing food has become substantially easier, this has led to more meal consumption among Americans, which is another major reason for increased weight in both children and adults. The average American home had 0% microwave ovens in the 1960’s, today over 80% of households owns one (US DOE, 2006). Patterns of food consumption have changed all together, people are now consuming more carbohydrates and fats than ever before. Ownership of television sets have also increased from as low as 10% in the 1950’s to nearly 100% today (Nielson Media Research, 1995). Which of course led to increase in time spent watching T.V. Many studies in the past have calculated endless data on changes of eating habits, level of activity and income changes in U.S. However a study by Tangel Chang, James M. Barrett and Stephen A. Vosti tests the importance of each factor in the rise of body weight. Although the study is not limited to only children, the results are certainly eye opening to future consequences. Factors such as gender, ethnic background and family income are all associated with weight. Studies show that some groups are at a greater risk of becoming overweight than others. Those include women, children, non-whites, those who are not college graduates and the lower class (Chang, Barrett, Vosti, 2006, p. 14). In addition, being born in the U.S. did not have the same effect on weight and waist size as it did on body mass index (BMI). This shows that those born in the U.S. have a higher BMI but not physical height. There are a number of areas that need to be emphasized to reverse the problem. Watching televis ion and engaging in other seated activities, such as playing video games, have proven to be an issue. There has also been a correlation between abdominal obesity, like waist circumference, waist to hip ratio, waist to height ratio, and serious risk factors among children like type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease develop as they reach adulthood (Freedman et al., 0, p.38). Another detailed study held from 2011 to 2012 had similar results. Participating in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey study were 9120 people who were measured in weight and height. About half of the group, 5181 people, were adults age 20 or above, 584 were infants and toddlers. The result revealed that 31.8 percent of children were overweight, of which 16.9 percent were obese. There was no difference in obesity occurrence between boys and girls in 2011 to 2012. However there were race and age differences. Non- Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth all had a higher probability of obesity than non-Hispanic Asian youth. Also non-Hispanic white youth had lower obesity frequency than non-Hispanic black and Hispanic youth. Over 8 percent of 2 to 5 year olds were obese as compared to 17.7 percent of 6 to 11 year olds and 20.5 percent of 12 to 19 year old youth. Additionally, there were 13.9 percent of teenagers age 12 to 19 with a BMI of greater than or eq ual to 30, which meets the definition of obesity in adults (Ogden, PhD, Carroll, MSPH, Kit, MD, Flegal, PhD, 2014, p.3-4). Food choices that children make have largely been influenced by the media, with television advertising targeting infants and toddlers. Many studies have focused on explaining how advertisement of fast foods, sugary snacks and many other foods with high amounts of fat, sodium and sugar are contributing to childhood obesity. Due to the high amount of hours children spend watching television, children are highly exposed to the growing number of food advertisements, which lead to unhealthy food choices. To add to the issue there is less physical activity as most of their free time is spent watching television. Extensive research has proven that time spent watching television and obesity have a direct correlation. Obesity is increased by 2 percent for every extra hour spent watching television, children that spend more than four to five hours watching television are at a higher rate of obesity than those who only watch two or less hours. (Arnas, 2006). As the appeal to children grow in fo od advertising, so do the requests by children for those advertised foods, as do the actual purchases of those foods by the parents. A fact that also seems to be overlooked is that children now have televisions in their rooms, as high as thirty percent of children age 0 to 3 and 43 percent of children 4 to 6 years of age (Connor, 2005). It is a significant factor in the likelihood of overweight children. The nutritional value of major advertised foods for children are nowhere near the recommended dietary guidelines. Parents and pediatricians seem to overlook the advertising message children are exposed to on a daily basis. The market teams behind these advertisements design them to intentionally influence children’s preference and consumption in foods. Dr. Susan Connor conducted an eye opening study on the most popular channels watched by children. In her research results, Disney Chanel had the least amount of advertisements, totaling 26 for the 5 hours that it was recorded. Of those, 17 were Disney products and 9 were of McDonald’s. PBS led second with a total of 65 advertisements, of which 39 were focused on fast food. The highest of the three was Nickelodeon, having 283 advertisements in the 5 hours, of which 41% were of fast foods such as McDonald’s, Wendy’s and Chuck E. Cheese. Additionally, 41 percent was used to advertise sugary cereal, 14 percent went for snacks and 4 percent to frozen treats (Connors, 2005). A large amount of fun, excitement, bright colors and actions are incorporated into children’s advertisements. Snack food advertisements are promoted as cool, uniquely shaped, brightly colored and yummy tasting. Fast food advertisements use the appeal of the latest toys as a selling point. Overall, the actions and the energy of children featured in the commercials are laughing, giggling, playing, high energy, excitement and activity. Based on the social cognitive theory, children learn to model their behaviors on what is shown by the media, including the models in their present social environment (Dixon et al, 2007). As presented by the social cognitive theory, it is expected for children that are exposed to certain patterns of eating habits modeled on television are to adopt them as their own. Positive association towards junk food as advertised on television, such as the perception that those foods are consumed by other children their age, reported to have increased the consumption of such junk food (Dixon et al., 2007). Same concept applies to advertisements of nutritious foods, positive association to healthy, nutritious alternatives can increase appeal to children. Increasing the frequency of healthy food advertisements versus fast food commercial can also promote a healthier option when faced with opposite choices. Encouraging an active lifestyle has shown to improve weight numbers. Tendency of obesity seems to lean towards women and children, so programs that encourage movement and exercise instead of television and video games are especially valuable. Those who struggle with being overweight can take on activities that emphasize muscle building, which showed to be very beneficial towards weight loss. Previous diet results showed that based on total caloric intake, it is more important to watch how much each type of food is being eaten rather than focus on the whole level of intake. Areas to focus on would be sugar and fat. A variety filled diet of fruits, vegetables, healthy carbohydrates and proteins is a good habit to develop. Children and women are especially prone to obesity, so encouragement in eating healthier foods are especially beneficial to preventing the development of the disease. It was also found that it becomes increasingly difficult to lose weight as we age, so starting health y eating habits at an early age can help continue the healthy lifestyle into adulthood, therefore preventing the development of obesity. Best treatment for obesity currently available are multi-layered lifestyle changes that focus on dietary interventions and promotions of physical activity. Furthermore, involvement of family members is a key feature of effective interventions, especially in cases of multifaceted interventions where trained experts in disciplinary teams are needed. The intensity of such an intervention should depend on the degree of obesity as well as the child’s age. In addition, parents should be sure to take their children to routine pediatric visits, during every visit a health care professional measures the weight and height of the child and assess for any unnecessary weight gain based on height. The doctor should also take into account any factors, like the child’s rate of weight gain and parents’ weight status. Health care professionals such as pediatricians and primary care doctors are viewed by parents as authorities of their child’s health. Therefore it is their p rofessional duty to make parents aware of their child’s excess weight early to allow time for prevention and intervention. Children who consume a variety of high nutrient rich foods such as fruits, vegetables, low-fat or nonfat dairy products, and whole grains are less likely to be overweight and obese. Child care facilities should provide meals that are high in nutrient content so as to be consistent with the healthy diet the parents have set at home, as well as ensuring that children have access to healthy foods and portions appropriate for their age. Government agencies should put high efforts into affordable nutritional meals for families in local communities, by making the most of their participation in the federal nutrition assistance programs. The federal government should also set up nutritional guidelines for children under two years of age, as it is important to start good habits at a very young age. Parents should monitor how much time a child spends per day watching television, versus how many hours they spend doing outdoor physical activities. Parents and childcare providers should also focu s on promoting healthy sleep schedules, evidence suggests that short duration of sleep is a risk factor for obesity. Yet another reason why parents need to limit television and video games, especially at night. References Arnas, Yasare. The effects of television food advertisement on children’s food purchasing requests. Pediatrics International. 2006; 48, 138-145. Carels, R.A., Young, K.M., Wott, C.B., Harper, J., Gumble, A., Oehlof, M.W., Clayton, A.M. (2009). Weight bias and weight loss treatment outcomes in treatment-seeking adults. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 37, 350-355. Chang, T., Barrett, J. M., Vosti, S. A. (2006). The Physical, Social, and Cultural Determinants of Obesity: An Empirical Study of the U.S. Connor, Susan, PhD. Food-related advertising on preschool television: Buidling brand recognition in young viewers. Pediatrics. 2005; 118, 1478-1485. Freedman, D. S., Kahn, H. S., Mei, Z., Grummer-Strawn, L. M., Dietz, W. H., Srinivasan, S. R., Berenson, G. S. (0). Relation of body mass index and waist-to-height ratio to cardiovascular disease risk factors in children and adolescents: the Bogalusa Heart Study1-4. Griffiths, L.J., Wolke, D., Page, A.S., Horwood, J.P. (2006). Obesity and bullying: different effects for boys and girls. Archives of Disease in Childhood, 91, 121-125. Nielson Media Research, 1995 Ogden, PhD, C. L., Carroll, MSPH, M. D., Kit, MD, B. K., Flegal, PhD, K. M. (2014). Prevalence of Childhood and Adult Obesity in the United States, 2011-2012 Cynthia L. Ogden, PhD; Margaret D. Carroll, MSPH; Brian K. Kit,MD, MPH; Katherine, 311(8), 3-4. Peralta AA Pere Gomis, P, The macroeconomics of obesity in the United States, Macroeconomics 0503014, Economics WPA, revised 28 Mar 2005 Story, M and French, S, â€Å"Food Advertising and Marketing Directed at Children and Adolescents in the US, Int J Behav Nutr Phys Act., 2004; 1:3. U.S. Department of Energy http://www.energy.gov/ Berk,L.E. (2012). Chapter 11. In Infants and children: Prenatal through middle childhood (p.417). Boston: Pearson Allyn Bacon.

Advocacy in Social Work

Advocacy in Social Work Advocacy, Rights and Partnership This reflective report contains my experience and understanding of advocacy and explains the types of advocacy and its methods and models, I will explain the theories and relate it to my practice and finally discuss the strengths and weakness of my area of practice and discuss the conflicts of interest implication up on the service user. DEFINITION OF ADVOCACY Advocacy is defined as a key concept in social work practice. It is defined as exerting influence on behalf of organisations and groups within legal power and political structure. Advocacy involves either an individual or group, or their representatives, pressing their case with influential others, about situations which either affect them directly or, and more usually, try to prevent proposed changes, which will leave them worse off .(Pardeck, 1996). Gates (1994) cites four variations of advocacy: legal advocacy, the representation of the user in a formal context, for instance a health-review tribunal; self-advocacy, where the individual or a group of individuals speak up for themselves, a form of empowerment; collective or class advocacy, the large organisations who speak for the interests and rights of a category of people; and citizen advocacy, the representation of the users interests by a competent advocate (eg a Social worker). Advocacy is a concept embraced by social work and advocating for clients is vital for the social work profession. The primary goals of advocacy are achieving social justice and people empowerment. In achieving these goals, a proactive, responsive and participatory approach is necessary (Pardeck, 1996). My role as an advocate during my placement was to speak on behalf of my clients and to empower them to advocate on their own behalf, whenever their rights have been denied; for example in accessing state benefits or demanding repair work from local Housing departments. The advocacy role, from a social context, includes the redistribution of power and recourse to an individual or group, guarding their rights and preserving their values, conserving their best interests and overcoming the sense of powerlessness (Pardeck, 1996. pg 151). RESOURCES AVAILABLE WITHIN PLACEMENT My second year practice placement was with a charity organisation, in the London Borough of Newham called RAMP (Refugee And Migrant Project). RAMP is one of The Renewal Programme projects and is registered with the Home Office Office of Immigration Services Commission. RAMP works to enable refugees and migrants (including asylum seeker) to realise their potentials and facilitate their integration into society. The focus of the organisation is to provide advice and advocacy and support on welfare benefits, housing and education and NASS National Asylum Support Services. RELATING THEORY TO ADVOCACY When I began working with migrants, refugees or asylum seekers, I took a very holistic and Person Centred Approach that allowed me to work in partnership and give them the opportunity to go through their own problems and find their own solutions to them. Carl Rogers was the founder of Person-Centred therapy. As a psychologist in the 1950s and 60s he studied the process of counselling and came to the conclusion that a number of basic principles were required in order for there to be a positive relationship and outcome between the client and the therapist. These are also known as core conditions: . Unconditional positive regard that involves the therapist being non-judgmental and accepting the client and their experiences. . Congruence, which means that the therapist displays their true thoughts and feelings during the session. . Empathy, where the therapist shows understanding towards the clients experiences without oppressing them. When engaging with my clients, I demonstrated unconditional positive regard by not judging them as individuals or for the needs they had; I wanted to find out what it is that they wanted/needed. I was congruent in that I acknowledged the fact that I was a student and I was also learning myself, and therefore I may not be able to answer all questions immediately. Finally, I showed empathy by acknowledging similarities that I may have with them such as coming from a minority ethnic community. As well as the core conditions, I used the Exchange Model of communication to engage in my meetings with my clients. Smale and Tuson (1998) point out that the exchange model believes that the client has an equally valid perception of their problems and that they themselves can contribute to finding the solutions. This also facilitates partnership between the worker and the client. The exchange model was effective because English was the second language for all my clients therefore enabled me to ask them simple, open-ended questions that were free from professional jargon, compared to Procedural model that has pre-set questions to conform to the requirements of the agency. I used two main theories to look at situations during my practice placement: Systems theory and Muslows Hierarchy of Needs. Systems theory originates from Bertalanffys (1971) biological theory that all things are part of a system: sub-systems that make up super-systems (in Payne, 1997). The theory is also known as ecological perspective; family theory and networks theory depending on what context it is used. Systems theory allows you to look at the whole picture and not just one aspect of a particular case. The concept of circular causality is also significant in this theory and it suggests that: if something happens in one part, it affects the other. I therefore did not analyse clients situations in isolation, I looked at their surroundings and their systems to understand their situations better. Pincus and Minahan (1973) describe 3 systems in which people depend on (in Payne, 1997 p.141): Societal systems (housing, social security and schools) For some of my clients, their housing department was part of their societal systems that they may have been experiencing problems with. On top of this, some of their main informal systems their families may be missing from them (i.e. still in their own countries). This had a detrimental effect on their self-confidence and achievement as it left gaps in the systems that are supporting them. Maslows hierarchy of needs highlights that the family is a very important factor in meeting basic needs for example, security. By being estranged from their families, clients are already at a weak point and according to systems theory; this also affects their formal and societal systems. As a social worker, in order to promote and enable my clients and to empower them, it was important that I was able to maintain as many systems around them as possible. This was important for their confidence and future development. When carrying out my work with asylum seekers, refugees and migrants I was very much open and holistic in the way that I looked at the multiple forms of discrimination and oppression that this client group may face. For example I did not only focus on the obvious forms of oppression. Such as race, religion and gender, I also looked at underlying issues such as relationships with partners and domestic abuse. I ensured that I did not ignore the oppression and discrimination that they may face within their own communities. Other theories, models and methods which I used included Crisis Intervention, Task-Centred work, Loss Bereavement amongst others. I found that being able to study, understand and relate these to my practice guided me immensely in my practice. They provided me with the knowledgebase, which I could use to eclectically and effectively in order to work with the many different situations that I worked with. THE IMPORTANCE OF WORKING IN PARTNERSHIP WITH SU Adams (1998 p314) sees advocacy as a form of empowerment which, involves representing a persons interests in circumstances where they are not able to do so themselves. It strives to promote social inclusion by empowering marginalised people and therefore, has a direct relationship to anti-oppressive practice in social work. The ethical principles underlying advocacy reinforce working in partnership with users and carers, a key concept in social work practice and community care. Furthermore, the skills required for successful advocacy reflect core skills of social work practice (Bateman, 2000p17). Professionals get involved in peoples lives most of the times to help, but then oppress them by making decisions for them. Oppression is: Inhuman/degrading treatment of individuals/groups; hardship And injustice brought about by the dominance of one group over another; the negative and demeaning exercise of power. Oppression often involves disregarding the rights of an individual/ group and is thus the denial of citizenship (Thompson 1997 p31). In a situation where the Social worker made a decisions without consulting him, his needs and interests were not considered. As Adams (1998p301) affirms remedies to problems encountered lie primarily with experts and thus undermines self determination and authenticity. Most professionals take it upon themselves to make decisions for people as they assume that they cannot make choices for themselves, yet the Mental Capacity Act 2007 argues that almost all including the most severely disabled are capable of making choices and expressing their views and preferences. Therefore it is the Social workers role to challenge the abuse of power for suppression and for excluding people from decisions which affect them as stated by Stanford (accessed 5/01/2009) in the code of ethics. People requiring access to services should not feel that they are beggars, their welfare needs should be met as a right and dignity and respect should be maintained all the times. STRENGTHSÂ  AND WEAKNESSES OF ADVOCACY To assist service users, advocacy may be appropriate to protect the rights of the service user. An advocate will inform an individual of their options, and talk with other services on their behalf, if required to. The role of an advocate is to allow the service user to make their own self-determinations by ensuring they have all the relevant information, whilst at the same time not imposing their own views on the situation (Coulshed and Orme 1998). Difficulties with advocacy arise if the advocate tries to impose their own opinion on the service user, who may be vulnerable, and open to suggestion. The lack of statutory advocacy means that most services are provided by those who have already experienced similar situations, and who may have a biased view or are not trained to deal with difficult situations (Adams et.al. 2002) Anti oppressive practice (AOP): Looking at the structure of oppression developed by Thompson (1993) called the PCS model. I can illustrate how oppression is occurring, because this model is used to develop our understanding of discrimination and the oppression that arises from it. (Thompson,1998:12). It operates at three very separate levels, which are inter-related. These levels being personal, cultural and structural (the term PCS model). (Thompson,1998:12). Oppression itself is a powerful force. On a personal level it can lead to demoralisation and lack of self-esteem, while at a structural level it can lead to denial of rights. (Dalrymple and Burke,1995:57) This statement proves to be true because at the personal level, because the majority of the community that come to our organisation are feeling oppressed by themselves because of not being able to access facilities and not receiving the advice in maintaining their health, hygiene and environment. At the cultural level oppression is coming from other communities because they feel that they are superior to them, due to the fact that they are more familiar with the services and maybe able to speak English, therefore demoralising the community . At the structural level, institutions such as schools, hospitals, social security offices, advice centres the list is endless do not provide a facility whereby individuals from the community can access them, whereby denying them their rights. As an advocate it was my duty to challenge what the service users where feeling and going through, whereby I would empower them to access necessary services and direct them to attend relevant courses in order to tackle there problems and emotional feelings. CONFLICTS OF INTEREST WHICH MAY ARISE IN ADVOCACY The most common conflict of interest that I was faced with whilst advocating was the language barriers between service users and advocacy staff , In reflection throughout the advocacy I noticed the significant difference that language plays throughout society. It made me realise that not having the language skills can be very oppressive to a person and can leave them marginalized from the rest of society. Communication is a skill in itself and it is central to the role of social work (Thompson, 2000). Communication can come in many different forms; this can include verbal, non-verbal, listening and writing skills. Conclusion In conclusion to the finding throughout research and practice, it shows a huge importance in working in partnership with service users and other professional, good partnership helps social workers and other professional to delivery an effective service. Social workers are helping to promote change; even though they are working within statutory agencies their role can have a huge influence from advocacy.

Managing Employee Retention and Turnover Essays -- Human Resource Mana

Managing Employee Retention and Turnover Employee retention has always been an important focus for human resource managers. Once a company has invested time and money to recruit and train a good employee, it is in their own best interest to retain that employee, to further develop and motivate him so that he continues to provide value to the organization. But, employers must also recognize and tend to what is in the best interest of their employees, if they intend to keep them. When a company overlooks the needs of its employees and focuses only on the needs of the organization, turnover often results. Excessive turnover in an organization is a prime indicator that something is not right in the employee environment. We will look at the differences between retention and turnover, why employees stay, reasons why they leave, and what can be done to save them. We will also examine some external factors that will make employee retention and turnover reduction highest priorities for human resource professionals. Basically, employee retention is measured by an employee's longevity with a company, and is the desired outcome of a company hiring workers it wants and needs. Many organizations find it more productive and profitable to redirect resources formerly allocated to recruiting, hiring, orienting, and training of new employees and use them instead toward employee retention programs. Such programs identify good performers who are likely to leave the company and work proactively to retain them. Although there is no tried-and-true prescription for retaining good employees, there are five factors that have a proven positive impact on retention and they should be taken into consideration when developing an employee retention program:  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Supervisor/Employee relationship - "Immediate supervisors who are also leaders of people will be the most important people in the workplace of the future..." (Jamrog, 2004) Today's supervisor is expected to be a coach, a trainer, and a mentor. Foremost, he must be able to communicate well up and down the organization. Employees who have honest, open relationships with their supervisors feel a sense of commitment to them.  ·Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Employee engagement - The best employees are motivated by tasks that are intellectually stimulating and provide variety and challenge while contributing value. Studies from the Gallup organizat... ...and preparation will help employers more readily adapt. References AARP. 2002, Staying Ahead of the Curve: The AARP Work and Career Study. Wahington, D.C.: AARPRetention rodeo. Buhler, Patricia M. The exit interview: a goldmine of information Source: Supervision v. 63 no4. (Apr. 2002) p. 15-17. Database: WilsonSelectPlus. Ceridian Employee Services, http://www.ceridian.com/myceridian Christian & Timbers, www.ctnet.com Frank, Fredric D. The Race for Talent: Retaining and Engaging Workers in the 21st Century. Source: Human Resource Planning v.27 no3 (2004) p. 12-25. Database: WilsonSelectPlus Jamrog, Jay. The Perfect Storm: The Future of Retention and Engagement. Source: Human Resource Planning v. 27 no3 (2004) p. 26-33. Database: WilsonSelectPlus. Society for Human Resource Management (2003). Older Workers Survey. U.S. Department of Labor, Bureau of Labor Statistics (2003) Customized Data Compilation, November 20. "Demographics and Destiny: Winning the War for Talent," Watson Wyatt Worldwide, Bethesda, Maryland; 301.581.4600 http://www.hermangroup.com/retentionconnection/ http://www.capitalhgroup.com/weAre/research/KeepingTopTalentSurvey.pdf

Capturing the Friedmans Essay -- Film Movies

Capturing the Friedmans In 2003, Andrew Jarecki released his documentary "Capturing the Friedmans", which explores a seemingly normal middle-class families struggle when the father and son are charged with sexual abuse and molestation in 1987. The Friedman's from the outside seem like a healthy family, abiding in a fairly exclusive Great Neck, Long Island community; the father Arnold is a Columbia Graduate and a school teacher, while the mother Elaine, a housewife. They have three sons David, Seth, and Jessie whom appear to be a happy, intelligent, and good-humored group of brothers. The power and prestige of this film comes not from its controversial and serious subject matter, but from the unbiased way in which the story is presented. Jarecki gives the audience an equal amount of facts that could be used to argue both sides of the equation, which leaves one realizing that perhaps what really transpired isn't the point he's aiming for in this film. The audience is left not knowing whether or not Arnold and his son Jesse committed the crimes, but instead they are left realizing truth is irrelevant, because we will never really know exact details, just the disintegration and tragic destruction of the Friedman Family. Regardless of the validity of the claims, there definitely seems to have been something unusual and tragic about the collapsing Friendman Family. The patriarchal/ matriarchal relationship was brok en, Arnold and Elaine didn't seem very much in love anymore, and the boundaries between the parents and the children became less pyramid like and more horizont... ...at because of the size of the children there would have been physical symptoms, no documented evidence of this sort was presented during the case. Out of 100 students no physical symptoms were ever recorded, and not one student said anything about abuse until four years later when the investigator was pursued (Silvergate, 2004) No parents ever filed complaints prior to police investigation. Because memories are malleable and children are even more vulnerable to authority, it is very probable that some children just complied to the leading questions due to fear, but is it possible that they all could? The influence of the investigators parallels to the influence of therapists in cases of sexually abused children's recovered memories. Works Cited 1)Silverglate, Harvey A; Takei, Carl:Mistrial- The Capturing The Friedman's DVD sheds new light on the case. Newsday

Racial Discrimination in the Criminal Justice System Essay

It is generally agreed that discrimination based on racial or ethnic origin is morally wrong and a violation of the principle of equality. Race refers to groups of persons who are relatively alike in their biological inheritance and are distinct from other groups. Ethnicity is a cultural phenomenon referring to a person’s identification with a particular cultural group. Racism in its most general sense can be defined as â€Å"social practices which (explicitly or implicitly) attribute merits or allocate values to members of racially categorized groups solely because of their ‘race’†. The issue of racial discrimination in the criminal justice system is controversial because there is substantial evidence confirming both individual and systemic biases. Although, many people believe there is no systematic racism in criminal justice; research in the past and present displays racial minorities are treated unfair and unjust in all aspects of the criminal justice system. African Americans and Hispanics for decades have accused law enforcement officers of racial profiling (Banks 66). Solid evidence of discrimination exists in many stages of the criminal justice process, including the police use of deadly force and the application of the death penalty. There are at least three aspects to racism: personal prejudice; ideological racism, where culture and biology are used to rationalize and justify the superior position of a dominant culture; and institutional racism, where the policies and practices of institutions operate to produce systematic and continuing differences between racial groups (Banks 67). To determine whether racial discrimination exists within the criminal justice system, criminologists have conducted research studies that have examined the major decision points within criminal justice systems in the United States (Banks 68). Many report suggests that racial discrimination does occur at some points in the criminal justice system. Following the Rodney King incident, the report of the Independent Commission on the Los Angeles Police Department (also called the Christopher Commission) (1991) found that there was excessive use of force by LAPD officers and that this was compounded by racism and bias (Banks 69). An agreement about racism exists among criminal justice administrators, policymakers, and academics. The conclusion that racial discrimination is proven to be in the justice system certainly does not follow from the research on the subject. But a majority of scholars would certainly agree that there is a substantial body of evidence proving that racial bias inheres in certain practices and policies of both the criminal justice and juvenile justice systems. The controversy about racial discrimination in the criminal justice system remains unresolved. While most research proposes an absence of systematic racial discrimination, there is agreement among researchers that acts of discrimination does occur at specific decision-making points. Regardless of the conclusions of research studies, there is a widespread belief among minorities that the system discriminates against them and is therefore unjust (Banks 84). Works Cited Quigley, Bill. â€Å"Fourteen Examples of Racism in Criminal Justice System.† The Huffington Post. TheHuffingtonPost.com, 26 July 2010. Web. 15 Apr. 2014. Banks, Cyndi. Criminal Justice Ethics: Theory and Practice. Thousand Oaks: SAGE Publications, 2013. Print. ABC 20/20 What Would You Do Vandals Racism In America Pt. 1 ABC 20/20 What Would You Do Vandals Racism In America Pt. 2

The Different Motivational Theories

This model, lay downly foreboding theory, suggests that undivideds, acting d atomic number 53 and through self-interest, adopt courses of action comprehendd as maximizing the prob baron of suited outcomes for themselves. This need to maximize self-interest provides aspiring leaders with unique opportunities to assume lead economic consumptions by simultaneously get together both assistant needs and organizational requirements. We intend to explicitly link expectancy theory and leadership concepts to demonstrate that leader interactions with followers abide the establishment of highly pauperismal functional environments.In so doing, individuals acquire the fashion to transcend their traditional roles of supervisor, manager, or follower, and ca-ca their potentials as leaders. In parliamentary law to go on competitive at home or within the global market, we must detail relegating in our minds the functions of leadership to the slip of the president or CEO of the org anization. Instead, we must come to view the leadership role as part of every employees wrinkle, at all levels of the organization. (Isaac, Zerbe & Pitt, 2001, p. 212)Since its origins in the 1960s justice conjecture held forth the promise of portion to explain how employees respond to situations in which they perceive they be being rewarded to a smashinger extent or less favorably in comparison to a referent doing similar work. in short after its inception, Weick (1966) deemed it to be one of the intimately using upful existing organizational carriage theories. Subsequent reviews concluded that the empirical testify supporting law supposition was primarily strong, especially with regards to how workers respond to under-reward situations. come outliness scheme proposed that subjects respond to under-reward situations in various ways in an go about to bring their muckledour proportionality back into balance. For example, subjects may distinguish a behavioral resp onse to attend tighten their feelings of inequity. They may respond in such ways as decrease their inputs (i. e. , non put forth as much motion) or increasing their outcomes (i. e. , gather up for a raise).Subjects may instead expend a cognitive response to reduce feelings of inequity such as selecting other soul to use as their referent. at long last the subject may choose to top the situation by deciding to modify or quit the organization. Allen & White, 2002) Although previous fair-mindedness Theory interrogation has concluded that under-rewarded subjects in the main respond in a fashion that is consistent with classic Equity Theory, it is non well-to-do to scream which option they pass on select to bring their equity ratio into balance. This lack of specificity regarding what responses individuals experiencing inequity are apt(predicate) to imbibe is a serious blemish of the headmaster Equity Theory.As such, the original Equity Theory eventually bring do wn out of favor receiv adapted in part to this inability to predict on the dot how individuals would respond to an under-reward situation (e. . , lower their inputs, attempt to raise their outcomes, cognitively justifying the situation, decide to chip in the organization). This lack of predictive ability of Equity Theory makes it much less multipurpose to practitioners such as managers and human imaginativeness professionals who would greatly bene lead if they could accurately predict the reactions that their employees would require to dissentent inequitable situations. Accordingly, research on the topic of Equity Theory moved off in another(prenominal) direction.Inspired by legal research, the procedural justice stream of research began to centralise much(prenominal) on the processes and procedures of how pay and experience are pay backd, rather than the reactions that individuals have to them. Equity Theory research became less everyday and eventually withered away. ( Allen & White, 2002) While changing organizational culture is not an easy process, it can be accomplished by show a commitment to the individual employee. Despite the lits heavy emphasis on the clandestine domain, m both of the elements of Theory Z can be fix in public organizations.This article describes one citys effort to change culture by emphasizing fair treatment of organizational members, employee involvement, bipartizan communication, employees personal development and recognition and camaraderie. During the retiring(a) decade, organizations in the American society have faced great uncertainty. The challenge of meeting the increasing competition of the Japanese and westward Europeans in the international marketplace, massive reorder of corporations through leveraged acquisitions and consolidations, and rapidly changing engine room have impacted organizational behavior in the private vault of heaven.Public sector organizations have faced the effects of the young f ederalism, the Tax Re casting Act of 1986, taxpayer revolts, and numerous other events and actions which have caused disruption. These demands on American organizations, especially those coming from foreign competition, have forced leaders to question their worry abilities and their organizations commitment to excel. As part of this introspection, an trial of the underlying value, beliefs, and attitudes of organizations has been undertaken, especially in the popular, non-academic literature (Watson & Burkhalter, 1992)Job Design for returns employees has been categorised as a occupation line near or an empowerment approach (Bowen & Lawler, 1992). The production line approach, as its name implies, is found on a Tayloristic view. It is establish on four tenets unprejudiced tasks, put on division of labor, substitution of equipment and systems for employees, and little decision-making dainty of employees. This design seeks to gain node contentment through efficiency, consis tency, and low costs.It is imperative with the production line line of merchandise design that IT is installed as a part of that design so as to facilitate matching it to the expediency encounters anticipated. The number and nature of the options from which the employee chooses should then be limited to matching the constraints on their decision-making authority. any(prenominal) access to additional in playation would not only be of no use it would actually deter efficiency. For example, if all hamburgers are prepared to the aforesaid(prenominal) degree of doneness, better-looking a customer encounter person the option of asking a customer how he/she would like the meat cooked would slack down the process.In fast food, cash registers (which also communicate orders to the backroom) prompt order-takers through the decisions that are allowable. Thus, the more standardized the service the more easily circumscribed technologically it can be(5) because the reality of the encounter i s simple and presumed to be more easily captured than encounters in which provided services are customized and the outcome of any one such encounter is variable. The more circumscribed technologically the service is, the more efficiently the service can be performed but the more dependent upon the circumscribing engineering science customer encounter service force become.Mechling & Little, 2000, p. 65) The Two-factor Theory, or Motivation and Hygiene Theory, purports to mark off between intimate and extrinsic aspects of the job. The authors referred to the intrinsic factors as content or motivators, and they allow in achievement, advancement, the work itself, responsibility, and recognition. The extrinsic factors were referred to as hygienics has and included company policy and administration, technical supervision, work conditions, salary, and interpersonal supervision. (Maidani, 1991) the applicability of Herzbergs Two-factor Theory of job Satisfaction among public and pri vate sector employees.The study, therefore was designed to suss out the job content (motivators or intrinsic) and job context (hygiene or extrinsic) factors contributing to job satisfaction among those employees. Furthermore, the study attempted to determine whether using this instrument would yield the kindred results as those of Herzberg et al. (1959) using the critical incidents techniques. possibleness 1 was support. Significant differences were found due to the fact that the satisfied group values motivator really more than the dissatisfy group. A t-value of 1. 98 indicated that a world-shattering difference existed between the two groups. supposal 2 was not supported. No significant differences were found between the satisfied and displease employees relating to value placed on hygiene factors. Hypothesis 3 was not supported as no significant differences were found between private and public sector employees on the value placed on motivator factors. (Maidani, 1991) The expectancy theory formulate by Edward C Tolman in the thirty- approximatelything (whereby behavior rests on the instinctive mark for individuals to balance the value of expected benefits against the expense of energy) falls into the same stimulus-response approach to motivation.It demonstrates that an individuals intensity level of motivation can be tolerate on by the expectations of outcomes from certain actions and further alter by the individuals preferred outcome, as demonstrate by Victor H. Vroom in the 1960s. Individuals are consciously self-interested in the outcomes of their actions. For example, a worker may put in extra time and effort to a project and expect to be pay more money. That is his desire reward and what he expects. If he does not receive, what he expects his motivational level go out fall dramatically.Elton Mayo, in the Hawthorne experiments concluded that individuals adjusted their motivational levels to fit in with the group. The individual valu es the panegyric and acceptance of others and will conform to the groups motivational standards in order to fit in. unmatchable important point about expectancy theory is that individual perceptions can be very different, and the motivation and behavior of individuals will vary considerably.It pays, therefore, in external stimuli to bear in mind that 1. he routes to desired outcomes for individuals and teams are clear and 2. individuals perceive the rewards or punishments in different ways gibe to their own values. There is a great need to treat people as individuals but as the 5050 rule also indicates, other motivational factors should always be set in the context of the individuals managed environment. Leaders have a vital role to play in creating a motivational environment in which their team members can excel by in turn using the motivation within themselves.To be able to do this, we as leaders need to baffle by looking at ourselves and acquiring our contribution right befor e we can criticize others. (Thomas, 2004, p. 61) Process models are based on the important insight that responses to (persuasive) messages do not only take the form of controlled, capacity-intensive cognitive processes, or only the form of simple automatic processes involving little works memory. Message processing may be dominated by either form, or it may blend the two, depending on our ability and motivation to think about the spunk of a message.Affective processes appear to (a) regulate levels of motivation and ability to process in a thoughtful manner, (b) guide the recuperation of information from memory, and (c) provide cues to simple responses (Babrow, 1993, p. 111) dialectic perspectives on communication also represent multiple- process theory. Of course, dialectical analyses of one chassis or another have been discussed for centuries (see Adler, 1952). As numerous dialectical thinkers have pointed out, however, several(prenominal) sources are consistent in these pub lications these themes exemplify some of the most desirable potentialities of multiple- process theory.The most elemental theme in dialectical thinking is that of emulation dialectic either begins or ends with some sort of intellectual conflict, or develops and resolves virtually such oppositions ( Adler, 1952 , p. 350). Dialectical opposites are in return conditioning (the occurrence, existence, or meaning of one pole is conditioned by its opposite) and at the same time mutually excluding . For instance, telephone set presupposes but also excludes silence, and so as well as for amity and enmity, motion and stillness. (Babrow, 1993, p. 15)All of these theories expound on the perception of the individual working to better themselves in some way. They differ in their methods, some look at how the individual will work for recognition, advancement, or just for encouragement. All of these methods are impressive means of making individuals and groups work more efficiently. However, it is important to point out that distributively method does not work for the same situation. One must be able to differentiate between the theories in order to determine the best means.