Philosophy Of Medicine Essays (3957 words) -

Philosophy Of Medicine The book, the Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman is an objective look into the world of two different cultures and their belief systems. The viewpoints of the Hmong and of the American doctors represent Hmong culture and the root of Western medicine. The book takes into account how two cultures, rather, two completely opposite worlds are "collided" and their impact on each other (Fadiman 1997). The book uncovers the underlying meaning of how different Western medicine can be from different cultures and its challenges and consequences. In addition, Fadiman questions the very basics of philosophy by taking into account the simple metaphysics and moral ethics that face Lia's doctors and parents and what role society plays. The book questions the belief system of Western medicine as well as the Hmong beliefs and cultural practices. Fadiman encourages us to think of the root of Western culture and medicine as well as learning about the Hmong's beliefs. Which is more relevant? When a patient is in a life or death situation, whose opinion and expertise on medicine holds higher ground? In the case of Lia Lee, this was the problem. Why was Hmong culture and practice irrelevant in the eyes of the many doctors and nurses that cared for Lia? Reading this book, it is obvious to see the philosophy of western medicine versus the Hmong culture. This book helps clearly define western culture and its biomedical system by contrasting it to the Hmong's. The book, more than anything, else analyzes the epistemological, metaphysical, and moral viewpoints of both western medicine and that of the Hmong culture and questions their validity and effectiveness. Epistemology is the theory of knowledge(Tauber). In this book, the theory of knowledge can be posed by one question. How did Lea get sick? This question leads to two different viewpoints ? Western medicine and culture and the Hmong. The root of Western medicine is biomedicine. What makes biomedicine unique and sets it apart from other cultures is the idea that there is only one answer and one truth behind that. Simply stated, it is a matter of facts and the question of what, not how(Tauber). This is the primary difference between Hmong culture and Western medicine. In the book, Lia's doctors wanted to know the one problem that was causing Lia to have severe seizures. They neglected to ask how Lia got sick. The view of Lia's parents was the complete opposite. They wanted to know how Lia got sick and if this meant Lia was blessed with a gift and would become a "txiv neeb(Fadiman)." To understand the epistemological perspective of the Hmong, we must first take into account their cultural identity and how they practiced it. The Hmong were adamant in their belief system and were wary of the doctors in Merced in there care of Lia. Under their care, they believed; Lia would have been healed. The Hmong cultures to cure an illness, in Lia's case the quag dab peg, there were animal sacrifices made. Lia's parents say that Lia's soul had left her when her sister had unintentionally slammed the door. This rationalization that the door frightened Lia and was the cause of the series of medical problems she would face, is an example of the epistemological view of Lia's parents. It was interesting to read in the book, as Faddiman recounts, the way the doctors treated Lia's parents. Because of the cultural barrier, communication problems pertained to everything from signing a document to administration of medication for Lia. Because of the cultural barrier, there were problems of moral ethics as well. Did the doctors ever take into account the parents wishes for their child? Lia's parents believed that the only medication they were willing to give Lia would be the kind that would be fast and preferably in a pill. The Hmong culture is against shots and blood being taken in large quantities as well as anything that could affect the dab and cause evil spirits to enter her soul(Fadiman). Epistemologically speaking, the doctors had a completely different viewpoint of what happened to Lia than her parents. From the doctor's point of view, their main concern was not primarily how Lia got sick but rather where the existence of the illness came from. There main goal as Lia's doctors was to stop the seizures that were taking control of Lia's body and to do that they needed to know where the problem was located. Was the uncontrollable epilepsy caused by a neurological deficit in

Peter The Great essays

Peter The Great essays The development of a particular region sometimes relies on the strength and intelligence of an individual. Throughout the years, many have proven themselves worthy of this exhausting task. When Peter Romanov was declared czar at age ten, he never could have guessed that one day, historians and others would refer to him as Peter the Great. 17th century Russia was undergoing tremendous change and modernization, and it Europe was the place people wanted to be if they desired to see the most recent technology and clothing styles. This was true all over Europe except for Russia, a very large country lying right under the Artic Ocean. Time seemed to have slowed down and stopped completely here. Technology was extremely poor compared to her neighboring countries. Nature easily ruled over most of the natives and serfs who lived as peasants or slaves. These are the folks who were relied on for labor, because of the lack of technology. The merciless Russian winters could bring an army to its knees, and deathbeds if supplies were limited. The government was very close to that of a medieval one, as well as Russias military forces. Elsewhere in Europe Holland was constructing a grand empire and Sweden was assembling an invincible army. Then Peter came to absolute power, and his obsession with the modern world outside of Russia brought along a transformation that affected society from all angles. Peter acquired numerous skills and abilities growing up in the Russian countryside. One of these was his ability to battle as soldiers did in wars. He carried this knowledge with him throughout his rule, and it changed the process in which men were selected for rank in his army. Usually, the wealthier a man was the higher his rank as a soldier. Peter disagreed with this law. He altered it to have men of experience, no matter what their social status, have a higher rank than men ...

A Practical Guide to Successful Teaching Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

A Practical Guide to Successful Teaching - Essay Example To do this, facilitating the learning process becomes vital. This is because it is the role of the teacher to interact and professionally relate with the students in a manner that enhances their educational welfare. In so doing, the teaching-learning roles of a teacher are met. To complement this process, teacher responsibilities are factored in. This is done by ensuring that the teacher constantly monitors changes in the teaching and learning environment so that any vital changes are adopted in a timely manner. Most importantly, ethics and professional conduct crown the teacher’s responsibilities. The discharge of the teacher’s role and responsibilities inform the completeness of the teaching cycle. Of course, the cycle is characterized by critical boundaries that have to be observed at all times. While the teaching-learning environment requires student-teacher interaction and professional relations be maintained, the process is subject to boundaries that outline the extent to which such interactions and relations can go. Striking a balance between the issues, concerns, interests, goals, and objectives of teaching and learning maintains a professional perspective of the role, responsibilities and boundaries of a teacher in terms of the teaching cycle (Ingleby, Dawn, & Powell, 2011, p.92). The educational setting is broad in scope and practice. As a result, the applicable legislation and codes of practice vary across differentiated fields of specialization. The education fraternity is made up of numerous subjects, all of which contribute significantly to the success of the education sector. The education organizational setting is regulated and/or governed by numerous current legislation, among them: Equality Act 2010, Race Relations (Amendment) Act 2000, Data Protection Act 1998,  Special Educational Needs and Disability Act 2001, and Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 (LSC, 2007). Moreover, in specific fields like social sciences, there are applicable legislation that regulates, monitor, and govern the training and execution of examinations.

Organisational behaviour Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Organisational behaviour - Essay Example Generation Y comprises of people born between 1981 and 1994 with some others extending the period to 2002. They are depicted as ethnically diverse people who are optimistic, achievement oriented, confident, independent, and digitally savvy and dislike being micromanaged (Tapscott, 2009). Millennials are joining organisations in large numbers and may presently contribute to the largest percentage of employees in a company. As they join the workforce, new demands are emerging in order to meet their requirements, which seem to differ from those of the boomers and the Generation X employees. Therefore, companies are creating models based on evaluation of Generation Y’s values, characteristics, and aspirations, then applying them with some well-known theories to incorporate this generation into the workplace (Pepermans and Kerpel, 2008:907). Analysis of the Main Issues facing Management at Rising Entertainment Rising entertainment has a few problems when it comes to the management of Generation Y employees. Firstly, the Generation Y and Generation X employees seem to be in a dispute. The Generation Y wants the Generation X employees to immediately adopt the new ideas that they possess. Josh introduces the idea of marketing the new series on websites, blogs and You tube because he thinks that it would improve sales. Sara, on the hand, nods in agreement but quickly brushes off the idea making Josh feel insignificant. The Generation Y employee has great ideas, but forgets to make further plans like the fiscal capacity needed for implementation. Josh seems to possess a pool of new ideas but in his haste, overlooks planning and protocols, a characteristic associated with the Generation Y. Generation Y employees are creative and forward thinking as depicted in the case of Josh (Erickson, 2008). Generation Y employees are impartial towards protocol and traditional power structures that exist within an organisation. This leads to distrust between employees (Erickson, 2008). Josh meets the company’s C.E.O., Sam, and immediately talks about his marketing ideas and how they would increase sales. Sam tells Josh to give a presentation in a meeting scheduled on the following day. Josh is not even aware of the meeting for he is not scheduled to attend. He is not prepared either. Generation Y employees seem to disregard protocol as Josh did, thus conflicting with the other employees. They are in always in a hurry to get push their ideas and see most of them implemented, therefore, going to the extent of bypassing relevant authority. After finding out that Josh contacted Smithson, Sara gets angry because Josh did not follow the right channels (Erickson, 2009). Generation Y employees await daily feedback about their performance and continuous recognition for their contribution. They feel that they have valuable knowledge and should take credit for it (Erickson, 2008). After getting recognised, Generation Y employees want rewards, which are in this case, promotions and flexible calendars. The flexible calendar ensures that they have some free time off the job to enjoy life (Munro, 2009:7). Josh wanted his ideas taken seriously and implemented so that he could be rewarded. Josh can be seen yearning for some free time to enjoy Los Angeles nightlife. He thinks that he can get a senior position by

Ultra Orthodox versus Secular Jews among the Israeli Term Paper

Ultra Orthodox versus Secular Jews among the Israeli - Term Paper Example The world view also comprises of the knowledge of what is held to be true and what is considered false by the individual or society. The world view also includes the ethics held. This therefore means that people with different world views will have different thoughts and attitudes about a given subject. This can be a potential cause of conflict in a multicultural setting. An example of a community that has diverse world views is the Israeli community. The different world views present in the Israeli society means that there are many attitudes that are held in the society towards issues such as sexuality and intimacy. The different world views present in the Israeli society include the ultra orthodox Israeli Jews and the secular community. The two communities are different in the way that they interpret the world around them, and how they carry on their day to day activities. The fundamental difference between the two groups can be seen in their religious beliefs. The differences in r eligions mean that the two groups will have different codes of behavior and ethics. The differences however extend to the values that they hold in regards to different aspects of life. This means that the two groups have different world views when it comes to their views on intimacy and sexuality. The ultra orthodox community in the Israeli culture for example is very strict on matters of sexuality and intimacy. The boys and the girls are not allowed to mingle freely. They are instead expected to attend separate schools. Interaction between the two sexes is discouraged. In regards to intimacy and marriage, the norm in the society is that the man is introduced to the woman for the purposes of marriage. Intimacy between the sexes is reserved for the purposes of procreation. In this society, there is a rule that specifies that all male ejaculations should be vaginally contained. This is reflected in the big families that are characteristic of the community. Marriages are also expected to take place at a young age. Other than that, all forms of intimacy between the men and the women are discouraged. In all sectors of life, the men and the women remain segregated. The ultra orthodox community does not encourage awareness of one’s sexuality for the community. This is reflected in the restrictions that are placed in access of information from the internet and from the mobile phones. The women are generally looked upon as the lesser sex and some of the ultra orthodox publications even have a policy of not publishing pictures of women. Women are expected to maintain a decent style of dressing which is characterized by long skirts or dresses, high necklines that do not expose their bodies and the married women are expected to cover their head. All forms of intimacy and contact before marriage are forbidden which often prevents the people from forming positive and intimate relationships. In this society, intimacy is accepted in the confines of the marriage institu tion. And most people get into marriage without any prior knowledge or experience in matters of intimacy and sexuality (‘The Status of Jewish and Palestinian woman in Israel’). The views that are held by the orthodox on intimacy and sexuality can be attributed to the ideals that they hold on their religious practices. The ideals of the community are based on the teaching of the torah. They therefore do not

The Psychological Effects of Change Management

The Psychological Effects of Change Management An organization is a system of interacting subsystems and components set within wider systems and environments which provide inputs to the system and which receive its outputs (Senior, 2002, p.5). That is why each organization affects the system but is being modified by the latter as well. According to Armstrong (2009, p.404), as there is no such thing as ideal organization the change is vital. The author argues that by facing each problem, the organisation should be modified in order to achieve the best fit between the structure and the circumstances (2009, p. 405). On the other hand, an organization has different components such as employees which are the essential assets for a company, highly likely they will be affected from the change management of the organization in different ways. There is no doubt that the most important impact is the psychological one for the employees which is considered as resistance to the new management system. These effects should be managed carefully in order to facilitate the change process. Contrary to those who believe that change can only be successful through coercive measures, this paper argues that change must be implemented through a positive approach which consists of a dialogue process with employees. The communication and the presentation of the change management plan will allow employees to express their thoughts and feelings about it. Because their reaction is taken into account, they will feel part of the change process, and they will be more likely to adapt to a given change. This, at the end, will ease the implementation of change, and will help the company to finalize this process in a more peaceful and successful way. Firstly, the concept of change management concept will be explained briefly. Secondly, the concept of resistance and the psychological effects on the employees such as shock of the new, inconvenience, fear of failure will be discussed, and finally, the mitigation methods which depend on the choice of change management programme will be enum erated such as communication, presentation of the change management plan, and bargaining which will be discussed with their effects. THE CONCEPT OF CHANGE MANAGEMENT The change management is the way of dealing with a possible change process since that every company should be ready for a potential modification in the system in order not to be effected by it in a negative way. The concept is defined by Armstrong such as the process of achieving the smooth implementation of change by planning and introducing it systematically, taking into account the likelihood of it being resisted (2009, p.424). Although the change is the only thing that stays constant in the organization (Armstrong, 2009, p.424), and that is the reason why the change management has a vital place in the organizational life. Change starts with a need of modification in the system and happens during a process. Even though nothing disturbs the organizational life, change will happen in a range of time (Senior, 2002). The reason why the change emerges can be internal or external. The former consists of a revision of the administration, redesign of group jobs, external factors can be ei ther social-cultural or political (Senior, 2002, p.5). There exist three types of change: strategic change which is a long term modification, operational change which is related to a change of a part of an organisation and transformational change which affects dramatically the structure, the process and behaviours of the organization (Armstrong, 2009, p.425). In either way a change management programme is highly required to companies. There is a variety of change programmes, and everyone has its own approach, but five characteristics are common between these according to Binney and Williams : vision, telling people what that vision is, top management determination, planning and programming and adopting the best practice (2005. p.296). The management process aims success by decreasing the resistance against the change. The PSYCHOLOGICAL IMPACTS OF THE CHANGE MANAGEMENT The change management has psychological effects on employees because of the fact that every modification creates a resistance to the organization. As the former will create a new system for them, it can be said that every change management programme is the change itself. As psychological impacts, shock of the new (Armstrong, 2009, p. 431) can be cited, it means that employees will go through a process that they do not know, and they are afraid of it since it is unknown: the new situation will be distinct from the routine. There is also inconvenience (Armstrong, 2009, p.431) because they may think that their life may be more difficult than the previous one. Moreover, the change causes economic fears and uncertainty of the new situation and the latter symbolises a threat to interpersonal relationships that they build during their former organizational life. The new system will probably bring new rules, and they will need to integrate themselves to the new procedures: as to Steers and Black, they may doubt about their competences and they may have a fear of failure (1994, p. 669). Furthermore, it is also the fact that group norms and role prescriptions can be changed and their status may not be the same as the former. As it has been enumerated before, the employees will face a different aspect of their own organization, their habit and their group norms will change and there will be multiple effects on their psychology. That is the reason why employees will show some kind of a reaction called individual resistance (Steers, Black, 1994, p. 668) to the implication of the change management. The resistance can even cause the failure of the im plementation since employees are the most important assets of the organization. The psychological impact has been covered of five stages by Carnall (1990), which can be helpful to understand the resistances change. These five steps are general ones which employees pass through during the process of change. The first stage is denial (1999, p.211) where the employee does not admit that he needs a change in the organization and tries not to accept any changes with a disbelieve to his employers. Carnall argues that it is a warning period and there will be no decrease of performance. The second stage is the defence(1999, p.212) where the employee gets the new position or the new environment but does not want to do it and find excuses related to the new situation. The third one is discarding (1999, p. 212) when employee starts to let go the past, and starts to getting used to the new procedure. This is where employee accepts that the change was inevitable (1999, p.213). Stage four is adaptation (1999, p. 213) where the integration of the employee is realized and every thing works according to the plan. The last one is the internalization where the new change management plan has been became a normal one (1999, p.214): it is the phase where the normalization of the behaviour occurred. The MITIGATION of THE PSYCOLOGICAL IMPACTS The psychological impact should be mitigated in order to realize the change management aimed. Human element is the prime benchmark at this point, it means that every effort must be made according to the interests of those who have been affected by change (Senior, 2002). Mitigation will help to make the employees accept the change management more easily and adapt them to the new sturucture that they are willing to face. It should be underlined that the mitigation effect depend on the change management nature that has been chosen by the administration. Overcoming the psychological effects can be done in multiple ways, the best is to present the change management programme to the employees and try to get them into the project in order to reach a better level of integration. The communication is essential at this point (Armstrong, 2009), it does not mean that the employee will have influence on the change, but at least they will be able to predict their future, which will bring the decrease of the fear that they feel. It is not necessarily an active participation of employees, but an explanation of the reasons why the company choose to make a modification on the current model of management, and its plan in order not to make frighten employees. Every affects that will be faced depend on the introducing method; it may make people a part of the plan and will push them to collaborate with the company. After communication process, the company should also identify the possible fears and their reasons, and after, the administration should find ways to resolve the problems which may occur during the process (Armstrong, 2009). This kind of an attitude will not only help the integration of the employees to the new system but also will provide more credit to current the administration. On the other hand this communication phase can be done as participation to the decision making. The administration can listen to the employees carefully and take them idea as well for understanding in a better way their point about the change (Beech, Kenna, 2008, p. 95). In that case alienation of employees to the change will be less. The company could choose a step forward of communication: bargaining. In that case the employee is having a role in the process. Thurlys model is a well example, this plan has five steps as directive, bargaining, heart and minds, analytical approach and action based. In this case, the change management is imposed to the employees by the management power at first, but then the process is negotiated between the employee and the employer which will help the administration to understand the possible psychological effects of the change, and modify the plan according to it. A brain storming is being done and the management power will find the best way to adapt the new system. In that model the employee is not only a part of the plan but also is facing the administration which will give the feeling of importance to the employee. Moreover, Beech and Kenna share the same idea, according to them when the administration choose a bargaining method (2008, p.95) the company can attract more people to collaborate in an easy way and employees who had been helped the administration can have a better position in the change management process. Furthermore, training and skill development programmes (Beech, Kenna, 2008) can be used in order to decrease the psychological impacts as fear of failure or inconvenience. On the other hand, the physiological effects can be managed by coercion (direct threat), manipulation, withholding negative data (Beech, Kenna, 2008, p. 95). There is no doubt that the administration will show it force on the employees by these methods but is should be underlined that the fear will be more in long term, and additionally the employees will lose their thrust to the administration. Beer et Al argue that people can adopt to a new organizational system and the change should be done in a sharply way but showing the overcome is always a better way, since the behaviour and conscience are related to each other (Armstrong, 2009, p. 428), and more the employee will see the outcome, the more he will adapt itself to the new situation. CONCLUSION As a conclusion, change for every company is a must since it is interrelated to the system and because of the inputs and outputs, change becomes inevitable. Every organization needs to have a change management plan for being prepared to a new organizational system. There are multiple change management programmes; their common point is their aim which is to decrease the effects of change. Additionally, to every plan there will be a resistance; it is result of fear, prejudice, anxiety and ignorance (Calmon, Paton, 1992, p. 9) the change management plan has psychological impacts on employees such as shock, inconvenience, fear of failure. They live it in five stages as denial, defence, discarding, adaptation, internalization according to Carnall. The psychological effects can be mitigated by communication, participation of the employees to the management plan and bargaining. On the other hand coercion can be a way as well, but the best way is to handle the process by a positive way becau se of the fact that the employee is the most important asset of the company moreover the programme will be more efficient, and easy to adapt.

why everyone should own 1 punk cd Essay -- essays research papers

Outline for Persuasive Speech Topic: Why everyone should own one Punk CD. 1. a. By a show of hands I would like to see how many of you listen to Punk Rock. Today I’d like to talk to you about this genre of music that was created in reaction to other forms of music, and hopefully influence you to check it out and maybe even buy a CD. i. I’ve been listening to punk since as early as the 5th grade. â€Å"Punk† (make quote sign) is a term applied to a child or teenager who acts in an antisocial way. Punk music is a form of rebellion, and it turned against all other musical forms and influences at its time of creation. Punk music is as much cultural as it is musical. It is anarchic, against society, and against everything in established order. ii. I’d like to give you a brief history, the philosophy behind the music, and how what you hear today on the radio isn’t quite the same. I’ve included a few of the bands that I like to give you an idea what I’m talking about. Punk rock is much more than just music as music is just expressions of what people hold dear to them. Transition statement: But since I don’t have all day to talk lets go to a brief history. A LITTLE BIT OF HISTORY Most of the first wave of British punk were born from art schools. Members from The Clash, Sex pistols, Damned, Wire, Adam and the ants, and Siouxsie and the Banshees had all come from such places in and around London. A large contingent came from in and around the Kings road area of west London, and a lot of the first wave knew of each other first hand- Tony James (Gen X), Mick Jones (Clash). Topper Headen (Clash) and Keith Levine (Clash, Public Image) had all been in the London SS, a Proto-punk band featuring the aforementioned all-star line-up. Shortly after The SS split, Tony James went to form Chelsea with future Generation X member and MTV pop star Billy Idol. In addition they recruited future Damned Guitarist and leader Brian James. The Clash's Leader, Joe Strummer had been plying his trade in the pub rock scene, which was instrumental to the rise of punk, with his previous band the 101'ers. As soon as he saw the Pistols, he knew his band was outdated. Strummer was actually an ex public schoolboy, and his dad was a worker in the national treasury of some sort. Other bands, such as the UK subs had also evolved from pub rock- Charlie Harper was in the marauders prior to forming the sub... ...e people its all about who out punk or be more hardcore than the next punk. People who disregard other punks for the type of punk they listen to. The most disregarded punks are the ones who listen to some commercialized music. This in general to me is ok to a certain degree. If you love the music and it means something to you it is ok with me, but if you are just listening to it because other people do or you are just radio oriented for any band I dislike it. Punks shouldn't deem those who listen to some commercial music and love it posers. That is wrong to me. Everyone knows that for how many punks there are in an area there are usually just as many posers. The people who I think qualify as posers are radio oriented, do things or listen to a band just because other true punks are and have no love for it, people who just do it for the style, and people with a punk attitude with no beliefs to back it up. You will never see a person listening to rap or techno listening to punk musi c, but as a punk, we are taught to be more open to different styles of music, because punk is not a contest, it is unity, love for the music, an attitude, a lifestyle, and many other things to be true to.