This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona

Amanda Sehdev 03/19/2013 Setting Essay In Sherman Alexie’s â€Å"This Is What It Means to Say Phoenix, Arizona†, a young man named Victor finds out that his father has passed, but can’t afford to travel from Spokane to Phoenix, especially after the fact that he had just lost his job at the Bureau of Indian Affairs. The first setting in Spokane describes what Victor and other Indians go through on the reserve, this cultural aspect is actually interesting because nobody knows what others go through and how tough their lives may actually be.Victor asks the tribal council if he can borrow money from the tribal council until he gets the assets that his father left for him. All they can offer him is $100, which he agrees to take. Victor’s mother barely has enough money to help him out and his family doesn’t really keep in touch with him. Victor’s old childhood friend Thomas Builds-The-Fire hears about his issue and offers to help only under the con dition that he can tag along. Thomas is a storyteller on the reserve, who everyone thinks is weird and nobody wants to listen to because he tells the same story over and over again.Victor agreed to let Thomas help him and let him ride along. On the flight to Phoenix, Thomas and Victor were sitting next to a woman, who was flexing her body in all sorts of directions. Thomas embarrasses Victor by asking her questions and talking during the whole flight, even though she did turn out to be a nice woman. Once they landed, they got a taxi to the trailer where Victor’s dad lived. Walking into the trailer was a little hard for the two of them because Victor’s dad had passed away in the trailer and was not found for over a week.They describe that Arizona is over one-hundred degrees during the summer, so I can only imagine the stench that came out of the trailer. Victor told Thomas that he didn’t have to help but he still insisted. After they had retrieved all the belongi ngs that Victor felt was worth keeping, they put their stuff in the pickup truck that his dad left behind and headed home. They traveled through Nevada describing how they didn’t see any wildlife and lack of water. It just so happened that when Victor asked Thomas to drive, he ends up running over the first animal that they see in Nevada. After that, Thomas decided that he should drive again.When they get home, Victor thanks Thomas for his help and gives him half of his dads ashes because they were all like family. Thomas tells Victor that he is going to take the ashes to Spokane Falls, where Thomas’s father had found Thomas and brought him back to the reserve. After they got back and said their good-byes, they both knew things would end up going back to the way they were before. Victor found himself wondering where all the ties of the community went and the sense of the community. The setting in this story is just background, I don’t think that there was much d escribed about where they were or what the surroundings were.

Contemporary Management Approaches Essay

The four contemporary approaches to management are: Sociotechnical systems theory, quantitative management, organizational behavior, and systems theory. Sociotechnical systems theory tries to revamp tasks to get the most out of the operation of a new technology while maintaining the human aspects of the work, such as the employees’ interpersonal relationships. It also touts the use of teamwork and the partially self-governing work groups as important factors for creating efficient production systems (Bateman S. , 2013). The Quantitative management approach focuses on using the quantitative analysis on managerial problems and decisions. Formal mathematical models of the problem are used by managers to make a decision. Managers are not often trained to use these techniques so the quantitative management approach is infrequently used (Bateman S. , 2013). The Organizational approach assumes that employee effectiveness is based on understanding the intricate interplay of individual, group, and organizational processes (Evolution, 2012). Disciplines such as psychology and sociology are used to try and explain the behavior of employees on the job (Bateman S. , 2013). The Systems theory approach to management assumes that organizations are open systems that depend on inputs from the external environment that need to be transformed into outputs that meet the market’s needs for goods and services. Inputs are the goods and services that an organization takes in and uses to create products or services. Outputs are the goods and services that the organization creates (Evolution, 2012). I think the sociotechnical approach is the most important because it focuses on keeping current with the new technology. This approach also recognizes the importance of keeping the employees happy so as to maximize production. References Bateman, S. (2013). Management (M Starts Here series–soft cover), 3rd edition 2013. McGraw-Hill. Evolution, T. (2012). The Evolution of Management. Retrieved from Highered.Mcgraw-hill.com: http://highered.mcgraw-hill.com/sites/dl/free/007802952x/970138/bat2952X_Part2.pdf

Significance of Reverse Logistics

To the corporate world, it is all about making a profit. To the corporate world, efficiency is a means to achieving that profit. To the corporate world, one can not achieve profit with logistics. To modern researchers, the corporate world has just truly begun to turn its eyes towards reverse logistics. To us business students today, without reverse logistics there can be only limited profit. Within the scope of this analysis we shall be examining the significance of reverse logistics.To comprehend the importance of this study we must first ensure that the reader understands that reverse logistics is an acutely fascinating yet highly misunderstood concept which differs from company to company. Reverse logistics is a manner of reversing the supply chain. In this analytical reversal lies a world of opportunities to businesses. In a manner of speaking, reverse logistics is a highly analytical procedure which calls for the usage of statistical tools and highly trained managers and financi al accountants to understand how to place products back into a supply chain in order to achieve profits.Part of this definition means that businesses should be aware of which products they can expect to see as ‘returned items’. These items should be anticipated to be sold to another supplier to be turned into scraps for another project. Also customization needs to occur to increase the positive user experience; including warranty programs as well to increase the satisfaction level of customers. Businesses highly dislike having items returned to their inventory. Items returned that fail to sell are regarded as a loss in profits and revenue.For companies seeking to understand why such rates of returns occur they must turn to reverse logistics, as a seemingly modern tool, used towards understanding why this occurs to begin with. For businesses it is vital that they analyze, among other information, why such items are returned, how to alleviate this revenue loss, what techn iques or selling tools can be used to prevent this from occurring, and perhaps how to protect the entire company should this occur in various divisions within the company. In analyzing why this occurs we must turn to reverse logistics management.This management solution takes crucial time and effort to look at how to manage the entire returns process. By managing this process, companies can increase the recovery of net assets and revenue goals. As the introduction paragraph points out it is all about ensuring that the profit margin and supply chain is being fulfilled. At this time we shall examine how textile and apparel industries are adversely affected by returned items. When examining the online marketplaces, researchers have determined that typically garments are in danger of being returned by consumers who purchased them online.Purchasing decisions are driven by a consumer’s feelings about themselves and their bodies or physical image of themselves. For instance, when a woman is seeking to purchase clothing which is dependent on a fashionable image they expect the color, feel, fit, image, and expectations to match what they thought they ‘saw’ on the internet. As you can not ‘feel’ or ‘wear’ the garment when purchasing online, you are making the decision to purchase based upon other factors. These factors include color and style.Because consumers are attempting to make an effective choice on what to purchase they are often disappointed by what actually arrives in the mail. As a process hierarchy situation businesses are finding it pertinent to have marketing and sales staff which are willing to communicate with the supplier chain about how to survey consumers and generate more purchasing power in the online stores. Engineering teams are being used to modify the online appearance to appeal to more consumers (Hammond, website).The article, â€Å"In the Virtual Dressing Room Returns are a Real Problem† by J an Hammond and Kristin Kohler, it is emphasized that â€Å"†¦high return rate of apparel products purchased online†¦mirrors the rate of catalog apparel purchases†¦returns for apparel bought from catalogs ranged from 12 to 35 percent.. † This return rate process is a serious concern of companies marketing apparel online and in catalogs. On the other hand, the article shows that decisions to buy generic goods like books, music, electronic, etc..are less reflecting a return rate because less emotional factors tie in to the consumer’s decision to purchase those items. This article indicates that accuracy of color plays a crucial role in decision making of consumers on the web. Surveys conducted, including one by InfoTrends Research Group, indicated that 88% of consumers will shop at online stores which guarantee that their products reflect â€Å"true and accurate† color standards and schematics. Because of feelings of insecurity about acquiring the it ems which meets their color standards and expectations, consumers are less prone to make the initial decision to purchase.Because of this ‘risk’ of purchasing an item â€Å"unseen†, â€Å"untouched† , and â€Å"unworn†, consumers surveyed have become interested in companies which use the new initiatives to improve the color on their websites. For example, detail and color would be greatly improved with companies using zoom technology such as HP Open Pix and Live Picture (Hammond, website). Other companies are seeing products such as BodyMetrics LTD, which can ‘on-line visualize’ body dimensions on a mannequin to see how the item would fit the consumer’s body composition.These tactics are all methods of reverse logistics management, because they improve the online visibility of items which can increase the purchasing of consumers while decreasing the rate of return behavior that companies experience. In addition, as companies are seeking to place their products in online supply markets they can provide those supplier companies with an up-selling tool which aids in their own sales protection. For instance, let us closely examine IKEA’s effective operation management. IKEA, a furniture retailer, has invoked in its company a strong usage of operations management.Operations management is a means towards which a company organizes its hierarchy, sales structure, approach to service, strategic operations, systematic direction of the company, and finally the control of internal and external processes which turn inputs into completed goods and services. IKEA’s experience in operations management is highly organized and analyzed by reverse logistics management. In understanding IKEA’s operations management style we must first recognize that IKEA believes in a self-service concept.This means that IKEA believes that customers service their own needs by picking up their furniture themselves from the warehouse. IDEA’s furniture is built with high quality in mind and displays a wide variety of choice for the every day consumer. Showrooms have been explicitly designed to reflect various rooms and items related to the household goods. Because the ordering and picking up of items is performed by the customer, there is no chance that the consumer be unaware of what they are purchasing. Catalogues and notices are placed around the store explicitly showing the illustrations, dimensions, and availability of color of the goods.These room settings also allow customers to make educated decisions and comparisons about items without being infringed upon by sales personnel hoping to make a sale. As part of the reverse logistic management, this customization of user experience allows for the customer to examine and make decisions while not being under sales pressures (Slack 14-15). As the customer knows exactly where in the store they are purchasing the items from they have the opportun ity to return to the area for further decision making.This operational strategy is very successful to IKEA because of the piece of mind given to customers. Customers see how smooth the process is from selecting their items, to loading their items in a large loading area explicitly for customers, to non-pestering salespeople, to sufficient variety of quality goods at less expensive prices, to well-designed showplace environments, and to staff which willingly help customers at request. This attitude fosters a good mindset in consumers and presents the every day customer with a pleasant environment.Should consumers seek to return items the customer service is guaranteed to be a pleasant one. For customers this operations management has considered all reverse logistics and countered them with a steady aptitude for impressing the every day customer. This situation is truly a competitive advantage for IKEA over the competition. While reading this case study I was impressed with the idea t hat they have an eatery and a location where parents can drop off their children for daycare services while they shop peacefully.In general, this design contains such attractive features which allows for the operations of the organization to be seen on various levels (Slack 14-16). The case study also relates how the transformation process model works at IKEA. In this concept lies the idea of how the resources are used to â€Å"change the state or condition of something to produce outputs. † The nature of this operational concept is that a company can use its resources to literally transform itself and its resources into goods and services. IKEA has done both.It has used quality items from global companies and its in-store services to create the groundwork for a pleasant customized experience. Customers experience a variety of feelings about the IKEA stores while shopping which has a positive affect upon their decision to make purchases. For instance, the daycare allows paren ts to cope with making the decision to purchase while not have the added responsibility of watching over rampant children. Considered a customer processing strategy, this helps the psychological state of customers.In addition, IKEA stores have allowed for showroom settings and customized ideas to help differentiate one product from another. Non-lingering salespersons also alleviate any pressure of making an immediate decision to purchase versus feeling hounded by expectant salespeople. The nature of this process allows for the consumer to feel that they are making the right decision making the purchase. Like all competitive companies they feel that the inputs to the transformation process needs to be â€Å"error-free, fast, and efficient information processing.† Customers feel that this information is an aid for allowing the consumer to be satisfied that their concerns and questions on how to use or install the items will be handled in a professional and efficient manner (Sla ck 17-23). In general, all these processes from business processes to the customer-supplier relationship and interacting relationships are vital to competitive businesses. Whether it be an online stores or a physical store, it is important to recognize that reverse logistics plays a key role in ensuring a satisfied customer while providing a way to generate revenue.Works Cited: Reverse Logistics Management: Manage Returns Processing Across Multiple Channels. Viewed March 26, 2007. http://www. manh. com/reverse_logistics_management/index. html? g=4&gclid=CNG4kM HsjYsCFQlQWAodVUPdWA In the Virtual Dressing Room Returns Are A Real Problem. Published: April 15, 2002 . Jan Hammond and Kristin Kohler. Viewed March 26, 2007. http://hbswk. hbs. edu/item/2883. html Slack, Nigel, Stuart Chambers, Christine Harland, Alan Harrison, and Robert Johnston. Effective Operations Management. 1998. London, Pitman

Story Pitch assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Story Pitch assignment - Essay Example Only one artist will be representing the entire State of Indiana in the show. This artist is Indiana University’s art professor, Jawshing Arthur Liou. His masterwork, â€Å"Kora,† is unique in so many ways that it made it to this highly competitive show as the sole representative of Indiana. ‘State of the Art’ Show at Crystal Bridges Museum comprehensively surveys contemporary art. Here, only the best, unique, and competitive artworks make it to the museum. The selecting process was highly competitive. This process encompassed the participation of regional curators and art insiders. The idea was to identify fresh talent and compelling art that would feature in this year’s show. Liou was selected for his work that features the sacred Mount Kailash from an artist’s point of view. Professor Liou’s story, and more so his artwork, is captivating as far as ‘State of the Art’ Show at Crystal Bridges Museum is concerned. Understanding Liou’s inspiration and motivation to do the â€Å"Kora† is fundamental. On the same note, it is critical to connect this work to his career as a University professor. Given that not all details could be captured in this brief, I would like to offer Indianapolis Monthly Magazine exclusive access to professor Liou’s story. The story will highlight events leading to Liou’s selection, and most importantly vivid details about the â€Å"Kora.† A number of reasons inform the choice to offer exclusive access to Indianapolis Monthly Magazine. To start with, Indianapolis Monthly Magazine is central to contemporary developments in Indiana. The Magazine reaches different audiences in the State, who in turn share the Magazine’s story with other people. Secondly, the magazine offers an exclusive segment that deals with art and culture. New art developments constitute a priority story in Indiana, especially when only a select group is at the top of

Opportunity Cost of Going to College, Marginal Analysis Essay

Opportunity Cost of Going to College, Marginal Analysis - Essay Example This research will begin with the statement that opportunity cost in economic terms is the cost of forgoing or sacrificing the consumption of one commodity or service in order to consume and derive utility from any other service or commodity. For computing opportunity cost of any commodity one has to take into account the next best substitute that has to be forgone or sacrificed. Under economies we generally compute opportunity cost in monetary terms. Considering the opportunity cost of going to college the next best alternative that can be sacrificed is the salary that an individual can get if he instead chooses a full time job. Such compromises are made each year. If the overall degree course the individual loses an annual salary of $80,000 in the three or four years. The commodities and services of opportunity cost for attending college are listed below: Monetary cost of college: Attending college require a minimum amount that has to be spent on food, clothing. Transportation costs: The student has to spend some amount of money each for attending. For the travelling expenses opportunity costs does not remain same and fluctuates frequently. This is because the student might choose not to attend college someday or he may choose to attend extra days than he usually does due to some extra class or some particular college meeting. Income through sports: If the student is an athlete he may earn huge through various tournaments. But such a job mostly requires the sportsman to travel a lot. In that case he may have to give up college. Clearly he has to choose between attending college and becoming a professional sportsperson (Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel and McPherson, 2009, p.29). Students dependent on parents: All the students attending college do not have to earn for their expenses. Sometimes students are dependent on their parents who take the responsibility of paying for all of their son’s or daughter’s expenses. In that case opportunity cost may be counted as zero (Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel and McPherson, 2009, p.29). Income in entertainment industries: Students who work as entertainers or pursue any other work in the entertainment industry have to spend a lot of time in the shoots or they may also have to travel abroad quite often. In that case too they have to choose between college and their work (Gwartney, Stroup, Sobel and McPherson, 2009, p.29). Missing T.V. shows: Attending college and pursuing a degree course also requires a student to study harder and appear for examinations. Thus in this respect the student would have less time for television and his favorite shows. In some cases while studying for college exams he might also have to miss out a big soccer match. Less leisure time: Attending college and then going for part time jobs- in this day to day busy schedule the student may not have any time left for leisure or spare time. Hence for attending college the student has to sacrifice leisure or any other activity that he used to perform during spare time. Higher Education: Attending colleges the student gets a professional degree. This may help the individual to earn higher income once he finishes college education than what he can earn currently by leaving college. 2. Marginal Analysis Decision taken on a margin Marginal analysis is a very important concept under microeconomics leading to efficient allocation of resources (McGuigan, Moyer and Harris, 2011, p.41). ‘Decision taken on a margin’ refers mainly to economic decisions. Alterations on the available amount of resources lead to such marginal decisions. It may be similar to decision making as simple as spending hours or money. Such decisions are assume to yield better output for a number of reasons. Firstly the decisions are made with full information on resources and shortages. Preferences and indifferences of an individual are also taken into account while making decisions. The involvement of analysis helps

Business analysis assignment Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Business analysis assignment - Essay Example as the social aspects of CSR strategy and how PPR can streamline its operations in order to operate sustainably without causing much damage to the environment while remaining viable in manufacturing its luxury brands. It is undoubtedly true that every organisation operates in a physical environment with people from diverse cultural backgrounds and are likely to be affected directly or indirectly by the operations of such organisations. It has been noted that there is need to establish goodwill with the values and norms of any given society the organisation would be operating in as a way of promoting mutual understanding. Thus, CSR entails doing good things to the society in which it would be operating in. It has also been noted that CSR strategy driven by leadership development is very effective in that it will stimulate positive employee performance while at the same time cultivating a sense of trust among the members of the community it will be operating in. It has been recommended that Pinault’s PPR should streamline the operations of the organisation in such a way that the products retain their value and luster while at the same time striving to minimise the impacts of environmental degradation through its activities. This must be done in such a way that does not compromise on quality since luxury brands are meant for prestige. The concept of corporate social responsibility has become topical during the current period but there is no one agreed definition about the whole concept (Knights and Willmott (eds.) 2007). CSR has been defined as a function that transcends but includes making profits, creating jobs and producing goods and services (Oketch 2005 as cited in Smith 2003). On the other hand, (Strydom 2004 p.11) concurs that â€Å"Social responsibility is the concept that maintains that businesses are part of the larger society in which they exist and are accountable to the society for their operations.† In other words, there is need for the

Breeze of Change Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Breeze of Change - Essay Example I knew I had to start working towards achieving my dreams. I did not want to be caught up by death before realizing my full potential. I needed to travel the world and learn about other people. I always felt that the future was in the air. Everywhere I went, I would feel the future blowing in the wind of change. I had many things I wanted to change in my life and those of others. I hoped to see a world where people respected each other’s culture. I wanted a world where people appreciated and celebrated their diversity. Even up to today, I have always had the passion to learn other people culture, and I am glad I have partially done so. Because I believe this will enable me, understand and appreciate others. Early years were characterized by numerous trips to different countries. In every trip, I learned something that changed my life. My trips outside the United States helped me understand other people’s culture. I learned to accept other people’s point of views no matter how much they differed they were from my own. When I visited Baha’i Temple in Wilmette in Illinois, I realized the significance of religion. Since I value my own religion and I promised myself to appreciate other people’s culture and religion. This was reinforced when I attended a Catholic-sponsored high school, which made me realize that Catholics are very receptive of other religions. The experience changed my life and I wanted to be receptive to other people’s culture, and opinions. Attending college enabled me to meet people from different places. I learned the dynamics of socialization. A chance to be in the army strengthened me physically and mentally. I realized that every experience was a lesson for me. Death has always scared me in some way. When my 14-year old cousin and my great uncle died on the same day, I realized how death could cut short our ambitions. It was traumatizing to see someone die at such an early age. I decided to live each d ay to the full and always do my best. When I completed a Bachelor’s degree in Art and History, I was excited. Nevertheless, I knew I had to find a job. The job searching process turned out to be tougher than I thought. My parents were there for me, and they taught me the importance of being there for others. However, I ended up deciding on doing volunteer work. It was an opportunity to touch other people’s lives. During my volunteer at Navajo Reservation, I realized of the sufferings that American Indians go through. During my work, I learned that no amount of textbook learning could teach us about new and unknown cultures. Working with people from diverse culture taught me how to deal with others. I was glad I took the opportunity to help them. My international trip to Mexico, Texas, Alabama, Georgia, North, and South Carolina helped me realize how rampant racism and bigotry were. People still judged others in terms of their culture. When I moved to Albuquerque in New Mexico, I was prepared for what lay ahead.  

The Roles of Amino Acid R-groups in the Structures and Functions of Research Paper

The Roles of Amino Acid R-groups in the Structures and Functions of Transmembrane Ion Channels - Research Paper Example The figure above shows the unionized form of a group of amino acid called alpha (Elsevier 19). The R represents an organic substituent or a side-chain, which is specific to each of the amino acid. There is a carbon atom called ?–carbon attached next to a group called carboxyl. Ion channels refer to the proteins that form pores which help to establish the small changes in voltage in cells plasma membrane, flowing down with the varying electrochemical change. Transmembrane potential refers to electrical potential difference in a biological cell’s interior part and exterior. This potential arises from the interaction between action of proteins containing transmembrane embedded inside it and the membrane itself. The proteins get pushed to cause change in concentration by use of ion transporter or pump. Materials and methods In order to study the ion channels, voltage clamp particularly patch clamp and RT-PCR scientific based technique used. Experimentally, ion channels cata lyze the process of diffusion across membranes, and this recorded as electrical currents in units known as Pico amperes. Other methods used in this study include Partitioning methods, which commonly can be used to evaluate hydrophobicity of amino acid, surface area and chromatography method. Results Two levels of current which correspond to the open and closed state. The transition in the two conditions observed to be extremely fat to a measurement recorded of millisecond. From one level to the other, rectangular jumps produced between the two levels. The current indicated by the amplitude of the jumps. Channels show rates of ion flux up to 106 ions/sec. Channels only open in a few seconds but during this time ions flowing through the pore register thousands (Davies 255). Discussion The structural parts of proteins comprise of amino acids in chains. They normally appear linked together in different sequences forming various types of proteins. Standard group of these amino acids comp rise of twenty of each amino group into polypeptides. This natural made process. A group of nine of these amino acids called essential in human beings because their creation not normally dependent on creation by man but must be taken as food. The amino acids prove to act as a substitute from nutrition fertilizers, and commonly applicable in food technology, in many industries. They have industrial applications as catalysts during production of plastics, which can be biodegraded. In the study of ion channels, their function include making possible the ions diffusion across membranes, which have biological nature. A bioelectric barrier built between the molecules, which have charges or hydrophilic, also called electrical insulators. The ion routes supply hydrophilic or high conductivity pathways in the interior of the hydrophobic. The pore structure catalyzes the transportation of molecules with charges across a medium with low dielectric. The channel of this site catalyzed normally r emains to be open or closed. Where the ion shows to be associated tightly with the catalyzed site, the confrontation of open channel shows the enzyme-substrate state. This confrontation state arising between the open state and the closed compared to opening and closing of a gate hence referred to as

Personality profile Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words - 1

Personality profile - Essay Example Personality and especially that of a personal profile is a very wide. Wide because it touches all the relations to social, economic and political phenomenon that defines everybody’s way of conduct. For the purpose of this case, I will particularly center my personality focus on my career at the present and in the future and shade some light on who I am. A number of tests are also very instrument in the whole evaluation process and I don’t hesitate into taking any that ensures complete understanding of myself is done in a very competed and efficient way. There are a number of tests that are used in self discovery. As the methods differ according to the angle of approach of what you want to figure out, I decided to take a test a Big five test. This test mostly centralizes its analysis on 5 major areas that define and model a complete human. As per the test, my emotional stability score was high above average at 74% percentile. My ability to remain as calm as possible even when am tensed is something my family can attest of. This has been my feature since when I started understanding things around me. I will not go on tearing books because I have scored low in a physical science class or go throwing things around because simply things have not been as I wanted them to be at home. I hold and have control of my emotions. This has been very instrumental in my relationships with people whom have had a chance to be close to me. This though does not imply that you go on stepping on my foot intentionally and unapologetically. In that case I will squarely handle you as the law demands. My inquisitiveness nature, which scored a 84% percentile, amazes me personally. Severally I have heard my mother say that she has never seen an inquisitive child like. When it comes to curiosity, I do not bother whether it kills the cat or not. I will ask anything as long as I have no clue of what actually it is. For clarity, my enquiries have

Biblical Worldview Essay Example for Free

Biblical Worldview Essay Introduction In Romans we learn so many aspects of Christian’s life. It tells us how we as Christian’s should view the natural world, our identity and our relationship with others, our culture, and civilization. There is so much more we could learn from this book. In Romans 1-8 we will find that the information in it is so much that we will not get the full meaning of all the things it is saying unless we look deeper into it. Romans 1-8 takes us from our total inability to walk in good works, to God’s faithfulness in justifying, sanctifying, and glorifying us by our faith through God’s grace. The Natural World We all know that God through his own words formed the natural world. God spoke the universe and everything that existence in it. As Christian’s we should know this because as believers, we believe the bible is a revelation of God and that it is not just a book written by human hands. Paul writes in Romans 1:20-21 â€Å"For since the creation of the world his invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by things that made, even in his eternal power and God head, so that they are without excuse, 21- because although they knew God, they did not glorify him as God nor were thankful, but became futile in their thoughts, and their foolish hearts were darkened†. God made everything and he is showing those that disrespect him in his face with their sin himself so that when they know that there is a God and he created everything. Human Identity Our human Identity of who we as a mankind is that we all were made in God’s image. God created us equally, but he also gives us the free will to choose to serve him or not. In Psalm 8:5 it says â€Å"For you have made him a little lower than the angels; and you have crowned him with glory and honor.† And in Genesis 2:15 â€Å"Then the Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to tend and keep it.† We have many things that are wrong with us that we can’t fix, so we need Jesus to justify, sanctify, and glorify us. We need all three those that we can be connected to Christ, live life, server  him and when we die we will get to enjoy eternal heaven with him, and have everlasting life. Human Relationship In Romans 12:8 it says â€Å"he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he shows mercy, with cheerfulness.† What that verse is saying to all Christians is that our ethic is based all on love. We as humans know that relationships very confusing and are hardest part of life. We all have a sin against own bodies and souls, but it is a sin that is against others who were created in God’s image. If you are going to steal from your neighbor you might as well steal from God. We were all created in his image and we need to love and respect others just like we would God. Culture Paul says in Romans 11 that God will save some in Israel because most of them were elect by the Patriarchs. Romans 12 says as Christians we are to live as a living sacrifice to Christ, while doing all these thing in love and showing our love to others through service. We as believers are to be humble and serve others with joy, as believers we are to work with others to Christ’s redemptive work. Christ is merciful, righteous, sovereign, and just God. He wants us to love another like he loves the world. Conclusion â€Å"No power in the sky above or in the earth below- indeed, nothing in all creation will ever be able to separate us from the love of God that is revealed in Christ Jesus our Lord Romans 8:39.† It’s so refreshing to know that I can always count on God to love me. Even when I’m unable to love myself God will. It is a wonderful feeling to know that I can have a relationship with God, where and whatever I do, or say or think will never make him not love me. God will always love and be with me no matter what. God wants us to live for him. He also wants us to lead others to him. References New King James Version Bible (NJKB)

Contributions of systemic ideas to psychological therapeutic practice

Contributions of systemic ideas to psychological therapeutic practice The systemic approach is essentially a contextual approach to therapy. That is it views the presence of illness or dysfunction as being located within the family system rather than in one of its individual members (Asen, 2002). Practitioners use the term systemic rather than family therapy, because being at the receiving end of family therapy can have strong connotations of blame (Asen, 2002). Systemic ideas have led to major contributions to modern day psychological therapeutic practice, for example, the premise that multi-systems account for the problem and not just the individual experiencing difficulties, a commitment to positive connotation and a non-blaming approach. Several different versions of systemic therapy have emerged over the years. It began with the initial concept of systems theory and cybernetics being applied to the study, and subsequently the treatment of families (Dallos Urry, 1999). In the 1950s Bateson and his colleagues studied the patterns of transaction and communication in individuals with schizophrenia. The group hypothesised that the family of the patient was forming his or her thought processes through the peculiar communication requirements imposed (Bateson et al, 1956). The family was seen as a system with homeostatic tendencies. Family members were considered as various parts of this system and seen as behaving according to a set of explicit and implicit rules that determine interpersonal behaviours and communications (Watzlawick et al; 1967). Systemic therapy developed on this view of the family as a system. It aimed to challenge and disrupt unhelpful interaction patterns and dysfunctional communications, subsequently , allowing new ways of communicating to emerge (Asen, 2002). In fact therapy based on systems theory presented itself as a radical breakthrough in the treatment of mental illness. The prevailing models of therapy at the time considered pathology as predominantly residing in the individual experiencing difficulties. With the introduction of systems theories, it came to be seen in terms of characteristics of the family system. Thus it presented an extremely diverse view of many conditions, such as depression anorexia, schizophrenia, phobias and anxieties. Dallos Urry, (1999), provide the example of a child displaying a school phobia. Systemic ideas suggest that the child might be carrying conflicts on behalf of others in the family. The childs symptoms are seen as functional; possible functions could be to ensure a role for an otherwise isolated and lonely mother, to keep a disengaged father involved, and to distract attention from unresolved conflicts in the marriage (Dallos Urry, 1999 p.165). Importantly, this implied that individual treatme nts might not only be ineffective but could actually exacerbate the problem. To just treat the child in the above example, could serve to reinforce the erroneous view that the problem was residing in the child rather than tackling the causes, which could lie within the family system. It was this breakthrough of seeing the illness not solely as residing in the individual but in the persons family system that could indeed be regarded as one of systemic therapys greatest contributions to psychological therapeutic practice. Thus therapists began to examine the patterns within systems or the family surrounding the individual experiencing difficulties. This first wave of the application of systemic ideas became known as first-order cybernetics (Dallos Urry, 1999) and are briefly outlined below. FIRST-ORDER CYBERNETICS Structural approach Initially Minuchin and colleagues, (1974), proposed the structural approach. This approach assumes a normative family model, claiming families function particularly well when certain family structures prevail (Asen, 2002). Normative families were seen as those with embedded structures, such as hierarchies between generations within a family. It was considered important that these structures had semi-permeable boundaries permitting a sufficient flow of information up and down between hierarchies (Asen, 2002). The aim of structural family therapy is to make a particular family structure approximate the typical (normative) model. Challenging directly absent or rigid boundaries, unbalancing the equilibrium by temporarily joining with one family member against the others, or setting homework tasks designed to restore hierarchies, are some techniques used within a structural approach (Asen, 2002). As mentioned above seeing the problems as residing in the family system rather than the indiv idual was the ground-breaking and somewhat revolutionary at the time and a major contribution to psychological therapeutic practice. Strategic systemic therapy Strategic systemic therapy, is founded on the hypothesis that the symptom is being maintained by behaviours that seek to suppress it (Haley, 1963; Watzlawick et al, 1974). Asen (2002) provides the example of a woman with depression and low self-esteem which may elicit her partners over-protectiveness, a solution that maintains the presenting problem. A strategic therapist may re-frame the problem. For example, suggesting that the womans depression is an unselfish act designed to protect her partner from his own problems. The therapist may then prescribe a ritual whereby for a week on uneven days, the partner needs to experiment with discussing his own concerns (Asen, 2002). It is argued, by strategic therapists that once some changes are achieved in relation to the presenting symptom, a domino effect sets in affecting other interactions and behaviours in the whole family system. (Asen, 2002). The pervading problem is put into a different meaning-frame that provides new perspectives a nd therefore potentially makes new behaviours possible (Asen, 2002). Once again this reframing of the problem was innovative at the time and led to subsequent developments in therapeutic practice. SECOND ORDER CYBERNETICS Mental illnesses are indeed mental, in that they are at least 90% made up of blame, or casual attributions that are felt as blame. (Hoffman, 1993: 391) The shift towards what became known as second order cybernetics was broadly paralleled with a move in the social sciences towards constructivism and a departure from the mechanistic version of systems theory (Dallos Urry, 1999). Observations of patterns within systems were still seen as the major starting point but the emphasis was moved to an exploration of how the particular patterns within a family were shaped by their beliefs, explanations and meanings. Therapists began to make no assumptions about how family life should be and what represented a healthy family. The basic premise of this second wave of systems theories (Dallos Urry, 1999) was that the therapist and supervision team were seen as formulating certain ideas about a particular familys dynamics. These were regarded as no more than working hypothesis (Selvini Palazzoli, 1980) and it was believed there was no objective reality waiting to be discovered (Dallos Urry, 1999). It was imperative that therapists worked in teams rather than individually because it was seen as essential that the therapists continually reflected on and questioned their perceptions. The Milan systemic approach The Milan systemic approach advocated by Selvini Palazzoli and colleagues, (1978), holds great emphasis on a particular style of interviewing circular and reflexive questioning (Selvini Palazzoli et al, 1980). The approach focuses on questioning the various family members beliefs and perceptions regarding relationships. Asking each to comment and reflect on the answers given by the various other family members creates feedback that changes the fabric of family interactions (Asen, 2002). The Milan groups commitment to positive connotation produced a non- blaming approach. Selvini Palazzoli, Boscolo, Cecchin Prata ,(1980), succeeded in establishing three principles that they considered indispensible to interviewing the family correctly. They called these principles Hypothesising , Circularity, Neutrality. By hypothesising we refer to the formulation by the therapist of a hypothesis based upon the information he possesses regarding the family he is interviewing. The hypothesis establishes a starting point for his investigation as well as his verification of the validity of this hypothesis based upon specific methods and skills. If the hypothesis is proven false, the therapist must form a second hypothesis based upon the information gathered during the testing of the first (Selvini Palazzoli, et al, 1980; p.1) A fundamental point emphasized was that every hypothesis had to be systemic, therefore, include all components of the family. The hypothesis was seen as neither true or false but more or less useful. That is, it was used by the Milan group as more of an investigative tool. By investigating proposed hypotheses of the problem, whether they proved true or false, the hypothesis served its essential function of providing the team of therapists with new information. The second principle proposed by Milan systemic therapy was that of circularity. By circularity we mean the capacity of the therapist to conduct his investigation on the basis of feedback from the family in response to the information he solicits about relationships and, therefore, about difference and change (Selvini Palazzoli et al, 1980,p.4) The acquisition of such an ability demands that therapists free themselves from the linguistic and cultural condition that make them believe they are capable of thinking in terms of things so that they may rediscover the deeper truth that we still think only in terms of relationships (Bateson, 1968;p.173). Circular questioning has subsequently been described as both an information-gathering and a change-inducing procedure. According to Tomm the purpose of a systemic interview is not so much the removal of a problem but the discovery of its systemic connectedness and hence its temporal necessity (Tomm, 1985; p.44). The recognition of this necessity makes the need for alternatives self-evident and may result in a problem resolution that appears to be spontaneous (Tomm, 1985). The third principle was termed by the Milan group as neutrality: By neutrality of the therapist we mean a specific pragmatic effect that his total behaviour during the session exerts on the family (and not his intrapsychic disposition). (Selvini Palazzoli et al, 1980; p.6). Ideally if the principle of neutrality is maintained throughout a family session, the family members should feel that the therapist had not sided or supported any one family member in particular. Instead the Milan- systemic therapist builds successive alliances, the end result of which is that the therapist is allied with everyone and no one at the same time. The therapist works to provoke feedback and collects information, the more the therapist does this the less apt to make moral judgements of any kind. It is also the responsibility of the therapist to observe and neutralize as early as possible any attempt towards coalition, seduction, or privileged relationships with the therapist made by any member or subgroup of the family (Selvini Palazzoli et al, 1980). Social Constructionist approach The Social Constructionist approach is based on the reality that the therapist observes is created, with perceptions being shaped by the therapists own cultures and his/her ingrained assumptions and beliefs. This approach is influencing many systemic therapists and has led to an examination of how language shapes problem perceptions and definitions ( Asen, 2002). Family therapists are interested in the active process of meaning-making and the greater variation of possibilities the inherent ideas in particular discourses and the ideas that had been excluded (Boston, 2000). If the narratives in which clients describe their experience- or have their experience reported by mental health professionals- do not fit these experiences, then significant aspects of their lived experience will contradict the dominant narrative (White Epston, 1990: cited in Asen, 2002) and be experienced as problematic. Narrative Therapy Systemic narrative therapy proposes to help families to produce and evolve new stories and ways of understanding events to make sense of their experiences. Family and therapist together co-construct new ways of describing the individual and related family issues so that they no longer need to be viewed or experienced as problematic (Asen, 2002). Brief solution-focused therapy In brief solution-focused therapy, the problem drenched ways of talking are deliberately ignored, with the focus instead on the patterns of previous attempted solutions (De Shazer, 1985). The approach is based on the observation that symptoms and problems have a tendency to ebb and flow. During times when a symptom is less or not present, the therapist designs therapeutic strategies around the exceptions, as they form the basis of the solution. The theory postulates that by encouraging families to amplify the solution patterns of their lives, the problem patterns can be driven into the background (Asen, 2002; 231). Psychoeducational approaches Psychoeducational approaches (Leff et al, 1982; Anderson, 1983) combine behavioural interventions with structural approaches. Family members are educated about the causes and the course of the individuals mental health problem. The general aim of therapy is to reduce the emotional intensity in the family as well as the degree of physical proximity (Asen, 2002). One of the main important aspects of this approach are regular relatives groups- to share experiences and solutions- and family sessions (Kuipers et al, 2002) (Asen, 2002). Behavioural family and couple therapy Behavioural family and couple therapy views the family as a major health-enhancing resource, with each member doing his/her very best to maximise pleasant and minimise unpleasant events in the family unit and the immediate social environment (Asen, 2002). Therapists in this framework employ such things as contingency contracting or operant conditioning to illicit behavioural change. After observation and analysis of recounted family or couple interactions, concrete goals for change are targeted by both family and therapist. The therapists and families work together on behaviours which can be easily modified and changed. Initially the focus is on positive feelings, ideas and plans and once some progress has been made, the focus shifts to the expression of negative feelings, in a constructive manner so that problem resolution can be facilitated (Asen, 2002). The therapist then adopts a structured- problem solving stance to encourage family members to agree on the problems and goals, di scuss solutions and to highlight advantages and disadvantages of each proposed solution. Finally an implementation plan is put in place and the family and therapist continually review the efforts and results (Falloon, 1988). Summary In summary there are extremely diverse systemic approaches which have developed since the initial application of systems theories to therapy in the 1950s. In its very conception, systemic therapy challenged the psychiatric/medical prevailing attitudes of the time and offered an alternative to the oppressive practices of stigmatization, isolation, confinement and enforced treatments. The innovative idea of externalising the problem to the individuals wider systems and a fierce commitment to positive connotation has had a major impact on current therapeutic interventions. In addition to this, the premise of enlisting family members or system members as therapeutic agents, surrounds the individual experiencing difficulties with an invaluable support system. The next section of this paper highlights the impact and contribution of systemic ideas to therapeutic practice by discussing the evidence base for anorexia, schizophrenia and child-focused problems. ANOREXIA NERVOSA Over the past two decades family therapy has gradually established itself as an important treatment approach in eating disorders. It has been found to be particularly effective in adolescent anorexia nervosa. Its impact to the treatment of anorexia nervosa, particularly in adolescent sufferers could be considered to be one of Family therapys greatest contributions in a clinical setting. There is a consistent body of empirical evidence for the effectiveness of family -based treatments which adds significant weight to the earlier clinical and theoretical accounts of some of the pioneers of family therapy such as Minuchin (Minuchin et al. 1975) and the Milan group (Selvini Palazzoli et al. 1974) and has undoubtedly been one of the important factors in the major changes in the treatment of eating disorders that the field has witnessed in the past 20 years (Eisler, 2002). However in contradiction, alongside the evidence for the effectiveness of family therapy, there has also been growing evidence that the theoretical foundations from which this treatment has evolved are flawed. The psychosomatic family model proposed by Minuchin et al (1978) suggested that there was a specific family context within which the eating disorder developed. It was suggested that a particular family process evolved around the symptomatic behaviour in interaction with vulnerability in the child and the childs role as mediator in cross generational alliances (Minuchin et al. 1975) (cited in Eisler, 2002). Minuchin et al. (1975) emphasised the evolving and interactive nature of the process and saw the resulting psychosomatic family as a necessary condition for the development of the eating disorder. The evidence for the psychosomatic family is weak and more recent findings have indicated that families in which an eating disorder sufferer is present are heterogenous group. This heterogeneity is not only with respect to socio-demographic characteristics but also in terms of the nature of the relationships within the family and the emotional climate and patterns of interactions (Eisler 1995). Regardless of whether the family has an impact on the aetiology of the eating disorder, the major impact of an eating disorder, on family life, cannot be denied. As time goes on food, eating behaviours and the concerns that they give rise to begin to permeate the entire family fabric, every relationship in the family, influencing daily family routines, coping and problem solving behaviours.(Eisler, 2002, p.292). Due to the monumental impact of the disorder on the entire family, an intervention that includes the entire family seems logical. The most important facet of systemic therapy is that the family is seen as resource. It is important to explore with the family where things have got stuck and to help them to re-discover some of the resources that they have as a family so that they can become unstuck and start looking for new solutions to the problems (Eisler, 2002). As mentioned previously there is a growing body of evidence for the effectiveness of systemic family therapy in the treatment of anorexia, in particular adolescent anorexia nervosa. The initial studies were uncontrolled follow up studies. The first study of family therapy with patients with a diagnosis of anorexia nervosa was conducted by Minuchin and colleagues (1975). Their study involved 53 anorexic patients, just over half of whom started receiving inpatient treatment in conjunction with family therapy. Some patients were also seen individually. The results were extremely positive, the researchers reported a recovery rate of 86%, however the study has been heavily criticised for its methodological weaknesses (the evaluations were conducted by members of the clinical team, there was no comparison treatment and the length of follow-up varied from 18 months to 7 years ) (Eisler, 2002). A similar study conducted by Martin (1985) showed positive results comparable to that of Minuchin and colleagues study. The research was a five year follow up of 25 adolescent anorexia nervosa patients (mean age 14.9 years), with a short duration of illness (8.1 months). At the end of the treatment period there had been significant improvements, although only 23% would have met the Morgan/Russel criteria for good outcome, 45% for intermediate outcome and 32% poor outcome. The results at follow-up were 80% having good outcome, 4% intermediate and the remaining patients either still in treatment (12%) or relapsed (4%). Two other studies (Dare, 1983; Mayer, 1994) used family therapy as the only treatment intervention and found that 90% of patients had made significant improvements or were recovered at follow up. However, both of these studies were small (12 and 11 patients). A third lager study, conducted by Stierlin weber, (1987, 1989), took place with families seen at the Heidelberg Centre over a period of 10 years and adds to the evidence that adolescents and probably also young adults, do well in family therapy (Eisler, 2002). To date there has not been very many randomized clinical trials in anorexia nervosa and the few that there is having been relatively small. Russell and colleagues (1987), compared family therapy and individual therapy and found that adolescent patients with a short duration faired significantly better with family therapy than the control treatment (individual therapy). The findings were however, inconclusive for those with duration of illness of more than three years who mostly had a poor outcome. Eisler (1997), conducted a five-year follow up of this study and showed that in the adolescent subgroup who had a short history of illness, those who received family therapy continued to do well with 90% having a good outcome. In comparison while those that had received the individual therapy also improved, nearly half still had significant eating disorder symptoms. This finding suggests that the benefits of family therapy can still be detected, 5 years after the end of treatment (Eisler, 2 002). Several other important studies have compared different types of family therapy. Two such studies were Eisler et al (2000), and LeGrange and colleagues (1992). Both researchers compared Conjoint Family Therapy (CFT) and Separated Family Therapy (SFT) in which the adolescent was seen on their own and the parents were seen in a separate session with the same therapist. Overall, the results of both studies showed improvements in both the CFT group and the SFT group. The study by Eisler and colleagues, suggested that on individual psychological measures and measures of family functioning there was significantly more change in the CFT group. Similarly, a study by Robin et al (1999), also investigated the differences between two forms of family therapy. Researchers compared conjoint family therapy, which they described as behavioural family systems therapy BFST, with ego-orientated individual therapy EOIT. The EOIT consisted of individual therapy for the patient on a weekly basis, combined with fortnightly meetings with the parents. Robin and colleagues, (1999) found that by the end of treatment, both the BFST (similar to the Eisler, CFT group ) and the EOIT group patients had significantly improved, with 67% reaching target weight by the end of treatment. A one year follow up found that 75% had reached their target weight. The research found that BFST led to significantly greater weight gain than EOIT both at the end of treatment and at follow-up (Robin et al. 1999). Both groups produced comparably large improvements in eating attitudes, depression and self-reported eating-related family conflict. Furthermore a decreas e in maternal negative communication and an increase in positive communication was found in the BFST group but not the EOIT group. In summary, the overall consistent findings of these studies is that adolescents with anorexia appear to respond better to systemic family therapy, and often without the need for inpatient treatment (Eisler, 2002). Conclusions about the comparisons between different kinds of family therapy have to be examined more carefully. This is mainly due to the small size and small number of comparative studies (Eisler, 2002). It seems apparent that those treatments which encourage the parents to take an active role in tackling the adolescents anorexia are the most effective. According to Eisler, 2002, these therapies may have some advantages by over involving the parents in a way that is supportive and understanding of the adolescent, but encourages them to step back from the eating problem. Furthermore it has been suggested that not involving the parents in the treatment at all, leads to the worst outcome and may considerably delay recovery of the patient. However it should be noted that seei ng whole families in which there are high levels of hostility or criticism, may be disadvantageous to the individual with anorexia. According to Szmuckler and colleagues, 1985, such families may be difficult to engage with and this may be even more salient when the whole family is seen together. During family sessions feelings of guilt and blame may be increased as a consequence of criticisms or confrontations brought up during the family therapy session (Squire-Dehouck, 1993). SCHIZOPHRENIA Providing family intervention therapy for individuals with schizophrenia is widely accepted as being beneficial to the both to the individual with schizophrenia and their families. Both the NICE (2003) and PORT (Lehman et al., 1998) guidelines recommend some kind of family work or family intervention for schizophrenia (Bertrando, 2006). Its efficacy with treating individuals with Schizophrenia could also be considered one of systemic family therapies major contributions to clinical practice. Although there is considerable variability in the format of systemic-family based interventions, they tend to share a common set of assumptions. Firstly schizophrenia is regarded as an illness; secondly, the family environment is not implicated in the etiology of the illness. Third, support is provided and families are enlisted as therapeutic agents and lastly the interventions are part of a treatment package used in conjunction with routine drug treatment and outpatient clinical management (Lam, 1991; Dixon Lehman, 1995). The elements of family interventions most frequently used in differing combinations are psycho-education, behavioural problem solving, family support, and crisis management (Dixon Lehman, 1995). It is clear that effective family treatments involve at least some conjoint family meetings which include symptomatic and non-symptomatic family members. Emphasis is placed on blame reduction, the positive role which family members can play in the rehabilitation on the person experiencing difficulties and the degree to which family intervention will alleviate the familys burden of care (Carr, 2000). One helpful aspect of systemic -family intervention is that it provides family members with an explanation or framing of the condition which provides a rationale for reducing family stress, increasing family support and active coping and arranging for the person with schizophrenia to adhere to the prescribed medication regime (Carr, 2000; 284). Initially a study by Brown (1972) found that people with schizophrenia from families that expressed high levels of criticism, hostility, or, over-involvement have more frequent relapses than individuals with similar problems from families that tended to be less expressive of their emotions. There are now several interventions available to families involving education, support and management to reduce expressed emotion etc. (Pharoah et al, 2006). The aim of such family interventions is to reduce stress within the families and subsequently by doing so reduce the levels of relapse. Interventions are proposed to accompany drug treatments rather than to be used as an alternative (Pharoah et al, 2006). A review by Mari, (1996), found that family interventions in Schizophrenia significantly reduced hospital admissions at one year follow up. Further to this, the most recent review carried out by Pharoah and colleagues, (2006) lends support to Maris, (1996) original finding and up to date evidence suggests that family intervention does statistically and significantly reduce hospital admissions at one year (Pharoah et al, 2006). In addition, at 18 month follow up, family intervention was still found to significantly reduce levels of admission to hospital. A study lending support to this hypothesis, reported that total number of days spent in hospital at 3 months was significantly lower for individuals that had received family interventions. Another study by Xiong (1994) cited by Pharoah (2006), favoured family intervention. The authors reported that 33 individuals receiving family intervention , spent on average 7.9 days in hospital by the end of 1 year follow up period, compared to 28 controls who spent on average 24 days in hospital. In terms of effect of family intervention on the families or relatives of the individual with schizophrenia, a study by Bloch, (1995), pointed that familys ability to cope with the illness was not clearly increased by family intervention. However, the study did report that the families understanding of the patients needs were statistically increased by family intervention. In contrast Szmuckler, (2003), reported on continuous measures of coping by the carers and found ambiguous results with no benefit been shown for those in intervention group compared to controls. However studies have proven that family intervention decreases significantly the levels of criticism and hostility compared to groups not receiving family therapy (Tarrier, 1988). Increased understanding of an individuals difficulties with schizophrenia, coupled with decreased levels of hostility and criticism towards that person, can be viewed a significant and important contribution of systemic therapy to dealing with th is condition. There is also evidence to suggest that family intervention is favourable when compared to standard care. A study by Chen, (2002; cited in Pharoah, 2006), reported that at the end of 1 year follow up, family therapy intervention did significantly reduce relapse rates of patients. Zhao, (2000), found that at 2 year follow up rates were again significantly lower in the family intervention groups. Furthermore studies looking at relapse rates at 3 year follow up also favoured family therapy (cited in Pharoah, 2006). In their review, Pharoah and colleagues, (2006), concluded that people receiving family therapy may relapse less than standard care groups. However it is noted by the authors that unpublished and inaccessible smaller negative studies that could not be included in the current review, and may weaken the overall findings (Pharoah, 2006). But at the moment the best available evidence suggests that approximate number of families needed to be given Family Intervention in order to avoid the relapse of 1 patient at the end of 1 year, is 8. The impression of better overall global improvement in family intervention groups is supported by several other studies (Xiang, 1994; Ran, 2003; cited in Pharoah, 2006). Family intervention was not shown to either hinder or promote the completion of one year of therapy , however findings do suggest that family therapy does promote compliance of individuals with schizophrenia and medication (Pharoah, 2006). The authors propose that it can be speculated that this is the reason that family Intervention has its main effect. Hogart, (1997), suggests that although compliance with medication was indeed improved by family

Three Synchronic And Three Diachronic Approaches Theology Religion Essay

Three Synchronic And Three Diachronic Approaches Theology Religion Essay In this essay I will attempt to critically apply three synchronic and three diachronic approaches to Matthew 15:21-28. I will endeavour to illustrate responsible biblical interpretation by giving examples of good application as well as examples of abuse. 2. Matthew 15:21-28 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon.22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession.23 Jesus did not answer a word. So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. 24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel.25 The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me! she said. 26 He replied, It is not right to take the childrens bread and toss it to the dogs.27 Yes Lord, she said. but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table. 28 Then Jesus answered, Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. And her daughter was healed from that very hour. 3. Synchronic approach With this approach, the final form of the text is examined in terms of language and literature. The synchronic approach has evolved from modern linguistic and literary criticism. Tools of structural linguistics are used. I will explore three synchronic approaches namely: discourse analysis; narrative criticism and ideological criticism. 3.1 Discourse analysis In discourse analysis, the flow of larger sections of language is studied. This enables one to understand how the text is organized and how this affects ones understanding of the text. In this analysis I will use the method as described by Holgate and Starr (2010:49-54). Key: The main verbs are in bold; the text is divided into separate lines with one verb per line; lines belonging together are grouped into distinct statements and indented according to their relative positions. Subjects are underlined and a dotted line inserted to mark changes of subject. 21 Leaving that place, Jesus withdrew to the region of Tyre and Sidon. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ 22 A Canaanite woman from that vicinity came to him, crying out, Lord, Son of David, have mercy on me! My daughter is suffering terribly from demon possession. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 23 Jesus did not answer a word. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ So his disciples came to him and urged him, Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 24 He answered, I was sent only to the lost sheep of Israel. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦.. 25 The woman came and knelt before him. Lord, help me! she said. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 26 He replied, It is not right to take the childrens bread and toss it to the dogs. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 27 Yes, Lord, she said. but even the dogs eat the crumbs that fall from their masters table. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. 28 Then Jesus answered, Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. And her daughter was healed from that very hour. à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦Ãƒ ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦. Recurrent words and phrases: Answer (v.23; 24; 26; 27); Came (v.22; 23; 25); Crying (v.22; 23); Send (v.23; 24); Said (v. 25; 27). By doing this discourse analysis, it can be seen that: people (the woman and the disciples) came to Jesus. people turn to Jesus with different agendas the woman because of distress; the disciples in self- righteousness/ intolerance. Jesus answers questions and requests. in verse 24, Jesus is actually speaking to the disciples and not necessarily to the woman. Jesus was using the situation to illustrate a point to his disciples. Just prior to this event, Jesus had to explain to them (v 16-20) to look past the single-minded concern for the law to the principle of the law. Application: Proper use: This shows us that everyone can come to Jesus with whatever they need to bring to him. It teaches us not to disregard a person, like the disciples did, because of a feeling of cultural or religious superiority. Misuse: To misinterpret Jesus initial reaction and to use that to justify cultural, religious or gender arrogance. 3.2 Narrative criticism This is a technique whereby a Biblical text is evaluated as a story, considering various aspects including the implied author as well as the implied reader. It views the text as a whole, analysing it and emphasizing the effects of the narrative on the implied reader. It considers the events, the characters, conflict and the literary strategies used. In this text, the following analysis can be made: The events occur in the region of Tyre, which was a Gentile, i.e. a non -Jewish area. This is the same region where Elijah healed a gentile womans son. The narrative takes place after Jesus had been talking to the Jewish religious leaders, a crowd of people and his disciples about ritual cleanliness. The characters are Jesus, a Canaanite woman, Jesus disciples, and indirectly the womans daughter and the nation of Israel. Conflict can be detected between the disciples and the woman, as well as in Jesus initial responses. The implied narrator is Matthew. Application: Proper use: It reflects the attitude of the rest of the Gospel of Matthew that the good news of Jesus the saviour is not only for the Jewish people, but for the whole world. We should take this point and realise that we need to bring the message of grace to whoever is seeking mercy and wants to believe. Misuse: This can happen when this text is misunderstood, creating a perception of intolerance to women and outsiders. 3.3 Ideological criticism Ideological criticism considers three areas in which ideology affects texts. These are: the ideological context in which the text was produced; the ideology expressed within it and the ideology of those who read it (Holgate Starr 2010:132). Due to the wide range of possible readers, there will always be more meanings of the text than what the author intended. This can result in more than one legitimate interpretation of the text. This happens because when reading the text, readers bring with them their pre-understandings, assumptions, values and interests. Feminist ideological criticism, for instance, points out that the Bible has been written by men from the perspective of men and the final list of books that were included in the canon was likewise decided by men. Application: Proper use: To use ideological criticism to expose stereotypes and to highlight the sometimes not so obvious inclusiveness which Jesus has for those who feel disregarded. Misuse: When this is used to support the interests of some at the expense of others. For example, with feminist criticism, if the importance of women in the Bible is highlighted (rightly so) but then taken to the extreme of rejecting any masculine input and ignoring the voices of other marginalised groups. 4. Diachronic approach In this approach, an analysis is made as to how the text came to be here in the Bible, in this form and in this place. The goal of diachronic analysis is the reconstruction of the historical course along which the texts reached their final forms. 4.1 Form criticism This is a way of analysing a passage to determine whether some or all of the text first existed in oral form. It also considers how and where such forms were actually used in the context or life situation (Sitz im Leben) of religious communities. Part of this analysis is to determine the genre of the biblical text. There are four steps involved (Holgate Starr 2010:75): i) Determine the start and end of the unit and analyse the structure: This passage, taken from Matthew 15 starts at verse 21 and ends at verse 28. ii) Determine the genre: This is a narrative, the purpose of which is to recount a miracle of Jesus involving an exorcism. iii) Consider the literary, historical and social setting of the text: The passage is in Matthew chapter 15 and follows discussions on ritual purity. It precedes the description of Jesus healing many people and feeding 4000. The social setting is that of a group of Jewish men who are not in a Jewish area, being harassed by a gentile woman. iv) Examine how this information assists in determining the earlier use of these units in the oral tradition: The Jewish nation was the Chosen People and this would be emphasised weekly in the synagogues. The Gospel of Matthew was written between AD 70-90 when there was conflict concerning the place of Gentiles within the early Jesus movement. Application: Proper use: By realising that this text is positioned between Jesus discourse on ritual purity and Jesus healing and feeding many people, it compels one to look beneath the surface of the text. The author intended his audience to understand that the message of this narrative was directed more at the attitudes of Jesus disciples (us), than as a story of perseverance. Misuse: This can happen with a superficial reading of this passage which could result in an image of Jesus being uncaring, especially to women. 4.2 Redaction criticism: Redaction criticism builds upon the results of source criticism since it can only be used when there are identifiable sources. Redaction criticism regards the author of the text as the editor or redactor of the source materials. It analyses the way in which the author organized information available to express his/her theological goals into what we read as the biblical text. When one compares this passage in Matthew with that of Mark, a different emphasis on the significance of the events can be detected. It can be assumed the difference in the narrative would be due to the theological emphases that each stress in their respective gospels. In Marks account, the disciples, people of Israel and faith are not mentioned. In Matthews version the woman refers to Jesus as the Son of David but she does not do so in Marks version. The reason might be that Matthews own theology is imposing itself on the story; that is, Matthew had the woman address Jesus by his messianic title because this is how Matthews community understood Jesus. Application: Proper use: This shows that Biblical passages are written with specific purposes in mind. Matthew used this story to highlight his specific theological message to a Jewish audience. Misuse: It would be incorrect to dogmatically use certain verses to prove a point. For example, it would be incorrect to state categorically that the womans daughter was healed because of her mothers faith, since Mark does not mention faith. Faith may or may not have had anything to do with the cure. 4.3 Tradition criticism: This flows from form criticism and tries to reconstruct the history or development of the Gospel traditions, from the earliest stages to the final form in which they appear in the passage under consideration. Traditional aspects seen in this passage are the people of Israel as Gods chosen; women occupying inferior positions to men; the Messiah as a descendent of David. There is a similarity with Matthew 8:5-13 (and Luke 7:1-10) where a Roman officers servant is healed by Jesus. This story also draws on the rich history of Jesus healings and his interaction with outcasts. Application: Proper use: With an appropriate application, one will realise the context of when this text was written, in which case one can see the appropriateness of the situation and characters. Misuse: An inappropriate reading would be if this text is used as a basis to justify an exclusive religious attitude or to sanction a subservient position for women. 5. Conclusion In this essay I used the passage from Matthew 15:21-28 and applied three synchronic and three diachronic approaches to the text. The Synchronic approaches used were discourse analysis; narrative criticism and ideological criticism. The Diachronic approaches were form criticism; redaction criticism and tradition criticism. I also used examples of proper use as well as misuse in the application of these methods.

Two Kinds by Amy Tan Essay -- Two Kinds, Amy Tan

In â€Å"Two Kinds,† Amy Tan explores a theme of independence. Jing-me is an impressionable nine year old girl living in an apartment with her parents. She struggles with the high expectations of her mother, to become a prodigy. The conflict results in a rebellious independence. Tan develops Jing-me’s character as willful, defiant, and insecure. To begin, Tan demonstrates that Jing-me’s willfulness stands in the way of her success. For example, after failing many of her mothers prodigy tests, she begins to hate them. One night after another failed test, she adopted â€Å"new thoughts, willful thoughts, or rather thoughts filled with lots of won’ts† (Tan 596). Jing-me decides that she is not going to let her mother change who she is, so she stops trying to be a prodigy. She demonstrates her willfulness when she â€Å"performed listlessly,† and â€Å"pretended to be bored,† when presented with further tests (596). Jing-me’s headstrong attitude continues to stand in the way and keeps her from successfully learning to play the piano. She â€Å"was determined not to try, not to be anybody different† that ...

Chaucers Canterbury Tales Essay - The Wife of Bath and the Ideal Woman

The Wife of Bath and the Ideal Woman       The Wife of Bath is one of Chaucer's most memorable characters. In the "General Prologue," she is described as a somewhat deaf, voluptuous, married woman. She is a clothing maker, has a gap tooth, the sign of a lust nature, and she wears brilliant red stockings. Her fantastic description alone sparks interest, a spark that is later fanned into fire when her prologue is read. The Wife's outlandish description of her marriages makes her unique and memorable among the pilgrims in The Canterbury Tales, most of which are identified by conventional occupation. Chaucer has deliberately made the Wife a notable character by giving her life many unconventional twists. Her marriages are contradictory, and her personality is at odds with the medieval view of women Chaucer creates her in order to show that this woman, however rare and unique she is, cannot openly struggle for equality and independence. Her prologue gives the reader the notion that, when Alison is talking about herself, "It's a bit like an anti-confession, with her saying this is what I'm like, there's no way I'm going to change (Beer 8). This is her initial portrayal, but at the end of her prologue, the Wife of Bath succumbs to the pressure of society, conforms and becomes the ideal medieval wife.    The Wife's marriages, when viewed in order, show her struggle for power and her surrender to authority. In the first few lines the reader learns that Alison was married five times. Her five husbands represent the progression of a woman from a power-hungry girl to a submissive spouse. Her five husbands can be divided into two groups, the first group consisting of the Wife's first three husbands. Of this first group she says, "Th... ... Mark. "The Wife of Bath and Women's Power." Assays 4 (1987): 67-83. Bott, Robin. "The Wife of Bath and the Revelour: Power Struggles and Failure in a Marriage of Peers." Medieval Perspectives 6 (1991): 154-161. Carruthers, Mary. "The Wife of Bath and the Painting of Lions." PMLA 94 (1979): 209-18. Chaucer, Geoffrey. The Riverside Chaucer. Ed. Larry Benson. 3rd ed. Boston: Houghton, 1987. Crane, Susan. "Alison's Incapacity and Poetic Instability in the Wife of Bath's Tale." MLA 102 (1987): 20-27. Leicester, Jr., H. Marshall. "Of a fire in the dark: Public and Private Feminism in the Wife of Bath's Tale." Women's Studies 11.1-2 (1985): 157-78. Oberembt, Kenneth. "Chaucer's Anti-Misogynist Wife of Bath." The Chaucer Review 10 (1976): 287-302. Patterson, Lee. Chaucer and the Subject of History. Madison: University of Wisconsin Press, 1991.

Investment and Equity Cost

2. Suppose the market portfolio has an expected return of 10% and a volatility of 20%, while Microsoft’s stock has a volatility of 30%. A. Given its higher volatility, should we expect Microsoft to have an equity cost of capital that is higher than 10%? No, Microsoft is diversifiable and it will not be affected by the changes in the market. We do not expect Microsoft’s equity cost of capital to be higher than 10%. Each stock carries its own weight. B. What would have to be true for Microsoft’s equity cost of capital to be equal to 10%? In order for Microsoft’s equity cost of capital to be 10% its beta will have to be 1. 4. Suppose all possible investment opportunities in the world are limited to the five stocks listed in the table below. What does the market portfolio consist of (what are the portfolio weights)? Stock Price/Share ($) Number of Shares Outstanding (millions) A 10 10 B 20 12 C 8 3 D 50 1 E 45 20 Total value of the market = 10Ãâ€"10+20Ãâ€"12+8Ãâ€"3+50Ãâ€"1+45Ãâ€"20= $1. 314 billion Stock Portfolio Weight A 10Ãâ€"10=100 100/1314 =0. 0761 x 100 = 7. 61% B 20Ãâ€"12= 240 240/1314 =0. 1826 x 100= 18. 6% C 8Ãâ€"3= 24 24/1314= 0. 0183 x 100 = 1. 83% D 50x 1 = 50 50/1314=0. 03381 x 100 = 3. 81% E 45Ãâ€"20 = 900 900/1314= 0. 6859 x 100 = 68. 49% Total = 100% 5. Using the data in Problem 4, suppose you are holding a market portfolio, and have invested $12,000 in Stock C. A. How much have you invested in Stock A? 12,000x(10Ãâ€"10)/(8Ãâ€"3)=$50,000

What Is the Effect of Lack of Sleep on College Students?

Running head: WHAT IS THE EFFECT OF LACK OF SLEEP ON A COLLEGE STUDENT'S BRAIN AND BEHAVIOR Gilbert and Weaver (2010) examined the sleep quality with academic performance with university students, whether it is complete sleep deprivation or poor sleep quality. This study was to determine if lack of sleep or having poor sleep value in non-demoralized college students were related to the low academic routine. The author’s expectations were to find the relationship between the student’s environment and lifestyle with their sleep patterns and the force it has on their educational performance.Within the study the authors found that being able to have good sleep patterns and quality is a big key part for student to have a good GPA and being able to pass all their academics. Yet, a huge portion of college students do not get plenty or a fair amount of sleep. The authors also found in their study that students should be more considerate on the sleep value and sleep amount they should have. To the authors awareness, This is the first study to have found a relationship between poor sleep quality and lower academic performance using a large sample size and importantly, for non depressed students alone. Gilbert and Weaver, 2010). This study will provide my research with the important factors of sleep and education for a college student, in order to foresee the academic routine on the student’s foundation of sleep quality and quantity. Also it would provide my study with the question of whether our society should start regulating students to sleep enough to perform better, or instead let the students perform as they are doing. The author could not prove that poor sleep patterns resulted in a lower GPA for students, they only knew the important contributions that pointed to the conclusions of the study.Another limitation was that when the author performed the study, they only performed the study on freshman college students and not any higher level colle ge students. Lastly, they didn't check the University transcripts for the student’s grade point average; they relied on the student’s honesty. Mateika, Millrood, and Mitru (2002) examined the consequences of sleep on learning performance and the behavior that results from lack of sleep, in adolescents. The authors did the study to see the different options to help students re-establish and balance their normal sleep and everyday routine.The expectations of authors were to find a solution to help young adults in preventing the cause of their lack of sleep, whether it was from their parents, the school, work, or medical reasons. From all the different perspective views of the authors, they found that, the side effects that manifest was a consequence of sleep deprivation are independent†¦include inattention and poor performance in the classroom and emotional and behavioral changes. (Mateika, et. al. , 2002). With that, they looked at different changes they could make , like changing the time of when school starts, or looking if the students had sleep disorder.They found that parents and school should help increase the promotion of healthy sleep patterns for the importance of the sleep on school and work performance and behavior in the student. This study provides a different perspective of how to deal with sleep deprivation, instead of looking at the students sleep patterns and lifestyle and changing that, this study looks at how parents, or schools can be change the lack of sleep in order for students to perform better in their school and work environment.This provides my study with the mentality that students are mostly not to blame for their own lack of sleep, the blame can be from the amount of workload the students get from their teachers, the time they go to school and leave, the time they go to work and leave work, or even the amount of time not being able to sleep due to stress or insomnia. So all this gives me different perspectives to look at in order to solve the problem of the cause of sleeplessness.The only limitation in this study is that when looking at school workload being increased and the early time of class becomes a bit of a problem with the amount of sleep the student loses and gains. Cruess and Wells (2006) examined the results of sleeplessness on the consumption of food and food choices, which may have a lead problem to health in issues to those who have, sleep deprivation, The authors did this study to show the link between sleep and food intake within college students.They believe that students who sleep less would choose them food that is less healthy, because the students are less concerned of their weight and more dependent on their mood and expediency. The authors expect to see more evidence showing that stress hormones are related with the relationship between sleeping and eating, which in other words, increases in stress lead to more snacking and a decrease in the consumption of typical meal -type foods (Oliver and Wardle, 1999).In their study they found that what they expected to find in the beginning had happened, in which there was a difference in food intake, measured by how much calories was consumed after the night of the students incomplete lack of sleep. The study also presented that there was a huge difference in food consumption and calorie intake on partial sleepless night and a normal night of rest.This study provides my research with the behavior of food with the student, how sleep deprivation can affect a student’s choice in food, which is chosen by the mood of the student, their health, the price, the convince, the familiarity and the students appeal towards the food, in which it all goes back to whether they had a normal nights rest, or sleepless night. There are many limitations to this study, the main limitations was that this study was based mostly on self-report information, which means that it may or may not be accurate information in the stu dy.Another important limitation was that some of the participants in the study had recorded the start of their food and sleep records in their journals on different days, which made it hard to frame the time of the study accurately. Moreno, Louzada, and Pereira (2010) examined the role of ecological aspects in sleep duration among adolescents who have less technology and adolescents who have advance technology and how it changes the relationship of their sleep patterns.The authors performed this study to bring out an opportunity to look at natural and ecological influences on different characteristics that is related to sleep behaviors; the authors wanted to understand why adolescents who have electric lights, and other high advance resources have a higher level of sleep deprivation, while those who have less technology have enough sleep and are able to perform better. Their expectation for the study was that there would be an interaction between the natural and ecological factors i n the sleep cycle of the adolescents.The study help the authors find that the occurrence of electric lighting in home of the adolescent is a critical factor that is related to the duration of the sleep, which results in regular amount of sleep to irregular amount of sleep in adolescents. These results are important in my study, because it supports the ideas that adolescents having advanced technology, is important when determining whether it is a factor in knowing it results in sleep deprivation. Kopasz et. al. 2008) examined that adolescent to not sleep enough and have different sleep patterns every day, due to adolescents decrease in sleep duration on school days and increase in the weekends. The purpose of this study for the authors was to find the relation between adolescents sleep schedule, the environments of the student and daytime tasks, and to look at the results with the sleep records the adolescents kept. The expectations of this study were to find a difference between th e sleep patterns of during the week and the weekends, and the difference between the ages of the students and how late or early they slept.The authors found what they were expecting, there was a significant difference between week and weekend nights, and the older students slept about an hour less per night compared with the youngest. (Kopasz, 2008). They found as our age increases, are sleep duration decreases. This study is important to my research, because it shows a new perspective of the topic, where it gives evidence of how our generation grows, we lose more sleep because of the changes in education, in life events, and our society.This study shows how teenager are suffering the consequences of having sleep deprivation due to having to work and go to school, on top of family issues and the workload teachers give students. This is important to my study because the authors foretell that sleep deprivations in found adults is a global problem with severe consequences. The inconsis tencies in the body of research are that there is not much research or experiments in the relationship of sleep and the brain with a college student.There is much said about students behaviors with there is lack of sleep in their daily routines, but to know what happens, or what goes on in the brain, when it suffers from sleep deprivation will give my study a better perspective of the bigger picture. The gap that are in the body of this literature review is important, because it gives my study resources to look at and explore in which the other studies did not. My study will do research in both the brain and the behavior in all levels of non-depressed college students who have sleep deprivation and figure out what is the main cause of the students lack of sleep in their college lifestyle.References Gilbert, S. P. , and Weaver, C. C. (2010). Sleep Quality and Academic Performance in University Students: A Wake Up Call For College Psychologists. Journal Of College Student Psychotherap y, 24(4), 295-306. doi: 1080/87568225. 2010. 509245. Mateika J. H. , Millrood, D. L. , and Mitru, G. (2002) The Impact Of Sleep On Learning And Behavior In Adolescents. Teachers College Records, 104(4), 704-726. doi: 10. 1111/1467-9620. 00176. Cruess, D. G. , and Wells, T. T. (2006). Effects of Partial Sleep Deprivation On Food Consumption And Food Choice. Psychology & Health, 21(1), 79-86. doi: 10. 1080/1476820500102301. Oliver, G. and Wardle, J. (1999). Perceived Effects Of Stress On Food Choice. Physiology and Behavior, 66, 511-515. Moreno, C. C. , Louzada, F. , and Pereira, E. (2010). Not All Adolescents Are Sleep Deprived: A Study Of Rural Populations. Sleep And Biological Rhythms, 8(4), 267-273. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1479-8425. 2010. 00458. x. Kopasz, M. M. , Loessi, B. B. , Riemann, D. D. , Valerius, G. G. , Voderholzer, U. U. (2008). Are Adolescents Chronically Sleep-Deprived? An Investigation Of Sleep habits Of Adolescents In The Southwest Of Germany. Child: Care, Health, And De velopment, 34(5), 549-556. doi: 10. 1111/j. 1365-2214. 2008. 00845. x.