Gun Laws Essays - Gun Politics In The United States, Self-defense

Gun Laws States from Michigan to Nebraska to California, as well as the federal government, are considering new rules on letting law-abiding citizens carry guns. Does allowing citizens to carry concealed handguns deter violent crimes? Or does this cause otherwise law-abiding citizens to harm each other? Thirty-one states now have guaranteed their citizens the right to carry concealed handguns if applicants do not have a criminal record or a history of significant mental illness. So what have the results been? The numbers tell the story Using the FBI's crime-rate data for all 3,054 U.S. counties by year from 1977 to 1992, I co-authored a study in the January 1997 Journal of Legal Studies. We found that concealed handguns deter violent crimes and produce no significant increase in accidental handgun deaths. The accompanying figures show how dramatic this drop is by illustrating how different violent crime rates change before and after the adoption of these laws. The size and timing of the decline coincide closely with the number of concealed-handgun permits issued. Counties issuing the most new permits had the greatest drops in crimes. The study considered arrest and conviction rates, prison-sentence lengths and changes in many other handgun laws such as waiting periods, as well as income, poverty, unemployment and changing demographics. Thousands of observations made it possible to control for a whole range of other factors never included in any previous crime study. The estimated benefits indicate that if those states without right-to-carry concealed handgun provisions had adopted them in 1992, at least 1,500 murders would have been avoided yearly. Similarly, rapes would have declined by more than 4,000, robbery by more than 11,000 and aggravated assault by more than 60,000. Benefits all around Surprisingly, the largest drops in violent crimes occurred in the most urban counties with the highest crime rates. Further, the benefits of concealed handguns were not limited to those who carry the weapons. By the nature of these guns being concealed, criminals cannot tell whether a potential victim is armed, thus making crime less attractive when it involves direct contact with people. Citizens who have no intention of carrying a concealed handgun benefit from the crime-fighting efforts of their fellow citizens. While allowing either men or women to carry concealed handguns deters murder, the impact is particularly dramatic for women. The findings imply that for each additional woman carrying a concealed handgun the murder rate for women falls by three to four times more having an additional man carrying a concealed handgun lowers the murder rate for men. With women typically being weaker physically, providing a woman with a gun has a much bigger effect on her ability to defend herself. People willing to go through the permitting process also tend to be law abiding. In Florida, almost 444,000 licenses were granted from 1987 to 1997, but only 84 people have lost their licenses for using a firearm in a felony. Most cases appear to have involved accidentally carrying a gun into restricted areas like airports or schools. During Texas' first two years of issuing permits in 1996 and 1997, permit holders were arrested for violent crimes at less than one-sixth the rate of other adult Texans, and these arrests rarely involved guns. Likewise, in Virginia, not a single permit holder has been involved in a violent crime. Similar results have been observed in states such as Kentucky, Nevada, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Listen to the men in blue While most police have supported concealed-handgun laws, many opponents have changed their minds after adoption. For example, Glenn White, president of the Dallas Police Association, recently summarized his change of heart: I lobbied against the law in 1993 and 1995 because I thought it would lead to wholesale armed conflict. That hasn't happened. All the horror stories I thought would come to pass didn't happen. No bogeyman. I think it's worked out well, and that says good things about the citizens who have permits. I'm a convert. Permit holders are unusually law-abiding citizens who fear for their personal safety. The police are simply not able to protect everyone all the time. As a former opponent of concealed handgun laws, Campbell County, Ky. Sheriff John Dunn says:

Dolch Sight Words for Kindergarten to Third Grade

Dolch Sight Words for Kindergarten to Third Grade The Dolch Word Lists were developed by Edward W. Dolch. He researched English text he found published in the United States and found those words that show up the most in text. Some of those words are decodable, because they follow general phonemic and spelling rules for English. Many, however, are not decodable but instead are irregular, meaning they do not follow the rules of English. Over 50 - 75% of the most commonly used words are found in the Dolch List below. The Dolch Lists are among the most highly respected tools in the field of reading instruction, and are critical for creating meaning in text- using those common verbs, articles, and conjunctions to make words into language.   The Dolch lists are also valuable for word walls. Word walls provide a dictionary for emerging writers as well as readers, as they look to find the words they need to write. Dolch created a spiraling list of sight words that builds from grades to grades. You can add words from the lists to your word wall as you expand your students skills through appropriate pre-primer or primer decodable books, which will have many of the sight words. Then, you can encourage your students to use the word wall words in writing samples. Still, the goal should be to write to communicate, not write to meet some teachers requirements. Students with reading and language difficulties often dislike writing tasks- make them fun and make them about communicating their meaning and they will flex their writing muscles! How to Use the Dolch Words: Play games with them, cut the cards out and use them as flash cards.Use oral reading activities with the cards. Hold up the word, and use a sentence with a blank prompting the child to state the word. For instance: I liked that movie so much that I watched it _________ (again).Use and oral cloze activity, placing three cards, one that fills the cloze. You can have the child point to the correct word. This is especially good for children with reading skills but apraxia. i.e. John went to the park to (swim, and, the.)Shuffle the Dolch cards, turn them over one at a time and use them in a sentence.Have students go back and highlight (and correct, when necessary) the word wall words in their journal entries or free writing.   Daily routine use of the words will build reading confidence. For students with learning disabilities, these words can be learned developmentally, beginning with the pre-primer list.  There are five lists offering appropriate words for the  Pre-Primer,  Primer, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade, and  3rd Grade  reading levels. Word cards for all 44 spelling sounds  are available and can be great additions to your spelling program and word walls.

Galinsky's 6 stages of parenthood Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Galinsky's 6 stages of parenthood - Essay Example The parents will create an image of what comes ahead in terms of the birth of the child and parenting behaviours. The parents will have this image in their entire life because parenting will be a lifelong process. Growth then occurs when the parents modify an image that is consistent with the reality that is happening. Nurturing is the stage that occurs when the child is born to the time it starts speaking simple words. Parents do comparison of themselves and that of their child to find available discrepancies. Discrepancies present between the imaged child and the actual child is done by parents getting to know the child by touching and caring for it. At this stage, there is bonding and the parents become attached to the child. Parents face questions relating to their priorities; how much time they will devote to the child and how much time they will have for doing their other duties. Authority stage begins when the child is two years to when it is five years, and parents are faced with the task of deciding the kind of authority to be put in place, the rules to be followed and consequences of breaking the rules. Parents, having assured themselves of their identity, develop an attachment to the child, are faced with the task of accepting the authority they have over the child. This is the stage where they come to understand the child is not their extension; therefore, they form images of getting angry, having unconditional love, and having disciplinary actions that are different from those of their parents. There are parent/child relation problems, and the big question at this stage is how to solve problems that occur. Interpretive stage has its onset when the child begins preschool years to onset of teenage. With the entering of the child into kindergarten, the parents ask themselves whether they have been realistic and they evaluate the past in order to prepare for changes coming. The task

Hersey blanchard situational leadership Final paper Research

Hersey blanchard situational leadership Final - Research Paper Example Moreover, effective leadership style based on the nature of a particular situation can help an organization to provide effective solutions to the developed issues and challenges. This research paper will evaluate the value of Hersey-Blanchard’s situational leadership theory or model or theory in order to improve the performance of healthcare organizations. Healthcare industry can be considered as one of the sensitive industries in this global market place. It is important for the organizations in this particular industry to ensure the implementation of effective leadership style in order to maintain effective workplace environment. The Hersey-Blanchard situational leadership theory can be considered as important theory for the healthcare organizations. This particular theory was introduced and presented by Dr. Paul Hersey (Blanchard, 1983). It is highly important for the healthcare organizations to be prepared for different types of situations. On the other hand, it is important for the management of these healthcare organizations to develop and implement different types of situational leadership styles based on the demand of the situation (Graeff, 1983). According to this leadership theory, an effective leader should have the flexibility to change his or her leadership style and implement change management process in the organization by adopting different types of leadership styles based on the demand and nature of the situation. However, the leadership theory of hersey and Blanchard can be divided into four different styles, such as telling, selling, participating and delegating. Telling can be considered as one of the important situational leadership styles. In this leadership style the leaders used to tell the followers and sub-ordinates what exactly to do and what is the process or procedure to complete the task (Vecchio, 1987). The managers in the healthcare organization can adopt and implement

Study On Comprehensive Mental Health Nursing Assessment

Study On Comprehensive Mental Health Nursing Assessment A written account of a comprehensive mental health nursing assessment and plan of care for a selected client who has multiple health problems. This account must critically reflect on communication with other agencies and evidence of working with the client and or family in a collaborative manner. Particular attention should be paid to national policies in this area and evidence of best practice. In this assignment it will define and discuss a nursing intervention for a client with a long enduring mental health illness. A systematic approach will be used the nursing process and the role of the mental health nurse will be clearly identified in providing care for the client. The nursing process consists of four stages, the assessment, planning, implementing and evaluation. This problem solving approach will be adopted to structure, organise, and present the nursing intervention. A fully detailed clients profile will be given. The mental health assessment and plan process will also be addressed. The client will be involved in the whole process as far as possible in order to empower him / her, a plan that is person centred and interventions that are evidence based will be displayed in the assignment. In this profile a pseudonym (James) will be used in accordance with the Nursing and Midwifery Council, (NMC, 2002) to maintain confidentiality. The need of the Multi Displinary Team (MDT) for collaboration will be discussed in order to safe guard the patient to share skills and knowledge and to improve the quality of care. James is a 65 year old man with a diagnosis of severely depression and excessive alcohol intake. He was detained under section 3 of the mental health act (1983) at a low secure unit. James was admitted into the unit 12 months ago his index offence being physical assault and attempted suicide through an overdose with his prescribed medication for his depression and insomnia. He shares the house with four other men in the unit. James is potentially active and usually manages his day to day living activities as well as attending day care sessions without much prompting. However, he had recently become very reluctant to attend to his personal hygiene. This became worse when James started going for days without washing or bathing himself. His room was never cleaned hence having a bad odour because of his leg ulcer and he refuses the Tissue Viability Nurse (TV) to change the dressings regularly. Care Programme Approach (1991) which aims to improve the co-ordination of services and collabor ation between the various agencies, carers and service user. The introduction of the CPA in (1991) was to provide shape, coherence to what had often been haphazard, uncoordinated attempts to provide support in the care for people with severe mental illnesses (DOH1991). CPA is a statutory framework within which bio-psycho-social needs assessments is carried out (Norman and Ryrie 2004). This odour was because James would not change allowing the TV nurse to dress his leg ulcer for days. At his previous review meeting, issues around his hygiene had been viewed as hazardous to his health and also the health of staff since there were times when they would have to go into his room now and again. If James had no day care sessions to attend to he would sit and watch television. James also had a fairly huge appetite, he was observed to be frequently asking for more food at meal times. The other factor that proved he had a huge appetite was that he always asked for tea and biscuits several times between meals. This could be seen as poor eating patterns as Henderson (2001) implied that frequent binging is a factor behind poor eating patterns. Concerns about his weight gain had recently been discussed in his review meeting. James had of late become very withdrawn, wanting to be alone all the time. In an interview with him, he expressed how he felt useless and not having any fa ith in himself. He said he felt this was because his peers were looking down upon him because of his poor hygiene. James was referred to our team for five day assessment prior to facilitate discharge. James had a psychosocial assessment by the mental health nurse and the student at the day hospital. Good psychosocial assessments could be therapeutic to the client because it might be their fist time to be able to discuss different aspects of their problems or a particular problem with anyone (Rose and Barnes 2008). The assessment is important in enabling the development of a care plan that is person centred that could stabilise Jamess conditions and endeavour to improve his quality of life. Care plans and working practices should be person centred. The recover model also require a person centred approach so that clients can explore their thoughts, feelings, lives and to discover more accepting sense of self (Repper Perkins 2007). James had a high score of 19 / 21 on the Beck Depression Inventory (Beck et al 1961 cited by Norman and Ryrie 2007 pg 201,438). However, all self report inventories there is a possibility that clients may exaggerate or under-present symptoms resulting in low score to avoid further interventions (Castillo 2003). In this case the results from the inventory were therefore only be used as a guideline. The Department of Health (DOH 2001) properly targeted assessment and active care management promotes older peoples independence through preventing deterioration and managing crises. It further states that proper assessments may reduce demand for services through assessing need more accurately and by ensuring services remain appropriate to needs, such systematic assessment is also valued by the older people. Standard seven of the National Service Framework (NSF) for older adults advices professionals on treatment of depression and National Institute of Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2001) focused in the management of Depression NICE. These guidelines set clear proposals of tackling social exclusion, promotion of partnership working of the NHS and Social services, ensuring high standards of care and provision of quicker treatment, safe , sound and supportive services for people who suffer from depression. According to Redfern and Ross (1997) depression in elderly people is often undetected because elderly people will often complain of physical illness and physical aspects of depression rather than the depressed mood itself; moreover, they are not aware that depression is a distinct disorder which is treatable. Norman and Ryrie (2004) further state that most clinicians perceive depression as a normal ageing process and in this context the writer feels that professionals have to be more educated or increase their knowledge in recognising depression in elderly as they are the main gate keepers and misdiagnosed depression is a serious issue as most people will go untreated or undetected. The DOH (2001) could be seen to be in support with above view when they state that under-detection of mental illness in older people is widespread, due to the nature of the symptoms and the fact that many older people live alone. Depression in people aged 65 and over is especially under-diagnosed and this is particularly true of residents in care homes, mental and physical problems can also interact in older people making their overall assessment and management more difficult and mental health problems may be perceived by older people as well as by professionals and their families, as an inevitable consequence of ageing, and not as health problems which will respond to treatment.   These findings call for health professionals to be thorough when working with people with multiple health problems like James. During the assessment it became apparent that James became severely depressed following the death of his wife and losing his family and the family house. He was struggling to cope with loosing his house and moving into a residential home. He expressed feelings of loneliness and that he missed his family and neighbours. Depression in older people is under detected and under treated due to the ageists misconception of thinking its normal in this group. Symptoms displayed reflected that James was feeling depressed as according to the International Classification of Diseases (ICD 10) 1992 the key symptoms of depression are depressed mood, loss of enjoyment or interest, lack of concentration, disturbed sleep, ideas of self harm or suicide. James had made frequent remarks of ending his life but could not further elaborate on how he intends to do this when asked by staff. This is recognised as a serious risk, it is difficulty to establish these symptoms. However, older people are more likely than younger people to experience anxiety and memory loss as symptoms of depression (Pillai 1997). James lost contact with his family because they didnt want to know him due to his mental illness. There is a mounting evidence of discrimination experienced by people with mental health problems within their families and in the community (Dunn 1999). Beck et al (1998) defined health as that which includes dimensions of being, such as biological, social, spiritual and cultural. In this nursing intervention the nurse will be involved in the promotion of Jamess health and social well-being. Mathews (1996) emphasised that nurses need to follow a problem solving approach when intervening to the care of patients. The mental health nurse will use the nursing process to do a nursing intervention on Jamess care because Alan (1991) stated that the nursing process is a problem solving approach to care. The four stages of the nursing process will be followed step by step. The Maslows (1954) hierarchy of needs will be used to guide the nurse in the care planning. This hierarchy summarizes all human needs. Pillings (1991) mentioned that it is essential that peoples needs are satisfied regardless of whether they are ill or well. Abraham Maslow provides us with considerable information about human needs regardless of their well being. The rationale for using Maslows hierarchy of needs as an assessment tool is that Maslow expresses that physiological needs must be dealt with first otherwise the person will die. The nurse therefore felt that James lacked mostly the ability to satisfy his physiological needs more than his other needs. Without meeting his physiological needs, in this case poor hygiene and unhealthy eating, James would not be able to gain his self esteem. The priority needs therefore identified during the assessment process were poor hygiene, excessive alcohol intake, poor eating habits and suicidal thoughts. According to Roper et al (1983) a model is an artefact, which provides growing points for new ideas. Newton (1991) defined a model as a collection of mental images of what nursing should be like, which provides structure and direction to achieve its goal. The nursing model chosen for this intervention was the Roper, Logan and Tierneys (1983) Activities of Daily Living. This model was chosen as it uses a systematic approach and follows Maslow by looking at physiological needs first. The nurse decided to plan health promotion activities so as to improve and prevent any more deterioration to Jamess health. Kemn and Close (1995) maintained that health promotion is, among many definitions and approaches, defined as encompassing activities meant to prevent disease and illness, and improving the well-being of the community. Prior to the assessment, James was informed of the process. This was done in accordance with Newton (1991) who states that people should be given choice and autonomy and be able where possible to make their own decisions both trivial and important. The nurse worked through the four stages of assessment as required in the Roper, Logan and Tierney (1983) model. This was done by collecting information about James, reviewing the collected information, identifying Jamess problems then identifying priorities among the problems. Orems self care model (1985) could have also been ideal to use in Jamess assessment. This model emphasizes that individuals initiate and perform activities on their own behalf in maintaining life, health and well-being. As noted earlier, James needed a lot of prompting when it came to his self care therefore this model could be used to help James achieve the need of personal cleansing without much prompting. Brown (1995) stated that planning is the activity whereby nurses can decide on the necessary actions on the basis of the identified needs. When planning clients care nurses need to think of the aim, goal and objectives. An aim is a desired long-term outcome to be achieved in a specified time (Ewles and Simnett, 1999). In this case the aim was to help James understand the importance of eating appropriate food in relation to issues surrounding his weight. The other aim was to help him understand the importance of good hygiene in relation to his health and well being. Goals established in this case were to:- encourage James to adopt a healthy lifestyle by healthy eating. encourage James to prevent diseases by practicing good hygiene. According to Fawcett et al (1997), objectives should be specific, measurable, achievable, and realistic and time framed. Kiger et al (1995) stated that an objective is what the teacher intends to achieve. In this case James will:- Eat only reasonable amounts of food during meal times. In order to have a healthy body and to avoid a risk of developing diabetes. Over weight in James situation is bad for his leg ulcer. Avoid unhealthy binging between meals. Bath himself daily. Change his socks daily. Put all dirty socks for laundry. Implementation is focused at the actual way the client carries out activities and the intention is to minimise disruptions, (Newton, 1991). James will be empowered with knowledge and confidence by providing him with one to one teaching and written information. Jamess named nurse would arrange some one to one sessions so as to encourage him to eat healthy. The nurse will also refer James to a dietician concerning issues about his weight. Educative leaflets on healthy eating will also be made available to James. Staffs who work with James will need to go for training on healthy eating. This would widen their knowledge leading to them supplementing biscuits for fruits so that James binges on fruits instead of biscuits. One to one sessions will be offered every time James fails to attend to his personal hygiene. During such sessions the nurse will attempt to work in a way not to force James to attend to his personal hygiene, but encourage him instead. The nurse will also seek to obtain J amess own views about issues surrounding his personal hygiene she will achieve this by asking open-ended instead of closed questions. Understanding his own views about the issue will help the nurse work around encouraging him more effectively. James expressed a felt need when he discussed his feelings of uselessness and having no faith in himself. The nurse then decided to draw up a care plan for James. Ewles and Simnett (1992) stated that the purpose of an action plan is to detail that who is going to do what and when. Newton (1991) mentioned that evaluation is directly linked with care planning and is best defined as simply determining the extent to which goals have been achieved. According to the World Health Organisation (WHO, 1981), evaluation refers to judgement based upon careful assessment and critical appraisal of given situations, which should reach sensible conclusions and useful proposals. It is therefore apparent that evaluation is an important issue in health promotion because it assists to judge the worthiness of an activity. According to Naidoo and Wills (1994), evaluation addresses participants perceptions and reaction to health promotion interventions and identifies the factors that support on impede the activities. They explain impact evaluation as referring to immediate effects whereas outcome evaluation refers more to long term consequences. In Jamess care plan, evaluating his health promotion activity would involve the following:- Checking his weight using a body mass index was to check if he is overweight and to refer him to the dietician. Checking if James has gained any understanding about the importance of good personal hygiene. Checking if he has adopted any healthy eating habits. Get feedback from James, other staff and dietician and accept suggestions. The nurse will ask herself how the process went and what could be done differently to improve the quality of care in her future practice. According to Rose and Kay (1995), the role of a mental health nurse is a multidimensional in nature which comprises of the assessment of needs, health surveillance, enhanced therapeutic skills, developing personal skills, management and leadership, enablement and empowerment and coordination of services. An intervention is said to be more effective if it encompasses aspects like choice, empowerment and client involvement together with the client centred approach. Valuing People (2001) would be seen to be supporting this statement by emphasising on person centred planning. Applying person centred planning would help James assert control over his life hence empowerment. Throughout this intervention, the nurse maintained a good rapport with James which reflected the process of empowerment. According to the (NMC, 2002), nurses have a duty to care. In this intervention, this was practiced when the nurse identified Jamess needs and used assessment tools and methods that are highly reliable and valid. For interventions to be successful, the smart system should be applied (Brown, 1997). Smart stands for specific, measurable, achievable, realistic, and teachable. This was applied to Jamess case as the process clearly had specific aims and gaols. The nurse asked open-ended questions during the one to one sessions so as to help James feel comfortable and free to say out his own views. This could also be viewed as practising in accordance with Brown (1997) who states that putting the clients feelings, way of thinking and behaviour first helps makes teaching a success. The nurse did not attempt to clean Jamess room for him but just emphasised on encouraging him. By doing so, independence was being practiced. Brandon and Hawkes (1998) emphasised that independence can be achieved through empowerment and choice. The nurse also practiced partnership working by referring James to a dietician. It could be said that by so doing, the nurse was in recognition of her limitations. A great knowledge on the different aspects of care planning was gained. This included assessment which had proved to be a vital component of care planning. In the planning stage the nurse gained an understanding of how to address clients needs and take into consideration any necessary factors. These factors included the cognitive abilities of people with mental illness. The nurse felt that her communication skills for future practice had been enhanced as good interpersonal skills are vital for delivering holistic care. The nurse gained a more depth understanding of the role of the mental health nurse which includes empowering the clients and encouraging them to engage in activities carried out by the general population and not forgetting to take into consideration important issues like their disability. This essay has detailed the different aspects of care planning. It has also emphasised the imperative role the mental health nurse plays in the health of people with mental illness. This is echoed by the (NMC 2002), which states that nurses should act to identify and minimise the risk to clients. The whole activity has shown that in a nursing intervention there are a lot of other things to take into consideration. Its been apparent that its not only the nursing process that helps achieve goals but together with all the other principles which involve the role of the nurse, consent, empowerment and multi-agency working.

A League of Their Own

The movie also makes It easier to understand the different ethical systems by relating each system to a character portrayed In It. During the duration of World War II, the players of major league baseball were drafted. As a result, the ML used females to fill the teams to keep the American pastime alive. This essay will analyze some of the main characters of A League of Their Own from an ethical stand point. The main character, Dotted Hanson, played by Agene Davis, is the catcher of theRockford Peaches. Dotted Hanson best relates to utilitarianism. Throughout the movie, Dotted was constantly striving to do the right thing, not necessarily thinking about the outcome, but just wanted to be an all-around good person. For example, she wanted to show off as much as possible to reporters and the media in order to keep the women's league around much longer after the war ended so many of the players could keep their jobs. The other mall character, Jimmy Dugan, played by actor Tom Hanks, was the manager of the Rockford Peaches.Although he was portrayed early on as rude and arrogant, he eventually had a change of heart. With that In mind, Jimmy Dugan can be mostly associated with the ethics of virtue because this system is not based on one's actions, but the moral character of that person. We can see that deep down, he is a very caring person. However, sometimes his actions do not display the truth of his personal moral character. Next is Doris Murphy, who is played by Rosier O'Donnell. This character best portrays ethical formalism because f the constant intent to do good deeds.For the most part, she would conduct herself in a positive way to everyone. For example, when her teammate, Mae, was upset because of the proposal of shutting down the female league, Doris stood up for her friend and defended her, not for appraise, but because she knew it should be done. Doris' teammate, Mae Mortal was played by Madonna. Mae best describes natural law because of her moral princip les. When the possibility off league shut-down came about, Mae stayed firm In her beliefs of not wanting to go ace to her former life of dancing provocatively.Natural law can apply to anyone who continually keep their principles upheld. The recruiter of the players, Ernie Caption, was played by Jon Loving. Although a smaller role, he is portrayed as an arrogant and self-centered, thinking mainly of himself. For this reason, he best illustrates the egoism system. When Kit and Dotted were willing to stay behind for Marl, Ernie made it clear he was there specifically to finish his job, whether that would be with or without the girls.Air Loneliness, played by David Stratum, is one character who really tries to keep the league going for everyone involved. In this case, this character can relate to the ethics of care. Although Air is not motherly Like some may associate this system with, he Is still caring enough and emotionally Invested In the girls to fight to keep the league alive. Eac h of these roles helped explain a different system of ethics. Overall, A League of Their Own was enjoyable to watch and interesting to see how each character A League of their Own Through the movie â€Å"A League of their Own,† one can see how the more sexist views of the culture of this time in America permeated throughout this account of the Girls Professional Baseball League which existed from 1943 until 1954.â€Å"A League of their Own† is a snapshot of what was once the â€Å"All-American Girls Professional Baseball League† that was formed when many young men were active in World War II. Philip Wrigley, chewing gum mogul and MLB owner feared the major leagues would disband so he created the girls professional baseball league.One of the obvious cultural views during the time this movie depicts is that of feminizing the baseball players to make them more acceptable to that culture at the time. Although they wore shorts under their baseball skirts, the fact that they were to wear skirts that were very short for this time while playing the athletic sport of baseball is just one of the clues to how the â€Å"All-American Girls Baseball Le ague† was to be as much about show as it was about talent.In one part of â€Å"A League of their Own,† the scout Ernie Capadino intends on passing up the player Marla Hooch who is unattractive yet proves to be a great switch-hitting slugger. Capadino was told to find girls who play ball well and are equally as attractive.Another argument supporting the existent and greater acceptance of sexism represented when putting this â€Å"All-American girls team† togehter was that the female professional baseball players were at least in the beginning of this venture considered more seriously as princesses rather than as serious baseball players in this era, as we hear the announcer comment, â€Å"After the first month of league play, the shine still isn’t off these â€Å"diamond† gals.Alice â€Å"Skeeter† Gaspers says legging out a triple is no reason to let your nose get shiny—Betty Grable has nothing on these gals. Helen Haley has not only b een a member of several championship amateur teams, she is also an accomplished coffee maker† (Marshall, 1992).Even the radio program that is played during the tryouts at Harvey Field makes fun of the idea of a woman’s baseball team. During the radio program, the girls baseball team is referred to as the â€Å"masculinization of women.†The female baseball players have mandatory etiquette classes they must attend to portray a â€Å"lady-like† image. Even some of the names given to these female baseball teams at this time rings of   what we would today consider sexist in its lowest such as â€Å"Rockford Peaches,† â€Å"Racine Belles,† â€Å"Milwaukee Chicks,† â€Å"Fort Wayne Daisies† and â€Å"Muskegon Lassies.†Of course then you hear the announcer say things like: â€Å"Then there’s pretty Dottie Henon, who plays like Gehrig, and looks like Garbo. Uh-uh, fellas, keep your mitts to yourself; she’s married . And there’s her kid sister Kit, who’s as single as they come.Enough concentrated oomph for a whole carload of Hollywood starlets† (Marshall, 1992), today’s announcer need protect their heads if they were to utter such remarks.I think most of us would be thankful that announcers today couldn’t get away with trivializing the talents of those female baseball players, only to make the main focus their various levels of attractiveness and unattractiveness. This we know has never been something acceptable to do to professional male baseball players.Viewing the female as the care taker of the alcoholic baseball manager some can interpret as another female stereotype revealed in the movie and more accurate to the depiction of its acceptability during this time period. The character Dottie Hinson provides a maternal, care-taking role many times for baseball manager Jimmy Dugan, the often drunk manager of her team.Another part of the movie that would be con sidered very inappropriate real life behavior today versus the time incorporated in this film would be when the drunken Dugan relieves himself in the clubhouse. His female baseball players he is supposed to be managing are standing near awaiting instructions to play the game as he completes his task. Today, that would make the evening news along with being connected to legal repercussions.Today, unlike then, one has learned to be a lot more careful of how things one says can be monitored and reported. Even the humorous little prayer where Dugan says:â€Å"Uh, Lord, hallowed be Thy name. May our feet be swift; may our bats be mighty; may our balls†¦ be plentiful. Lord, I'd just like to thank you for that waitress in South Bend. You know who she is — she kept calling your name. And God, these are good girls, and they work hard. Just help them see it all the way through. Okay, that's it† (Marshall, 1992).Whether one sees it as a positive or negative or a little of bo th, one would just have to watch more carefully things they say like that today than one did then.When Jimmy Dugan was attempting to convince Dottie Hinson to stay with the team, he yells at her, â€Å"If you want to go back to Oregon and make a hundred babies, great† (Marshall, 1992). This again, wouldn’t be something any professional could spout out to another, including a female player he manages, without the strong possibility of suffering professional or legal repercussions in today’s society at least in America.While I’m at this point in the movie, the fact that Dottie feels she must make a choice between her marriage and that of playing professional baseball or any professional sport is another noticeable difference. There are many great professional and non-professional married female athletes today. One could just watch the 2008 Olympics and observe the obvious signs of that.

Abnormal Psychology Background and Perspective Essay

A lot of the human behavior and mental process could be explained by psychology. This course allowed me to view abnormal psychology in a bit of a different light. I was able to apply the information learned while relating it psychopathology. Taking this course has further improved my understanding of mental disorders/illnesses. I have also learned different treatment and many perspectives relating to abnormal psychology. This class has allowed me to think critically about mental disorders in addition to learning about scientific inquiry. Abnormal psychology is the behavior or thought that cause social, cognitive, and emotional problems for an individual. Abnormal thought or behaviors that disrupt an individual’s functioning are due to a psychological disorder. It is important to be able to understand characteristics of abnormal behavior in order to distinguish a person with a psychological disorder. These characteristics deviate from what society deems to be normal. Some classifications of abnormal behaviors are social deviance, personal distress, unusualness, danger to one’s self or to others and maladaptive behavior. All these traits need attention and diagnosis. A person with abnormal behavior can have a lifestyle full of discomfort, conflict and unhappiness. This does not only have an effect on the individual but can also affect others. A behavior that is normal in one region could be abnormal in another. Different cultures may consider a behavior in another culture abnormal and vice versa. Each culture also has a different treatment and approach towards mental disorders. There are different types of normality levels for an individual’s behavior. In this class the focus was on the approach that the western culture has towards mental disorders. Abnormal psychology could be explained by a number of different perspectives such as biological, psychological or sociocultural. An approach towards mental disorder is diathesis-stress paradigm. This â€Å"paradigm is an integrative paradigm that links genetic, neurobiological, and environmental factors† (p.62). For example a person that genetically prone; stress from the environment could trigger a mental disorder. If there isn’t any environmental stress, than the mental disorder may never be triggered. This paradigm does a good job in explaining how these factors can contribute to mental disorders. Most psychologists believe that cognitive behavior therapy is the most effective and efficient treatment for mental disorders. â€Å"Cognitive behavior therapy incorporates theory and research on cognitive processes such as thoughts, perceptions, judgments, self statements, and tacit assumptions† (p.51). This therapy treats the disorder by applying behavioral principles of learning. This gives the individual to reconstruct his/her thoughts in a positive manner. Usually a disorder leaves a pers on hopeless, but this treatment helps the individual to have control over their thoughts or feelings. Not only did I learn how to think critically, I also learned about different types of research method. Mental disorders is disturbs a person’s thoughts and which could lead to an emotional experience. Life can be difficult for a person with a mental disorder. They often have difficulty maintaining a relationship or keeping a job. The absence of treatment could make life unbearable for a person suffering a mental disorder. This class has helped me understand the different types of mental disorder and how to diagnose and treat them.