Media Impact on Body Image

Media Impact on Body Image This research is on media’s negative influence on a persons’ body image. The paper will identify the problem of how and why media such as celebrities, magazines, television, advertising, and social networks negatively target an individuals’ self-perception. This research is important because many woman, and girls of our culture suffer a great deal of depression, stress, eating disorders, and many other psychological issues; because of not being able to meet unattainable thin   ideals set by the media. This research can be beneficial to many because it can help make   women aware about the dangerous effects of the media. As far as making women who perceive something that isn’t real, the media is at fault. This research   will teach   girls that they don’t have to look like an A-list model or celebrity to be beautiful. Body image in the media dates back to as far as the beginning of the 20th century. Before, curvy body types such as curvaceous Marilyn Monroe set the standards for women. By the 1960s body image was taken over by supermodels with their 90 pound body frames. These tiny figures featured in early television and magazines and drastically began changing the definition of â€Å"beautiful†. Body Image develops partly as a function of culture in response to cultural aesthetic ideals (Kim, Lennon 2007). I’ve found in some research that every society has its own way of torturing women. Psychological change is linked with environmental change which brings about how people define physical appearance based on various exposures to media. Media has so much control over the person staring back in the mirror.   Ã‚  Racine says,   80% of women under the age of 18 have tried dieting of some sort to see results like the photo shopped images of many models and celebrities that are on places like â€Å"Instagram and Facebook.† â€Å"These images that people see are computer made and the diets are not real.† Says Munro and Huon. When results are not seen after trying quick fixes it could lead to young women as young as 3rd grade being bulimic and depressed. This research   would   open the minds of adolescents who go through the daily struggle trying to fit in and attain the impossible by doing so in extreme dangerous life threatening ways. Girls need to know that no matter what a scale says it doesnt define them as a person, nor how beautiful they are. Some research says that media is progressively getting better with adding more positive messages within advertisement. â€Å"I wouldnt say that it’s worsening, but is media   really getting better? What does the future hold as far as body image within the media?† Say If society   doesn’t further   reach out to   youth about the risks of being influenced by unhealthy diet fads, and not loving themselves because the television   Ã‚  ,   as peers, teachers, and parents, society has failed. The media has made a few changes just to push away the negatives that thrown at them as far as just being thin. At the same time, media still continues to make note within the music society listen to and the most popular clothing to make money because thin is what sells in our culture. The worse part of all of this is that psychological and eating disorders can start in girls as young as seven or eight according to the Journal of School Health. Ten years ago it was safe to say that teens were ok to be exposed to media and it affects at the ages of 15 and 16. Now because of how easy electronics are to learn, children are exposed to electronics as young as 2. By the age of 5 they are using the same social networks as 26 and 30 year old adults, exposing their minds to things they can’t fully process. Confronting and educating an elementary aged child about loving themselves and healthy exercise and eating strategies is more relevant with cyber bullying, and self-evaluation happening because of not looking how the media says they should look. Media is thought to be the number one source of influence on negative body image. Some other research points to genetics, and socialized responses attributed to dysfunctional childhoods. Some think things such as low self-esteem result from abusive childhoods. Likewise, when obese children are raised by belittling parents who antagonize them with food and their physical appearances, it can cause problems as they develop and mature in their teenage years. The alternative is that early intervention   will help prevent long-term health issues for majority of patients with eating disorders and bad self-persistence. To carry out these methods people need to be educated. Starting more   non-profit organization that go to elementary, junior high, and even colleges   to educate women and girls on this topic. Those who care about this topic as much as someone going through it , and even with a little experience would be needed to help with this project. Teens and even adults commit suicide every year because of not being able to fit in.   Fundraisers to raise awareness and money for their families would help as well. More counselors to talk with more people who struggle with eating disorders, and find more information about why the media targets the people they do and exactly how they do it, in order to effectively help those who fall victim to it. One thing that needs the most attention, and   further research is psychology of the brain, and medical disorders of these victims to the media. This research is needed to fully understand why woman mentally feel the need to try and do as they see .   Ã‚  Many people overlook all of these issues and push the reasons of sadness, depression, and anger to other things that people go through or are experiencing in their life that very moment. Overall this   research is feasible because it’s something that is happening now. So many people can relate to falling victim to the Medias unrealistic perception of ‘beautiful’. Valuable resources have been found such as the Journal of School Health, NeTweens: The Internet and Body Image Concerns in Preteenage Girls, and also Media Influence on the Body Image of Children. Lots of people agree with this and though there are many non-profit organizations for this topic,   another voice cant hurti. Elementary school girls are obsessed with their weight, teen’s everyday experience psychological problems, and many women pay lots of money for diet quick fix fads that do not work. The media does a great job at pulling our society into the advertisement that result in sales. Even if the argument is made that media is not the initiator of a woman’s self-perception, just a mirror of society, the media still should take responsibility for at least perpetua ting the dysfunction. Works Cited Lawrie, Z., et al. Media Influence On The Body Image Of Children And Adolescents. Eating Disorders 14.5 (2006): 355-364. SPORTDiscus. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Monro, F, and G Huon. Media-Portrayed Idealized Images, Body Shame, And Appearance Anxiety. International Journal Of Eating Disorders 38.1 (n.d.): 85-90. Science Citation Index. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Tiggemann, Marika, and Amy Slater. Nettweens: The Internet And Body Image Concerns In Preteenage Girls. The Journal Of Early Adolescence 34.5 (2014): 606-620. PsycINFO. Web. 16 Oct. 2014. Racine, Elizabeth F., et al. The Relationship Between Media Use And Psychological And Physical Assets Among Third- To Fifth-Grade Girls. Journal Of School Health 81.12 (2011): 749-755. ERIC. Web. 16 Oct. 2014.

Impact of Health Inequalities on Parkinsons Disease Patient

Impact of Health Inequalities on Parkinsons Disease Patient In the department of health publication from ‘Vision to Reality’ (2001), the minister for public health, Yvette Cooper, and the chief medical officer, Professor Liam Donaldson, stated the following: ‘At the beginning of 21st century, your chances of a healthy life still depend on what job you do, where you live, and how much your parents earn. This is unfair and unjust. That is why this Government is committed to narrowing the health inequalities that scar our nation and to improved health for all’. How does this statement support the elderly with Parkinson disease in Bromley trust Kent? Introduction The focus of this community study is to explore the health inequalities which affect a specific group within Bromley community. This group has been defined as those suffering with Parkinson’s disease, a degenerative condition that tends to affect an older client group and can also be associated with complex medical needs. This essay will define and explore the concept of inequalities in health, define the disease ad its effects on people as their families, and relate these to a community in the Kent area served by Bromley NHS Trust. The other aim of this essay is to postulate solutions and interventions which might address some of the health inequalities and challenges posed by this particular condition and its prevalence within the community. The literature points to the specific health problems and challenges of this client group, and there is government and governance literature which specifically addresses their needs. However, it appears there is still a deficit between the needs of clients, which are complex and difficult to address, and the level of provision in health and social care services, which continue to be under-resourced and less than ideally designed. Parkinson’s Disease Parkinson’s is a progressive neurological disease which occurs as the result of the loss of nerve cells in the substantia nigra in the brain (PDS, 2007). The lack of these cells results in a lack of dopamine, a substance that allows messages to be sent to the parts of the brain that control movement (PDS, 2007). When about 80% of dopamine is lost, symptoms start to develop, and levels continue to reduce over time, causing symptoms to increase (PDS, 2007). Two proposed causes are genetic disorders and environmental toxins (PDS, 2007), although a range of other associations continue to be explored. No real cause is known, and there is no known cure, although some medications can mediate the course of the disease and help in symptom control (PDS, 2007). Motor symptoms of Parkinson’s are tremor, bradykinesia and stiffness of muscles, while non-motor symptoms include sleep disturbance, constipation, depression and urinary urgency (PDS, 2007). Fatigue is another symptom (Lloy d, 1999). It is obvious from this range of symptoms that sufferers may need an increasing range of health and social support services and interventions during the progression of the disease. One epidemiological review puts the rate of Parkinson’s disease in the UK population at 19 per 1000 per year, with a lifetime prevalence of 2 per 1000 people (MacDonald et al, 2000). The Parkinson’s Disease Society (PDS, 2007) state that one in 500 people in the UK suffers from the disease. This would suggest a considerable burden on local health and social care services in any locality. However, there is also the issue that such statistics often only represent the tip of the iceberg (MacDonald et al, 2000). There may be a greater number who have not yet been diagnosed or who do not access services and so are not counted in surveys. The age range of sufferers of Parkinson’s disease is 40-90 years, with the greatest proportion in the 70-74 age group, and the next highest rate in the 74-79 age group (MacDonald et al, 2000). This is obviously an age-associated condition. The Bromley Health Services NHS Trust provides an outpatient Parkinson’s clinic run by Dr B Kessel as part of the elderly medicine directorate (www.bromleyhospitals.nhs.uk, 2007). There is also the Joint Allocation panel which the elderly medicine team contribute to in providing complex home care packages. Therefore, it would seem that for this locality, there is some specialist Parkinson’s disease provision. However, there are no figures to describe the uptake and demand on health and social services from Parkinson’s disease sufferers. For example, the demand on community nursing services, social care services, nursing homes, continence services, primary health services and pharmacy services. Parkinson’s disease is usually treated by drug treatments which aim to redress the loss of dopamine (Pentland, 1999). Levodopa-containing agents replace dopamine within the body, while dopamine agonists mimic the action of dopamine (Pentland, 1999). Enzyme inhibitors can be used, which prevent dopamine breakdown, and anticholinergics can reduce the action of acetylcholine which can also improve symptoms (Pentland, 1999). There is ongoing debate and review of the risk-benefit ratio of these treatments but they have been shown to be effective in limiting symptoms (PDS, 2007: Pentland, 1999). Other pharmacological interventions may be utilised to relieve specific symptoms, such as hypnotics for insomnia, antidepressants for confirmed depression, and pain killers and quinine for pain and muscle cramps (Pentland, 1999). Hoever, achieving and maintaining the correct, effective drug regimen as the condition progresses can be problematic for client and medical team (Lloyd, 1999). Health Inequalities It was in 1998 that health inequality reduction became express aims of the NHS in the UK, with the publication of A First Class Service (DH, 1998). Since then, inequalities in health have remained on government and health service agendas. The National Service Framework for Older People (DH, 2001) sets out a number of standards to address key inequalities in health experienced by the subject group concerned in this essay. The fact that such standards have had to be set is evidence of demonstrable inequalities linked to these areas. To begin with, inequalities are linked to age. It has been shown that in some health and social care services, older people and their carers have been victims of age-based discrimination in access to services and availability of services (DH, 2001). The locality here, Bromley Trust in Kent, does not advertise specialist Parkinson’s disease services explicitly on their website, and so sufferers of this condition fall under the aegis of elderly care services and also neurology services (trust ref). However, resourcing for such services may not be optimum, with less resources perhaps given to less fashionable areas of health need (DH, 2001), but rather to the more ‘fashionable’ and topical areas such as children’s and cancer services. There are certain areas of need which could be viewed as common to older people’s services and specific to those with Parkinson’s disease, such as community equipment (DH, 2001). Another specific inequality for this client group is access to palliative care services, with many palliative care services only available to cancer sufferers (DH, 2001). Parkinson’s disease is a degenerative and ultimately terminal condition, and as such should be a defining condition for palliative care. However, palliative care services in some areas may be funded by cancer charities such as Macmillan Cancer care, which may pose a challenge. This leads to a policy issue which could only be addressed at policy management level within the local trusts. The burden on family and unpaid carers is considerable, and increases with the progression of the disease (Lloyd, 1999). This leads to further demand on services due to carer-related illnesses (Lloyd, 1999). Again, unequal access to services, here based on the condition and the lack of support for those affected by it, continues to exist. The issue of inequality related to ethnic minority or background (DH, 2001) may also be applicable here, as the locality does contain a range of different minority ethnic groups. However, the demographics are not available to explore the rates of Parkinson’s disease across the different ethnic minorities in the region. The literature does highlight one specific incidence of health inequality in relation to this disease. It appears that sufferers who are hospitalized do not have timely access to their medications due to the restrictions of ward rounds and nursing routines (Agnew, 2006). Another inequality is in access to community care assessments which provide the intense levels of care and support necessary as the disease progresses (Lloyd, 1999). Not only do Parkinson’s disease sufferers suffer from a relative difficulty in accessing and obtaining such assessments, the assessment provides only a partial picture when exploring to what extent the health and social care needs of people with Parkinson’s are being assessed (Lloyd, 1999). The assessments are apparently predominantly medical, failing to address the other range of needs, particularly social and emotional issues and everyday living needs such as personal care (Lloyd, 1999). As these assessments are generally not carried out in the person’s own home, they are inadequate in providing a true picture of the realities of the disease in individual cases (Lloyd, 1999). The more general subject of health inequalities highlights a range of factors which might adversely affect the health and wellbeing of this client group. Poor health is linked to social background factors (Iphofen, 2003). The Bromley community area encompasses a wide range of socio-economic groups, from those deemed to be in poverty through the middle classes to the affluent classes. Research has demonstrated that those low down on the social class hierarchy tend to have worse housing, poor nutritional status, are less fit and are more likely to engage in damaging or risky health behaviours (Iphofen, 2003). It is logical that these people are the most likely to become ill, die sooner, or be most in need of health and social care input and support (Iphofen, 2003). Other factors which may affect health inequalities include culture, gender and ethnicity (Iphofen, 2003). It is also important to consider the role of individual action and self-reliance (Iphofen, 2003), which may seem at odds with current political trends towards ‘nanny state’ policies which are in danger of labelling vulnerable groups and individuals as being to blame for their own ill-health. One example of this is the smoking ban, which has been legislated on the back a growing trend of refusing medical treatment to sufferers of smoking-related conditions until they have given up smoking. A similar trend appears to be occurring for obese and overweight individuals, but it would seem that this form of discrimination, whilst socially and morally wrong, is politically sanctioned. Health Problems related to Parkinson’s Disease. As can be seen from the literature, there are a wide range of health problems which affect Parkinson’s sufferers, primarily related to the disease and its symptoms and their affects on health and independence. Parkinson’s is a long term illness (Rhind, 2007; Kristjanson et al, 2006) and as such will require long term nursing and social support, surveillance and review. Parkinson’s disease causes physical disability, and affects all of the activities of daily living by restricting independence, self-reliance and self care (PDS, 2007). It can affect people’s ability to maintain relationships, carry on in employment and leisure activities, and to continue to live on their own in their own home, or with their families (PDS, 2007). Lloyd (1999) also highlights the fact that Parkinson’s disease is socially unacceptable and this can have ongoing effects for the sufferer and their carers. One of the problems associated with the disease is dysphagia, the inability to swallow or difficulty in swallowing (Miller et al, 2006). Dysphagia can have obvious physical effects, such as choking, and inability to access proper nutrition or maintain healthy weight (Miller et al, 2006; Lorefalt et al, 2006). It can also have social and psychological effects, such as embarrassment and depression, withdrawal from social eating situations and effects on family and carers (Miller et al, 2006). Treatment for dysphagia is limited, and so the condition can lead to long term alterations in nutritional state leading to interventions such as total parenteral nutrition (Miller et al, 2006; Lorefalt et al, 2006). Another associated set of symptoms are psychological symptoms. These can vary, but can present as depression, sleep, confusion and delirium, hallucinations and dementia (Nazarko, 2005). These can be challenging conditions to treat, and may require a mixture of support, psychiatric intervention, pharmacological intervention and sedation, and family/carer support (Nazarko, 2005). Such symptoms represent a considerable demand on existing services, and as yet, there are no specialist psychiatric services for this client group within the locality under discussion. Addressing Health Inequalities by Condition Management The Department of Health (2001) stresses the following are necessary to combat the continued inequalities experienced by the older age group in accessing services and support: an integrated approach between local authorities and health services; strong clinical and managerial leadership; service user and carer representation at every level; working parties and management groups which continually address and review the situation. Other actions include workforce development (DH, 2001), and there may be a greater need for training and awareness-raising, particularly with nursing staff. Nursing staff need to listen more to Parkinson’s sufferers when providing care (Agnew, 2006). Another issue is the proper assessment of older people’s conditions (DH, 2001), which is important as Parkinson’s disease can present as one of a complex range of multiple diseases or conditions. Modern management of Parkinson’s disease (PD) aims to obtain symptom control, to reduce clinical disability, and to improve quality of life (Pacchetti et al, 2000). Specific instruments or tools may be necessary as part of the assessment process (Heffernan and Jenkinson, 2005). The National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellece (NICE, 2006) make the following recommendations: people with suspected Parkinson’s disease should be seen by a specialist within six weeks; new referrals with later progress of disease should be seen within two weeks; there should be regular, ongoing review of the condition; sufferers should be empowered to participate in their care; and all people with Parkinsons should have regular access to specialist nursing care to provide monitoring and adjustment of medication, a point of contact for support including home visits and a reliable source of information about clinical and social matters relevant to Parkinsons disease. There is a need to access and engage with psychiatric services due to the long-term psychological and emotional effects of the disease (Lloyd, 1999). NICE (2006) argue strongly for specialist nurses and multidisciplinary clinics, which would be appropriate given the complex presentation of the disease. T his comprehensive approach would go a long way to reducing the inequalities experienced by this age group. However, the local services in Bromley may not be currently resourced adequately to meet such targets. Other interventions might also include speech therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy and of course palliative care services (Carter, 2006). The local trust has service provision in all these areas, and all but the last can be demonstrated to be involved in the care of clients with Parkinson’s disease in Bromley. However, it might be that more provision and more targeted provision might be necessary to reduce the inequalities suffered by this client group. Some literature suggests the use of complementary therapies such as massage to support those with the condition (Patterson et al, 2005). Other therapies such as music therapy might be appropriate (Pachetti et al, 2000). Music as a therapy acts as a specific stimulus to obtain motor and emotional responses by combining movement and stimulation of different sensory pathways (Pacchetti et al, 2000). In a prospective, randomised controlled trial, music therapy was found to be effective on motor, affective, and behavioral fu nctions, and as such would be a valid addition to therapy programmes for people with Parkinson’s disease (Pacchetti et al, 2000). One example of successful care management has been described by Holloway (2006), who reports in the implementation of a care pathway to meet specific needs. The pathway is user-led, conceptualising the user/carer as the communications centre, resourced and supported in the management of their situation by the professionals to achieve their own integrated package of care (Holloway, 2006). This pathway takes into account individual disease presentation, social factors, severity of illness and degree of use of services (Holloway, 2006). The research showed this pathway to be feasible for implementation within standard, existing clinics and was well received by clients and carers (Holloway, 2006). Another programme which has demonstrated some success and positive outcomes is a club for patients and their carers at a day hospital in Bridlington (Nasar and Bankar, 2006). The multidisciplinary team use the club for patient assessment, education and disease management, while it also provides the patients and carers with a forum for discussion and an opportunity for social interaction (Nasar and Bankar, 2006). Another important aspect of reducing health inequalities is in developing alliances with service users and engaging with specific groups who are socially excluded (Watterson, 2003). It may be that the reason that Parkinson’s sufferers feel so excluded is due to nurses’ perceptions of them as less than cognitively competent, due to prejudices about the nature of the disease. Service users have important and often critical knowledge and experience about their lives, condition, symptoms and responses to treatment (Watterson, 2003), which could greatly enhance both policy planning and direction and individual care planning and ongoing disease management. There are challenges associated with attempting such engagement, and even further policy and procedure planning, with associated resource input, would be needed to ensure accessibility, effective communication and responsiveness. Conclusion As has been demonstrated, sufferers of Parkinson’s disease, itself a complex aetiology, presentation and progression, have a range of specific and challenging needs which are not being met by the local services in Bromley. While some services exist, there are other models of care, management, assessment and monitoring which have been demonstrated to be effective in other localities, which may be appropriate for this specific client group. Services need to be client centred and comprehensive, utilising tools and guidelines developed specifically for the disease and its symptoms. Services must also be multi-disciplinary, multi-agency and also holistic. However, the provision of such services may not be practical within the current NHS climate. With the direction set out in government and NICE documents, however, it would appear that the drive to improve such services will go ahead. This essay addresses a very small, confined client group with a specific disease presentation. However the scope of health inequalities across the whole population may be much wider and more disturbing. It would appear that there is a need for targeted programmes to tackle health inequalities in almost every service, but if these can be addressed in one area, they can be addressed across the whole service to counteract years of unequal access and provision which have continued to fail those in most need. 3,000 words. References Agnew, T. (2006). Nurses out of step with Parkinsons patients. Nursing Older People. 18(6). 8-9 Carter, L. (2006) The role of specialist nurses in managing Parkinsons disease. Primary Health Care. 16(8). 20-2. Costello, J. Haggart, M. (eds.) (2003) Public Health and Society Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan Department of Health (2001) The National Service Framework for Older People Available from www.dh.gov.uk. Accessed 14-4-07. Heffernan, C. Jenkinson, C. (2005) Measuring outcomes for neurological disorders: a review of disease-specific health status instruments for three degenerative neurological conditions. Chronic Illness. 1(2). pp. 131-42 Holloway, M. (2006) Traversing the network: a user-led Care Pathway approach to the management of Parkinsons disease in the community Health Social Care in the Community 14 (1), 63–73 Iphofen, R. (2003) Social and individual factors influencing public health. In: Costello, J. Haggart, M. (2003). Public Health and Society Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan. Kristjanson, L., Aoun, S., Yates, P. (2006) Are supportive services meeting the needs of Australians with neurodegenerative conditions and their families? Journal of Palliative Care 10 (2). Lloyd, M. (1999) The new community care for people with Parkinson’s disease and their carers. In: Percival, R. Hobson, P. (eds.) (2003) Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in Psychological and Social Care. London: MPG Books Ltd. Lorefalt, B; Granerus, A; Unosson, M. (2006). Avoidance of solid food in weight losing older patients with Parkinsons disease. Journal of Clinical Nursing 15(11) 1404-12. MacDonald, B.K., Cockerell, O.C., Sander, J.W.A.S. Shorvon, S.D. (2000). The incidence and lifetime prevalence of neurological disorders in a prospective community-based study in the UK. Brain 123 665-676. Miller, N; Noble, E; Jones, D. (2006) Hard to swallow: dysphagia in Parkinsons disease. Age Ageing. 35(6) 614-8. Nasar, M; Bankar, R. (2006) Improving outcome in Parkinsons disease. British Journal of Hospital Medicine. 67(1). pp. 6-7 Nazarko, L. (2005) Part 3: psychological effects of Parkinsons disease. Nursing Residential Care. 7(6).261-4. NICE (2006) Draft Guideline on Parkinson’s Disease Available from www.nice.org.uk Accessed 14-4-07. Pacchetti, C., Mancini, F., Aglieri, R. et al (2000). Active Music Therapy in Parkinson’s Disease: An Integrative Method for Motor and Emotional Rehabilitation. Psychosomatic Medicine 62 (3) 386-393. Parkinson’s Disease Society http://www.parkinsons.org.uk/ Accessed 14-4-07. Paterson, C; Allen, J; Browning, M. (2005). A pilot study of therapeutic massage for people with Parkinsons disease: the added value of user involvement. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. 11(3). 161-71. Pentland, B. (1999) The nature and course of Parkinson’s disease. In: Percival, R. Hobson, P. (eds.) (2003) Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in Psychological and Social Care. London: MPG Books Ltd. Percival, R. Hobson, P. (eds.) (2003) Parkinson’s Disease: Studies in Psychological and Social Care. London: MPG Books Ltd. Rhind, G. (2007) Managing Parkinsons disease over the longer term. Independent Nurse. 22 Jan. pp. 18-9 Wacker, R.R., Roberto, K.A. Piper, L.E. (1998) Community Resources For Older Adults: Programs and Services in an Era of Change London: Sage Publications, Inc Watterson, A. (ed.) (2003) Public Health in Practice Basingstoke: Palgrave Macmillan http://www.bromleyhospitals.nhs.uk/referrers/clinical-services/elderly-medicine/ Accessed 14-4-07.

Psychedelic Drugs (aka Psychedelics) Essay -- essays research papers

Psychedelic Drugs (aka Psychedelics) Introduction: Throughout human history people have sought experiences that somehow transcend every day life. Some sort of wisdom that might progress their knowledge of self and of the world that they live in. For some reason they believed that the tangible world just could not be all there is to life. Some believed in a greater force that controlled them, some believed of invisible beings that influenced their lives, some of an actual other world that paralleled their own. Many of these people also believed that it was possible to catch a glimpse of these forces, beings, or worlds through a variety of means that propel individuals into altered states of consciousness. These techniques include meditation, hypnosis, sleep deprivation, and (what will be discussed here) psychoactive drugs, more specifically psychedelic drugs. Although in the modern world such drugs have developed an almost taboo status, it is impossible to ignore the tales of enlightenment reported by ancient cultures and even those rebels that use such drugs illegally today. While the American government has been one of the main influences on today’s society’s negative attitudes towards psychedelic drugs, they have granted some scientist and psychologists permission to experiment with such agents, and despite the controversy and varying results there seem to be many positive uses of psychedelic agents. These positive uses and the research that has been directed toward these uses will be reviewed in the following, as well as a brief history of psychedelic drugs. History:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Native Americans are probably the people most known for their use of psychedelic drugs. Being a very religious people, their entire society revolved around the spirit world, and some believed that access to this world was possible by eating certain plants that were abundant in their surroundings. In what are now Mexico and the Southwestern United States, tribes familiarized themselves with mescaline, the active ingredient in the peyote cactus. Another drug that was used by tribes in these and many other areas was psilocybin, the active hallucinogenic ingredient of the mushroom Psilocybe mexicana and other psilocybe and conocybe species that grow on the pacific coast of North, South, and Central America. Ritual use of psilocybin and mesca... ... research the government has allowed scientists and psychologists, there have been amazing discoveries of the capacities of these drugs. It has been proven that they are able to extend psychotherapy’s view of the human mind, they are able to promote massive personality changes, and to enhance the learning and problem solving experience. It has even been suggested that psychedelics are able to enhance any aspect of mental functioning.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  One must look beyond the stereotypes that psychedelics have earned in the twentieth century, and also modern science, that presupposes that any thing that cannot be explained within its own contexts either does not exist or is but a fanciful idea. However, the realm of psychedelics is uncharted area, and when dealing with such experimental substances, such as these psychedelic agents, one must proceed with caution, as was mentioned earlier the agents are powerful tools and can be used with skill or reckless abandon, and therefore can yield positive responses or deadly consequences. If used with care psychedelics will allow many psychologists and patients to embark on a perhaps endless journey of self-discovery.

THEME ON EMILY DICKINSON :: essays research papers

Poems of Emily Dickinson Thesis of my paper that I am trying to prove to the reader is that Emily Dickinson is a brilliant extraordinary writer. She talks about mortality and death within her life and on paper in her poem works. Although she lived a seemingly secluded life, Emily Dickinson's many encounters with death influenced many of her poems and letters. Perhaps one of the most ground breaking and inventive poets in American history, Dickinson has become as well known for her bizarre and eccentric life as for her incredible poems and letters. Numbering over 1,700, her poems highlight the many moments in a 19th century New England woman's life, including the deaths of some of her most beloved friends and family, most of which occurred in a short period of time (Introduction, Paragraph 2). In many short poems, several readers or critics of Dickinson point out her methods of exploring several topics in "circumference," as she says in her own words. Death is perhaps one of the best examples of this exploration and examination. Other than one trip to Washington and Philadelphia, several excursions to Boston to see a doctor and a few short years in school, Dickinson never left her hometown of Amherst, Massachusetts. In the latter part of her life she rarely left her large brick house, and communicated even to her beloved sister through a door often left "slightly ajar." This seclusion gave her a reputation for eccentricity to the local towns' people, and perhaps increased her interest in death (The Belle Of Amherst, Dickinson). Some knew Dickinson in Amherst as, "the New England mystic,". Her only contact to her few friends and correspondents was through a series of letters, seen as some authors and critics to be equal not only in number to her poetic works, but in literary genius as well (Introduction Dickinson). Explored thoroughly in her works, death seems to be a dominating theme through out Dickinson's life. Dickinson, although secluded and isolated, had a few encounters with love; two perhaps serious affairs were documented in her letters and poems. But, since Dickinson's life was so private the exact identity of these people remains unsure. What is known, is during the Civil War, worried for her friends and families' lives, death increased in frequency to be a dominant theme in her writings. After 1878, the year of her influential father's death, (a treasurer of Amherst College, and a member of the Congress), this theme increased with each passing of friend or family, peaking perhaps with the death of the two men she loved (The Belle of Amherst, Dickinson).

Censorship In Europe :: essays research papers

Americans think of Europeans as essentially like themselves. They believe European societies are like their own-rooted in the rule of law, freedom of religion, democratic government, market competition, and an unfettered press. In recent years, however, Europeans have given up an essential liberty: freedom of speech. It is true that in the United States prevailing orthodoxies on some questions are ruthlessly enforced but it is still legal to say just about anything. Not so in much of Europe. In the last decade or so countries we think of as fellow democracies-France, Germany, Switzerland and others-have passed laws that limit free speech for the same crude ideological reasons that drove the brief, unsuccessful vogue of campus speech codes in the United States. Today in Europe there are laws as bad as anything George Orwell could have imagined. In some countries courts have ruled that the facts are irrelevant, and that certain things must not be said whether they are true or false. In others, a defendant in court who tries to explain or defend a forbidden view will be charged on the spot with a fresh offense. Even his lawyer can be fined or go to jail for trying to mount a defense. In one case a judge ordered that a bookseller's entire stock-innocent as well as offending titles-be burned! Just as Eastern Europe is emerging from it, Western Europe has entered the thought-crime era, in a return to the mentality that launched the Inquisition and the wars of religion. It is a tyranny of the left practiced by the very people who profess shock at the tactics of Joseph McCarthy, an exercise of raw power in the service of pure ideology. The desire not merely to debate one's opponents but to disgrace them, muzzle them, fine them, jail them is utterly contrary to the spirit of civilized discourse. It is profoundly disturbing to find this ugly sentiment codified into law in some of the countries we think of as pillars of Western Civilization. At the same time, these laws cannot help but draw attention to the very ideas they forbid. Truth does not generally require the help of censors. There are two subjects about which Europeans can no longer speak freely. One is race and the other is Nazi Germany. "Anti-racism" laws generally take the form of forbidding the expression of opinions that might stir up "hatred" against any racial or ethnic group.

Anthem vs. Hunger Games Essay

In today’s society, a lot of people tend to take for granted what they have. Every once and a while, something drastic will ensue them, and that’s when they finally grasp what’s been right in front of them the whole time. In many different societies, for example the societies in The Hunger Games, and Anthem, the individuals that are living there are forced to listen to the ruler, or rulers, do not have an opinion in some of the choices that are made for them, and are also forced to accept the rule of selflessness. Based on the themes of the Power of Knowledge, the Image of Self, and the Consequences of Free Will, the novella, Anthem, and the film, The Hunger Games express similarities and differences regarding the dangers of a Totalitarian government and its effect on its citizens in order to teach the reader to be blessed that they have a democracy and that the individuals of the United States have it really easy compared to other countries, and even societies i n books or movies. The Power of Knowledge is the result of having or not having knowledge. Being knowledgeable is not just one quality, but is many and a process of learning, experiencing, knowing and understanding. In the book Anthem Equality 7-2521states, â€Å"But we must never speak of the times before the Great Rebirth, else we are sentenced to three years in the Palace of Corrective Detention† (Rand 19). This quote from Anthem is an important example of the Power of Knowledge because what Equality is saying is that every person in his town has the knowledge of what happened before the Great Rebirth, they just choose not to bring it up because they are petrified of what their punishments will be. However, an example of the Power of Knowledge from The Hunger Games is when Katniss recognizes the weakness of Seneca Crane, which is not having a winner of this year’s game, and uses that to her best advantage to force Seneca to let both her and Peeta win. This is important because if Katniss had not realized that doing so was his weakness, she and Peeta would have both had to kill themselves because they  did not want to live without each other. In conclusion to these two different pieces of evidence, they are also able to be compared by noticing the facts that if both these characters did not take into account the opinions or beliefs of others, there would never be a way to be different, or a way out. Image of self is the way one views his or herself, the ability to know our own flaws, strengths, bad habits and limits. When life starts to get rigid, most people lose hope in themselves because they feel as if they are not sturdy enough to stand anymore. In a lot of books, or even movies, this is a major problem that most characters face. In this case, from Anthem, the teachers always pointed out the flaws in Equality 7-2521, â€Å"There is evil in your bones, Equality 7-2521, for your body has grown beyond the bodies of your brothers† (18). This quote would be essential to the topic of Image of Self, because Equality already knew that he had all these â€Å"different† qualities, and knew that he was diverse from his brothers, yet he tried to remain the same by ignoring them. However in The Hunger Games, Katniss only sees the flaws that are in her, and chooses to ignore the compliments that everyone is saying to her. When life puts individuals in the situation that Katniss and Peeta are in in the film, it is important to deposit all the negatives away and to only focus on the positives, no matter how hard they may be to see. This is a contrast between the novella and the film because in Anthem Equality knows that he is different, but just ignores the fact that he can do nothing about it, but in The Hunger Games, Katniss does not let anyone try to make her better because she believes she will never be right, or in a way better than the other characters. Although the quotes are contrasting, the similarity in them is the fact that Equality and Katniss both know they are different than the rest, yet overcome them in some sort of way. The last theme being focused on is Consequences of Free Will. Consequences of Free Will means a person innate ability to make decisions with his or herself. I n a dictatorship, or the governments in Anthem and The Hunger Games, individuals are owned by the group, and they also have no right to lead his or her own life. This is known as collectivism. In today’s society,  making decisions for someone’s own good is very hard because everyone is trying to impress others. For example, in Anthem Equality states â€Å"It is a sin to think words no others think and to put them down upon a paper no others are to see† (17). The importance of this quote to the Consequences of Free will is that Equality is not able to express his own way of living because it is illegal to express his own being. In The Hunger Games, something that readers would learn regarding the Consequences of Free Will would be the idea that the tributes did not really know who to trust, and when, because they did not know when that person would turn against them. Similarly, these two pieces of information would go to together by both dealing with the idea of being able to show a person’s own true colors. In addition to them being similar, they would differentiate by the thought of trust, and expression. In Anthem, we as readers are seeing the idea of expression, but in The Hunger Games, we are watching how others are putting their trust into some, and how they are also putting up walls to others. Although these two societies are supposed to be completely different from the one that exists today, in some ways they could be seen as having the same â€Å"controlling† effect on the citizens. In our government, citizens have numerous more rights than other countries can even think of having, yet all of us choose to all try to be the same. Why is that? Why do individuals all strive to have the same hair, or wear the same clothes? Everyone should embrace our right to be dissimilar, and show the world that each and every one of us are not afraid to be ourselves, because there is no punishment that will be rewarded to us in long run.

My Best Friend Essay

She always tells you the truth. She does not lie to you and sugar coat an answer for you. She is always direct. If you do not like the answer she gives you then you are out of luck. Our time really grew together through the years, however, our bond got closer once we got to high school. When you are in the same school with people your entire life, you seem to hate them and get tired of seeing the same people every day. We found it funny that we are complete opposites of each other. She is always late for any event or even just getting to school Giglio 2 on time. However, I am always early. She likes to get all her work done early, yet I like to procrastinate and does everything last minute. When we got to high school and both were in ROTC that’s when our bound grew. We were always placed in the same ROTC class and our other subjects as well. In ROTC, you have to choose to get along with someone even if they are your worst enemy. I remember this one time this girl, Nicole, and I were arguing, probably about something ridiculous, and I called Megan in to help. She told us straight up front to grow up and solve this problem on our own. When she was dealing with her relationship problems or just needed, someone to talk to I would be there for her and vice versa. Being in the same classes in high school defiantly grew us closer. Even though we sometimes found it annoying that every year we were placed in the same class, it was fun having the teachers call Megan and us asking which one they were talking to. We would have our fights but come on. Seriously, what friends do not fights? We would fight over the stupidest things. Usually I would be the one admitting I was wrong and be breaking down in tears and letting all my emotions out. She was always able to cheer me up when I was down. To this day when I’m upset and crying she can say the words pudding, spinach and all these ridiculous sayings and she is the only one that can do that. Now that we are out of high school, she is my only friend that I still talk to and if I have a problem, she is always a phone call away or text away. I am still in touch with her and she always responds when I need her. She always knows I will be here for her as well no matter what. She has shown me what a true friend is. Someone who will be by your side always and will always hold a special place in your heart.