Hebrew Syllabus

Hebrew Syllabus IBMYP LEVEL: Level 4 and 5Mrs. Orit cohen2014s of such activities include but are not limited to the following definitions:A. CheatingUsing or attempting to use unauthorized assistance, material, or study aids in examinations or other academic work or preventing, or attempting to prevent, another from using authorized assistance, material, or study aids. Example: using a cheat sheet in a quiz or exam, altering a graded exam and resubmitting it for a better grade, etc.B. PlagiarismUsing the ideas, data, or language of another without specific or proper acknowledgment. Example: copying another person's paper, article, or computer work and submitting it for an assignment, cloning someone else's ideas without attribution, failing to use quotation marks where appropriate, etc.C. FabricationSubmitting contrived or altered information in any academic exercise. Example: making up data for an experiment, fudging data, citing nonexistent articles, contriving sources, etc.D. Multiple Submission sMultiple submissions: submitting, without prior permission, any work submitted to fulfill another academic requirement.E. Misrepresentation of academic recordsMisrepresentation of academic records: misrepresenting or tampering with or attempting to tamper with any portion of a student's transcripts or academic record, either before or after coming to Scheck Hillel Community Day School. Example: forging a change of grade slip, tampering with computer records, falsifying academic information on one's resume, etc.F. Facilitating Academic DishonestyKnowingly helping or attempting to help another violate any provision of the Code. Example: working together on a take: gaining or providing unauthorized access to examination materials, obstructing or interfering with another student's efforts in an academic exercise, lying about a need for an extension for an exam or paper, continuing to write even when time is up during an exam, destroying or keeping library materials for one's own use., etc.* If a student is unsure whether his action(s) constitute a violation of the Code of Academic Integrity, then it is that student's responsibility to consult with the instructor to clarify any ambiguities.Citation: Penn: Academic Integrity at Penn. (n.d.). Penn: University of Pennsylvania. Retrieved June 25, 2013, fromupenn.edu/academicintegrity/ai_codeofacademicintegrity.htmlTurnitin.com:This site is used by ALL INSTRUCTORS at Hillel for turning in end of unit essays, projects, etc. In addition, a teacher reserves the right to submit ANY student work to the service at their discretion, and check other sites to authenticate student work.Technology policy:Each student has signed and acknowledged the appropriate use policy for technology, and will be held to the standards identified in this document.Acknowledgement:I understand the contents of this syllabus, and will abide by the conditions set forth herein.Student signature: Parent/guardian signature:______________________________ ____ __________________________________Date: ___________________________Appendix AScheck Hillel Community SchoolJewish Holiday Test, Quiz, HW andAthletic Games and Practices Policy 2014/15In an attempt to provide clarity with regards to our Test/Quiz/HW and Athletic Practice/Game policies both before and immediately after Jewish holidays please see this document with all the details, dates and policies per Jewish holiday over the course of the year.Please review this detailed list carefully and let me know if you have any questions or concerns.If you would like an explanation as to what each of these holidays are all about I would be happy to sit with you and learn.Rosh Hashana:Wed. Sept. 24 - day before Rosh Hashana/No Classes - HW may be given that day that is due for Mon. Sept. 29. No athletic practices or gamesThurs.-Fri. Sept. 25/26 - Rosh Hashana - No Classes - No HW can be done on these daysTzom Gedalia:Sun. Sept. 28 - No athletic practices or gamesYom Kippur:Fri. Oct. 3 - da y before Yom Kippur - No Classes - HW may be given that day that is due for Mon. Oct. 6Sat. Oct. 4 - Yom Kippur - No ClassesSukkot/Simchat Torah:Wed. Oct. 8 - day before Sukkot - No Classes - No HW can be given that day that is due for Mon. Oct. 13Thurs-Fri. Oct. 9/10 - First Days of Sukkot - No ClassesMon.-Tues. Oct. 13/14 - Chol HaMoed Sukkot - No tests or quizzes. Homework can be given if it is absolutely necessary but no HW should be given those days that are due for Mon. Oct. 20. Yes to athletic practices and gamesWed. Oct. 15 - Day before Shemini Atzeret - No Classes - No HW should be given that day that is due for Mon. Oct. 20. No athletic practices and gamesThurs.-Fri. Oct. 16/17 - Shemini Atzeret/Simchat Torah - No ClassesChanukah:Tues. Dec. 16 - Eve of Chanukah - No HW should be given that is due during the week of Chanukah. You can give tests and quizzes on this dayWed. - Wed. Dec. 17 - 24 - Chanukah - No tests, quizzes or HW. Yes to athletic practices and gamesTaanit Est her:Wed. Mar. 4 - Fast of Esther - No tests or quizzes should be given. No athletic practices or gamesPurim:Thurs./Fri. Mar. 5/6 - Purim/Shushan Purim - No tests or quizzes should be given. No athletic practices or gamesPesach:Wed. April 1 - day before Passover - No HW, assignments or projects should be given that day that are due for Mon. April 13Thurs. April 2 - Sun. April 12 - Passover - No classesYoms:Wed. April 15 - Yom HaShoah (Holocaust Remembrance Day) - No athletic practices or games. You can give tests, quizzes and HWWed. April 22 - Yom HaZikaron (Israel Memorial Day) - No HW should be given that day that is due on Thurs. April 23. You can give tests, quizzes and HW. No athletic practices or gamesThurs. April 23 - Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) - No test, quizzes or HW. No athletic practices or gamesShavuot:Fri. May 22 - No HW should be given that day that is due for Tues. May 26

Definition and Examples of Conversational Implicature

Definition and Examples of Conversational Implicature In pragmatics, conversational implicature is  an indirect or implicit speech act: what is meant by a speakers utterance that is not part of what is explicitly said. Also known simply as implicature.  Contrast with explicature. What a speaker intends to communicate, says L.R. Horn, is characteristically far richer than what she directly expresses; linguistic meaning radically underdetermines the message conveyed and understood (The Handbook of Pragmatics, 2005). Example Dr. Gregory House: How many friends do you have?Lucas Douglas: Seventeen.Dr. Gregory House: Seriously? Do you keep a list or something?Lucas Douglas: No, I knew this conversation was really about you, so I gave you an answer so you could get back to your train of thought.(Hugh Laurie and Michael Weston, Not Cancer. House, M.D., 2008) Inferences The probabilistic character of conversational implicature is easier to demonstrate than define. If a stranger at the other end of a phone line has a high-pitched voice, you may infer that the speaker is a woman. The inference may be incorrect. Conversational implicatures are a similar kind of inference: they are based on stereotyped expectations of what would, more often than not, be the case. (Keith Allan, Natural Language Semantics. Wiley-Blackwell, 2001) Origin of the Term Conversational Implicature The term [implicature] is taken from the philosopher H.P. Grice (1913-88), who developed the theory of the cooperative principle. On the basis that a speaker and listener are cooperating, and aiming to be relevant, a speaker can imply a meaning implicitly, confident that the listener will understand. Thus a possible conversational implicature of Are you watching this programme? might well be This programme bores me. Can we turn the television off? (Bas Aarts, Sylvia Chalker, and Edmund Weiner, Oxford Dictionary of English Grammar, 2nd ed. Oxford University Press, 2014) Conversational Implicature in Practice Generally speaking, a conversational implicature is an interpretive procedure that operates to figure out what is going on. . . . Assume a husband and wife are getting ready to go out for the evening: 8. Husband: How much longer will you be?9. Wife: Mix yourself a drink. To interpret the utterance in Sentence 9, the husband must go through a series of inferences based on principles that he knows the other speaker is using. . . . The conventional response to the husbands question would be a direct answer where the wife indicated some time frame in which she would be ready. This would be a conventional implicature with a literal answer to a literal question. But the husband assumes that she heard his question, that she believes that he was genuinely asking how long she would be, and that she is capable of indicating when she would be ready. The wife . . . chooses not to extend the topic by ignoring the relevancy maxim. The husband then searches for a plausible interpretation of her utterance and concludes that what she is doing is telling him that she is not going to offer a particular time, or doesnt know, but she will be long enough yet for him to have a drink. She may also be saying, Relax, Ill be ready in plenty of time. (D. G. Ellis, From Language to Communication. Routledge, 1999) The Lighter Side of Conversational Implicature in The Office Jim Halpert: I dont think Ill be here in 10 years.Michael Scott: Thats what I said. Thats what she said.Jim Halpert: Thats what who said?Michael Scott: I never know, I just say it. I say stuff like that, you know- to lighten the tension when things sort of get hard.Jim Halpert: Thats what she said.(John Krasinski and Steve Carell, Survivor Man. The Office, 2007)

Philosophy, the second Topic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Philosophy, the second Topic - Essay Example Aristotle’s viewpoints also underscore Plato’s assertion in that philosophy has a purpose of practicality attached to it. Gaining knowledge for its own sake does not restrict the projection of the acquired knowledge in any way. Rather, practical philosophy can be attributed to numerous situations that are intrinsically separated from merely conjectural inquiries made for the sake of flaunting one’s pedantic affectations. The rational components of practical philosophy have, however, been questioned by modern scientific innovations that strive to theorize every phenomenon. This is the main point of debate in this paper. What is the purpose of philosophy in real life? Does philosophy have any bearing on human life, individual or collective? The paper shall examine the arguments propounded by five seminal thinkers from the world of philosophy: Jean-Paul Sartre, Karl Marx, Friedrich Nietzsche, and Sigmund Freud. The existential quandaries of modern men have been addressed in-depth by the French thinker Jean-Paul Sartre. Commenting on philosophy, he claims that philosophy as an abstraction of human perception is only a vague concept which does not yield any ethical or realistic principles. The basis of his argument involves the interdependency of existentialism and Marxism for the sake of comprehending reality and its evolution from the past. This is an interesting premise because Marxist philosophy is different from existentialist philosophy in terms of explaining idealism (Sartre and Priest 17). Marx’s investigation is more akin to presenting every individual within a social setup which should be in perfect accord with a totalitarian worldview. Hence, the existential essence of subjective idealism is not the point of philosophical contention for Marx. He argues that betterment of living can be achieved not by the

Mental Illnesses Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Mental Illnesses - Essay Example Physiological Process The physiological process of schizophrenia is not clearly defined. However, experts link chemical abnormality to be associated with the signs and symptoms of the illness. The imbalance of dopamine and glutamate affects the way a person’s brain reacts to the stimuli making the schizoid person overwhelmed by sensory stimulation in which other people without such condition may easily handle. The study of Dalya and company ( 2007) supported such claim in explaining that changes in the neural circuits as a result of neurotransmitter abnormality may cause patient to experience auditory hallucinations. Other studies have also shown that abnormalities in brain structures and death of tissues in the brain may cause changes in its cells and that relay of sensory information is altered. Symptom Manifestations Manifestation involves hallucinations in the form of hearing voices, delusions which are persecutory in nature, and disorganization in speech and thinking. The individual when communicating to others may present lose of thoughts and sentences are incoherent with its meaning or it is a combination of loose ideas that it becomes word salad. Schizoids do not pay attention to how they project themselves thus they dress poorly. They do not have the motivation for themselves and have project poor judgment as well. Others may have problems of responsiveness and social cognition.

The Ongoing Objectification Of Women Cultural Studies Essay

The Ongoing Objectification Of Women Cultural Studies Essay Men look, women are looked at, said John Berger in his seminal 1972 documentary series Ways of Seeing, and in this one sentence, Berger summarised the relationship between men and women, and the objectification of women by men. From Susannah being looked at by the Elders, to Manets Luncheon on the Grass, women in art have been continually portrayed as not only objects of desire, but objects to be owned. One might like to think that feminism, and women, have come a long way, not only from the bra-burning days of the 60s and 70s, and the power-suited days of the 80s, that saw women in positions of power in the city, and in politics; even from the days of early suffrage. Yet one has only to look at a daily newspaper, a womans magazine, a Hollywood movie, let alone a mans magazine, to realise that the objectification of women is as rampant (and I use that word deliberately) as it has ever been. Even in the world of High Art, paintings such as Lucien Freuds of a pregnant Kate Moss still portray woman as something that can be looked at, desired, owned. One would most definitely like to think that women have come a long way since Rousseau stated, in typically succinct fashion, that the doll is the peculiar amusement of the females; from whence we see their taste plainly adapted to their destination. One presumes Rousseau was talking about baby dolls, little girl dolls, to be played with and dressed up in pretty clothes, to sit quietly, prettily and well dressed in a corner, unobejcting and unobjectionable, good practise not only for motherhood but womanhood; but he could equally as well have been talking about that most contemporary of dolls, the Barbie curvaceous, well dressed and pretty, with a wardrobe of clothes that would enable her to follow any career, from astronaut to vet, sexy but sexless, epitomised by the most recent addition to the sisterhood, Burqa Barbie, so that all girls feel represented in a globalised 21st century. All girls that are curvaceous and well dressed, pretty and sexless and quiet, anyway. Mary Wollstonecraft, the mother of European feminism, believed that as long as men saw women as trophy wives, and took mistresses, that the oppression of women should continue, yet she did not solely blame men, believing also that women were complicit in their own objectification, and referring to them as clay figures to be moulded by men. Girls, Wollstonecraft believed, were enslaved to men through their social training. With the coming of post-feminism, one could hope that women had finally broken this male-oriented patriarchal perception of them, but it seems in fact to be the reverse. Young women expose more and more of themselves, stating that they are in control, and they may show as much flesh as they wish in this post-feminist world, but one cannot help but think that Wollstonecraft was right women still base their worth on how much a man values them, and on precious little else. Barbie may be a 21st century astronaut, but unless she is busty and beautiful, Ken will not be i nterested, and Barbie will be worthless, both in her own eyes and those of society. In this essay, I propose to explore how feminism and post feminism have influenced my development as an artist, and to question how the medias continued portrayal of women as a commodity has affected other contemporary artists, both positively and negatively. The goal of feminism, said an early spokeswoman, was to change the nature of art itself, to transform culture in sweeping and permanent ways by introducing into it the heretofore suppressed perspective of women. Barbie as a symbol of woman as object can be found not only in contemporary art, but also in contemporary literature; she has moved into everyday speech as a contemptuous comment on glamorous women (Shes nothing but a Barbie doll! is a derisive criticism aimed at a woman perceived to be beautiful but dumb, ironic when one considers how it is precisely this image that is being sold to us by the media!) Mattel may market Barbie as a modern career girl, far more independent than the original 1950s clothes horse, but is she as complicit in the objectification of modern women as Mary Wollstonecraft stated over 200 years ago? The London based photographer Alex Kliszynski would seem to agree with Wollstonecraft, and has directly questioned such attitudes in a body of work that combines the imagery of pornography with Barbie dolls. (http://areyoushaved.net/2009/10/art-culture-nude-human-barbie-dolls/) The instant reaction of the spectator is one of revulsion, a feeling that something is not right. Such a highly sexualised childs toy is obscene, but maybe that is the intended point of the artwork? Barbie is the ultimate commodified, sexist, male-fantasy view of what women should look like. She has a tiny waist, long legs, and enormous breasts. However, oddly, if you think about it, this highly sexualized body actually lacks sexual parts, or the parts of the body we would see if she were fully nude. She has no vagina. Her breasts have no nipples. In addition, Action Man, an idealized, sexualized male specimen, has no penis and no scrotum. By placing a sexless doll in a lascivious and crude position that should show all the sexual organs but doesnt, Kliszynski is making a comment on the dehumanising of women (and men) by media led objectification; it is his intention to call attention to that disconnection , to make the viewers aware of the sexualized images of women and men that Bar bie and Action Man dolls trade in. However, I think there is another, yet more sinister, way of reading Kliszynskis art work. The dolls are a monstrous combination of human and plastic; even the title of the work is Human Barbie Dolls, suggesting an abnormal mixture of the two. It is possible to understand Kliszynskis piece as a comment on the modern phenomena of body dysmorphia, a disorder that causes a person to believe there is something terribly wrong with an aspect of their face or body, and which often leads them into a series of cosmetic surgeries. Kliszynskis human Barbies symbolise this body dysmorphic tendency prevalent in so much of (western) society, this desire to turn the human body into a work of art, a perfection of flesh and plastic to match the abnormal perception of idealised beauty encouraged by the media. In her poem, Barbie Doll, Marge Piercy makes much the same point: This girlchild was born as usual and presented dolls that did pee-pee and miniature GE stoves and irons and wee lipsticks the color of cherry candy. Then in the magic of puberty, a classmate said: You have a great big nose and fat legs. She was healthy, tested intelligent, possessed strong arms and back, abundant sexual drive and manual dexterity. She went to and fro apologizing. Everyone saw a fat nose on thick legs. She was advised to play coy, exhorted to come on hearty, exercise, diet, smile and wheedle. Her good nature wore out like a fan belt. So she cut off her nose and her legs and offered them up. In the casket displayed on satin she lay with the undertakers cosmetics painted on, a turned-up putty nose, dressed in a pink and white nightie. Doesnt she look pretty? everyone said. Consummation at last. To every woman a happy ending. Both Kliszynski and Piercy have recognised the detrimental effect on the mental and physical health of women (and men) of societys objectification of the human body. By constantly portraying an idealised myth of not just the body but the very role of women in society, the media (and sections of the art world) have created a culture which views the body in its natural human state as somehow wrong and abnormal. Equally, both Kliszynski and Piercy have recognised the complicity of women in this culture; the girl in the poem is healthy and intelligent, born as usual, presumably normal in all respects, and yet she accepts the truth of her low value in society because she is not perceived as physically perfect. Only in death, with her nose cut off and a cosmetically enhanced putty nose in place instead, can she be seen as pretty. Her value as a strong and useful member of society is non-existent in a world that refuses to see past her face. Kliszynski himself has said that the main body of my work is a number of human-dolls that aim to raise questions about the numerous images of the objectified and idealised body that we see in the mass mediaà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦I came to make this work as a reaction to the lowest-common-denominator approach to masculinity taken by the media which serves and perpetuates the lad or raunch elements of our culture. Curiously this lad/raunch culture seems also to be embraced by many young women; a phenomenon which seems contrary to a properly progressive understanding of gender and identity in a post-feminist era. (http://lostinasupermarket.com/2010/09/barbie-porn-seriously/) Lad magazines such as Maxim, Stuff and various other UK-based magazines intended for teenage boys and young men are notorious for endorsing a highly commodified view of the world men and boys are encouraged to buy lots of bling like cars, stereo components and expensive suits etc. By their very placement in such magazines, in glamorous soft-porn poses, female models become as much merchandise as the gadgets featured in the articles; and as the reader must own the right phone to attain status, so he must have the right woman. Yet this attitude of the body as commodity is ironically trapping men as much as women, and both sexes are in a crisis of identity. Men are met on a daily basis with conflicting images of themselves, from the traditional Action Man role of husband, father, provider, patriarch, to the more sensitive, metro sexual Ken, whose status, like that of Barbie, is defined by how he looks and what he owns. This crisis is as important for men as for women; statistics show that young male suicides are increasing, there is a high rise in cases of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder in males, crime statistics are rising, divorce rates are going through the roof, and with mothers routinely given custody of the children even the role of fatherhood itself has come into question, exacerbated by the rising number of fertility clinics and the ability for women to so easily be single parents. Role models such as Ken and Action Man are without doubt as harmful to young men as a role model such as Barbie can be to young women. No longer seen as breadwinners, or the head of the family in a patriarchal society, men are frequently represented in the media by characters such as Homer Simpson, a chauvinistic, ignorant man who is depicted as very lazy and obsessed with food; his son Bart, often cruel to his sister, is discourteous and ill behaved. He alternative is often portrayed as Ken, an idealized, de-sexualized male with only the acquisition of material items his goal, fast cars and fashion his only interests. Even television shows like Sex and the City imply that men are just there for the sexual gratification of women. It portrays men as tactless, stupid beings that are only there for female entertainment and pleasure. These negative portrayals are as damaging to both genders as the comparative attitudes to women, rooted as they are in gender objectification and the denial of identity. Alternatively, could we welcome this shake-up of traditional gender images? Could it not be that multiplicities of roles are now establishing themselves in modern society? Toys such as Action Man often stereotype men in aggressive roles, and this convention has been questioned in the work of Susan Hiller, who explores social conditioning and attitudes to childhood in her work Punch and Judy. Punch and Judy looks closely at the brutality of slapstick comedy. First filming segments of live Punch and Judy shows the artist then transposed these images on the walls of a square room inviting the viewer to stand in the room with the puppets images looming over them, the puppets acting out violently as so often seen in their performances. Hiller examines how such stereotypical role-play in toys reinforces the assumptions placed on boys and men and how they should act in society. Where feminism fought against such patriarchal, capitalist belief systems, post-feminism seems to be buying right into the raunch culture that Kliszynski highlights. I would define Raunch culture as the whole juvenile, laddish culture that includes the lads magazines as well as strip clubs, prostitution and the celebration of prostitution, highly sexualized adverts and a general attitude that whats best about female empowerment is that more men get to see more women naked. Berger referred to it as the male gaze, Kliszynski as raunch culture, but I believe they are very similar, and it seems to be embraced by many young women, who accept whole-heartedly the entire condescending nonsense of girl power. According to Wollstonecraft, men have widened what should be merely a biological gap of physical differences into a sociological gap: But not content with this natural pre-eminence, men endeavour to sink us still lower, merely to render us alluring objects for the moment. Women, it follows, cannot help but be intoxicated by the adoration which men, under the influence of their senses, pay them. Has Barbie, in representing the most materialistic aspects of modern day culture, encouraging a stereotypical image of womanhood, become a remorseless goddess of modern society? A doll without any social conscience (or conscious), reliant solely on material belongings to bring her happiness, worshipped by millions, representative of a culture that objectifies and vilifies women, no aspect of her suggests any form of spirituality, or higher morality. When Mary Wollstonecraft accused women of their own complicity in this stereotypical view of their gender she caused ripples of anger and irritation down the centuries. How could a so-called feminist turn on her own sex with such accusations? And yet, when one takes the time to think about it, one can see how right she was. Girls play with Barbie dolls bought for them by mothers and aunts, and will, to echo Rousseau, grow up to give Barbie dolls to their daughters, thus fulfilling their destiny. They are complicit in the encouragement of stereotypical values. But what is the alternative? A girl may play with the stereotypical toys of girlhood such as dollies and prams, all pink and sparkly, mass marketed products imposed on them by a performative oriented society, or she may play with the male version of such consumer items, Action Man, cars, trains, guns . . . But what message is actually being sent? If a girl plays with Barbie dolls, she is viewed with contempt for being a typical girl; if she plays with stereotypical boys toys, she attains value in the eyes of society, for being more like a boy. No matter what she does, Barbie girl can never achieve social value by being a girl, and post-feminism has been complicit in such social values. Consuming Passions  was published in the 80s, author Judith Williamsons theory is hardly common knowledge, most likely because it is threatening. She deduces that, contrary to the ideal posed by Mattel and  Barbie, the desirable shape for a woman . . . is that of a  boy.   The highly idealised Barbie has not been without competitors, however. In 1998, Anita Roddick started an Anti-Barbie campaign, under the guise of self -esteem. Roddick started marketing posters of a doll called Ruby: The Real Deal, with posters in the UK shops she owned, all depicting images of the generously proportioned doll with the attached slogan: There are 3 billion women who dont look like supermodels and only 8 who do. With the intention of challenging stereotypes of beauty and countering the pervasive influence of the cosmetics industry, and with a tongue in cheek approach, the underlying message was far more serious and could easily be applied to the stereotypical image of woman and the way western culture objectifies women. Ruby started a worldwide debate about body image and self-esteem, but she was not universally loved. In the United States, the toy company Mattel sent a cease-and-desist order, demanding the images of Ruby were removed from American shop windows because she was making Barbie look bad, an admission surely, that Barbies impossible to achieve figure was detrimental to girls in comparison to the more realistic Ruby? In Hong Kong, posters of Ruby were banned on the MTR (Mass Transit Railway) because the authorities were concerned they would offend passengers. Like Barbie, Ruby was a de-sexualised toy, having no nipples, genitalia or pubic hair; other advertisements on the MTR whic h showed surgically enhanced, partially dressed female models, were allowed to stay. It is hard not to jump to the conclusion that it was the realistic portrayal of the female body that was offensive (and to whom? the male commuters?); in a world where the female body is perceived to be a purchasable status symbol, the male buyers were presumably offended by the depreciation in value of their idealised fantasy. Feminist artist Helen Chadwick (1954-1996) made many works that dealt directly with the role and image of women in society. In Ego Geometria Sum:The Laborers X created in 1984, she had large replicas of childrens wooden bricks transposed with images of her naked self. One may read many meanings into this artwork: is Chadwick struggling with the weight of her own image? By superimposing her naked image onto a childs brick, is she suggesting that she is nothing but a plaything, a toy? She appears to compare herself to a troll doll, held by the hair in a disembodied fist with an inane grin on its face. The troll doll is ugly and deformed looking, and Chadwick is implying that this is how society views her, and womanhood in general, from childhood onwards, if one does not conform to how society wishes one to be. All is not without hope though; Chadwick also portrays a door on one side of the brick, suggestive not only of closure, but also of the potential to open, to allow something in, or something out; a means of escape. As a Jungian archetype, the door also is representative of the feminine, with all the implications of a symbolic opening. In this artwork, is Chadwick exploring issues of entrapment and escape? Several of her works address the role and image of women in society using a wide range of materials, such as flowers, chocolate and meat. She questioned the role of the female body in art as a decorative object; just as decorative and aesthetic ideas about art themselves had been questioned in the 20th century. In 1990, she worked again on themes of sexual identity and gender with her Cibachrome transparencies entitled Eroticism which depict two brains side by side. On the surface, this is yet another apparently simple, if stunning, piece of work, but like the brain itself, this piece contains a multiplicity of layers, waiting to be explored and teased out. The work shows two brains, side by side, mirroring each other. On the sides adjoining, the brains are enlivened by what appears to be blue sparks, or flashes, suggesting brain activity. According to The Wordsworth Dictionary of Symbolism, blue is the colour of the intellect, and of spirituality; it is the medium of truth. In Eroticism, Chadwick is playing with the idea of a meeting of two minds, an attraction based on the intellect and the emotions. Yet we also associate the colour blue with something a little bit naughty, a bit risque, like a blue movie, and I would suggest that Chadwick was also bearing in mind the idea that the brain is often referred to as the largest sexual organ in the body. For Chadwick, in this piece at least, it is the attraction of two people based on a meeting of i ntellect and commonality that is important, not the outward appearance so vital to society. In the 1790s, when Mary Wollstonecraft was writing A Vindication of The Rights of Women , she argued for the need for more civil rights for women, a cause which she believed could only be achieved by permitting women a better education. She argued that a woman was capable of any intellectual feat that a man was provided with and that her early training should not brainwash her into deference to men. Wollstonecraft believed that men discourage women from achieving the same education that they receive routinely, and as long as women are denied this education, they can never hope to achieve equality with men. She builds on this lack of equal education for women in her argument adding that all men (contemporary to her) have a general lack of respect. Two hundred years later, in the 1970s, women were still fighting to achieve this basic level of respect and equality in the academic and artistic worlds, and it was the 1970s that saw the beginnings of a new art movement, the Contemporary Feminist Art Movement. The movement was inspired by demands for social, economic and political change and by the desire of female artists to try and force art galleries and museums to establish a fair representation of their work; there were very few female art teachers at that time, though the majority of students were female. It was common and widely accepted for art exhibitions to contain the works of men only, women being discriminated against openly, with some having to face the double discriminatory blow of also being black. Faith Ringgold (b.1930), an American artist, was told she could only exhibit in the museums devoted to African American art after all the black male artists had had their shows. By the 1970s, feminists and artists had started forming consciousness awareness groups that demonstrated at galleries and museums to expose some of these sexist practices, and opened galleries together for more exposure of their works. With feminist artists wanting to go further than equal representation, their works were often full of political and social content crying out for political change. The womens movement in America had one such artist by the name of Judy Chicago. Born in 1939, Chicago often reflected on issues relating to the lack of female representation in her work, saying Because we are denied knowledge of our history, we are deprived of standing upon each others shoulders and building upon each others hard earned accomplishments. Many female artists voiced these opinions at that time, wishing to transform traditional fine art and sculpture to include feminist awareness, with many exploring the female body with the intention of reclaiming the sexualised images that had been created by the male artist that preceded them. Chicagos piece Dinner Party called out for both art critics and establishments (and the Establishment?) To readdress the fact that so many female artists had been and were being excluded from art history texts used to educate the (largely female) art students currently attending the art education. This large work depicts a banquet, the settings embroidered representations of the vulva in a style appropriate to the women being represented, women Chicago wished to honour, with a further 999 women engraved in gold on the floor tiles. The geometric shape of this piece is fascinating, with the table laid out at a triangle, representing the tri-partite nature of women, the maiden, the mother and the crone. Indeed, an upside down triangle has long been used in paganism to represent the feminine. This work has gone a long way in encouraging women artists to reclaim their identity in representing the female form, and readdress the frequent degradation of female genitalia previously represented in male-created art. The Dutch artist Christina Camphausen (b. 1953) is another example of a female artist intent on reclaiming for women the representation of the female genitalia, publishing a book of her work with the vulva as sole subject. Entitled Yoni Portraits, it is filled with delicate drawings revealing the vulva in all its beauty and variety, images that are sometimes realistic and sometimes symbolic. Taken from ancient Sanskrit, the word Yoni refers to the vulva and womb and better describes femininity than its clinical counterpart (vagina) or its crude pornographic variants (cunt); in Indias sacred language it carries an inherent respect for this intimate part of a womans body which is lacking in English. In the books accompanying texts, the artist makes clear that there is nothing about the Yoni to be ashamed of. Rather, it is a body-part which in many cultures has had very different connotations of power, beauty, fertility and delight. Of her motivation, Christina says: With my work, I endeavour to assist in restoring the Yoni to her rightful and original place of honour, and to induce everyone to regard her with respect, to recognize her beauty and magical power. Though the last decades make it seem that our modern societies are sexually liberated, there still rests a taboo on this intimate part of our bodies. In general, women enjoy more freedom than they used to have, yet it surely is no advance in self-determination that many contemporary women have their intimate, lower lips corrected in order to conform to some artificial standard prescribed by cosmetic surgeons or professional nude models in glossy magazines. To make artwork with the vagina as your subject is still a very brave act, as it is a subject that is often considered inappropriate and generally thought of within the context of pornography, and, in almost all cases, for the exclusive pleasure of men. Many feminists have attempted to remove these prurient connotations by encouraging us to consider vaginas, something not to be ashamed of, but as powerful and expressive components to be proudly protected as an assertive and positive manifestation of our being. Exhibitions are now starting to show that this has changed dramatically in recent years, with many artists who have incorporated imagery of the Vagina in their works exhibiting together. One such exhibition, organized by Francis M. Naumann and David Nolan, and entitled The Visible Vagina took place on January 28, 2010 at the David Nolan Gallery in New York and included artworks by people ranging from Judy Chicago and Nancy Grossman to Robert Mapplethorpe and Pablo Picasso. The most interesting aspect for me is that there was such a strong male presence in the exhibition, and indeed it was arranged by men, a potent sign of how things have progressed. The most striking work in the exhibition for myself has to be the work of Sarah Davis and the piece Britney (Notorious), for amongst over one hundred artworks, very few of which objectify women or suggest a salacious use of imagery, this piece, a painting identical to a paparazzi-type photograph taken of the music star, hovers between art and porn; indeed, in its representation of both, it beggars the question of how art and porn can be addressed within feminist issues. If we accept that art is intended to stimulate the spectator on many levels, academically and emotionally, and that porn is needed to stimulate on a purely sexual level, I wonder how this transformation from paparazzi photograph and all the connotations of furtiveness, spying and secretiveness to painting can alter ones perception. I would like to believe that the artist who views Britney Spears as a strong, confident, self-made woman is a feminist who has staged the initial photograph to reclaim her identity by exposing her vagina just as in Yoni Portraits, believing there is nothing to be ashamed of by showing the power, beauty, fertility and delight this body part represents. Often in the media gaze, Spears is used as an example to criticise young women today, nothing but a Barbie doll. Her abilities as a mother, her career and social life are frequently held up to public scrutiny. Men that are in the public gaze however, may be criticised for their affairs, heir drug dependency, their fights etc., yet rarely for their dress code or indeed for their roles or abilities as fathers. This is a gender bias that has become commonplace and widely accepted. In addition, when Spears chose to wear a revealing dress and decorate her body with piercings and tattoos, the tabloids turned on her viciously, and accused her of mental illness when she publicly shaved her hair off. I feel though, that Spears was sending a message, via the media, about her sense of identity and her value as a woman. By shaving her hair off Spears was questioning the male perception of femaleness and femininity; she was a Rapunzel trapped by her beauty in a tower created by the male gaze. The only way to take control of the situation and to escape, was, like Rapunzel, to chop off all her hair and reassert her own identity away from social expectations and the medias critical portrayal of women. In Ways of Seeing, John Berger explores the difference between nudity and nakedness, suggesting that when one is nude, the spectator (and there must be one) merely sees the human body unclothed. When one is naked, the spectator (even if that is only oneself) sees the real ess ence of the person. Nakedness is far more intimate than nudity. When Spears cut off all her hair it was as if she had removed a disguise, and showed herself to the world fully naked, expressing her inner self. It is this aspect that Davis has picked up on in her piece of art: Britney Spears as a model of sex positive feminism, the un-Barbie goddess of post-feminism. Sex positive feminism, also known as sexually liberal feminism or sex-radical feminism began as a movement in the 1980s. Many women became involved in a direct response to the efforts of anti-porn feminists such as Andrea Dworkin, as they argued that pornography was the centre of feminist theory for womens oppression. This period is known as the feminist sex wars, a time of heated debate between anti-porn feminists and sex-positive feminists, between the notions of the sex industry as an abusive and violent environment for women and the beliefs in womens ability to choose to be highly sexual beings and raises the question of who is exploiting who? When Spears posed for a statue by American sculptor Daniel Edwards (b.1965) for the pro-life movement, she was once again steeped in the controversy of is it art or is it porn? Entitled Monument to Pro-Life this work is a full size sculpture of a naked Britney Spears in childbirth. The sculpture shows Spears on all fours on a bearskin rug, her mouth slightly open and her eyelids heavy, looking as if she is about to cry out. There is no indication of pain or pleasure; it is not at all indicative of sexual provocation or pornography. Her hands lie wrapped around either side of the head of the bear, as if she is using it to act as a medium to the spirit world communicating with the animalistic urges childbirth conjures up. Yet the media has criticised this piece, stating that: Britneys in a position that most would sooner associate with getting pregnant than with giving birth. I believe that in some ways things have deteriorated rather than progressed: the beauty industry and the porn industry, in their own sometimes-converging ways, have caused a lot of that. Going back to the early 70s, as women began to enter the workforce in larger numbers, some of that earning power was used against them by aggressive beauty product marketing. The result has been an increasing focus in the last three decades on dieting, an explosion in both sexes

Happiness and Humor Group Promotes Life Satisfaction for Senior Center Participants Essay

Abstract The effects of a Happiness and Humor Group in the promotion of life satisfaction in an elderly center were examined. Fifteen participants in the beginning of the study were given a self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey. After which they engaged in a once a week, 10-week program for the Happiness and Humor Group. Although the number of participants increased throughout the sessions, only the 15 original participants were administered the same test after completion of program. Introduction The purpose of the study is to address former findings conducted by the same researcher. A year ago, the researcher performed a qualitative study on stress. In the earlier study, there were 54 participants, ages 65-100 years, all of whom are members of several Southern California senior recreation programs. It was learned that the primary stressor among older adults was loneliness. As a follow-up to this, the researcher deemed it necessary to develop a group program that would address coping skills for the stressor. In late adulthood, people experience a lot of stressful moments when they face everyday with pessimism and regret about the past. In the opinion of the researcher, the psychological and over all well-being of the elderly is being neglected as the world faces many innovation and continued progress in technology, basically banking on younger people. The elderly continues to be an important part of society and their concerns have to be addressed. Since most of them, especially those living in senior centers, face loneliness as they are already far from relatives and family, the researcher thought that something should be done to ease the pain of being lonely. The Happiness and Humor Group was offered once a week for a 10-week period and was held at a local California Senior Center. An initial test, Life Satisfaction Scale (Lohmann, 1976) was conducted to the original 15 participants. The same is done after completion of program. The Happiness and Humor Group should improve the lives of the participants and increase their satisfaction for their present living status. They should be healthier and more psychologically balanced and score higher in the written scale survey after they finish all the sessions in the program. Review of Related Literature Old age in some books is concretely defined as the stage of a person’s life after 65 years (Burgess, 1949). However, there are people younger than 65 years that tend to manifest those characteristics that encompass being of old age (Burgess, 1949). To clearly define old age, it is the last period of a person’s life terminated by death. According to some books (Papalia, 2002), aging is divided into two stages: Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging is said to be the time when the body inevitably deteriorates and this process continues through out the years. On the other hand, Secondary aging results from the abuse the body receives through the years. These abuses are often avoidable and are within the control of the human person (Papalia, 2002). Along with other indications of aging is the manifestation of psychological changes. Depression, for one is seen as one of the psychological problems faced by the elderly today. It also affects the biological aspect of living, how organs in our body work, blood flow, etc. Depression is said to speed up physical decline of aging and cause problems internally (Papalia, 2002). As much as there are negative and problematic aspects to aging, like all other stages of development in a person’s life, there is also a positive light to this. Erik Erikson’s Theory on Human Development indicates that at this late period of adulthood, a person experiences a conflict between ego integrity versus despair (Papalia, 2002). One has to get past the troubles of yesterday, get over regret and what-could-have-beens and learn to accept the wholeness of one’s life and the coherence of learning picked up throughout the years. Nonetheless, there are different ways to measure a person’s life satisfaction in aging. There are scientists who measure this through health conditions, cardiovascular functioning, brain activity, psychological well-being, economic stability, etc (Papalia et al). Nevertheless, all of these play a role in a healthy person’s life. Although, in different studies, other people, for example, give more importance to their health or economic stability as their basis for an accomplished or successful aging. In the end, it may still depend on a person’s priorities in life that could help him or her achieve optimal aging. There are different theories that deal with aging. One is the Disengagement theory (Papalia, 2002), which simply states that at this particular stage, people tend to disengage themselves with society and focus more on themselves. They tend to be more in touch with their thoughts, feelings and emotions as they look back at the past and realize what they have learned, gone through—both positive and negative. On the other hand, there is the activity theory (Papalia, 2002) that indicates that to achieve better aging, one must engage him or her in different activities. Another important theory that should be taken into account when dealing with better aging is the Continuity Theory (Papalia, 2002). This states that there is a great need for the elderly to relate the present and the past. For them to be satisfied, they have to be able to continue doing what they are used to when they are younger. It could mean that a once healthy youthful man who is active in sports should not be hindered by age to play his interest. Activities should be present as it was when they had the energy to do it. Of course, one should strain themselves so much to the extent of injury. However, being able to do what one can do before, is an encouragement in itself and provides opportunity for proper aging. Aside from exercise and being active, humor and laughter help a lot in the aging process. As earlier mentioned, the elderly tend to be more serious as they reflect on their lives. This may produce a lot of negative feelings as they face regret and sorrow at losses. Negative feelings do not only affect mental health but also the entire functioning of the human person. There are a great number of studies and literature depicting humor and laughter as greatly influential to the improvement of a person’s over-all well-being. It improves the immune system, heart functioning and mental health, among others (Du Pre, 1998). According to studies, cortisol, a hormone secreted by the body during times of stress suppresses the proper functioning of the immune system making humans more inclined to getting sick (Du Pre, 1998). To counter this, studies have been made to show that laughter, in fact, acts against the negative effects of stress. (Du Pre, 1998). In a study made by Dillon, Minchoff and Baker (1985), participants were made to watch humorous videos. They have found that those who watched the videos had a significant increase in an Immonoglobulin A (IgA) level. This substance is a virus-fighting chemical made by the immune system (Du Pre, 1998). Studies like this show that indeed laughter and humor contribute a great deal to improving a person’s immune system. Laughter can be achieved through social interaction and other forms of entertainment such as videos and film viewing. Another study by Adams and McGuires (1986) showed that through a 6-week period observation of elderly participants watching funny videos, there had been a significant decrease in requests of pain-relieving medication (Du Pre, 1998). The social interaction portion of laughter is very much helpful, as well. Unfortunately, for the elderly, as they try to disengage themselves and focus more on â€Å"self†, they forget to interact and the importance of sharing and relating with others. Such is the importance of group psychotherapy. According to Yalom (1995), group psychotherapy brings about instillation of hope, interpersonal learning, group cohesiveness and universality. People become more hopeful as they see that there are others who are in the same boat. They find out that there are those who can relate to them and that they are not the only ones who are going through the things that they are experiencing. The same is true for its universality. Group dynamics brings natural concern and care for others. They become more mindful of their surroundings and helpful, allowing themselves to be useful (Yalom, 1995). Interpersonal learning is picked up as each one involves him or herself in discussions. As they share their feelings and work out their problems they become more cohesive as a group and help in the development of the social skills that they thought they do not need anymore. Indeed, humor is a powerful force with the psychological and physiological effects on the body similar to the health benefits of aerobic exercise. The National Council on Aging promotes quality of life as an important factor for successful aging and a major component in one’s perception of happiness. In a study involving 182 participants, Vilaythong, Arnau, Rosen & Mascaro (2003) saw a relationship between humor and hopefulness. The researchers discovered an increase in the state of hopefulness after exposure to humor. Moreover, Wooten, (1996), stated â€Å"Finding humor in a situation and laughing freely with others can be a powerful antidote to stress and gives us a sense of perspective on our problems. † Of course, in all this, there is a mind set that should be taken into account. One must be optimistic about things and their outlook in life. At the age nearing death, it could be said that this is somewhat very difficult. The elderly is typically viewed as people who are not as functional as they were in their youth (Cox, 1993). The people or family surrounding a senior person should not automatically think that an elder needs his or her assistance. When an elderly feels that he or she has to be assisted in everything and could not perform independently, this may lead to a feeling of low self-worth and they become more pessimistic about things (Cox, 1993). If people can trust elders to carry out tasks, not to difficult for them to perform independently, then they learn to build confidence on what they can do. Furthermore, doubts about themselves, reservations and other unhealthy beliefs that maybe they cannot have purpose anymore, gradually disappears (Dryden, 2001). Here, one can see the effect that positive thinking or optimism provided by the environment, and later on re-learned by self, helps in healthy and a higher satisfaction in aging. Putting all this together, one could see that there is a right way to age. The elderly can get maximum satisfaction in aging if they conserved their energy and strength, if they are able to adapt to challenges and losses, and finally, if they could spend their time productively and wisely (Papalia, 2002). Method Subjects 17 men and women ages 65-89 years who volunteered were administered a pre- and post- self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey (Lohman, 1976). The form used did not ask for the individual names of the participants. Rather, they were asked to put a fictitious name to ensure honesty and validity of results. The initial testing was conducted during the first session of the Happiness and Humor Group, and the final testing was done on the 10th and final session. Materials A scale survey called Life Satisfaction by Lohman (1976) was conducted. The Happiness and Humor group consisted of a 10-session program which was carried out once a week in a span of 10 weeks. Film viewing was used, this includes DVDs brought by the participants themselves and a few episodes starring Ellen DeGeneres. Lively music was also used in some of the sessions where there was dancing and exercise. Whistles, candies and other paraphernalia were also used in different sessions, serving different symbolisms and purpose. Procedure The first session of The Happiness and Humor Group at their senior center included 15 participants. They were given a test to measure their Life Satisfaction. They were not prompted for real names, rather they were asked to put fictitious names. Afterwards, the first activity began. Each participant was asked to pick a candy or energy bar which best suited or represented his or her personality. The session was ended by the researcher giving a lecture regarding pessimists and optimists. The second session included additional participants. The researcher welcomed the larger group with an activity â€Å"Lighten Your Load† in which everyone shared a way that they could lift pressure from their lives. An intense discussion took place following the introduction of the topic, â€Å"The Typical Wants and Desires of Human Beings†. An activity of light exercise to lively music concluded this session. More people joined during the third session. The importance of Exercise, Nutrition, Recreation and Attitude (ENRA) , and how these all added to a happier and healthy life was discussed. Exploring the ENRA principle of Attitude consisted of an activity â€Å"Count Your Blessings† where the participants wrote down and shared three positive things that happened to them during the week. They were also asked to share with the group how they think they were able to contribute to the positive things that happened to them. At the end of this third session, group members, not the instructor, began to tell jokes which enabled them to connect with each other through shared humor. Similar activities followed after this session, at the same time, more people joined in. Group psychotherapy happens as they share with each other ways to cope with loneliness and how they started thinking more positively. On the seventh session, a discussion was initiated regarding how guilt blocked happiness. Film viewing was also then started. A brief episode that starred Ellen DeGeneres was shown to the group. The video was followed by a laughter prescription issued by the researcher. This entailed all the participants to have a daily dose of 15 minutes of laughter everyday. The session ended with the prescription papers actually signed by the researcher. The eighth session was composed of 25 participants. There was exercise and the researcher introduced an international folk dance. Such activity enforced the ENRA principles. Kazoos and whistles were distributed with the instructions to â€Å"blow the whistle on themselves† when they got too serious. The session again, ended with a summarization of what they have learned that day and group sharing. The sessions that followed were characterized by more film viewing, exercise and dancing. The participants were encouraged to bring their own DVDs or videos should they want to share with the other group members. Later in the session, ENRA principles of Nutrition and Recreation were discussed as they were related to community availability. The researcher offered directories to farmers’ markets nearby and ideas for low cost activities and entertainment around the community. The participants were often reminded that happy people eat healthy foods, exercise, play, and most importantly, have a positive attitude toward life. At the tenth and last session, each participant received a certificate of achievement for being a part of Happiness and Humor Group. They celebrated their success with each other at a healthy buffet which consisted of fresh and healthy food that they themselves purchased from the local farmers’ market. The session ended with humorous stories, ones that they could share with friends or recall for their own 15 minutes of laughter just had been prescribed. Results n=17 Mean SD Pre: 42. 605 54. 256 22. 6 Post: 65. 828 72. 883 13. 7 Difference between tests 5. 6 Table 1. Results for Life Satisfaction Scale Survey (Lohman 1976) Table 1 shows the mean and standard deviations of the group before and after the intervention. Specifically, the mean before the intervention is 54. 256, and this has increased to 72. 883 after the happiness and humor sessions. Significance Level 0. 5 Table 2. T-Tests Variable Method Variances DF t-Value Pr>[t] Score Pooled Equal 32 2. 90 0. 0067 Score Satterthwaite Unequal 26. 3 2. 90 0. 0074 The conduct of the t-tests for dependent groups show that the post-test score is significantly higher than the pre-test score (t=2. 90, pF Score Folder F 16 2. 73 0. 0528 The insignificant F-value shows in Levene’s test for equality of variances (F=2. 73, p>. 05) suggests that both score distributions (pre and post) come from normally distributed score populations. Discussion From the statistical results above, one can see that there is significant change in the participants. Also, qualitatively, their outlook has changed significantly and they have become more optimistic. In the beginning, it was evident that group dynamics and sharing are really effective tools. One member, Cam, 75, shared eagerly during the first session that her selection of the candy bar reminded her of growing up in an orphanage in Scotland. Another, Abraham, 82, told about how he would eat a bite-sized candy bar and relax in the afternoon. The verbal and nonverbal connections were being established between group members, even reaching out to the silent and timid ones. Participants also felt more at ease because of the environment that was presented to them. Jokes are highly welcomed and encouraged. In fact, more than once, the researcher would tell a joke, reminding the participants of the group the theme of happiness that is the program. Also, it encouraged people to show and share parts of their lives through funny and touching anecdotes. Group cohesiveness was noticeable by the fourth session and continued throughout the remainder of the sessions. Participants served each other coffee, listened without interrupting, and best of all, made plans to socialize outside of the weekly group meetings. Edna, 68, stated that she felt like a kinder person. She mentioned that she called friends and invited them to her apartment, equating to a more confident and more sociable outlook in life. Another participant, Keiko, a timid, more quite 83-year-old, cried at the end of one of the sessions when she shared that she allowed her son to drain her of happiness. She declared that she was going to put into practice what she had learned in the group. Sharings were always rewarded and welcomed eagerly by other participants. They have learned to become more open to one another’s concerns and have become greatly supportive of one another. Both participants and researcher saw how popular the Happiness and Humor Group grew. People came in wanting to join because they say that â€Å"they want to be happy. † Even during the course of the program changes and positive results could already be seen in the participants. They themselves would say how much they are already evolving. For instance, Sam, 82, disclosed that he was easily annoyed by many people and he wanted to learn a better way of relating to those who bothered him which showed a shift in his attitude. Many other observations and learnings came from the members themselves. There were observed comments such as a time when it was noted how appointments are made with doctors and dentists for specific health concerns, but one never sets a meeting for life-renewing recreation and leisure. This realization came about during the session when they were given laughter prescriptions. In the latter part of the program, one could easily detect that people are greatly more confident to share personal matters as compared when they were just starting. They were able to vent out concerns and this made them feel really better, emotionally, most especially. One member, Dixie, brought up during one of the sessions the issue about families. The participants spoke of family traditions and ritual, children and parents playing together, laughter and honest, open communication without retaliation. Dixie, once an abused spouse, went on to say that the group has empowered her to be happy and feel less guilty. After evaluation of all these, the researcher feels confident that the Humor and Happiness Group program indeed served its purpose. The elderly felt more comfortable to socialize and felt less lonely, seeing that there are those around them who can relate with their feelings and emotions. They think more positively and are more accepting of where they are now, hopefully, looking at the past with less regret. They are equipped with knowledge of adequate exercise, varying forms of it, to keep them fit, proper nutrition to keep their minds healthy and working. Researchers in gerontology, leisure services, social work and related disciplines are eager to discover how to increase the quality of life for older adults, particularly those stressed by loneliness. Furthermore, many researchers have followed a line of investigation comparing the relationship between possessing a sense of humor and good health. Leslie Gibson, a hospice community liaison, has observed that the more developed the sense of humor, the more graceful the acceptance of physical change and deterioration associated with aging. The Happiness and Humors Group developed for an aging population demonstrated that humor was a significant part of increasing their life satisfaction. In part, it was made possible by connecting the participants with others during the ten sessions in order to create a bond, a sense of belonging through humor and laughter. The researcher encourages administrators and practitioners to explore the possibility of launching a similar group within their own communities to help promote greater life satisfaction among the older adult populations that they serve. Lastly, a further study could be conducted similar to the Happiness and Humor Group. Other activities such as one on one consultations with psychologists and patients could be conducted to maybe reach out to those who are really having a hard time opening up in big groups. Frequency of the session could also be improved, making it twice to thrice a week, instead of once a week. The total length of the program could actually be considered enough to host all needed activities for the participants. However, if such program would be revised, adding more that could specifically cater to the needs of other elders in other cultures, a longer program period is advised. Another improvement could be made by asking the participants who just later joined the Happiness and Humor Group to provide feedback and have them accomplish surveys as to how the program actually enriched their lives. Family support could also be added to the curriculum, although this may be hard for those who have relatives or family far from the center where they are in. All in all, the Happiness and Humor Group could be considered a success on its own and in the future when it would actually be implemented in senior centers, the researcher hopes that more elderly would be able to participate and experience the life-changing process the program offers. References Alpert, J. E. & Fava, M. (2004). Handbook of chronic depression:Diagnosis and therapeutic management. New York: Marcel Dekker. Anastasi, A. & Urbina, S. (2002). Psychological Testing (7th Ed.) New Jersey: Prentice Hall. Arnau, R. C. , Rosen, D. H. & Vilaythong, A. P. (2003). Humor and hope: Can humor increase hope? International Journal of Humor Research. 16-1, 78-89. Ayres, V. E. , Mackenzie, K. R. , Weisman, M. M. , Welch, & R. R. , Wilfley, D. E. (2000). Interpersonal psychotherapy for group. New York: Basic Books. Bernard, M. E. , & DiGuiseppe, R. (1994). Rational-emotive consultation in applied settings. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Burgess, E. W. , Cavan, R. S. , Golhamer, H. , & Havighurst, R. J. (1949). Personal adjustment in old age. Chicago: Science Research Associates. Boyle, G. J, & Joss-Reid, J.M. (2004). Relationship of humour to health: A psychometric investigation. British Journal of Health Psychology, 9, 51-66. Cox, C. (1993). The frail elderly: Problems, needs and community responses. Westport, CT: Auburn House Paperback. Dryden, W. (2001). Reason to change: A rational emotive behavior therapy (REBT) workbook. New York: Brunner-Routledge. Du Pre, A. (1998). Humor and the healing arts: A multimethod analysis of humor use in health care. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates. Elmes, D. G. , Kontowitz, B. H. , Roediger III, H. L. (2001). Experimental psychology (7th Ed. ). Singapore: Wadsworth. Macfarland, K.(2005). Battling late-life depression: Short term psychotherapy for depression in older adults-A review of evidence based studies since 2000. Annals of the American Psychotherapy Association. 8(4). Papalia, D. E. , & Olds, S. W. (2002). Human development (8th Ed. ). New York: McGraw Hill. Pinel, J. P. J. (2003). Biopsychology (5th Ed. ). Boston: Pearson. Roeckelein, J. E. (2002). The psychology of humor: A reference guide and annotated bibliography. Westport, CT: Greenwood. Szabo, A. (2003). The acute effects of humor and exercise on mood and anxiety. Journal of Leisure Research. 35(2). Turnbull, M. & Wolfson, S. (2002). Effects of exercise and outcome feedback on mood: Evidence for misattribution. Journal of Sport Behavior 25, 4. Wooten, P. (1996). Humor: An anecdote for stress. Holistic Nursing Practice. 10, 49-55. Yalom, I. D. (1995). The theory and practice of group psychotherapy. New York: Basic Books.   Plagiarism Report Generated by EVE 2. 4 7/3/2007 11:46:32 PM Document: Humor 1. doc Amount of document detected to be plagiarized: . 54% (less than 1%) Please Note: Because plagiarsm on this paper is below 15%, please check these results carefully to make sure plagiarism has in fact occured. Matching material was found on these sites: http://www. sp. uconn. edu/~yian/frl/26sptrel. htm Student essay with matching content underlined for easy detection: Running Head: LIFE SATISFACTION FOR SENIOR CENTER PARTCIPANTS Happiness and Humor Group Promotes Life Satisfaction for Senior Center Participants Abstract The effects of a Happiness and Humor Group in the promotion of life satisfaction in an elderly center were examined. Fifteen participants in the beginning of the study were given a self-rated 32-item Life Satisfaction Scale Survey. After which they engaged in a once a week, 10-week program for the Happiness and Humor Group. Although the number of participants increased throughout the sessions, only the 15 original participants were administered the same test after completion of program. Introduction The purpose of the study is to address former findings conducted by the same researcher. A year ago, the researcher performed a qualitative study on stress. In the earlier study, there were 54 participants, ages 65-100 years, all of whom are members of several Southern California senior recreation programs. It was learned that the primary stressor among older adults was loneliness. As a follow-up to this, the researcher deemed it necessary to develop a group program that would address coping skills for the stressor. In late adulthood, people experience a lot of stressful moments when they face everyday with pessimism and regret about the past. In the opinion of the researcher, the psychological and over all well-being of the elderly is being neglected as the world faces many innovation and continued progress in technology, basically banking on younger people. The elderly continues to be an important part of society and their concerns have to be addressed. Since most of them, especially those living in senior centers, face loneliness as they are already far from relatives and family, the researcher thought that something should be done to ease the pain of being lonely. The Happiness and Humor Group was offered once a week for a 10-week period and was held at a local California Senior Center. An initial test, Life Satisfaction Scale (Lohmann, 1976) was conducted to the original 15 participants. The same is done after completion of program. The Happiness and Humor Group should improve the lives of the participants and increase their satisfaction for their present living status. They should be healthier and more psychologically balanced and score higher in the written scale survey after they finish all the sessions in the program. Review of Related Literature Old age in some books is concretely defined as the stage of a person’s life after 65 years (Burgess, 1949). However, there are people younger than 65 years that tend to manifest those characteristics that encompass being of old age (Burgess, 1949). Ergo, to clearly define old age, it is the last period of a person’s life terminated by death. According to some books (Papalia, 2002), aging is divided into two stages: Primary and Secondary aging. Primary aging is said to be the time when the body inevitably deteriorates and this process continues through out the years. On the other hand, Secondary aging results from the abuse the body receives through the years. These abuses are often avoidable and are within the control of the human person (Papalia, 2002). Along with other indications of aging is the manifestation of psychological changes. Depression, for one is seen as one of the psychological problems faced by the elderly today. It also affects the biological aspect of living, how organs in our body work, blood flow, etc. Depression is said to speed up physical decline of aging and cause problems internally (Papalia, 2002). As much as there are negative and problematic aspects to aging, like all other stages of development in a person’s life, there is also a positive light to this. Erik Erikson’s Theory on Human Development indicates that at this late period of adulthood, a person experiences a conflict between ego integrity versus despair (Papalia, 2002). One has to get past the troubles of yesterday, get over regret and what-could-have-beens and learn to accept the wholeness of one’s life and the coherence of learning picked up throughout the years. Nonetheless, there are different ways to measure a person’s life satisfaction in aging. There are scientists who measure this through health conditions, cardiovascular functioning, brain activity, psychological well-being, economic stability, etc (Papalia et al). Nevertheless, all of these play a role in a healthy person’s life. Although, in different studies, other people, for example, give more importance to their health or economic stability as their basis for an accomplished or successful aging. In the end, it may still depend on a person’s priorities in life that could help him or her achieve optimal aging. There are different theories that deal with aging. One is the Disengagement theory (Papalia, 2002), which simply states that at this particular stage, people tend to disengage themselves with society and focus more on themselves. They tend to be more in touch with their thoughts, feelings and emotions as they look back at the past and realize what they have learned, gone through-both positive and negative. On the other hand, there is the activity theory (Papalia, 2002) that indicates that to achieve better aging, one must engage him or her in different activities. Another important theory that should be taken into account when dealing with better aging is the Continuity Theory (Papalia, 2002). This states that there is a great need for the elderly to relate the present and the past. For them to be satisfied, they have to be able to continue doing what they are used to when they are younger. It could mean that a once healthy youthful man who is active in sports should not be hindered by age to play his interest. Activities should be present as it was when they had the energy to do it. Of course, one should strain themselves so much to the extent of injury. However, being able to do what one can do before, is an encouragement in itself and provides opportunity for proper aging. Aside from exercise.

Definitions of Leadershuip Essay Samples

Definitions of Leadershuip Essay Samples The Pain of Leadershuip Essay Samples The director ought to keep in mind the present technology, the associated software, and the way to engage students with it. Unlike your teacher who must read your essay to supply you with a grade, admissions staff don't need to read anything they don't wish to. The assistants also have to be effectively educated. All About Leadershuip Essay Samples Terrific leaders can communicate in a manner that others can engage with. To begin with, let's review a few things you need to keep in mind while you write. Folks react in various methods to any sort of change however small. Leadership is largely confused with management. Innovation is something which wouldn't be made possible without introducing changes. Leaders have a significant role in an organisation linked to its success, productivity and the operation of the employees. Competence also plays an incredibly important function in determining whe ther one is a great leader. Choosing Good Leadershuip Essay Samples Communication is apparently an extremely important characteristic of a superior leader together with interpersonal relationships that's also linked to emotional intelligence as discussed previously. Compassion is another essential characteristic that ought to be demonstrated by means of a leader. Courage is an additional important characteristic which should be possessed by every leader. Leadership is a typical and very straightforward word but rather very tough word to define as a result of its complexity and multifaceted composition. Proficiency in subject is the principal driving force. Leadership is understood to be the process in which a person influences the group of people to attain a frequent goal'. It is the ability to act as a catalyst for people to work together towards a common goal. As a rule leadership is directed at encouraging folks to attain common objectives. Introduction Leadership den otes the process of creating a group of individuals operate in a team, to be able to reach certain targets. The leadership style aims at making the very best of teamwork inside an organization. Such type of leadership is referred to as transformational. A best leadership style is essential for any organization. For instance, democratic style and free-reign style appear to emphasize autonomy. It's only logical to believe that leadership is important in all facets of managing an organization because an organization without an effective leader wouldn't have the ability to survive the harsh business environment that's prevalent in an extremely interconnected world economy. A superb leader must also make sure he or she not only communicates the ideal info to the team, but in addition that everybody understands it. 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Utilizing a tool like the leadership grid seems to oversimplify the behaviors of leadership and shows very little connection between the model of style and company performance. Practice isn't included within t his report. The Chronicles of Leadershuip Essay Samples After you collate the appropriate info, you can review them to expand your knowledge of the idea of leadership before you commence writing an essay on leadership. Writing a leadership essay isn't as complex as it appears. You need to understand that even in case you have written the very best essay, it isn't going to read so if it has glaring grammatical errors. Leadership essays, generally, are likely to be quite different than the essays you're utilised to writing for class. Finding the Best Leadershuip Essay Samples The evolution of leadership skills is essential since they help to attain both personal and professional success. It is going to be better if your experiences are specific and detailed to demonstrate when, where, and the way it happened. Leadership is a significant part of nearly every business. It is not a solo activity. Four personality types are somewhat more likely to turn into effective leaders. Rarely are you going to locate an ideal individual. Courage is basically defined as having the bodily and mental fortitude to perform a duty that most folks would hesitate to finish. Character is described concerning a person's values and attributes, and is the sum total of an individual's individual traits. At the exact same time, leadership can be executed in various manners. Any essay on leadership should underline the function of communication. Introducing innovation isn't a one-night thing. The paper focusses on various leadership styles and the way they may be utilised to effect a great organizational culture for a company through internal communication.