Are Sweatshops Good or Bad Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Are Sweatshops Good or Bad - Essay Example According to the US Department of Labor, 50% of the of the garment factories operating in the USA have been found to be violating 2 or more labor laws, thus falling in the category of sweat shops (Powell and Skarbek, 3). However, the fact that they are important source of livelihoods for the majority poor within different economies of the world is also indisputable (Pollin, et al, 9). Therefore, while assessing the question of whether sweat shops are good or bad, it is important to consider that either way; the entities must find a way to survive through different economies. At this point, it is necessary to ponder on this question; would the existence of sweatshops result in more harm than the harm that would result from the closure of all sweatshops globally? In this respect, this discussion holds the argument that sweatshops are good. This is because: The fact that something is always better than nothing still holds for the majority poor. Sweat shops have created numerous job opportunities for the unskilled and the semi-skilled workforce both in the USA and throughout the world. According to the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics 1997 census statistics, over 2 million people in 150 countries globally work in garment sweatshops that produce apparel for USA alone (National Labor Committee, 2).

Movement Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Movement - Essay Example In my opinion, the human brain is quite a powerful organ for it normally plays a major role when it comes to the issue of sight because whereas it is capable of making the visible become invisible, it can also do the vice versa. In this study besides addressing the aspect of visual illusions, it also analyses the issue of movement, this is by relaying information on whether movement is actual or is it just an illusion. Illusions normally come when one tends to perceive something is in a form different from the actual form (Conway et al.). Illusions are of different types, in the case of movement, optical illusion is an illusion related to sight. During the occurrence of an optical illusion, a number of brain regions are involved in accordance with aspects like shape and color. Studies contend the most common form of optical illusion is that of movement especially when objects appear to be in motion but it is the contrary in reality. For instance, when in a film theatre, one normally has the perception that he or she is watching a motion picture though studies prove this is not the case. Films are not motion pictures but rather comprise of thousands of still pictures shown in series and in so doing make the viewer have the perception that they are moving (Carrol & Choi 287). I think this perception is true, whereby a motion comes because of static repeated patterns. Mainly, this comes due to the in voluntary eye movements such as blinking, normally triggered by the brain intentionally in a move to create a shortcut, hence not showing some of the information. Studies show that eyeballs of humans are normally in constant vibration, which is imperceptible. However, when one sees an object, neurons end up emitting negative signals stronger compared to the positive ones (Llg & Guillaume 19). This is due to the optical illusions that take place. Optical illusion, also known as illusionary motion is a situation whereby static

Roles and Responsibilities- River Island case study Essay Example for Free

Roles and Responsibilities- River Island case study Essay Roles and Responsibilities In a business every employee has a position or role within their workplace. A manager is expected to lead his or her employees, a supervisor is assumed to be good at teaching others as they are usually training additional employees. In this section I will explain the different roles and responsibilities a manager, supervisor and an employee may have including their decision making and problem solving techniques involved in their role. Roles and responsibilities of a Manager: A River Island manager has many responsibilities; they are responsible for the hiring and training of new staff members. The manager has to read through applications and decide whom to interview. The manager has to decide whether the candidate is right for the job in other words fits in with the shops working environment. The shop manager is also reliable for training all hires in the businesss procedures and policies. I spoke to River Island shop managers and she informed me that one of her roles as a manager is to manage her staff. A shop manager has to inform all staff members of their working hours and duties within the shop she also has to think about awarding hard-working staff with promotions or bonuses. On the other hand those who fail to accomplish a duty, the manager will warn them under the disciplinary procedures of the company. In addition a shop manager’s duty is to record and manage all the money that goes into the store. The shop manager must record the amount of money that goes in and out of the store each day, they have to keep track of the stores spending, and including staffing hours and often distributes pay checks to employees. Roles and responsibilities of a Supervisor: A supervisor’s role is to organise the store, a river Island supervisor has to co-ordinate activities of the assigned department, and they usually have to determine how important the activities are on a daily basis. For example an employee who works in the men clothing section in River Island may be assigned the role of organising and cleaning up that department, it is the supervisor’s job to make sure the employee knows this. The supervisor is in charge of making sure that the Sales assistant reports that those jobs are completed for the week. Supervisors have to check the store for cleanliness and ensure that the store display is neat and organized before the store opens. And if the store manager is not available the supervisor steps in to manage the store activities. Supervisors hold staff meetings to discuss issues staff member may have in performing their job within this meeting they discuss changes in routines, clothing offers or discounts. Roles and responsibilities of an Employee (Sales Assistant): I contacted a River Island employee and asked on the main responsibilities of being a River Island sales assistant. The Sales Assistant expressed to me the different responsibilities she had. It is an employee’s job to look after customers when they are shopping meaning they must be ready to answer questions and find items for customers. An employee also must be able to give good advice to their customers ‘As River Island representatives we are expected to ‘step up’ when necessary’. She also declared her role in making sure customers visit to the store is enjoyable and pleasant. Moreover she makes sure her approach to customers is polite and respectable she does this by greeting customers as they enter and leave the store, dealing with customer’s complaints professionally and making sure the customer is satisfied with the conclusion. As well as the above, a sales assistant has to make sure that all shelves are stocked up. Replenishing stock is one of a sales assistant’s most important jobs alongside being able to work at tills and balance the cash registers with receipts received. Qualities and Skills Qualities and Skills of a Manager: A manager must have many skills and qualities. An ideal manager for a retail store must be able to bring out the best in others as well as themselves. A manager should be able to discipline his/her staff, working as a role model towards their staff. A good manager should also be able to commit to a task or activity. On the River Island website I found out information on special skills a manager should have to conduct his/her job successfully. An ideal manager should have good communication skills as they have to communicate with their employees, good leadership skills, are focused, able to persuade his/her employees and organised, a manager should be able to divide large tasks and activities into manageable ones. A manager with good communication skills can help to build an organised and effective team of employees. It also helps to build and manage performance of their team members, having good communication skills can benefit the maintenance of relationships between employees. It is also crucial for a manager because it allows them to deal with customer complaints limiting any negative feedback about your business. A manager should be able to be persuasive and have good organisational, leadership skills. This allows employees to feel as if they can trust their manager; they feel as if they want to be led by them not have to be. This not only helps an employee grow fond of their job but also motivates them to give 100% effort. Helping to give the business an outstanding reputation and influences more customers to buy from their store. Qualities and Skills of a Supervisor: Sometimes the manager may not be available so this is when a supervisor steps in. A supervisor has to have similar skills to a manager but supervisors are more in contact with their fellow employees. A supervisor should have good flexibility and time management as well as basic communication skills. A supervisor should be able to motivate his/her employees to perform as well as they can to help the business succeed. Good flexibility can ensure that a supervisor is responsive to changes in the work place and is not blown off by any difficult situations. For example a customer complaint, a good supervisor especially for River Island should be able to stay calm under pressure and respond quickly to difficult circumstances. This also helps to keep the reputation of the business at its highest as customers are more likely to buy from somewhere that is knowledgeable in all situations. A supervisor should be able to manage their time, by doing this it keeps the employees confident that they are being led by someone who knows what they are doing, with this employees work harder increasing productivity, customer service and revenue. Qualities and Skills of an Employee: For a sales assistant especially at a clothing store they must be able to work as part of a team, enjoy working with the public as well as be confident when dealing with difficult situations for example difficult customers. Moreover an employee must have these key skills: †¢ Have a polite and helpful manner †¢ Have basic mathematical skills, for dealing with payments and stock checks and are comfortable with using computerised equipment such as tills. This enhances customer services where customers will tell their friends and family to visit the store due to their good services meaning more customers further more increasing the revenue for the store. †¢ be flexible, adaptable, reliable and trustworthy. These skills helps to prevent reduced employees loyalty due to this more employees refrain from their jobs. This means more money is spent on recruiting more staff, increasing a company cost which is not good for a business’s finances. Training and Development Opportunities According to the River Island website River Island invests in staff and encourages career development. River Island offer many different methods of training for example for sales advisors and store managers they perform a 3-4 week induction programme at a training store. They also provide skill development workshops relevant to the role you have in the river island job for example if you are a manager there are workshops to help you improve on your time management skills, organisation, delegation and other key skills a manager should have. Most River Island stores have regular progress reviews to monitor performance and development needs of individual employees. Even skilled managers have management training modules (relevant to their role) where they train managers off the job basic but in depth skill of being a manager. These training days help to enhance employee’s performance on the job. Benefiting River Island as a business because their employees are always well trained and know what they are doing. Customers would rather go to a store that is well known for employees who are helpful and organised rather than ones that lack these simple skills. ‘We want to help you make the most of your career with River Island and hope you enjoy working with us. ’ Methods of motivation The River Island company use methods of motivation to encourage their employees to do a better job than they otherwise would. Some of the ways River Island motivate their staff is by offering staff discounts of 30% off on items of clothing or accessories within the store for employees a further discount of 50% off if you are a manager. Also River Island offers a monthly salary to their staffs which ensures to pay staff no matter how much hours they work. On top of this River Island also allow their staff to work together in teams to complete certain tasks, this can make the job seem more enjoyable to the staff with a much more comfortable relaxing environment. This helps to retain staff because employees prefer a job were offers and discounts are issued especially with a popular clothing store like River Island rather than working in an environment that does not offer any type of fringe benefits .This relates to the Maslow Hierarchy of needs theory, as staff at River Island feels a sense of belonging working in groups and are meeting their everyday survival needs. Motivating your staff can help to keep a business successful. A River Island staff member said ‘The more motivated I am the harder I work to help the business reach its goals to earn more money’. Motivating your staff can help to increase output, improve quality of your business as well as save money for your business. If employees are keen to stay with the company then money is not loss on hiring and training of new staff. Based on Hertzberg two-factor theory of motivation, I believe River Island could offer more methods of motivation in a way to retain staff, for example empowerment. Empowering an employee makes them feel as if they are being noticed for the hard work they are putting in. This can make a staff member put in extra work and take pride in the extra work they are doing increasing output and quality of the business. . PEST Factors Organisations can face problems from external factors which can affect a business’s products, policies, people and profits. It is a useful strategic tool for understanding market growth or decline, business position, potential and direction for operations. A PEST analysis is usually carried out by business planners this allows them to improve their strategies. Political Factors Political factors usually affect the ways in which changes in the government policy can influence businesses. River Island has to abide by the employment laws developed by the government. This may include the equal pay act of 1970 that women and men should receive equal pay for doing the same type of work or even the race relations act of 1976 which states that making discriminations against an employee on grounds of their race is illegal. Other factors may include the sex discrimination act, 1925 which protects employees against discrimination due to the gender for example if river island was promoting manager recruitment they cannot state the employee has to be of a specific gender. Though this does not apply in all situations if there was recruitment for a female attendant for the female changing rooms this would not apply. Similar to the race relations act of 1976 also states discrimination on grounds of race is illegal though there are GOQ’s genuine occupation qualifications that are legitimate in some cases. One of the most recent acts produced lately is the national minimum wage act, 1998. This ensures than employees are not exploited and are paid enough for them to survive. Minimum wage is increased every year in line with the rise in cost of living. Currently the adult rate for workers over 21 is  £6.19.River Island has key principles against these, and states that employment is freely chosen, living wages are paid, working hours are not excessive, discrimination is not practised and regular employment is provided. Economic Factors Economic factors are those that may limit the customer from buying optional luxuries. Economic factors include taxation, inflation, interest rates and economic growth. During a recession, consumers spend less on optional items such as cars and appliances. As a result, the business environment suffers. Alternatively, if the economic environment is one of affluence, consumers are more likely to spend money, not just on necessities, but larger items as well. Last year recession meant that some employee’s wages were cut down, not much employees were made redundant because of this but wages were slashed to pay for other company costs. In case of an unemployment decrease, turnover will rise and recruiting more employees will become harder though the opposite effect if unemployment increases. Another economic factor is Inflation usually affects someone’s buying power –rising prices means you pay more for the same goods. If there is a rise there is a high probability that there will be a fall in the amount of merchandise bought from River Island. These means business costs increase and sometimes have to stop producing lots of merchandise and focus on spending money on important cost leaving some workers unemployed. Social Factors Social trends are one of the key factors affecting a business; this can include the demographics, age distribution and lifestyle. Social trends are important as they focus on the society and at the end of the day, if the public are buying then the demand at River Island will increase, which means more production. The demands for some popular clothes are determined by fashion. Fashion trends are constantly changing every season meaning more customers are willing to buy from a popular up to date clothing store due to its good reputation. People are now more career focused than previous years, people seem to be more determined to achieve a good status in their dream job to make money and buy all their wants and needs. The most significant sign of this is working mothers- back in the 50’s women were forced to stay at home to cook and clean for their families. Now women have the opportunity to work especially to provide for their families. Though working mothers mainly work part time to cater to when they need to pick up their children from school, though it is now modern for women not to have children. They are much more career focused. More and more employees are trying to make as much money as possible, though River Island is not a store that pay their employees high wages, not much of a ‘career focusing job’. River Island, works enthusiastically with its suppliers and official agencies around the world to provide a standard health and safety regulation to its employees. The company always ensures that their suppliers sign a contract which commit to World Wide Ethical standards and those who violate them will be prosecuted. Technological Factors Technology has both a negative and positive effect on business recruitment. The positives are that technology like online selling and shopping can benefit an employee because it allows them to sell River Island clothing and accessories online to a wider variety of people on websites like EBay or Amazon. It also can provide more jobs in creating websites, maintaining and updating the website which a River Island representative could do. Though technology can be a disadvantage having a website means fewer employees to recruit as people can easily just buy products online. Employers also can now employ people who have good IT skills; this can help to keep River Island as a business up to date. Online selling/websites can affect the workforce of River Island, this because consumers find it easier and more effective for them to purchase items online. This affects employees of River Island; they may lose their job because River Island can now reduce cost, and spend it effectively. Employers can also use social networking sites as ways of keeping an eye on their employees, investigating on what they are really like. This is happening more often now, though these social networking sites can act as way of motivating staff by building a relationship with them outside the working environment.

The Rogerian approach to therapy has severe limitations

The Rogerian approach to therapy has severe limitations Carl Rogers (1902-1987) was a major force for psychology in the twentieth century. His theory on client centred therapy is still used today in mainstream counselling though now it is more widely known as person centred. To whether client centred therapy is supportive rather than reconstructive, Rogers work focused on phenomenology and his three core conditions to a working relationship; Unconditional Positive Regard, Empathy and Congruence. I will explore which aspects are supportive and which are reconstructive and whether there are any limitations to this approach. Rogers believed that everyone has the ability to change for the better and they hold all the answers within them even if they do not know it yet. His theory was based around three core conditions that the therapist should abide by in order to help the client feel at ease, feel confident in themselves and develop their own answers. These core conditions are Empathy, Congruence and Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR). This essay will look at Rogers theory on client-centred therapy; Phenomenology and the three core conditions. The essay will also evaluate whether there are any limitations to Rogerian theory due to it being supportive rather than reconstructive. In 1928, Carl Rogers went off to Rochester, NY where he took his first job at the Rochester Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Children where he worked essentially as a child clinical psychologist until 1938. In 1936 Rogers became interested in the Rankian approach to therapy after attending a series of Otto Ranks lectures. Rogers always stated that Rankian influenced the shape that person centered counseling took, especially its emphasis on the positive characteristics of the individual, the quality of the therapeutic relationship, and a focus on responding to feelings. I became infected with Rankian ideas. (Kramer cited in www.ottorank.com) When Rogers was at Rochester he worked with a mother whose son was displaying behavioural problems. Dryden (2007) wrote that Rogers saw the root of the problem as the mothers rejection of her son as a baby. Rogers could not get the mother to see this and was about to give up when she asked for adult counselling for herself. This shift in focus served as a catalyst for her to speak about all her problems she was experiencing. Rogers found this case a turning point in what therapy should be about; the client (Rogers 1939). It began to occur to me that unless I had a need to demonstrate my own cleverness and learning, I would be better to rely upon the client for the direction of movement in the process. (Dryden 2007:145) Around the time of Rogers, theorists such as Strange (1950) saw counselling as a relationship, which encourages growth in both and therapist and the client. Smith (1955) defined counselling as therapist led in that they would assist the client in interpreting their problems and thoughts (cited in Chadra Gupta 1989:187) In 1951 Rogers published Client-Centred Therapy which established him highly in the psychotherapeutic community. Rogers claimed that behavioural therapists were preventing their clients from self-actualizing and discovering their own solutions. Carl Rogers (1951) developed his client-orientated approach to meet the demand of personal freedom (Chadra Gupta 1989:187) in that it seats the client at the centre of the process with the therapist just walking alongside. Rogers work was based on the belief that the client know what is best for themselves rather than followers of psychoanalysis and behavioural theories which sees the therapist interpreting the problem and what is solution is. Rogers try to make clients feel unique, he wanted to understand how the client felt and reflected their statements back to them. Rogers (1951) saw the purpose of counselling being a more broadly based structure of self, an inclusion of a greater projection of experience as a part of self and a more comfortable and realistic adjustment to life. (Chadra Gupta 1989:11) Rogers tended to distance himself from already established theories as he felt that it attempted to fit the client into a mould rather than seeing the client as they are. He found then that he could devote his energy instead to relating deeply to his clients and discovering with them what worked. (Thorne 2003:24) Rogers had an understanding that a person was not just made up of ID and Ego (Freudian theory) but was also a product of his or her environment, family and values. He saw a persons behaviour as subjective to himself or herself. To Rogers, the equality between the client and therapist was integral to a healthy and positive therapeutic relationship. Rogers felt that if the therapist were to be seen as the expert it would throw the relationship off balance, as it is the client who is the one with all the answers, not the therapist. The issue of power is central to his understanding of the therapeutic relationship. (Thorne 2003:25) The subjective experience of the client is key to Rogers client centred approach and if the therapist is the one with the power then the client may feel no validity in their own thoughts and self understanding. Hence, the therapeutic relationship breaks down and the client will never achieve success in finding his or her own answers (i.e. Conditional Regard of what the therapist wants). Rogers therapy is supportive in that the therapist accompanies the client on their journey whilst displaying UPR, congruence and empathy but it is also reconstructive as it enables the client to make the right changes for themselves without any judgement of the therapist. The therapist should be a facilitator not an authorative expert. In my opinion, Rogers seeing the clients as client and not patients is what sets aside this form of working from the doctor-patient medical model. Rogers way of working encouraged therapy o be a process about the individual and their needs, not a diagnostic tool which is generic to every patients symptoms. The process is the key factor. (Dryden 2007:186) Phenomenology holds the belief that all humans behave in response and accordance of their own subjective understanding and awareness of where we are in the world. The therapists function is to aid the client in the exploration and discovery of his or her own inner resources. (Thorne 2003:25) Central to Rogers phenomenological theory is optimism and that a human has a basic optimistic view and if supported in finding an understanding in their subjective world, then the client would start to engage in behaviours and thoughts that were positive. This concept became known as The Actualising Tendency. Carl Rogers believed that there was one motivational force that determined the development of the human being. He called this the Actualising Tendency. (Mearns Thorne 2008:12) In Rogers understanding and anthropological research he found that humans, in nature, have an innate desire to move towards progress, positiviness and their potential. Like a flower sown in rough soil surrounded by darkness and poisons, it will strive towards even a glimmer of light in order to survive and grow. Rogers saw peoples behaviour as no different. Rogers continued this analogy by explaining that the rougher and poorer soil (i.e. the environment someone is in), the more water and nourishment theyll need. The harder a persons situation and circumstances, the more support they will need to find and grow towards their Actualising Tendency. Depending on the person, this process can be slow and sometimes even stop depending on their self-perception or other parts of them, which can be, more resistant to change or self-realisation. The Human Organism itself manifests this tendency and has infinite inner resources. For Rogers the tendency to actualise the self is essentially a subsystem of the Actualising tendency. (Thorne 2003:27) This supportive element of Rogers worth explored questions such as How does it feel and What it be like toà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦known as Spotlighting. Although Rogers is directing the conversion, the client is still recognising their own behaviours and coming to their own conclusions about any changes that need to be implemented; self-actualizing. This is reconstructive an example of this would be weight loss: Within the framework of the Self Actualizing Tendency Rogers believed that humans have enormous resources for successful living and to achieve a happy and fulfilled life. Rogers believed that your body knows what it wants and needs and when it is full; you just need to listen to it. The body and mind are connected together with Phenomenology. To the client food may represent more than food, it may represent comfort, acceptance and stress relief and the natural relationship is changed. This can also happen when people starve themselves or diet unhealthily to be an acceptable size by size 0 society norms. When people are pregnant they tend to listen less to society and more to their body and less to society and previous conditioned values i.e. I might be getting bigger but my baby needs me to eat more. Rogers supported in clients in feeling open enough to talk about their relationship with food and would help them peel back the onion layers i.e. you overeat due to stress, lets address the feelings of stress first. The client then can rebalance their emotional need without eating to feel normal. Through Empathy, UPR and Congruence, the client begins the process of self-actualizing without any limitations imposed from the therapist. This is when the therapist reflects what they key issues that need to be addressed. Although this seems to conflict with Rogers belief that the client finds their own answers, once the key issues are spotlighted, the client then decides what they want to focus on, even if the therapist sees the answers lying elsewhere. Fully Functioning (Rogers 1963) people are as Rogers described are psychologically healthy persons who have been fortunate enough to be surrounded by others whose acceptance and approval have enabled them for at least some of the time to be in touch with their deepest feelings and experiences. (Mearns Thorne 2008:15) Fully Functioning clients have trust in the organismic valuing process and feel confident. Others who are not fully functioning are those who have faced or continue to face negativity, conditional positive regard and judgement. The key to Rogers client centred approach was the concept of self worth. Rogers identified that when we are born we have a tendency towards actualisation. This gets cloudy the older we get, once we inherit parental values, different environments and conditions of worth, reward and our need for positive regard increases. We require at some level and in some way, however minimal, to feel good about ourselves and if this need is not met it is difficult to function in the world. (Thorne 2003: Rogers theory of self was based on the principle that if we are raised in a supportive and positive environment where we receive positive reinforcement for who are and want to do, then we trust in own abilities and our thoughts and feelings in order to make the correct decisions in line with our perception of the world. If however, we are raised in an environment filled with conditions of worth such as If you do x then you will be good or Mummy will love you if, then our need for positive regard in dependant on other people. We will grow up only recognising achievements depending on values and responses of others rather than feeling fulfilled in whom we are and the life we lead; we are only dependent on ourselves. Psychological disturbances will be perpetuated if an individual continues to be dependent to a high degree on the judgement of others for a sense of self worth. (Mearns Thorne 2008:153) Rogers believed that this dissonance between our innate need for approval and our inner self-wisdom is the root cause of much inner disturbance and lack of self-confidence to make positive decisions on our own, for ourselves. Rogers saw this as a lack of self-trust in the organismic valuing process. If people are not raised in a supportive environment where they are listened to and valued then the supportive environment of Rogerian therapy might be their first experience of feeling valued. Rogers believed in a mixture of his therapy being supportive as well as reconstructive and the process should emphasise the thinking with the individual, not for the individual. People cannot only be affected by their inter-personal relationships but also by their social and cultural norms. An example of this affecting a persons Actualizing Tendency is when the media and society portrays a size 0 image as what is the new definition of beautiful. For those that arent that particular size it could make them feel devalued by society and could impact on their esteem and confidence levels. This is turn could affect and superseded their Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) they received from their parents saying they are ok the way they are and leave the person feeling lost and insecure. Rogers highlighted the importance of giving UPR in sessions, empathising with clients and building a good rapport and level of trust. Through this client-focused medium, the client can start working on the issues they feel are negative to them; comparing themselves and valuing themselves against the size 0 images in magazines. The therapist aims to create an environment in which the client can be supported to achieve personal growth by reconnecting with their Organismic Valuing Process (how I feel), Self-Actualizing Tendency (what do I need) and their Internal Locus of Control (I am worthy). These supportive key elements to Rogers theory highlight the persons need for unconditional positive regard, empathy and congruence. The therapist provides a relationship of trust, warmth and UPR that encourages clients to talk about themselves and their feeling. (Heap Aravind 2002:186) Empathy by Collins dictionary definition is the power of understanding and imaginatively entering into another persons feelings. (www.freedictionary.com) Empathy is the therapists ability to understand the clients subjective perceptual world and how they see themselves and the world around them. It is a process. In person centred therapy the counsellor tries to enter the clients frame of reference and walk alongside him in his world. (Mearns Thorne 2008:69) It is important that the therapist remains reliable and strong and not get sucked down into the clients world so much that they lose sight of their role in this process. A good analogy of where that boundary is and why is The Well. If a client is stuck at the bottom of a well there is little point the therapist getting down into the well with them to find out how they are as then they would both be stuck. Instead, the therapist could sit on the edge of the well, talking to the client and empathising that this situation must be hard, lonely etc without being down there and equally stuck. Rogers believed that an empathetic approach required the therapist to be secure within themselves before entering into a clients world: the As If factor. This is to state that the therapist should enter to clients world as if they were there, not get lost in it. When this is achieved, there can be movement in the clients self-concept and worth, as the therapist is able to express empathetic responses, which show the client they are being understood. Although each person experiences the world differently, a therapists understanding and appreciation of a persons problems and hardship can be supportive to the client. Rogers believed that empathy could be shown in therapy through good body language, summarising and reflection. Empathy is a continuing process whereby the counsellor lays aside her own way of experiencing and perceiving reality, preferring to sense and respond to the experiencing and perceptions of her client. (Mearns Thorne 2008:67) Communication is key to this core condition. When a client feels accepted, valued and understood it aids feelings of alienation, loneliness and desperation. Rogers referred back to these core conditions as integral to person centred counselling therapy. Unconditional Positive Regard (UPR) as non-judgemental acceptance of a client and is key to the client feeling safe enough to work through their negative feelings. Rogers believed in peoples honesty when not faced with judgment and rejection; the client should be accepted as they are not as they want to be or how the therapist feels they should be. Rogers advocated that the client should be totally accepted with no exceptions. If the therapist accepts you, that is one step closer to self-acceptance. If the therapist can show UPR regardless of what the client says i.e. I hate my mother and want to kill her and empathise with how they feel, they will be in a relaxed trustworthy environment to open up to what might be underlying these feelings. Rogers believed these core conditions can help the client come to terms with their emotions and in turn, their self-regard will improve. Although this could be seen as facilitating a change I see it as more reconstructive as it can go far deeper than the presenting need and the therapist might never be aware of where the change is actually happening i.e. being able to talk about hating their mother might spark revelations that can now be accepted i.e. Its not my fault. In practical terms it can be hard for some therapists to let go of the power or lead the client to elicit change. This will lead the client down their own path of self-change and correction of negative behaviours and false statements which is far more powerful. Rogers saw that most people accessing therapy had little UPR in their life and saw this is a root of their problems. Unconditional positive regard is the label given to the fundamental attitude of the person centred counsellor towards her clientà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and is not deflected in that valuing by any particular client behaviours. (Mearns Thorne 2008:95) Rogers believed that this consistent unconditional regard aids the clients process of feeling valued and break down barriers the client might be putting up in order to feel accepted. Unconditional Positive Regard is important as it directly conflicts with the self-defeating cycle. This cycle (Mearns Thorne 2008:99) promotes a clients condition of worth, which they might have carried around all their life. With the therapist counteracting this, it can aid the client in finding a break through in their negative patterns. These core conditions to Rogerian client-centred therapy are both supportive; the UPR, but also reconstructive as the client is the one finding their own answers, without condition or judgment from the therapist. Yet this can only be achieved with empathy and congruence otherwise it may seem false. Congruence is characterised by the therapist being transparent to the client, not superior to them. It is genuine, authentic and real. The therapist conveys this genuine realness and allows the client to see them as a human being not a doctor hiding behind certificates and metaphorical white coats. Congruence can be displayed verbally; thats terrible, I dont understand, please say that again, and non-verbal communication such as facial expressions and body language which reflects, not mimics, the clients. This process of the three core conditions supports the client in feeling relaxed and confident to look at their problems honestly and without judgement though it is reconstructive as the client is the one in the drivers seat; making the changes for themselves. From the reading I have done for this essay I feel that the one main limitation to Rogerian theory regarding its supportive nature would be that Rogers non-directive approach to therapy is not consistent as reconstructive as with techniques such as summarising and selective reinforcement, answers and reactions can be shaped. I have found another limitation is Rogers belief in the potential of the fully functioning person, which is not achievable in reality. Although the idea is something to aim for! Does supportive mean it cant be reconstructive? Only the client knows what they need and once they connect with that, only they will know how they feel. The therapist can support them in their journey but it is actually made by the client. Rogation therapy is based on both a supportive and reconstructive stance as the client benefits from the empathy, Unconditional Positive Regard and congruence the therapist gives them but ultimately it is the client who recognises where changes could be beneficial and implicates them. One of the most rewarding moments in a counselling process comes when a client discovers or re-discovers the dependability of his organismic valuing process however temporary or partial this may be. (Mearns Thorne 2008:14) I feel in conclusion that Rogerian therapy can be both supportive and reconstructive and that is the mix of the two, which takes away any major limitations. WORD COUNT: 3449

Kawabata’s Beauty and Sadness and Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and

Kawabata’s Beauty and Sadness and Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World Although wildly different in subject matter and style, Kawabata’s Beauty and Sadness and Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World both show how Japan has been internationalized as well as how it has remained traditional. Kawabata’s novel is traditional and acceptable, much like the haiku poetry he imitates, but has a thread of rebelliousness and modernity running through the web that binds the characters together. Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is devastatingly modern, and yet has a similar but opposite undertone of old Japan, or at least a nostalgia for old Japan. In both novels a more international culture has taken root in Japan, and it seems that the characters both embrace and run from the implications of a globalized, hybridized culture. With the graceful starkness of traditional Japanese haiku, Kawabata reveals a twisted set of love affairs between four people that ultimately lead to their downfalls. Haiku depicts a meditational view of the world where nothing is meaningless; in Beauty and Sadness all of the relations represent aspects of new and old Japan, mirroring the rise and fall of Japanese culture in their movements. Among these relationships, perhaps the most traditional is found between Oki and Otoko– although it is tragic and somewhat leacherous, the bond between a young woman (or girl) and an older man is an acceptable affair in traditional Japanese culture. They represent the oldest parts of Japanese custom, and adhere to that measure throughout the novel. Oki’s wish to hear the temple bells with Otoko reflects this long established pattern of old man and young girl, as ... ...lly, however, he begins to fight back against this loss of identity and struggles to regain himself, realizing that â€Å"stealing memories was stealing time... forget the end of the world, I was ready to reclaim my whole self.† (Murakami, 239) As he sits back in his car and waits for his world to end he gives himself the tools to fight this loss of identity, telling himself tâ€Å"Now I can reclaim all I’d lost. What’s lost never perishes.† (Murakami, 396) Although his identity has crumbled almost past recognition, the Narrator and the Dreamreader hold the key to retrieving it– memories and the unrelenting search for identity. Even though the identity of the Japanese culture has been undermined by globalization and internationalization, Murakami believes that it will be found again when the culture receives the proper stimulus– when they begin to read the dreams of unicorns.

Mark Twain :: essays research papers

In our time, there has been many authors. Perhaps the most interesting and most widely known author has been Mark Twain. Born Samuel Langhorne Clemens in 1835 in Florida, Missouri, Clemens has been known as a humorist, narrator, and social observer. Clemens works are some of the most widely known pieces in this country, and perhaps even the world. At the age of 4, Clemens moved with his family to Hannibal, Missouri, a port located on the Mississippi River. In 1851, he began setting type for and contributing sketches to his brother Orion's newspaper, the Hannibal Journal. Later, Clemens was a steamboat pilot on the Mississippi River until the Civil War. In 1862 he became a reporter for the Territorial Enterprise in Virginia City, Nevada. In 1863, he started using his pseudonym Mark Twain, which was a river call for a depth of two fathoms. This was the beginning of Mark Twain, because in 1865, he published The Celebrated Jumping Frog of Calavaras County and within months the author and the story had become national sensations. Two of his recent novels have also been extremely popular. The Gilded Age, which was published in 1873, took a look into the materialism and corruption in the 1870's. Another book, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, has been very popular. The story celebrates boyhood in a town on the Mississippi River. Reporters and many other people have been awaiting a sequel to The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, but the author has not promised anything. He states that he is now working on another novel, which has yet to be named, but has given the plot away.

How was Macbeth’s fall from grace a tragedy? Essay

Shakespeare presents an image of Macbeth originally as a hero, a role model of courage and bravery. However his indiscernible fascination with darker forces, portrayed by the witches, and whilst he is aware of the treachery in his subsequent actions throughout the play, his ambition engulfs his better judgement, where he contributes to his downfall from such greatness, and thus his character is human, enhancing such a tragedy. Macbeth experiences a sudden disastrous reversal in fortune where his material wealth rapidly multiplies and his personal values swiftly decrease, leaving him loveless, as well as childless, and eventually lifeless, factors which are remnant of Shakespearean tragedies. Even as he retains comprehension of his fate, approaching the play’s finale the audience experiences a certain catharsis, in which they feel pity for his misfortune, even if this character has behaved appallingly, in that his ambition and Lady Macbeth had pressure him to transform someone he himself did not like. Originally, Macbeth is portrayed as an image of prominence, and his relentless enthrallment with supernatural forces results in circumstances whirling out of his control. ‘Brave Macbeth†¦like Valour’s minion carved out his passage†¦Ã¢â‚¬â„¢ and thus assisted significantly in the victory which ensued, earning him a multitude of respect from not only the people, but King Duncan. In fact, the worthy King does see to it that as an added prestige and a gift of gratitude to such a noble gentleman, the title of Thane of Cawdor which has been retrieved from a most ‘disloyal traitor,’ and somewhat ironically considering Macbeth’s fate, ‘what he has lost, Macbeth has won.’ It appears, that upon the meeting of the three witches, who do deliver the three prophecies that indicate such a prosperous future for Macbeth, he is fuelled by his own ambition. It could be argued that this is beyond his own control, a mere circumstance often viewed in tragedies, where other characters and conditions are unrestrained by the protagonist, as it is realized that the witches have arranged to ‘meet with Macbeth’ and tempt him, yet he is aware of the possibility of their lies as ‘imperfect speakers’ and thus, his ‘rapt’ removes the possibility of his providence being unpreventable. The reader forms an impression of Macbeth prior to his personal introduction into the play, and thus Shakespeare employs a clever technique in placing Macbeth on a pedestal from our perspective prior to his  arrival. Unexpectedly, Macbeth experiences a sudden reversal in fortune, where he is forced to maintain criminal conflict in order to preserve his status which he has come to rely upon, and in doing so, manages to lose all that was initially dear to him. In what seems like moments, Macbeth achieves the Thane of Cawdor alongside the King of Scotland, but eludes the intimacy he once shared with his wife, and once such a conspirator, leaves her an innocent spectator to ‘applaud the deed.’ The gradual separation of Macbeth and his Lady is strangely sardonic, especially subsequent to the death of Lady Macbeth, where his perspective offers that ‘she should have died hereafter’ resignedly, similar to his manner upon achieving realization that his death is impending, thus presenting a double meaning in referral to himself and his deceased beloved. Shakespeare displays a sharp contrast in which Macbeth seems to have at one instant everything a man could desire including a kin gdom and pregnant wife, afterwards he is found to be truly alone, ‘abhorred tyrant, stripped of his love, child and eventually life. Such abrupt affluence exchanges in which a protagonist moves from happiness to misery, perhaps even death is often a result of dramatic conflict, typical in an Elizabethan tragedy. Disasters which are to follow Macbeth’s foremost crime are inevitable, and his awareness of this increases his humanity, as he has a flaw of pride which eventually is fatal. His evident ignorance of the many signs which do indicate to him to discontinue this murderous work are either for his own personal objectives as he has ‘no spur†¦but only vaulting ambition which o’erleaps itself’ or for that of Lady Macbeth’s taunts which stimulate him as she insults his manhood in her opinion of him as a ‘coward in thine own esteem.’ Early in the play, he does establish the distrustfulness of the witches, as ‘the instruments of darkness’ and with knowledge of their ‘imperfect’ speech he still allows their words to effect him greatly, so much as to he ‘is in blood, Stepped in so far that †¦should wade no more, returning were as tedious as go’er.’ Upon knowledge of Macduff’s flight, Macbe th’s overruling passion for his prominence engulfs his better judgement, and he does order to murder of ‘his wife, his babes, and all  unfortunate souls that trace him in his line.’ Macbeth’s judgment is so weakened by worship for the position he holds that barbarian acts of murder to innocent women and children is no longer beneath him, and Shakespeare presents this in such little light that it appears to be of no importance to Macbeth at all. Prior to Macbeth’s death, the audience experiences a purgation of emotions, almost a catharsis in which empathy is felt for the protagonist, due to the fate dominated by supernatural forces which he appeared to never have true influence over. For his fate was partly predetermined, and his eventual loss followed by a release from such a suffered life is partly relieving, and partly saddening, as his eventual outcomes differ so greatly from his intentions. This misfortune he experiences may be larger than he deserves. Macbeth was once ‘valour’s minion’ and now communicates and consorts with ‘black and midnight hags,’ a procedure used to represent his obvious downfall. Formerly, upon the initial assassinations Macbeth does commit, we see glimmer of conscience when he ‘could not say Amen.’ His discarding of God’s ways in the Elizabethan era would have caused uproar from certain people, yet others would be moved to pity with empa thy for somebody who could lose such faith in God. In fact, Macbeth pities himself, when he realizes that to ‘know my deed, ’twere best not know myself’ and thus the reader commiserates with Macbeth in his regret. Finally, the reader experiences such compassion as Macbeth admits he has ‘lived long enough’ and cares not about his lack of army, and only wishes to die fighting, a soldier, the way he did begin, and agrees to ‘let them fly all.’ In termination, Macbeth’s fall from grace is a tragedy in the way in entails many such factors, involving elements of catharsis, as well as a sudden reversal in fortune for the protagonist. The circumstances beyond Macbeth’s control also contribute to his collapse, thus his disgrace was premeditated, and the pity exploited amongst the audience for Macbeth allows for a purgation of emotion, leading to the belief that the tragedy’s conflicts were a result of human flaws and perhaps his death was whilst deserved for his actions, perhaps not his beliefs.