Looking at the world today, I can not help but get dismayed at the level of illiteracy in our country. Having come from a poor family, staying in school was one of the challenging things I have ever encountered in my lifetime. Looking back, I can not help but thank God for the grace He has given me to go through school at a difficult period. My heart always goes out to those children whose parents can not afford to pay their school fees and hence end up staying home while their colleagues are in school. If I were given a chance, the only thing that I would gladly change would be to make education affordable to the poor. Looking at our country today, one does not fail to see the connection that exists between the level of poverty, illiteracy and the high rate of crime.
Having come from a poor family, I have gotten a taste of what other poor kids go through and I highly think that they ought to be given a chance to learn. In todays world where jobs are becoming rare due to the economic meltdown, giving children the best education is to me the best gift that we can leave to the next generation. This is why given a chance to change the world; the only thing I would give my full attention is giving the poor a chance to get the best education available. This would ensure that they get a chance to fight for the scanty jobs in the market. With good education they would be able to fight for the scanty jobs and once they are employed this would considerably reduce the level of crime in our country.
The institution of marriage in the modern culture holds a distinct development over the years. However, it could be stated that in modern Western democracies, especially in the United States, marriage is basically assumed to be founded on the cherished concept of romantic love. Furthermore, persons in modern, industrialized nations like the United States strongly believe that the choice of a mate should be left to the individual. It comes as a shock to many people in the United States, then, when they discover that this revered concept of romantic love is almost wholly unknown in most cultures and is considered laughable or self-indulgent in many other societies.
Kadara of Nigeria
In most traditional or developing societies, like the Kadara of Nigeria, marriage is viewed upon as being a pragmatic economic arrangement or a matter of family alliances. Love has little, if anything, to do with it. In these cultures, marriage is negotiated by the parents of the betrothed. The opinions of the children themselves are generally viewed as being irrelevant. If love becomes a feature of these unions at all, it is expected to be a result and not a cause of the marriage. The economic components of these unions are especially pronounced in cultures where an intending groom must pay a brideprice to his prospective father-in-law. (Magnet, 81)
The United States
Although the United States view normal marriage as being a union consisting of one man and one wife, polygamy is still very common in developing societies. To the citizens of the US, polygamy is both grossly abnormal and abhorrently sexist. In many parts of the world, however, polygamy is the preferred marital form. In these societies, a man is allowed to have more than one wife, a ratio that reflects the superior power and privileges of the male partner in the family institution (Robertson, p. 251). Polygamy is intimately tied up with economic functioning and status considerations (Leslie and Korman, p. 26). These notions further illustrate the fact that in traditional societies, marriage is more about economic leveraging than about romantic feelings.
Discussion
People of the United States also believe that married partners should be adults of about the same age, although exceptions do occur from time to time. In this respect, other societies practice vastly different customs. The Kadara of Nigeria, for example, marry infants to one another. The Chuckchee of Siberia encourages adult women to marry males of only two or three years of age. These new wives take care of the boys until they are mature enough to begin assuming their duties as husbands. (Magnet, 103) Given the fact that romantic love is largely ignored in most of the world, one must wonder why this ideal holds such enormous sway in the United States. The reason, insist the sociologists, is that it appears to have the following rudimentary functions in preserving the institution of the nuclear family:
The transfer of loyalties. Romantic love allows the young partners to loosen their bonds with their family of orientation.
Emotional support. Romantic love offers the couple intimate emotional support needed to persevere through difficult periods.
Incentive to marriage. Romantic love promotes marriage, even though the institution is generally ridden with difficulties. (Leslie and Korman, 45)
Despite the United States adoration of romantic love, marriage in these various societies nevertheless abounds with economic, political, and social considerations. As Hilary M. Lips notes in her work, Sex and Gender: an Introduction, the terms of the marriage contract are not negotiated by the two partners. In contrast, they are legal rights and responsibilities mandated by the government (p. 260). Such terms include how property is shared during the marriage and divided upon divorce, sexual exclusivity, monetary support, inheritance, the duties of the offspring, and even the womans right to keep her own name (Lips, p. 260).
Marriage in the United States, in addition, is still laced with patriarchal notions. The idea that women are subordinate to their husbands is even today built into the marriage contract in many jurisdictions (Lips, p. 260). Women in the United States, for example, still do most of the housework, even though a great number of them actually have jobs outside the home (Lips, p. 260). Although the roles of fathers are changing, primary responsibility for the care of children still rests with the mother in US society. This applies to both women with jobs and without jobs. Apparently, gender roles die hard but it is much more open than in developing countries like Nigeria.
Conclusion
In conclusion, sadly in the US society rather than in developing countries, much of humans preoccupations with love, romance, marriage, and sexuality end with bitterness and disappointment whereas in developing countries male dominance destroys the love relation of marriage as in the case of Kadara of Nigeria. However, perhaps it is proper to end this paper on a positive note. While disappointments are inevitable, amorous feelings are among the most supremely pleasurable experiences. Happy relationships provide human beings, both male and female, with hope, exhilaration, intellectual stimulation, exciting, satisfying sex, and vital emotional support. Above all, the human preoccupations with sex and companionship are normal and natural and marriage after all discontents and problems still remains a favorable institution in the modern world.
Works Cited
Leslie, Gerald R. and Korman, Sheila K. The Family in Social Context. London, Oxford: Oxford University Press, 1999.
Lips, Hilary M. Sex & Gender: An Introduction. Mountain View, CA: Mayfield Publishing Company, 2003.
Magnet, Myron. Modern Sex: Liberation and Its Discontents. Wellington: National Book Trust, 2006.
Robertson, Ian. Society: A Brief Introduction. New York: Worth Publishers, Inc., 2007.
Good communication skills are critical for the development and sustenance of healthy interpersonal relations (Anonymous, para6). Consequently, it is vital that all parties in the relationship hones up their communication skills which includes expressiveness in use of the communication dialect/ language, listening skills, responding to critics (as the latter are inherent and cannot be avoided) as well as skills in facilitating mutual sharing all of which must be practically present for a healthy interpersonal relationship to subsist. According to Anonymous (Para 8), good communication skills can either build or break interpersonal skills depending on the mode and the role that it is intended to play. Furthermore, conflicts are part and parcel of interpersonal relationships and ideal communication skills, particularly the responders skills in responding to day to day criticism from the other party in the relationship poses as the most ideal tool for effective conflict resolution (Curran, 336). This paper therefore explores using examples the significance of effective skills in response to criticism play in the effective sustenance of healthy interpersonal relationship as part of effectiveness in interpersonal communication while pinpointing my personal experiences in handling criticism that I am often faced with in day to day interpersonal relations.
Non offensive response to criticism (personal experiences)
In day to day interactions in relationships, an individual, including myself often encounters criticisms from different parties that I interact with. Personally, I have often been faced with such criticism from the varying sources presented by categories of people that I interact with in my day to day life. It is important to note that if not well handled or responded to, criticisms are more likely to culminate into conflicts and which could spoil the good interpersonal relations that existed among the parties prior to the critics claims. Examples of sources of criticism that I have personally been faced with includes, criticism from customers, criticism from my wife and from general friends. In order to effectively respond to the critics, I always assume that the complainant is right and thus seeks to find the extent of the critics truth to defend himself/ herself and avoid hurting the relationship between them.
Criticism from my clients
As a business person, me and the customers enjoy a critical form of interpersonal relations that are significant to both parties but more so to the business since the customer always has alternatives and high bargaining power, particularly if the business is not a monopoly. The relationship is therefore the source of my livelihood. Basically, in the day to day business, the business person, his services or products can often be criticized by a customer, if the latter is in one way or another dissatisfied by one aspect or another about the business. Consequently, I have often been faced with criticism from them both genuine and otherwise. However, I have often handled the critics successfully using non-offensive responses. For instance, in the example presented in the dialogue between the managers and the client (Curran, 337), the client complained to the management for being ignored by the shop attendants and the managers response maintains the good relations between the customer and management. In responding, the manager seeks to understand the sources of customers dissatisfaction, offers an apology and gives assurance for corrective action which is a non offensive response to criticism vital for maintenance of interpersonal relations in which he excels. The illustration is a depiction of skills that I have often applied non-offensively in responding to customers criticisms.
My wife as an often a source of criticisms.
Similarly, criticisms from a marriage partner can only be non-offensively responded to via seeking to understand the causes of dissatisfaction and such understanding as the basis of communication to resolve the conflict/ responding effectively to avoid hurting the relationship. Often my wife has criticized me but success in handling the criticism has often been made efficient by non-offensive response.
Example:
Wife: (raged) Am living this house and never to return (leaves the room and bangs the door behind her).
Me: (following her to the sitting room) cool down my dear and lets talk. Is anything the matter?
Wife: (snapping)
Me: (Holding her Shoulder) Please my love just tell me what the problem is.
Wife: Am leaving this house for you and your mistress. I cannot stand it any longer. Not with our house help of all people
Me: (composing myself) sweethearts are you insinuating that I have cheated on you with Jeanie. I understand you are jealousy but you are mistaken my dear. I thought we love and trust each other very much.
Wife: (softening) I did not mean I dont trust you. But it is your closeness of late that makes me a bit uncomfortable. I am a woman and a jealous woman you know?
Me: (embracing each other) sweetheart you know I would never cheat on you not with any one because I love you very much. Mhhh! Perhaps we are giving her so much responsibilities (joking) even making dinner for your husband (both smiles). By the way dinner is ready and on the table, I prepared it myself
Wife: (hugging) you are such a pet (more embraces). I am sorry and love you very much. (Happily) Hurry up! Lets now go and have our dinner lest it becomes cold (we leave for the dining table happily)
From the experience, my skills in non offensive response to the partners criticisms makes me excel in getting a solution to a conflict that had threatened to hurt our marriage relationship with my loving wife. Although I personally knew that I was not guilty of my wifes accusation, I didnt protest but sought to understand the root cause of her accusation and responded on the understanding of the wifes concern about my close relationship with the house help, perhaps which led her to thinking that I was cheating on her with Jeanie.
Conclusion
Good Communication skills for interpersonal relations building in whatever context is fundamental for the existence of healthy such relations (Anonymous, Para 5). More so such skills particularly in regard to responding to criticisms for conflict resolution are vital in interpersonal relations building and management (Cushman & Cahn, 51). Ideally, effective response to criticism for effective communication for conflict resolution in whatever form must be preceded by seeking more information, asking specific questions, at time speculating about the other partys specific question or causes of dissatisfaction, accepting critics points, interpret the critics ideas, inquire into the critics needs and to a greater extent agree with the critics if need be; all of which are communications skills that I have personally used in responding to real life criticisms and which seemed to work. Then the responder should proceed to either offer an explanation, apologize at the earliest opportunity as situations may necessitate, or present facts to make and politely invalidate the critics claim (Curran, 336, 7, 8, and 9). The tone of response in this case must aim at rebuilding interpersonal relations rather that worsening the situation at hand (Cushman & Cahn, 51). The scenario provided by my wife and I has the implication that no offensive response to criticisms is an ideal tool for conflict resolution, whatever form the latter may take.
Works cited
Anonymous. Work with People: Interpersonal Relationships, Conflict Resolution . About.com. 2008. Web.
Curran, Victoria, dimensions of interpersonal communication: Fall 2009, pg 336-340.
Cushman Donald & Cahn, Dudley Communication in interpersonal relationships 1985, State university of New York, Albany, pg 49-56.
According to my definition, families consist of father, mother and children. The husband must be married to a wife who is not related to him by blood. In the Canadian family, blood relationship is not a factor to determine a family member unlike the American family definition where the head of the family and all family members should be related by blood. In Canada, an adopted child automatically becomes a family member unlike the American family definition where adoption will lead to one being a member of the household but not the family.
To become a member of a family, it depends on how much time you have been with them. The mutual consent over time in the Canadian definition puts divorce or death as the end of the family relationship. This opposes American family definition whereby death or divorce has nothing to do with the family ties as long as children are still alive. In regard to the American style, people who may not be included in the family include friends, adopted people, grandfathers, and workers.
The interesting findings that emerge in Canadian family relations include parents favorably responding to the emerging adults departure from home. In my view, parents have no power to influence the movement of the adults who are already away from home. To this extent, adults are driven by the social force which calls them to respond to the economic and social needs of their lives. For instance many of them move out to look for employment and their sexual partner in preparation for their next family.
In regard to little research being done on siblings relation during adolescence, I agree with this notion that parents assume that their children have no idea of their opposite sex partner. Similarly, the children themselves are sensitive and they hid from their parents or conceal information or even pretend to be innocent. To this extent there is little research on the siblings relationship during adolescence.
While researching this area of adolescence, I will use the age factor to lead me through the process. I will first start with the earliest age noting the behavioral change of the siblings. Secondly I will leave them to mingle freely while I note down their reactions, thirdly I will write about the observed changes and lastly review the just completed stage.
Parenting and attachments are culturally based. This is true in that whatever a man does with his wife, similarly the children will definitely imitate when they grow up because that is the trend. Similarly children are advised to emulate their parents and what they do or become will be determined by what their parents did.
In my opinion it is true that parents and youth operate well under a secure environment. The secure environment ensures transparency and security. By these two, children are free with their parents and hence in case of anything they are sure of parental defense. Parents on the other hand will ensure that their children are comfortable and secure.
Its not true that relationships within the family are mostly positive; in some cases they turn to be conflictual. To my opinion, a relationship that turns out to be conflictual is a relationship that was founded on a shaky foundation, a relationship without values and aims. A well defined relationship that is built on forgiveness is strong enough to absorb any conflict. Though it will be a lie to say that there is no conflict in a relationship but it will also not be true to say that there is no family that has never conflicted. Conflicts are there by the way they are handled will determine the future of the relationship and its stability.
It is true to me that families operate within the historical, cultural and economic realities which in turn influence their actions. For example, rich families in most cases have a rich background unlike the poor families. In this view, the actions of the poor historic background are that they form their own class opposed to the rich families. They also beg from the rich for their daily bread or work manually to achieve their ends. Unlike the rich families, they have or will never dream of bending knees down to the poor one.
Postpartum Psychosis is a typical psychological problem for many women and their families. The birth of an infant is a major life event and transition for parents, and usually influences many others close to the babys mother. By the ties of kinship, the extended families of both parents are often intricately involved in the pregnancy and maybe major sources of support for the pregnant woman. Close interpersonal relationships and social support are derived from their influence on how individuals cope with stress. These terms differentiate between support individuals believe to be available if they should need it and the amount of support that they receive or report to have received.
Postpartum psychosis definition
Some researchers suppose that Postpartum Psychosis is a psychological problem caused by the birth of a child. The other position is that: postpartum psychiatric illnesses are primarily a reflection of physiological changes, particularly endocrine changes, which occur during the first few weeks after childbearing (Hamilton and Harberger 15). Some experts have suggested that heightened levels of estrogen and progesterone in pregnancy make pregnant women more emotionally vulnerable, although the impact of hormones on prenatal mood has not been established empirically. For the most part, prenatal emotion has not been examined as a topic in its own right, but rather it has been described in the coverage of other topics, mainly in studies focusing on the impact of maternal emotion on birth outcomes or postpartum adjustment. In these studies, mean levels of emotion are often not reported, and when reported, are not usually compared to population means, or otherwise given meaningful interpretation (Hamilton and Harberger 2002). These studies may offer an inaccurate view of emotions in pregnant women of today due to important societal changes that are likely to have altered the experience of pregnancy. For example, more pregnant women are in the workforce now than in previous decades, which has affected societal views of pregnancy and the way women view themselves. Although the tendency to treat pregnancy as sickness has receded over the last few decades, pregnancy has been increasingly medicalized. Most women now routinely undergo prenatal tests such as ultrasonography, amniocentesis, chorionic villus sampling, and alpha-fetoprotein testing. There is conflicting evidence about whether such testing and the greater availability of medical interventions, provide reassurance to pregnant women or focuses their attention on the number of things that can go wrong. Because of these changes, research must be fairly current to accurately represent the emotional state of pregnant women today (Beck and Driscoll 2005).
Postpartum psychosis studies
Studies using standardized measures such as the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory have produced extremely similar estimates of prenatal levels of state anxiety, and the levels reported are close to published norms for these instruments for nonpregnant women. Thus, on average, pregnant women in these studies do not appear to experience elevated anxiety (Kleiman, 2008). However, study participants have been mostly socioeconomically advantaged, White, and married or partnered. There is conflicting evidence about whether anxiety is greater in women of lower socioeconomic status or other demographically at-risk groups (Hamilton and Harberger 2002). As with data on anxiety after pregnancy, information about depression is available almost exclusively from investigations conducted for other purposes. These studies, less numerous than those of anxiety, concur that most women do not experience clinical levels of depression after pregnancy. The more recent studies indicate that mean scores on the Beck Depression Inventory, the most common measure used, are below cutoffs for mild depression. pregnant women are not more likely to exhibit clinically notable levels of depression (minor or major) than nonpregnant women, but they do experience more depressive symptomatology, especially in late pregnancy. Thus, according to these results, pregnant women are likely to experience some emotional distress during the last trimester, but not at levels considered harmful or requiring clinical intervention (Mason et al 2005).
The study of stress processes in pregnancy involves a wide continuum of possible variables and outcomes for study. These can be broadly classified by the time of their occurrence into prenatal, labor and delivery, and postpartum periods. This developmental continuum can be extended to include postpartum conditions such as infertility and, at the other end of the continuum, parenting and child development. outcomes. Factors of interest after pregnancy can be further classified into maternal factors versus fetal and neonatal factors (Hamilton and Harberger 2002). Maternal prenatal variables include prenatal effect and well-being and maternal complications such as gestational diabetes and pregnancy-induced hypertension. Maternal labor and delivery outcomes include variables such as length of labor, mode of delivery, use of analgesia and anesthesia, and dysfunctions of labor. Maternal postpartum variables include postpartum depression, postpartum medical complications such as maternal hemorrhaging, and parenting variables such as difficulty in breastfeeding or caring for the infant. Fetal variables include growth and development parameters and fetal neurobehavioral maturation. Infant outcomes (at and after birth) include birth complications and infant health and behavior. Another important infant outcome is birth weight, which is described further later (Mason et al 2005).
Life events and state anxiety are the constructs most often assessed, but measures of depression and generalized distress also appear in the literature. In addition to these, quite a few studies have focused on occupational stress and physical strain or exertion. This work is relevant but not as well developed as research on life stress. Nonetheless, distinguishing physical exertion from psychological stress is very important to understanding mechanisms. Adverse outcomes may result in corn physical strain in strenuous daily activities or from perceiving that the demands of life stressors exceed peoples coping capacity. It is unlikely that physical strain and appraised stress have the same effects on physiology and outcomes of pregnancy (Kleiman, 2008).
Postpartum psychosis impact
Postpartum psychosis has a great impact on the family and a child. Multiple measures of stress (including life events, state anxiety, and perceived stress) were included in each assessment. Structural equation modeling methods were used to combine stress variables into a latent factor, providing the advantages of minimizing the effects of measurement error and using a common core of shared variance among stress measures as the predictor of outcomes (Stone and Menken 2008). The best latent factor to represent stress was composed of state anxiety, perceived stress, and ratings of perceived distress from life events. The total number of life events (or exposure alone) did not correlate with the latent factor or with outcomes. However, the latent stress factor predicted both birth weight and gestational age at delivery after controlling for medical risk factors including smoking (Mason et al 2005).
In addition, this study distinguished psychosocial resources (i.e., self-esteem, mastery, and dispositional optimism) from stress variables by assessing the former with standard scales and combining the scores into a latent factor. Labeled personal resources, this factor significantly predicted birth weight. Thus, stress was associated with length of gestation and not with intrauterine growth, whereas personal resources (mastery, self-esteem, optimism) were associated with birth weight and not length of gestation (Kleiman, 2008). Prior studies reporting significant associations between stress and birth weight or intrauterine growth have not controlled for personality factors or personal resources such as these, nor have they addressed the issue of confounding of different psychosocial constructs in multivariate analyses. Possible mechanisms explaining these effects are discussed, but briefly, it seems likely that different mechanisms are involved. Neuroendocrine and immune pathways are implicated in the stress-preterm findings in the literature, whereas behavioral pathways appear to be more promising in linking personality (or personal resources) and birth weight. As noted earlier, pinpointing the mechanisms responsible for links between psychosocial factors and birth outcomes is critical (Kleiman, 2008).
Family members suffer from psychological tension from the mothers side. In some cases overdependence occurs. It is an orientation based on a belief that others may not be available when needed (Kleiman, 2008). The overdependent individual seeks out and relies on more supports than are necessary or appropriate for the situation. Overdependence frequently leads to an individual relinquishing responsibility for personal well-being. Individuals who use an overdependent orientation may drain their social support relationships by their clingy nature and their failure to reciprocate. It should also be noted that if the client is acutely psychotic or is experiencing a life-threatening emergency, more radical intervention may be needed before the individual can work on in-depth understanding. In such cases, the creative aspects of the individual are relevant but tangential. The focus must first be on containing the immediate crisis (i.e., addressing suicidality, substance abuse, or psychosis as a primary treatment goal). Focus can then shift to work-related issues if they are relevant. However, even in treating a severely impaired creative client, the therapist must be sensitive to the nuances of the creative work process (Kleiman, 2008).
However, the fact that women on average do not experience high levels of emotional distress suggests that intervening factors moderate the influences of prenatal stress on womens emotional state. These factors may account for individual differences among pregnant women in levels of prenatal anxiety and depression. Coping, or the way that women manage problems during pregnancy, is one likely factor. Social. support is another commonly studied resource that may facilitate successful adaptation. Existing research on coping and social support in pregnancy is described next. It must be noted, however, that research on coping in pregnancy is in its infancy, whereas there is a considerable body of work on social support in pregnancy. A large number of studies substantiate that people who cope successfully with stressful situations are least likely to experience negative moods; conversely, maladaptive coping exacerbates or increases negative moods. The predominant view of coping is that it includes anything people do to manage problems or emotional responses, whether or not successful. Biopsychosocial approaches to the study of pregnancy and birth are accepted across disciplines, and interdisciplinary research collaboration is essential. Health psychology is in a unique position to contribute to this endeavor in the next millennium (Kleiman, 2008).
Prevention and treatment
The preventive intervention and treatment components of the preventive stress management model center on the public health and preventive medicine stages of primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention. Primary prevention aims to change the environment and manage organizational demands and stressors. Secondary prevention aims to change the employees and alter their responses to necessary and inevitable demands in the work environment. Tertiary prevention aims to heal individuals and/or organizations in distress. In addition to the stages of prevention as a basis for translation, public health and preventive medicine also offer the notions of surveillance, monitoring, and screening for use in an organizational stress context. Role stress and the identification of stress-related outcomes were dominant themes. The contemporary literature has continued somewhat in these traditions there are emerging themes that have evolved and flourished. Three of these themes are the changing nature of family relations, individual differences in the stress experience, and the role of family support. In Postpartum Psychosis, self-reliance is an orientation characterized by reciprocity and flexibility in relationships, and a pattern of interdependence. It is based on the belief that others will be available in stressful and anxious times of need (Hamilton and Harberger 2002).
Conclusion
In sum, inside the family, higher levels of support were associated with decreased incidence of these behaviors. Among personality and individual difference variables, higher levels of self-esteem, locus of control, and an intended pregnancy were associated with decreased incidence, and higher levels of hostility and defensive coping style were associated with increased incidence of these behaviors, respectively. In addition to these correlational findings, emerging evidence suggests psychosocial factors such as stress, depression, and partner support may play an important role in the success of prenatal intervention programs to reduce the incidence of these behavioral practices. Not only is stress ubiquitous in the course of living, but pregnancy entails several changes that women may find stressful, as described earlier.
References
Beck, Ch, T., Driscoll, J. W. (2005). Postpartum Mood And Anxiety Disorders: A Guide. Jones & Bartlett Publishers; 1 edition.
Hamilton, J. A., Harberger, P. N. (2002). Postpartum Psychiatric Illness: A Picture Puzzle. University of Pennsylvania Press.
Mason, Wendy A. Rice, Michael J. and Kathie Records. (2005). The lived experience of postpartum depression in a psychiatric population.: Perspectives in Psychiatric Care 41 (2), 52 (10).
Kleiman, K. (2008). Therapy and the Postpartum Woman: Notes on Healing Postpartum Depression for Clinicians and the Women Who Seek Their Help. Routledge; 1 edition.
Stone Susan Dowd and Alexis E. Menken. (2008). Perinatal and Postpartum Mood Disorders: Perspectives and Treatment Guide for the Health Care Practitioner. Springer Pub Co; 1 edition.
Adoption means becoming legal parents to a child from born in another family. Children from one family are taken in by another family. They become members of that family through the process of adoption. The adopted child acquires the same rights as a natural child such as inheritance. When parents adopt a child, they permanently get the rights and responsibilities of that child. Therefore, in adoption there is permanent change of status for the children, natural parents and the adopting parents. The process of adoption is complex and is governed by regulations. This paper will endeavor to look into the issue of whether adoption should become available as a for-profit service. In addition, the paper will look at the pro and cons of making adoption available as a for-profit service.
Adoption process
In the contemporary practice in adoption, there are two forms open adoption and closed adoption. In the open adoption, identifying information is allowed between the biological and adoptive parents. There can be interaction between the adoptee and their kin. Sometimes the adoptee can be allowed to access his or her unaltered birth certificate. On the other hand, in closed adoption all identifying information is sealed. The information is kept as secret but non-identifying information such as medical history, ethnicity and religion may be disclosed (Types of Adoption, para. 1).
In both forms of adoption, the process may occur through various mechanisms- private domestic adoptions, foster care adoption, embryo adoption and common law adoption. The adoption process may be handled by the government or private agencies. In both case money is involved though in some cases the adoptive parents do not pay.
Profit-making adoption agencies
Profit-making adoption agencies have led to more harm than good. They should not be allowed to become a profit-making service. This is because some of the profits- making adoption agencies are full of corruption for example children are said to be orphans yet they have been stolen. A lot of coercion, exploitation and fraud going on in some of these agencies. Unsuspecting biological parents are made to believe that their children will be better of in their new families (Ramaswany, 2004, para. 3). The desperate parents and young mothers give up their children because they wish for them to have a better life. The adopted children are sometimes sold to people who exploit them sexually. Sometimes the children end up working in sweatshops hence they do not get a good life as their parents had been promised.
The agencies have turned children into stock or products. The children are sold to buyers who are willing to pay the highest price. This trend is immoral because a human being cannot be equated with a product in the market. Furthermore, these agencies purport to provide homes for the children but in reality, they provide children to willing adoptive buyers who go for only high quality products . This means that some children stay in the adoption agencies and fail to be adopted because they may not be healthy (Ramaswany, 2004)
On the other hand, some parents sell their children or put them up for adoption because of the money they will get from the adoption agencies. These parents put their interests before those of their children. Some parents justify these acts by saying poverty pushed them into considering adoption (Riben, 2007, p. 67-75).
Disadvantages of for profit agencies
The agencies will go to any length to get children to sell. This leads to kidnapping of children. In countries such as Guatemala and Korea, cases of kidnapped children have been reported. The children are taken from their parents and taken to adoption agencies where they are adopted in other countries. This leaves the birth parents with a lot of anguish over the loss of their children. In addition, some of the profit-making agencies sell children in the guise of adoption in what is called child trafficking. Human trafficking is a serious violation of human rights. Thus, such agencies should be locked up altogether and adoption left with the government only. This is because they perpetuate human trafficking in the name of adoption (Salls, 2006, para. 1).
Advantages of for profit adoption agencies
Conversely, some profit-making adoption agencies have helped some parents get children and given homes to children. The agencies have the capacity to reach birth parents and arrange for adoption with the adoptive parents. This makes it possible for adoptive parents to get children they badly want because some are unable to give birth naturally while others choose to adopt for its sake.
The adoption agencies take care of the children while they are under their care because they need to get buyers for the children. Thus, most of the children in agencies are taken care. On the contrary, in some public agencies, there is congestion and the children are not provided with basic requirements. Counseling services during adoption may also not be provided (Irving, 2008, p. 319).
The adoption agencies provide counseling services to the birth mother and adoptive parents on what to expect during the process. As earlier mentioned the adoption process is complex and it requires to be handled professionally. The adoption agencies provide the professional services because they are conversant with the adoption procedure and the legal paperwork involved. They provide a great deal of support in the adoption process (Irving, 317).
Conclusion
Adoption is noble if it is done in the interests of children. They are given a chance to be loved by their new parents especially if they were orphans. The adoptive parents also get a chance to be parents and they are able to fulfill a longing desire for parenting. The adoption agencies play an important role in making the adoption process possible. However, making adoption available as for profit service should not be done because by licensing adoption agencies as profit-making firms will lead to higher numbers of kidnapped children. Unscrupulous agencies will rise and swindle people of their hard-earned money even though some adoption agencies are swindling adoptive parents. In addition, if agencies are allowed to be profit-making they will compete for children read products. In this case, the children will suffer because they will be torn away from their parents just because they are a product in a multi-dollar market. De-commercialization of the adoption will solve many problems that bedevil the process.
Reference
Irving, S. (2008). Nolos encyclopedia of everyday law: answers to your most frequently asked legal questions nolos encyclopedia of everyday law. 7th ed.California: Nolo.
Ramaswany, G. (2004). Four myths about inter-country adoption. Web.
Riben, M. (2007). The stock market Americas multi-billion dollar unregulated adoption industry. New Jersey: Advocate Publications ISBN 1-4276-0895-4.
Salls, M. (2006). The Hidden Market for Babies. Web.
A persona is something an individual uses to talk through that is the thing in which others see of you. It is like a disguise that conceals who the individual really is from others. Clothes in certain situations characterize one persona depending on how you view yourself and how you think society views you. When one has tattered clothes it may symbolize nervousness about your attractiveness. One needs to let go of some ordinary ways of thinking. When one changes the way they dress it may mean that they have changed lifestyle.
I can change the way I dress because I want to boost my self-confidence by dressing well. This allows me to walk without fearing that people can see that I have no self-confidence. In this way, I can appear as a strong woman in the eyes of society. This is important for me to feel good about myself in all possible ways. When I am going out on any errands I take time to dress regardless of the place I am going. In this way, I always look sharp in the eyes of society though that is not what I feel inside. This is important for me to be able to associate with people feeling I have a sense of value and that they believe I am worth something.
The magazines portray girls with thin bodies that represent ideal beauty. Many young girls believe in being thin just like the models in the magazines. Young girls aspire to have the perfect body at a very young age with research showing as early as 5 years old. The magazines focus on appearance with young girls looking so happy in the standards of modern beauty. The message being put across is that girls have to be attractive to men and that it is alright to engage in sex. Young girls grow thinking sex is fun and one does not need to be in a relationship or married. The magazines give information on how girls will be able to lose weight. They state that the girls will have the power to reduce to a thin model body within days.
The advertisements are constantly advocating for women to value the clothing they wear, their bodies, and their beauty. Girls of almost all ages have the conception that they need to be perfectly beautiful and most of all they must be skinny. Cosmetics are essential for any modern girl as portrayed in the magazines. Young girls go to all lengths to use all sorts of makeup to make them look beautiful. Others are forced to use dangerous chemicals to lighten their skin which poses health issues. Girls are encouraged to keep up with fashion with various tips on how to keep up with the trends of fashion. The magazines expect these girls to accept what is given to them at face value without thinking about it.
Girls are provided with the role model of the young beautiful model as the standard of modern beauty. They expose more body parts than they cover with fancy clothes that are fashionable. Pictures and images of women portray unrealistic beauty making the other girls feel unattractive. The magazines put pressure on girls to be sexually active with very great body shapes. Provocative images of women who are halfway dressed feature in the magazines advertising various issues. Girls are portrayed as sexual objects when their bodies are used to advertise various products in the market. The girls are presented with romantic relationships that look so real leading them to have illusions of a perfect partner. Girls have to keep high standards within society in order to become popular with their peers. Many young girls are forced to socialize with others who are in the same class as them so that they will not be classified in the low class. (Rukeyser)
The media is very open when relaying the information relating to various issues affecting young girls in society. Various websites, television stations, the radio, magazines, newspapers, and advertisements have on daily basic large information relating to young people. Pictures and videos are so rampant that contain compromising information to the young generation. The internet is so large with tones of information that can be accessed very easily by anyone at any particular time. They have not put any limitations on those who can access the websites and other media services but are rather open to everyone. There are also factual articles available where people who need genuine information may be able to access.
These magazines are written by ordinary employees of a company and hired to produce that information. Journalists and magazine editors are always ready with information when they find it to write it at its convenience. They have to make sure their information gets published and released as soon as possible in order to ensure they sell more. Competition is very stiff in these companies and one has to work hard to get the information ready on time.
The African American culture and way of life is very different from what I have experienced. Many people especially the western have not been able to accept this group of people due to their skin colour. Racism is very rampant even in our contemporary society and this to me should not be allowed. People should be treated equally within a society in order to allow for common good of everyone. They may speak a different accent from a typical white person but their emotions and rights are just like any other human being. When you interact with African American one is able to learn a lot from their social setting and way of life.
A Comparison of the Level of Violence against the Women by Their Male Partners in the Common Law Unions and the Marital Unions
Cohabitation has been shown to be on the rise in many countries around the world. Issues such as unemployment, youth, and past unions, low levels of education, and violence by previous partners have been found to be the possible predisposing factors to cohabitation. One of the major outcomes of the increasing pervasiveness of cohabitation is the increasing number of cases of violence in such relationships. In the study, it was shown that between the years 1991- 2000 (Brownridge,2008), the number of intimate femicide cases in cohabitation or common-law unions was about six times that in marriages, in the United States it was about nine times in the common law relationships as in the marriages (Brownridge,2008).
The study employed data collected from Canadas Violence against Women Survey (VAWS). Some data was borrowed too from the survey done by the General Social Survey (GSS) (Brownridge, 2008). One would expect an increase in the number of violence incidences in the common law relationships due to the high rate at which such unions are being established in several communities. Amazingly, the cases of violence in such unions have been shown to decline in comparison to marital unions.
VAWS in 1993 sampled about 12,300 women and carried out an extensive telephone interview on their experiences of violence since they attained the age of sixteen (Brownridge, 2008).GSS also carried similar telephone interviews of both the men and the women on the nature of the violence they had experienced from their partners since attaining the age of fifteen (Brownridge,2008). Interviewed 25,876 men and women in 1999 but in 2004 it interviewed again a total number of 23,766 men and women (Brownridge, 2008).
The inertia hypothesis posits that cohabitation increases the chances of the partners finally marrying one another. This is because cohabitation tends to increase the constraints in the relationship thereby preventing the partners from ending the relationship The factors that have been associated with cohabitation are either internal for instance, the partners need to be close to one another or external when the reason for cohabitation is a constraint in the relationship such as the presence of a child.
Commitment theory tries to prove this hypothesis right; the theory states that commitment can either be as a result of the need to dedicate oneself to the other or it can be as a result of a constraint in the relationship that results in the partners being forced to stay with one another (Stanley, Kline and Markman, 2005). The level of dedication is never the same and research has shown that women tend to be dedicated more to their partners even after marriage than their male counterparts. Cohabitation allows so many risky unions to be formed especially when the reason for cohabitation is as a result of external issues. For the inertia hypothesis to be true, timing is very important. It is also important that the partners get into a relationship driven instead of being driven by an event that has affected their relationship.
The inertia hypothesis explains that most cohabiters get into the union without realizing, sliding; however, it proposes that the union is likely to be successful if the partners consciously decide to stay together; (Stanley, Kline and Markman, 2005). Cohabitation may either be pre-marital if the partners plan to marry each other after cohabiting for some time, or it may be nonmarital if the partners have no plans of marrying each other any time soon (Stanley, Kline and Markman, 2005). Even though cohabitation before marriage has become a normative experience to the partners, it has been shown to result in poor communication between the partners, high risks of divorce, low relationship satisfaction, and high instances of violence.
Most youths believe that cohabitation lowers the risks of the relationships experiencing problems (Stanley, Kline, and Markman, 2005), with the feeling that cohabitation offers them a platform to understand each other. This belief could be associated with the inertia hypothesis that proposes that cohabitation increases the chances of couples getting married since the constraints of staying together make it difficult for the partners to end the union, research has also shown that those who are less religious and the children brought up in divorced families are more likely to cohabit (Stanley, Kline, and Markman, 2005).
The article has been able to address the issues of cohabitation, its pros and cons, and the possible causes. The article also endeavors to address the issue of violence against women. However, the article has not clearly explained the relationship between cohabitation and violence gave that the disagreements between couples normally go beyond a meager influence of cohabiting. At times, the differences are a result of personality differences or even differences in culture or religion. The article though has highlighted a very crucial issue that has gone unnoticed in various communities; impacts of cohabitation on marriage and child upbringing
Violence is a vice that interferes with most relationships and marriages. The causes of violence in marriages and cohabiting unions are many, though it is notable that most of the differences that result in violence arise from the rush into binding unions before assessing the level of compatibility among the partners. It may be important that partners consider personal assessment before engaging in a binding union. It may also be important that the preference for cohabitation to marriage is changed. This is because cohabitation derails the level of dedication in the marriages and also impacts negatively the childrens upbringing (Stanley, Kline, and Markman, 2005).
References
Brownridge, D. (2008). The elevated risk for violence against cohabiting women: a comparison of three nationally representative surveys of Canada. Violence against women. Los Angeles: Sage Publishers.
Stanley, S. Kline, G. and Markman, H. (2005). The Inertia Hypothesis: Sliding vs. Deciding in the Development of Risk for Couples in Marriage. University of Denver.
The sexuality of the adolescent is tied up inextricably with the events of puberty. This is because the body of the adolescent develops its adult shape and reproductive functioning and the hormonal changes which affect sex drives in complex ways. Although biological processes do not tell us everything about how and why we behave sexually, understanding these processes is necessary for explaining sexual development. This paper studies; the interaction between hormones and behavior, the interaction between hormones and behavior affects the development of adult sexuality, evaluation of development psychology processes on sexual differentiation, and determination of key biological changes in sexual behavior.
A Review of Related Literature
Explain the Interaction between Hormones and Behavior
Classically, hormones are viewed as causal agents of the behavior of the kind of one-hormone one-behavior interaction. This school of thought has been aided mainly by research studies on castration and therapy for hormone replacement that indicated that behavior was abolished by castration and restored by exogenous administration of androgens (Nelson, 2005). Probabilistic theory to the effects of hormones on behavior is viewed as facilitators of behavior rather than as determinant factors (Rutter, 1987). Hormones can increase or reduce the probability of expression of a given behavior by acting as neuron-modulators on the neural pathways underlying that behavioral pattern (Golombok & Fivush, 1994). There is also the realization that the social environment feeds back to influence the levels of hormones. This is viewed as an adaptive mechanism through which individuals may adjust their motivation according to the social context they are facing. This reflects a two-way type of interaction between hormones and behavior. Incidentally, hormones such as androgen are seen as playing a vital role as endocrine mediators of the effects of social context on the expression of social behavior (Golombok & Fivush, 1994).
Evaluate Biological Processes on Sexual differentiation
There are several biological processes involved in sexual differentiation. Sexual orientation is the process by which males and females develop their sexual anatomy. According to Rutter (1987), this process starts in the womb during the embryonic stage of prenatal development. At conception, a female egg having 23 chromosomes unites with male sperm, also having 23 chromosomes, to form a single cell with 23 chromosome cell pairs. One of the sex chromosome pairs has the capacity to determine the genetic sex of the child. The sex chromosome provided by the egg is always an X chromosome; the male sperm can donate either an X or Y chromosome. If the male sperm contributes an X chromosome, the child will be a genetic female with a XX sex chromosome pair. A Y chromosome from the sperm will result in a genetic male with an XY pattern (Golombok & Fivush, 1994).
The single-cell formed at conception immediately begins to divide to produce an embryo. For the first few weeks, XX and XY embryos appear to be identical, each developing neutral sex glands. Sexual differentiation begins at about 6 weeks. At this point, the messages encoded in the XY chromosome pair cause the sex glands of genetically male embryos to develop as testis. According to Golombok & Fivush (1994), the direct influence of sex chromosomes on sexual differentiation appears to end at this stage .
Explain the Interaction between Hormones and Behavior
Nelson (2005) explained that the key biological changes in sexual development involve; an individuals body alteration at puberty which includes the growth accompanied by changes in strength and body proportions, development of primary sex features, and of the secondary sex features. The adolescence period is a period of rapid biological, psychological and sexual maturation. The marked biological changes during this period include an increase in weight, musculature, and the development of adult sexual characteristics. During this stage of development, both sexes experience increased excretion of androgens. This hormone is more profound in boys than in girls; girls experience a large increase in estrogen. These fluctuations of hormones have a psychological effect on an individuals sexual desires (Rutter, 1987).
Some aspects of puberty, for instance, the onset of biological changes begin at younger ages. During this stage of development, children grow in stature and begin to develop the physical characteristics of adults early; produce hormones that control sexual development to increase reproductive maturity at younger ages. Generally, biological changes are thought to be complete with the attainment of puberty. However, the adolescence stage experiences continued development throughout in the form of maturing body shape and growth and growth in body size.
Conclusion
In sum, the study of people with unusual prenatal history has assisted people to understand the role of biology in sexual development. Although sexual behavior is socially influenced, prenatal sex hormones set the foundations for later sex-role behavior and possibly sexual orientation. Prenatal hormones do not determine sexual development. Instead, their effect is augmented or diminished according to the social environment in which the child grows (Nelson, 2005).
References
Golombok, S., & Fivush, R. (1994). Gender Development. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Nelson, R. (2005). An Introduction To Behavioral Endocrinology. Sunderland, MA: Sinauer Associates.
Rutter, M. (1987). Developmental Psychiatry. New York: American Psychiatry Pub..
It is the 17th century and I have no option at this point in my life but to seek a new life in a new world by traveling to America. There are actually several options for me in that direction and I must carefully choose which one I should follow. I have heard much about the colonies there, so I would like to find a place that would provide me with the best opportunity for improving my station in life. Having weighed all possible variants, I realize that there are only three choices the Puritan colonies of the north, the Chesapeake colonies in the central region, which has its own sub-colony of Catholics in Maryland, and the Caribbean colonies on the West Indian islands.
Main Text
A large part of my difficulties in attempting to settle in the northern regions, either with the Puritans or with the Catholics is my own less-than-perfect religious observation. It is impossible to find a place where religion is not an important part of life. Unfortunately, very often, the church imposes almost despotic rules on people, and I do not intend to follow all of them. It is without question that I could never live with the Catholics. We have been battling them at home and I just do not see how I could coexist with my neighbors if they were papists.
The West Indies is, by contrast, perhaps too far from religion for me. I know that there are plenty of opportunities to gain great wealth and power within the island colonies through the production of sugar cane. Yet, there are two obstacles, preventing me from going there. First, my family and I will hardly be able to raise enough capital to purchase land and labor force. Additionally, it is necessary to buy slaves rather than indentured servants, because no one wants to work under such severe conditions. Should anything go wrong, I could very easily find myself at the wrong end of the whip. This is my second reason for avoiding this area. In good conscience, I cannot put other men to work at something I myself could not consider.
This leaves only the Chesapeake region for me to try. This area is open for newcomers for very little money and does not necessarily require me to purchase slaves in order to make a living. For the price of passage, I can gain enough land to construct a shelter and begin a farm of my own without needing to consider the distasteful possibility of ending up under someone elses control. Furthermore, if I cannot persuade my family to contribute to my price of passage, I may take the indentured servant route to America. I may offer my services to a wealthier man in America for the next seven years and then become a free man. This is not a perfect solution, as either a poor farmer or an indentured servant means a great deal of struggle and hard work, but I am still young and up to the challenge.
Conclusion
Thus, if I wish to remain true to my own personal and religious beliefs, the Chesapeake colony seems to be the best possible option in my position. All of these colonies require a great deal of hard work, sacrifice and often a great deal of personal danger, but the risks are worth the reward, especially considering the limited options some of us have here in England. Chesapeake is the only place, where I can eventually become my own man.