Dialectic Behavior Therapy Paper Essay

This paper will review the article: â€Å"Mechanisms of change in dialectical behavior therapy: Theoretical and empirical observations.† This paper will summarize the theoretical and empirical observations that indicate why DBT is successful in treating clients with borderline personality disorder. This paper will discuss the specific aspects of how dialectical behavior therapy is used. Dialectical behavior therapy is the recommended treatment for clients diagnosed with borderline personality disorder based on several evidence based successful studies. These studies found that dialectical behavior therapy has reduced client depression and harmful behavior by combining acceptance and change techniques. There therapist looks to transform a clients behavior by supplying the client with a hypothesis for their problem. Clients with dialectical behavior therapy in a sense learned poor coping techniques in response to not knowing how to regulate their emotions. It is a goal of dialectical behavior therapy to reduce the client’s emotional dysregulation by helping the client learn how to control their emotions and changing their behaviors (Lynch & Chapman, 2006). The philosophy behind dialectical behavior therapy is that you must look at the whole client system to figure out the client’s reality because each part of the client’s system is interrelated. Each aspect of a client’s life can affect their emotions and behaviors. Dialectical behavior therapy is based on a biosocial theory that looks at the client’s childhood environment that could have led them to be emotional susceptible as a child causing emotional dysregulation as an adult. A client’s inner personality as a child of being emotionally sensitive was refuted by adults in their life through punishing the child in forms of abusive behaviors. Growing up these clients’ are in a feedback loop cause there emotional dysregulation to continue (Lynch & Chapman, 2006). It is important for the therapist to create an environment where the client’s feelings are validated. Therapists help clients be mindful of their current emotions without trying to change it. Clients learn to be mindful of their beliefs, their logic and what emotions are real to them in that present moment. During treatment the therapist helps the client learn to communicate what is truly experienced by the client and for the client to be conscious aware of wh at to do. The client learns that they have control over how they process the situation. The client then applies rational thoughts and emotional regulation to the situation to achieve a sense of harmony. The client then learns not to resort to previous feedback loops. The client is encouraged to experience and accept their emotion fully without any attempts to regulate it. Clients therefore learn to stop the pattern of trying to control their affect (Lynch & Chapman, 2006). Being mindful can stop feedback loops and change how a client responds to an emotional situation. Therapists help clients identify and challenge their belief systems that focuses on a rule where people must behave a certain way when faced with certain event. Clients are taught in dialectic behavioral therapy to focus their attention on what is happening instead of how the situation makes them feel. It is important for therapist to validate clients’ feelings and efforts towards change. Validation allows client to increase their self-confidence in their ability to self-regulate. This unconditional positive regard by the therapist helps clients learn how their history has affected their current behavior through emotional dysregulation and why dysfunctional behavior patterns are preventing them from having healthy relationships. The therapist then trains the client in healthy relationship skills and reinforces the clients’ use of the new skills (Lynch & Chapman, 2006). This paper reviewed the article: â€Å"Mechanisms of change in dialectical behavior therapy: Theoretical and empirical observations.† This paper summarized the theoretical and empirical observations that indicate why DBT is successful in treating clients with borderline personality disorder. This paper discussed the specific aspects of how dialectical behavior therapy is used. References Lynch, T., Chapman, A. et al (2006). Mechanisms of change in dialectical behavior therapy: Theoretical and empirical observations. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 62(4), 459-480. http://library.gcu.edu:2048/login?url=http://search.ebscohost.com/login.aspx?direct=true&db=aph&AN=19901233&loginpage=Login.asp&site=ehost-live&scope=site

How do the poems reflect the experiences of going to War and at War? Essay

The experiences of World War One are reflected in a variety of different ways. Poems are a very good source of seeing how the different attitudes from the War, are expressed. In this essay I will analyse the mood and tone, mood, language and attitudes of the writers in â€Å"Dead Man’s Dump† and â€Å"Exposure†. The mood and tone in Dead Man’s Dump (DMD) is defined from the very first stanza. It is very descriptive and describes the actual movement of the horses that pull the gun carriages over a ruined and battle wounded road (â€Å"Plunging limbers over the shattered track†). This creates a very negative image in the readers mind and sets an attitude against the War. There is also a very strong, prominent religious tone in the poem which is also seen in the first stanza when the barbed wire is described as â€Å"Crowns of thorns† which links towards the death of Christ. This could imply that the soldiers, like Christ, are sacrificing their lives for God and their people. This could be seen as a Pro-War meaning. On the other hand it could mean that the Soldiers are also doomed to die like Christ was doomed to be crucified. The Language used in DMD is very archaic, such as â€Å"Man Born of Man, and born of woman†, which reflects more of the religious undertone in the whole of the poem and expresses that since the age of Christ, people have died for Christ and Kingdom. Moreover the language is very emotive and strong, like in stanza three â€Å"Now she has them at last†, where Earth is personified and is repossessing the men after she had made them, watched them live and now is waiting for the soldiers to die and return to her soil and be part of the earth again. The attitude of the writer, Isaac Rosenberg, is shown throughout the poem but is most prominent in the last stanza when he is describing one soldier dying. â€Å"So we crashed round the bend, / We heard his weak scream, / We heard his very last sound, / And our wheels grazed his dead face.† This is a very personal ending as Rosenberg uses collective viewpoint and therefore includes himself into the poem, and it shows it from his personal experience. The last four lines of this poem seem very sudden and it seems as if it is happening in the present with the reader. The impact of the experience of seeing the newly dead body not only affects the reader but also must have affected the writer, which he shows us through his writing. Exposure has lots of different meanings. Even though it is only one word it makes us wonder what he meant, who is exposed and to what? It could be the men are exposed to the elements, which could be what the whole poem is about. It could be the men being exposed to death, so, like a flower, in winter which slowly freezes, until, eventually it shrivels up and dies, or it could be the men being exposed to the enemy but which is very unlikely as the enemy is not directly mentioned in the poem at all. In Exposure the mood is dreary and cold and sad. Words that prove this are â€Å"Knive†, â€Å"Mad† and Shaking Grasp†. It shows that this poem was an anti war poem as it is graphic and truthful. Owen probably wanted to shock people because the description is very vivid. Also a lot about the elements is mentioned which shows that the real enemy was not the Germans (who are not mentioned at all in the poem) but the wind, snow, rain and hail, which could also be why he used this as one of his main themes. Also Misery was a theme which he showed by using â€Å"Wearied† and â€Å"Nervous† which shows just how scared these men in the trenches were of everything. Exposure does not really have a rhythm because it is very messy and the dactylic diameter is very weak. I think it is to show the confusion and tiredness on the soldiers in the trenches, but it could also represent their slurred speech and their sluggish thoughts. It could also represent the mess and destruction, so we can picture it clearly. A very long layout of the stanzas is used in Exposure. The sentences are long and slow, which starts to bear down on the reader – to create a sense of empathy with the soldiers’ situation. Each stanza is cut short through the use of caesuras, which makes you more aware of the poem, sharply drawing your focus; Owen could be trying to represent how the soldiers jolt in and out of consciousness when they are on guard or waiting to fight and how they then are alerted by something like a flurry of bullets. It is very vivid and unpleasant, which Owen does purposely to mimic the soldiers’ experience. The ellipsis help to show this too, â€Å"the poignant misery of dawn begins to grow†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Exposure demands a less deep understanding of it because the meaning is less hidden. The misery is very direct and powerful. This shows that Owen wanted the reader to empathise with the soldiers. An example of this is shown in stanza two: Like twitching agonies of men among its brambles It is a use of imagery and personification. It also links the barbed wire to nature, which is used a lot in the poem to show the harshness and merciless wrath of it. It could also be from a religious point of view, as it could mean that god is shunning them for causing a war on earth. This could lead to the meaning that the men were on the verge of gaining or losing faith in god and that they are questioning his existence. Collective pronouns like â€Å"we† and â€Å"our† are used to show that the men are united and stand together against the enemy. But it could also mean that they are one writhing mass of pained soldiers that have changed so much that they are unidentifiable, that they have forgotten names and just use collective pronouns. Exposure is altogether a very serious and deep poem, as it encourages you to think about it a lot during the process of reading it. The reader empathises during it and also at the end gets to feel a fraction of what the soldiers did in the trenches, so they are left with a sense of misery and distraught. It helps to learn about the soldiers by reading this, as it is very vivid and uses imagery and personification. Both â€Å"Dead Man’s Dump† and â€Å"Exposure† reflect very negative aspects of the war, but from very different perspectives. Whereas â€Å"exposure concentrates on nature as an enemy, â€Å"DMD† concentrates on Death and Loss and is very personal, and they both help us to view the war in different more realistic ways.

Support or Oppose Hobby Lobby decision Case Study

Support or Oppose Hobby Lobby decision - Case Study Example 3 par. A; Arndt, 2014). Hence the amicus to the court rightly observed that for profit corporations have obligations, power and privileges different from the natural individuals who created it2 3(Amicus, pg. par. A). Brougher thus observed that it is only individuals who could be deemed to have any basis for protection of religious rights4 (2014, pg. pg. 7). Besides, given than corporations are separate from individuals making them, they cannot be regarded as having conscience and feelings necessary for one to form a religious basis such as a belief in a deity5 (Ginsburg, pg. 14, par. 1). An artificial person cannot therefore claim rights attributable to natural persons (Ginsburg, pg. 14, par. 1)6. However, Justice Alito, who ruled in favour of Hobby Lobby, did not see this separation7. He argues that shareholders, employees and other officers of a corporation should not lose their religious rights or other such personal rights on account of their membership to a corporation because in any case, a corporation is no more less than an organization by which these individuals use to achieve their desired goals (Alito, pg. 18 par III, Tushnet, 2013, pg.74)89. Thus, the protection enjoyed by the corporation by virtue of its status extends to benefit members of the corporation as well10. However, in my opinion, this thinking does not take into consideration the intention of the law. For instance, the limited liability clause protects shareholders, employees and officers of a corporation up to a certain extent (Alito, 2014 pg. 17 part III; Ginsburg 2014 pg. 4 part I), meaning that they have to operate within a given confine of the law. The majority judge decisions thus tended to overlook this fat of law. The decision of the judge means that a corporation can now be treated as a partnership or sole proprietorship. The separateness between the corporation and the natural persons making it is what is referred to as the veil of

The gastronomic developments on two different geographical areas; West Essay

The gastronomic developments on two different geographical areas; West Yorkshire in the North of England and the Island of Malta in the Mediterranean - Essay Example The information guiding this research shall be gathered from relevant scholarly articles, books, journals and websites. The factors of these trends shall be derived from the social, economic, and cultural developments in those areas. The main outcomes that this research intends to achieve are the comparison of the trends of those gastronomic environments. A key factor to this is knowledge of the factors that have influenced the diversity of the food and beverage development in those specific areas. The outcomes will be analyzed to know the trends that contribute to the competitive value of food and beverage operations. Lastly, recognize the key features of successful gastronomic business and determining the quality leaders in the market. Gastronomy is the study of food and culture with a specific emphasis on pleasure-loving cuisine. Modern gastronomy has its roots in several French texts published in the 1800s. It is a demanding multidisciplinary art examining food itself along with its setting, demonstration, brilliance, and history. The principal of gastronomy is that food is an art form, as well as science. Gastronomy examines the sociological implications of food, while integrating other social science disciplines such as philosophy, anthropology, and psychology. For the gourmet and gastronome, gastronomy requires an essential definition, which is the enjoyment of good food, noble company and worthy beverages. Gastronomy is broken down into four main areas (Harrison, 1982) which are political, theoretical, and technical and food gastronomy. Political gastronomy is concerned with the training and the study of the preparation, making, and service of various foods and beverages from many countries around the world (Cailein Gillespie, 2001, pp. 3-5). It deals with the methods and principals involved in the conversion of raw produce into appealing, countrywide, regionally

Quality TV Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Quality TV - Essay Example 4). The discussions on quality have been evident for a long time. For example, according to Robin Nelson, television quality was determined in UK and USA by basing on traditions or cultural values (Akass, 2007p. 4). It is also worth stating that there has been a shift in the television quality rating due to economical or social factors. According to Cardwell, the business strategies usually affect the programs cast in televisions. This is because most institutions and industries usually adopt institutional and cultural discourses when determining quality based on broadcasting mandates, policy-making decisions, and the production demands. Sarah Cardwell conducted critical judgment and evaluations to establish the differences since the variance between quality and good television had been neglected. She stated that the television studies lacked sufficient attention on the conceptual matters. Consequently, the difference between quality and good television can be established by looking at the generic classification of television programs. In 1995, Cardwell let her television students watch 1995 classic-novel where the students had different opinions about the movie. For example, one student said that the movie was of high quality but rather boring making it improper. From the findings, it was clear that the quality of television is determined by the way the television program has been filmed or acted. Concurrently, a good television program is rated based on the textual characteristics of the program (Akass, 2007p. 20). In summary, a good television is moving, riveting, provocative, rich, and should be frequently contemporary. It should not only be relevant but the viewers should also value it (Akass, 2007p. 21). However, the classifications of the quality of television are largely dependent on the national context. For instance, the contemporary quality of television in Britain is different from American television quality. According to the BBC and Public Space, television quality is a priority. In March 2010, the BBC’s executives published the proposals that were meant to increase efficiency and ensure quality by restricting new online activities (Potschka, 2012 p.25). The collaboration between the HBO and BBC enhanced their reputation of producing quality programs. This has been beneficial in helping HBO consolidate its market position. HBO has experienced several successes when producing programs such as The Sopranos, Sex and the City, and the Six Feet Under. However, it is having trouble maintaining its success due to the changing nature of the television industry. They have developed a creative approach that will enable them to improve the success of their television programs. The approach in the post network has been characterized by high-production values, artistic integrity and risk-taking process that are highly creative (Akass, 2007p. 62). The famous HBO program, The Sopranos has been analyzed based on the industrial factor s. Since it is a gangster television program, it usually exists in the form of a pre-sold television program. It has prompted researchers and scholars to analyze it in terms of branding (Jaramillo, 2007 p. 594). For the quality brand of The Sopranos to be established, HBO has differentiated its merchandise from the

Cyber Security Information Technology Research Paper

Cyber Security Information Technology - Research Paper Example Their motives are divergent, with some being political while others are just for malicious purposes. This has prompted various government and security agencies to intervene in order to rescue the situation. This paper will analyze cyber security, those likely to be involved in network hacking and the role of the government in protecting infrastructures vulnerable to cyber attacks. Difference between information assurance and cyber security There is a distinct difference between information assurance and cyber security. On one hand, information assurance entails putting in place measures that protect information and information systems, which ensures their availability, reliability, non-repudiation and discretion (Westfall, 2011). The information may either be electronic or general information within an organization. While dealing with electronic information, the system must be able to address the confidentiality concerns, by either introducing passwords or physically protecting the h ardware. Likewise, the information system must be in a position to monitor all the information and direct it to the legitimate users (The national Technical Authority for Information Assurance, 2011). Broadly, information assurance aims at ensuring that information moves to the right person at the right time and place. On the other hand, cyber security involves the effort of the organization or individuals to protect valuable information through preventing, detecting and even responding to prevailing threats. In cyber security, most of the attacks are online, since the process involves the use of the internet, although physical safety is necessary due to the protection of hardware involved in the transmission of information. Some of the threats involved are more serious, although this is subject to the ability of the organization to deal with them (McDowell & Householder, 2009). There are two broad categories of cyber attacks. One is when an attacker studies the security of the syst em and develops malicious programs to destroy the servers. The other attack is the zero-day attack, in which case the attacker bombards the system even before implementing the security measures (Fujiwara, 2006). Potential hackers and their motives Hackers have varied reasons for hacking into a cyber network. It is important to note that anyone can qualify to be a hacker, as long as there is an intention to access private information without permission. The leading cyber threat involves the financial sector, in which case the hackers engage in a number of ways. The first case is account takeover whereby criminals exploit financial and online systems, taking over the functions of the account holders. The aim of this crime is to pose as the legitimate owner, as this gives the criminals access to the accounts. Eventually, the criminals transfer all the cash to their accounts or withdraw the cash for their personal use. Another group of hackers consists of those criminals who engage in t he third party payment processor breaches. In this case, hackers target large multinational companies, which have a large network of payment processors. By compromising the personal identifiable information of the employees of such companies, the hackers go ahead to seek payment or other financial benefits from the employer. Their aim is to siphon as much cash as possible before the organization realizes it is not dealing with the real employees (Snow,

English should be the official language of the United States Essay - 1

English should be the official language of the United States - Essay Example I connote that the identity issue in spite of the kind of state one is affiliated to is a generational crisis and the sooner we find its solution the better. A true definition of identity lies in our own understanding of the kind of language we normally use in all the aspects of our lives. But this true definition may be construed to mean; â€Å"a true sense of one’s self that continuously develops from birth to adult hood.† This kind of growth allows for the differentiation of different generations to believe in a single unifying factor that makes a society. Such important unifying factors make up a family, a society, or even a nation. But the most important of them all is the nation hood. Even though we might consider different kinds of identity, our major concern is the national identity. I am of the opinion that if we can make a language a source of this identity then, we should reflect upon the United States of America and how English may be used to create a source of identity. I can attest to the fact that language forms part of national emblem that unifies all American regardless of their cultural, political and economical standings. The existence of many immigrants who have actually reached the citizenship status and not adjusting to this language proficiency is thwarting the development of English as a language. Regardless of this, English is still an important component of America’s national emblem (Amanda, Ebon 55). I agree that English is still a vital part of America’s identity since the minute I hear a person is from America, I can’t visualize that this person speaks any other language(s) excerpt English. Samuel Huntington asserts that the basic fundamentals of America’s identity are; the Protestantism, English customs, and law. This kind of customs brings with it the language that unites the citizens. Thus, a real American is one who’s a protestant, keeps his culture and is able to speak fluent English. But according to Nancy

Presentation proposal Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Presentation proposal - Assignment Example Palliative care is a medical care for individuals who have illnesses that are life threatening. It focuses care on providing specialized care to individuals who have serious illness. In most cases, the illnesses are progressive and they lead to death of the individuals. Palliative care provides relief to patients from the symptoms and pains of the illness. The main objective of palliative care is to maintain the life of the patients. In addition to, palliative care, maintains the life of the individuals and their family members. During this treatment, curing the patients is not the first priority of the medical staff. The medical staff manages the symptoms the patients because it is part of the health care. They are also entitled to maintaining the emotions of the patients. Taking care of patients at home is a big commitment and individuals must be ready to sacrifice. There are many factors that determine the best place to provide medical care to a patient. The condition of the patient is among the factors used to determine the best place to provide care for individuals. Doctors must choose the best advice when providing palliative care to patients (Morrissey, 2013).  ).There are advantages and limitations of both setting to the patient depending on the condition of the patient. The patient and family members decide on the home setting as the ideal place to receive treatment. Advantages of a home based setting include being closer to the patient. It is important because it saves the time spent to make frequent visits to the hospital. The feeling of being in familiar surrounding and with familiar individuals is crucial for individuals with chronic illnesses. The individual may have medical conditions that may not be acceptable at home. Presence of facilities helps to address most of the conditions of patients. The cost of providing palliative care at home is higher than providing it in the hospital (Morrissey,

The Terrorist Group ISIS Research Proposal Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Terrorist Group ISIS - Research Proposal Example The inquiry into the rise of the terrorist group ISIS is of great significance as the kind of politics it connotes is something that is set to evince aspirationalism in a radical context, is bound to be pan-Arab and is based on concrete territorial and power grabbing motives. The kind of radical challenge that ISIS poses to Western democracies is something that was rarely seen in the past, even if one takes into consideration Iran or North Korea for that matter. This paper intends to answer as to whether the promulgation of Western-style liberal democracy and political values in the Middle East is an apt antidote to ISIS or whether ISIS is a direct outcome of the sectarian politics immanent in the region since long?The irony is that the solution to this research question is multifaceted and far from being simple. No doubt, the Western style political democracy, inclusiveness, and diversity can succeed in the region provided that attempts are made by the local political states and pow er structures to bring about some sort of reconciliation in the long-standing sectarian animosities in the region. The Western-style democracy in the region could also succeed in bringing a halt to the onward march of ISIS, provided the Western should also care to resolve the long-standing issues like the Arab-Israel animosity, a challenge that has distinct Western linkages and outcrops. I will use an array of methods to seek a viable and pragmatic answer to this question.

Intro to Linguistics Essay Example for Free

Intro to Linguistics Essay The study of human languages; including the influence of one language on another; how language and words are formed and change within time; the rules of the language- how words are formed, the structure of sentences and words; relationship between culture and language; how language is acquired- the process of language acquisition (foreigner verses mother tongue language). There are two approaches/types of linguistics: 1. Traditional Linguistics- the only field that ruled until the 20 century. 2. Modern Linguistics Traditional Linguistics. Characteristics: 1. Proscriptive approach- according to this approach, linguists tell native speakers how to use their own mother tongue- what are the rules: set norms of/ dictating the right use of the language, the rules and the right use of the language- educating the native speakers. The goal is to tell the speakers what is considered right or wrong language. 2. Focus on the written language- Most of the focus is on the written text, which is considered superior to the spoken language; the base of the rules. 3. Diachronic Research (etymology) Historical research- the study of the origins of words and languages, which reveals many connections between different languages. Due to technological developments, the influence of one language on another is even higher these days. Modern Linguistics At the beginning of the 20 century, there was a shift of interest to the following: The human languages are more complex and highly different than animal communication systems- due to amazing cognitive human communication ability (the language faculty). A known Swiss linguist, Ferdinand de Sassure- the first linguist to pose the following question: what do we know when we know a language (mother tongue)? By asking this question the focus of linguistics was shifted from grammar to the study of human language as a cognitive ability (cognitive science). The focus shifted to Language faculty ( ) and what it consists of. Characteristics: 1. Descriptive approach- we observe native speakers use the language, both in writing and in speaking, and try to draw conclusions out of it- learn about the changes that the language undergoes through time. Not interested in what should be, but rather in what IS. There is no judgment of the use, just observation and description of the current use, in order to analyze and find correlations. 2. Focus is on the spoken language- point of departure is that the spoken language is more important to the research because of the following: * It is less conscious, more natural, spontaneous and dynamic and therefore it reflects better the current use of the language. * Not all languages have a written system, but everyone has at least one mother tongue language. * The written language is less natural- one needs to study it in a very logical way; whereas the spoken language –mother tongue is acquired in a natural process, common to everyone (normally in the early years of 3-4). 3. Synchronic Research (current) the focus is not on the origin/History of the words; but on the current use of the words today. We are less interested in what happened; but rather in what is happening today. Knowing The whereas knowing about! 07/11/11 Linguistic Fields 1. Phonetics- the study of linguistic sounds (also called phones) which are consisted of consonants and vowels. The focus is on the articulation and pronunciation of sounds (independent of the letters/ graphics). How the sound is produced. It is independent of the letters (which is just the graphics). How we produce and perceive sounds. 2. Phonology- deals with sounds in interaction, and when they are brought together into words- they usually affect each other. Cats(s), dogs(z)- something very systematic- ( )) 3. Morphology- examines words structure, and the ways words are added into our vocabulary, i. e. how we form new words. Ex- dis/content/ed/ness (the parts are also called Morphemes- small units of words) 4. Syntax- deals with sentence structure and the meaning of sentences. We also examine differences between languages- the order of verb and its subject, adj, nouns etc. In addition, we examine Syntaxic Processing , for example: Without her contributions/ are hard to find. At first glance- it looks like something is missing in the sentence, when actually we did not process it in the right way- we can look at the sentence as: without her, contributions are hard to find. 5. Semantics- the study of meaning- both of words and sentences, and the logic behind them. 6. Pragmatics –deals with meaning in context- how we understand one another beyond what is actually said (the use of the language). For example: do you have the time? – One wont answer: yes; but rather tell the person what time it is. Not like the dry literate meaning, Pragmatics deal with the actual use of language – meaning in context- beyond the literate words that were actually said. 2 - : * 6 ( = 6 ) * 6 ( = ! ) 7. Discourse Analysis- Like Pragmatics, this also examines the use of language, but the focus is on the text. Written vs. spoken text; Narratives vs. expository text; the use of conjunctions; types of text; different tenses; complex vs. simple sentences; the length of sentences; vocabulary etc. 8. Language acquisition- we examine the process of acquiring a language- mother tongue and then foreign languages. How children acquire their mother tongue so quickly? How does the process happen? Which words are produced first etc. It is related to all the other fields mentioned above. 9. Neuro Linguistic- examines how linguistic knowledge is represented in the brain. For example: aphasia- brain injury that affects the part of the brain that understands linguistics. 10. Psycho Linguistic- a very big field that examines the correlation between language and psychological cognitive processes (for example: lexical retrieval). Sometimes one meaning of a word is more prominent than the other, depending on the context. For example: bug- insect/ computer related problem. The field also examines what happens when there is no context- how we associate between words and its meanings. For example: word priming- Duck-(goose/ book)- the word duck primes with goose, faster than with the word book. 11. Historical Linguistics- examines the evolution of languages, the origin of words, and the relation between languages- how they genetically related to one another (Etymology). 12. Computational Linguistics-deals with building artificial intelligence, creating models that try to imitate how language works and use it in different applications. Related to the implementation of linguistics. Information extraction, more practical. (for example: Google translate). 13. Clinical linguistics ( )- the use of linguistic tools for speech therapy, for people who have language disorders (both kids and adults). 14. Social Linguistics- the field that examines the interaction between language and society (socio economic and cultural factors). Socio-linguistics We distinguish between dialects- different varieties of the same language, as a result of many factors. Types of Dialects- 1. Geographic Dialect-changes according to region (city, country). In the states there are so many different dialects, depending on the area one grew up in. 2. Sociolect-typical for a certain group in the society, which has its own social, economic and cultural characteristics. 3. Idiolect-dialect that is typical to an individual. It is sometimes gradual, and we dont always notice it. Usually bases on imitation. Each of us speaks a little bit differently (intonation, pronunciation, vocabulary etc). 21/11/11 Linguistic knowledge- every 4-5 year old can speak the mother tongue language. Where does the ability to understand and speak a language comes from? The 2 opposed approaches argue on the source of that ability/knowledge Is it innate (genes) or acquired (comes from the environment, stimulates, feedback)? Two opposed currents in science, which have great debate on the nature of human knowledge in general. They argue on the source of the human knowledge: 1. Empiricism (John lock; Hume) -every person comes to the world, as a clean slate- have no knowledge, which means that human knowledge equals the sum of experiences. Nothing is innate, we are only equipped with the ability to respond. Everyone are born equal- with nothing innate. This means humans can be shaped- their thought can be manipulated using feedback and exposure. 2. Rationalism (Decardes)-claim that human knowledge does not equal the sum of experiences: we are born with some innate material- we are equipped with some ability, to which experience is added. Experience is not the only thing! All people are equal, but this equality is based on richness- we all share something very basic and innate, to which environment is added. At the beginning of the second half of the 20 century, the argument of human knowledge continued with regards to the human language – mother tongue (different theories): Behaviorism- As continuance of Empiricism- there was a current called Behaviorism (BF Skinner, wrote the Verbal Behavior, 1957). B. F. Skinner claimed, based on Empiricism, that Linguistic knowledge is based solely on exposure and the ability to react- to learn from experience. That means everything is acquired, nothing is in the Genes. Skinner also claimed we expand our sets of sentences, by analogy (differ in only one thing- thus it is able to expand ones use with the other). For example: a kid only heard John ate an apple- but he will be able to create the following sentence: John ate an Orange; using Analogy. This means, we learn and use language, by: exposure +analogy. - In the following sentences, configuration of who does what changes (relationships between the entities) when changing the word told to promise and still, it is automatically understood by a child in his mother tongue: John told bill to clean the room; John promised Bill to clean the room. How? -analogy is not enough to explain the above. - Noam Chomsky (Influenced from Rationalism; wrote the Syntactic Structures, 1957) -a linguistic who argued against Skinners observations, claiming Analogy is not enough; and we have to assume inborn/innate linguistic knowledge, common to all human beings (regardless of their language or culture), which is also known as the Hypothesis of innateness. The experience and the feedback are mapped on to these language biological properties (encoded in our genes). The experience and feedback are not enough to explain mother tongue knowledge! We have to add it to something innate. Language is partially innate! Evidence Chomsky proposed to enforce his theory: 1. Properties of human languages (natural languages, animals communication systems are excluded)- * Homogeneity- except for pathological cases, all human beings acquire at least one mother tongue; more or less at the same time; regardless of their region, culture, socio-economical condition etc. This implies there is something biological in the acquiring of a mother tongue language- we are all the same. * Infiniteness- language is infinite- we have the ability to produce and understand an endless number of sentences, including sentences that we have never heard before. We have the ability to expand the language (for example- we never count to 1,000,000 but we can). * Identical properties across languages- there are some properties that all languages share (therefore- it has to be in the genes, otherwise – how can it be explained? ). For example: * All languages have nouns and verbs –thus, it has to be some inborn categories. * Universal grammer rules/structures, that all languages share: * John said that Mary bought a car. What did John say Mary bought? * Bill said that John said that Mary bought a car. What did Bill say that John said that Mary bought? * John spread the rumor that Mary bought a car. What did John spread the rumor that Mary bought? Ungrammatical sentence- any speaker will know this sentence is ungrammatical- impossible in English. What prevents speakers of using the above structure intuitively (in other languages as well)? Chomsky claimed that there are universal constraints (in all grammer of all languages) that prevent it. 28/11/11 2. Properties of the process of language acquisition (mother tongue) * Process is quick and efficient- child has to acquire a very complex system of rules, and he does it by the age of 4-5. By the age of 5 he already masters the language (in comparison to the long and complex process of learning a foreigner language). It shows that there is something innate behind it, otherwise- it would have been a quick process also when learning foreigner language. * Critical period/age- there is a certain age in which the child must be exposed to a language (the innate system has to be stimulated, activated), in order to acquire it- the age is usually around 6-8, and in some extreme cases it can go until adolescence (16). If it was not activated during the critical period, the child will have no mother tongue- he will have no grammer. He will be able to communicate in a basic function, but without the richness and infinity of the mother tongue acquisition, since the brain is no longer elastic enough to acquire a mother tongue. The issue of critical period provides support for the importance of both exposer and innate theories. Chomsky agrees that exposer is crucial, but it is crucial to activate innate abilities. If it was only exposer – it would have been possible to acquire a mother tongue at any age. * Process is spontaneous/ immune against external interference- the process happens by itself and the teacher/ parent cannot manipulate it. MCNeal (1964)-research that shows you cannot manipulate childs grammer, it will eventually change by itself with exposer. * Identical stages across languages- children acquire their mother tongue in parallel stages across linguistics, more or less at the same time, regardless of the language. This shows that there is some biological aspect to the process of mother tongue acquisition we have to assume something innate in order for the process to be so universal. (First they babble, then acquire first words, combining 2 words together, then start using sentences). * Poverty of stimuli- stimuli(the input) is poor- it is not enough to explain completely how a child acquires and masters his mother tongue: a. The stimuli is partial and consists of errors- the child can never be exposed to everything, still he makes up sentences he has never heard before. What he is exposed to is limited, yet what he can produce is endless. In addition, the stimuli consist of errors- he child doesnt always listen to complete/ grammatical correct sentences: the input he hears consists of partial sentences and grammatical errors; yet the children know how to filter the errors and eventually acquire a perfect grammer. b. There is no teaching- the process of acquiring a mother tongue involves no methodological and pedagogical process (in regard to grammer). c. No negative evidence- there are mistakes that no child will ever make, even though he is not told ahead not to make them. For example: John thinks he is smart (he can be either John or somebody else) VS. He thinks John is smart (he can never refer to John). When examining language acquisition, we see children making many mistakes, but no child will ever use the second sentence when he wants to refer to John. No child will make such mistakes to begin with- they just know, without being told ahead. De Sassure was the first one to ask what do we know when we know a language? What does it mean to know a language? He distinguished between the following terms: * Langue-the rules of the language, that are agreed upon by some society. The rules of a language, but from a social point of view (a social term). * Parole-everything we use or say- the way we actually use the language (What we actually do, language wise). Linguists are generally more interested in the Langue (the knowledge). De Sassure didnt relate to the question of innateness- what abilities, if any, we have in our minds†¦ 12/12/11 Noam Chomsky used 2 other terms: Competence vs. Performance. 1. Performance: the same as Parole: performance is how we actually use the language: what we actually write or say. 2. Competence: is not exactly the same as Langue. Both relate to the rules of the language, but Langue is about the society, the community (grammer is something social, that we all agree on- social interaction creating social agreement) and Competence is about the individual (the system one has in his mind: some of it comes from the genes and some from the environment). Competence is the ability that each of us has to produce and understand an endless number of sentences. Every speaker of every language, has the ability (whether it is innate or not). The point of view of Chomsky and De Sassure is different when relating to the rules of the language. In modern linguistics- the focus is on the Langue- competence and not directly what we say/do with the language (the main goal is to crack the black box and understand how the system works). The performance is the mean to learn about the competence, not the direct end. It teaches us/indicates about the competence: the way we speak or write tells us about how the knowledge is organized in ones mind. The main question that linguists ask is: what does competence consist of? Chomskys Model: UG+EXPOSER= G. Chomsky assumes innateness and that language faculty is to some extent universal (some things are common to all languages). He Offers a SPECIFIC model for this question: When a child is born he is in the initial state. In this state, he has some specific knowledge, shared by all languages: Universal Grammer (UG) it is the grammer that is common to all languages. In addition to the difference in vocabulary, there are grammatical differences between languages: by the end of the critical period, he has more than the UG, he ends up with Particular Grammer (PG, G)- specific grammer of a specific language. There are many Gs, as many as the number of languages in the world. A child is equipped with universal grammer, common to all languages, and during the first years he is exposed to his mother tongue and how it takes place (feedback, corrections, mistakes etc)- and acquires particular/specific grammer. UG+EXPOSER= G. The G is a combination of something innate and something that comes from the environment. What does the UG consist of? According to Chomskys model, UG consists of two things: 1. Principles- rules that are innate and that are common to all languages (things that dont change at all from one language to another, such as: the existence of nasal consonants). 2. Parameters- those are also rules that are innate, and are also part of universal grammer; but in contrast to principals, these are open rules, whose values (fillings) are acquired during the exposer. The values are not common to different languages, Thus they have to be acquired via exposer. For example: in all language there is a subject in every sentence; but in some languages the subject must be a separate entity- which means the subject position is always occupied vs. in some languages the subject can be dropped (English does not allow the dropping of a subject: cant say ate an apple. We must add a subject; vs. Hebrew- represents the subject. In the French language, we are not allowed to drop the subject, even when it is known who did the action: Jai mange la pomme- the French ai is like the Hebrew , yet we still cannot drop the J: we have to have a separate entity for the subject). This parameter is called the Null subject parameter ( )- The Parameter: the subject must be pronounced separately; The Values of the Parameter: (that has to be filled- determined through the acquisition process) Yes or No. In Hebrew and Italian the value is no (in some cases, we can have a sentence without a subject), in English and French the value is Yes. During the critical period, the child is exposed to the data in his mother tongue and they acquire the values to the fixed parameters (the parameter is innate, its values though are not innate- they change from language to language and acquired in the childs critical period). Another Parameter is: * It is hot outside- * It seems that Marry is late- * There is a cat in the room- In English the occurrence of the pronouns (functioning as the sentences subject) it and there is a must: they cannot be dropped (it is not grammatical, although one will be perfectly understood if hell say it); in Hebrew, we can drop them. Even though semantically we dont need the subject, in English it must be filled. These pronouns are called: Expletive / Pleonastic Pronouns- pronouns that do not refer to an entity, but theyre only function is to fill the subject position. They HAVE NO SEMANTIC ROLE, THEY ARE ONLY THERE TO FILL THE POSTION OF THE SUBJECT. We distinguish between pleonastic pronouns and referential pronouns, which refer to some kind of entity (he, she, w, they etc). It and There are not always expletive pronouns- they can also function as referential pronouns: It is hot outside (expletive) vs. I cant eat the soup, (referential); the cat is there (referential) vs. there is a cat in the room (expletive). We can relate to it as two parameters: 1. Parameter: an expletive pronoun exists; values: yes/no. (In English- yes, in Hebrew- no). 2. Parameter: a subject is a must; values: yes/no. (We can say that if a language must have a subject, it will necessary have Expletive pronouns; and vice versa: If the subject is not a must- there are no expletive pronouns. there might be, but they will not be a must). The two things come together- * Cluster of properties- The Parameters come in clusters- one affects/ can teach about the other. The existence of Principles and Parameters strengthens the hypothesis of innateness, because it shows the occurrence of certain grammer structures is not random- there is something consistent across different languages, which therefore must be predetermined, innate. 19/12/11 Some languages require an independent subject and in addition- they have expletive pronouns (it seems that the quiz will be difficult- expletive; this soup is not tasty because it is cold. The it is referential- points to an entity). Proposition Stranding and Pied Piping Who did you speak to? can also be asked as followed: To whom did you speak? - These are two possible grammatical structures that manifest the same idea. It is not possible in Hebrew: : : This construction is called- Preposition Stranding- you desert the proposition by itself: leaving the proposition by itself at the end of the sentence. It can be viewed as a parameter, differentiating languages. Another construction/parameter is: Pied Piping- locating the proposition at the beginning of the sentence. This parameter is valued yes in both English and Hebrew (allowed in both languages). Material for the quiz is up to here! - Phonetics and Phonology- These are both fields that deal with sound and specifically linguistic sounds (phones- ) sounds that are parts of a language. Phones are divided into: consonants (b, l, r, m†¦) and vowels (e, a, i ). The differentiation doesnt refer to the letters, but to the sounds that are used naturally/ automatically. (Since the same sound can be expressed/ represented by different symbols/letters, for example: the sound K- is represented by 4 letters: k, c, q, ch. We will refer to all 4 as K). In Phonetics- Different sounds are examined in different languages: how they are produced and how they are perceived- it is a technical field regarding how pronunciation works. One sound can be expressed/ represented by different symbols/letters or one letter u represents many sounds: university, fur, put, cut etc. Conclusion: there is no correspondence between sound and symbol. Phonetic systems (systems of symbols- used for transcription- write exactly as you here it- distinguish between spelling and pronunciation) 1. International Phonetic Alphabet (IPA) – a system of symbols, used mainly by linguists, in which every sound corresponds to one symbol and vice versa. 2. American Phonetic Alphabet (APA) similar, yet competing system to the IPA. These are two similar, yet competing, artificial languages/ systems, dealing with the ambiguity of the languages/ with the lack of correspondence between sound and symbol. Both systems are based on English letters, other than special sounds/exceptions (that have no one specific letter in English that prescribe them) such as: * in order to indicate/transcribe sh we use: stretched big s (IPA) or s^(APA)- (the ^ should be upside down) * ch= t+stretched big S with a bow on top of them (IPA) or c^ (APA) * for th (such as in thin) = 0 with a line across it (APA+IPA) 26/12/11 A minimal pair- * big- pig * sing- sang. * dean- teen (The only difference is the phone- t vs d. The spelling is irrelevant) * knight- light These words are different in meaning, yet they are different in only one sound. The switch of the consonant g/ p changes the meaning of the word. This kind of word pairs are called minimal pair-a pair of words that differ from one another in meaning and in one phone (sound) only. (Only one difference in pronunciation- the spelling is irrelevant) * night- knight : are not a minimal pair, because there is no difference in pronunciation. Phoneme- Phoneme- a minimal linguistic unit that can change the meaning. One of the goals of recognizing minimal pairs is to recognize the basic sounds in a language, that can cause a change of meaning. We use the tool of minimal pairs to identify and distinguish between the Phonemes of a language. Aspirated consonant ( ) * Spy vs. pie- when we pronounce pie, there is a greater puff of air when pronounced. This is also the case in: stole vs. tall (in tall we puff much more air). These are aspirated consonants, which are marked with a little h on top of the consonant. They are two types for the same consonant- the regular and the aspirated one, where we puff a greater amount of air (pie; tall). Are the aspirated consonants phonemes? (Can they distinguish between a minimal pair? -can we find a pair of words that the only difference between them is aspirated consonant vs. non-aspirated). In English, there is no such pair; yet in the Hindi language we can find several examples. Conclusions: 1. In English, they are not phonemes (vs. Hindi), because they can never occur in the same environment/location of the word, which means they are 2 manifestations/versions of the same thing. We can predict in which environment/ when the aspirated consonant will occur. 2. Minimal pairs are used to distinguish between phonemes and also to determine which consonants and vowel are not phonemes. 2/1/2012 Pig – big (minimal pair) vs. Pie, spy (not a minimal pair since there are 2 differences in pound). In English, aspirated and regular – Complementary Distribution- these two sounds never occur at the same environment/ same location of the words, which means they are two manifestations of the same thing – of the phone p. This means P is the phoneme which has two manifestations: aspirated and regular (non-aspirated). This means that this phone has two allophones. Two ways of language representation- 1. Phonemes- the general term for linguistics sounds. These are the basic sounds of a language, and are language specific (are not the same in different languages). They are part of the Underlying Representation (UR): the way and the place words and sounds in specific, are represented in our mind- in the backstage- abstract representation. The phoneme has two manifestations: one is the actual p and the other is the aspirated one. 2. What we actually say are allophones. Allophones are in the Phonetic/ Representation (PR) what comes out of our mouths (articulation). Every phoneme is also an allophone, but not the other way around! Thus, there are some things that are represented in the PR, yet are not represented in the UR (like the aspirated p). In the Ur we have the regular P phoneme, which has two manifestations in the PR: In English, the only case we see an aspirated P is in the beginning of a word and before a vowel (both must occur together). In all other case the P will not be aspirated. For example: Possible, put, pink, pan, etc. vs. apply, spring, play etc. This means the aspirated P has no independence existence- we can predict its occurrence. The default is the regular P and only in a specific environment will have an aspirated P. The aspirated P doesnt exist in the UR! Another example is: regular N vs. the back N: They cannot distinguish between minimal pairs in English- will never occur in the same environment. We will find the back n only before the sounds k and g- in specific environment, which is predictable. For ex: bank, Bangkok, rank, chunk, rang, ring, thanks, bring. The normal N is the default – will occur everywhere else, except for before the sounds: g and k sounds. These two allophones are two versions of the same thing (of the one phoneme) that never occur in the same environment- complementary distribution. N is the phoneme, which has two allophones: n and back n. We can predict exactly where each of the manifestations will occur. * The phoneme is in the UR and the allophones are in the PR. * The default is always in the UR! – The phoneme. * The allophones are always in complementary distribution- meaning they never occur in the same environment and will never distinguish between minimal pairs. You can nver find in English 2 words where the only difference between them will be n and back n. * Minimal pairs are the tools to identify phonemes. Distinctive Features 1. Aspiration The pair pal- pal (with aspirated p) in Hindi – these two words are different in meaning and in one phone only. In specific, they are different in one feature only: aspirated vs. non-aspirated. This means, they constitute a minimal pair (In Hindi). Aspiration – this feature in Hindi unlike the English, we have both – because they have independent existence- each of them is a phoneme on its own. Aspiration – this feature in Hindi, unlike English, is a Distinctive Feature- a feature that distinguishes between 2 phonemes in the same language and as a result it can create a difference between minimal pairs. Aspiration is not a distinctive feature in Hebrew and English. It is a distinctive feature in Hindi language. 2. Voicing ( )- Dean – Teen: d- Is a voice (+voice) consonant ( ) and t is voiceless (- voice). This feature, called voicing, creates different meaning in both words. Thus, it is a distinctive feature in English, because it can distinguish between minimal pairs. Minimal pair- a minimal pair is a pair of words that differ from one another in one meaning, 1 phone (sound) only, and the 2 phones must be different in one feature! 9/1/2012 Phonetic features of consonants- What makes sound/phones different from one another? Linguistic sounds are called phones, and are divided into: consonants and vowels. The difference between the two: in the production of vowels the air flows freely, however in the production of consonants the air is blocked to some extent. The speech organs- body organs that are involved in the production of phones (Lips, tongue, nose, teeth, and palate). Generally, the following are involved: the oral cavity and the nasal cavity ( ). The consonants differ from one another according to 3 criteria: 1. Place of articulation- the location in which the air is blocked and the consonant is produced (B- in the lips; T- in the tongue; P-in the lips and teeth) 2. Manner of articulation ( ) relates to the manner of the air flow and the degree of blocking. For example: n- blocked in the nose. 3. Voicing- relates to the vibration/ the lack of vibrat.

Should Homosexuals Be Allowed To Adopt Children?

Should Homosexuals Be Allowed To Adopt Children? Homosexuality is a romantic or sexual fascination or natural behaviour between individuals having same sex. The word homosexual is a Greek and Latin mixture. As a sexual direction, homosexuality demotes to a continuing outline of or nature to feel sexual, care, or romantic attractions mainly to people of the same sex, it also states to an individuals sense of personal and public individuality, originate on those attractions, performances conveying them, and devotion in a society of other people who share them. Homosexuality is solely consisted of the three main groups of sexual orientation, all along with bisexuality and heterosexuality, surrounded by the heterosexual-homosexual band. Presently, the most universal adjectives is use are lesbian for women and gay for men, however, gay can demote to either men or women. Many individual who recognize as gay or lesbian, and the ratio of people who have same sexual looks are hard and tricky for researcher to calculate consistently for a nu mber of reasons. Gay, normally refers to affection and love between males. In the framework of sexuality, lesbian states only to female homosexuality. Homosexuality is also extensively come across in the animal kingdom. Homosexual relationships and actions have been approved in addition to condemned all through the proved history, depending on the type they took and the civilization in which they taken place. Homosexuals have made a decision to survive their lives with a person of the same sex. In the case, if it is man and man or woman and woman, they are cheerful with whom they are spending their life. Even though, many persons do not describe homosexuals as normal couples, they are capable to take care for a child only as any other couple is capable to. These citizens are also employed, working for the organization, love, fight, forgive and forget (Mucciaroni). To discuss more about the topic, I have organized my paper into several sections. In the first section, I discuss about the basic concept, should homosexual parents allow to adopting children. In the second section, I talk about the background and circumstances of homosexual adoption. In the third section, I converse about the disagreement to the homosexual adoption, will both parents are essential in the success of the family, misleading notion of challengers of homosexual adoption and there is no scientific proof and support which states that homosexual would be bad parent. Finally, in the last and fourth section, I talk about the rogerian discussion of solution. For number of years, the entitlement of homosexual parents to adopt children has been an extremely disputed concern. Homosexual parents and the requirement to adopt children comes with great anxieties for the terror of probable emotional and/or psychological dysfunctions that child may tolerate. At the same time, the population of homosexual is attempting to get more identification in the concept of marriage, they are also making an effort more their privileges as parents. Parents, both homosexual and heterosexual have relates to the happiness and comfort of their children. Homosexual couples should have a right for adoption since, they can make dependable and responsible and affectionate parents as well as heterosexuals. A major issue for homosexual parents is whether the attendance of having two same sex parents will modify or discord the adopted childrens public life and sexual orientation. Sexual orientation is not a foundation on whether an individual will be fit to a parent. Ma ny children have unsuitable parents of heterosexual orientation and those individuals are not considered by their sexual preference. Sexual orientation states to a continuing outline of or disposition to feel sexual, sentimental or romantic appeal mainly to men, to women, or to both sexes. It also states to a significance sense of personal and social identity on the basis of those attractions, behaviours, expressing their feelings to others, sponsorship in a society of others who share them. Even though sexual orientation varies all along a continuum from completely heterosexual to absolutely homosexual, it is normally explained in the labels of three categories such as heterosexual, means having sexual and romantic relationship mainly to members of the other sex, homosexual, relates to having sexual and romantic relationship with mainly to individuals of the other sex, and third category is bisexual, which means having a important and major quantity of sexual and romantic attraction to both men and women. Sexual orientation is separate from other constituents of sex and sexuality, comprising biological sex, is th e anatomical, physiological and hereditary features connected with being male or female, gender identity, is the psychological feeling of being male or female, and social gender role, and is the observance to social standards signifying feminine and masculine behaviour. Sexual orientation is usually conferred as a quality of the individual, like biological sex, gender identity, or age of an individual. This viewpoint is partial because sexual orientation is at all times explained in relational terms and essentially includes relationship with other individuals. Sexual performs and romantic attractions are classified as homosexual or heterosexual as per the biological sex of the individual comprised in them, relation to each other. Certainly, it is by acting, or requesting to perform, with another person that individuals state their heterosexuality, homosexuality or bisexuality. This contains simple actions as holding hands with or kissing another individual. Therefore, sexual orientation is integrally connected to the close and personal relationships that human beings shape with others to meet their intensely believed essential for love, attachment and intimacy. Additionally to sexual behaviour, these relationships include nonsexual physical liking b etween partners, united objectives and values, joint support, and uncompleted commitment and dedication. As a result, sexual orientation is not just a personal feature that can be expressed in separation and loneliness. To a certain extent, an individuals sexual orientation describes the world of individuals with whom one is possibly to discover the satisfying and rewarding relationships that, for many persons, include an important section of personal identity (American Psychological Association, Sexual orientation, homosexuality, and bisexuality). American Psychological Association supports mental health professionals to ignore pretending the effectiveness of sexual orientation change efforts by sponsoring or promising modification in sexual orientation when offering assistance to individuals concerned by their own or others sexual orientation and decides that the profits stated by participants in sexual orientation change efforts can be added all through methodologies that do not make an effort to changes sexual orientation. The American Psychiatric Association (APA) has described, some people think that sexual orientation is natural and fixed, though, and sexual orientation expands across an individuals lifetime. The American Psychiatric Association also explains that, most people feel little or no sense of selection about their sexual orientation. In a combined statement with other main American medical organizations, the APA talks about that different people understand at different positions in their lives that they are he terosexual, gay, lesbian, or bisexual. A description from the Center for Addiction and Mental Health declares that, for some people, sexual orientation is permanent and fixed all through their lives. For other individuals, sexual orientation may be solution and change over the period of time. One experiment, has explained that substantial variability in bisexual unlabeled, and lesbian womens appeal and attractions, behaviours and identities. In a recent study conducted in 2004, the female themes, both gay and straight women, became sexually produced when they pictured heterosexual and also lesbian erotic films. Along with the male subjects, though, the straight men were turned out on just erotic films with women, the gay are the ones by those with men. The experiments senior associate explained that womens sexual wishes is less strictly directed in the direction of a particular sex, as compared with mens, and it is more inconstant and unreliable from time to time (American Psycholog ical Association, Resolution on appropriate affirmative responses to sexual orientation distress and change efforts). Although, based on the American Psychological Association (APA) homosexuals were categorized as mentally deficient as recently as 1973, same-sex couples adoption emerged in the society in the response to the lack of demand for adoptable children starting in 1987. Richard Bradley, Making a Mountain out of a Molehill A Law and Economics Defense of Same Sex Foster Care Adoptions. (Jan. 2007). Homosexual couples may only obtain legal rights to a child through the process of second-parent adoption. This is a judicially created process in which the non marital partner of a childs legal parent may adopt the child, without requiring the biological parents to relinquish parental rights and responsibilities. (Bradley) However, many jurisdictions in United States do not allow homosexual couples to adopt and to circumvent this obstacle many homosexual couples resort to alternative methods for adoption, such as international adoption, the use of artificial insemination procedures, and single parent adoption prior to entering into a homosexual relationship. (Bradley) The census data from 2000 from 594000 same-sex households shows that 27 percent of the households were raising children. (Bradley) Despite the fact that many argue that children getting raised by same sex couples will be affected emotionally or psychologically, the alternative would be to leave these children in foster cares which will not afford them any permanency or stability. Children will benefit from the permanence provided by an adoptive home, as opposed to the unstable life often provided by the foster care system. Sociological studies show that there is no evidence that child of lesbian or gay parents are confused about their gender identity or that they more likely to be homosexual. (Bradley) In fact, the studies show that children, especially daughters, of lesbian parents are more accepting, have accepting attitudes toward various sexual identities, and are more willing to question their own sexuality. In 2004 the APA, an authority on human behavior, gave the following rep ort that there is no scientific basis for concluding that lesbian mothers or gay fathers are unfit parents simply because of their sexual orientations and that homosexual parents are just as likely as heterosexual parents to provide healthy and supportive environments for their children. (Bradley) Homosexual parents or heterosexual parents will have the same concerns in raising their children. Parents, regardless of their sexual orientation want to make the right decisions for their childs heath and well being. Parents are also concerned about the financial and life changes that will be imposed upon them through parenthood. In addition, to the normal parental concerns homosexuals have many other variables that they have to deal with such as, if they will adopt, have sperm donated or even get a surrogate mother to carry the child. They also have to deal with discrimination through this process since there are many social stereotypes that they will face on their journey to adopt a child. Historically, gay men and lesbians have been prevented from becoming foster parents or adopting children and have been denied custody and rights of visitation of their children in the event of divorce on the grounds that they would not be effective parents. Furthermore, they are denied legal rig hts because of fear that affects of stigmatization, poor peer relationships, subsequent behavioural and emotional problems, and abnormal psychosexual development, will damage their children. These ideologies have not been confirmed scientifically, such assumptions are too broad and vague because children of heterosexual parents still experience such problems as well. There has been a spectacular increase in the percentage of homosexual couples seems interesting to adopt children. Although, there is the increase in percentage, there have been many obstructions and difficulties from them to adopt. Such complications are like adoption agencies and some specific rules and regulations restricting them from adopting, for instance, only a number of states permit homosexuals to adopt children. As a consequence of these difficulties, they have been looking for other methods to have children. From domestic adoption agencies to independent adoptions to international adoptions to now only public adoptions, homosexuals have a range of methods of adopting, but they are behaved very in a different manner from heterosexuals. Adoption agencies should permit homosexual couples to adopt children who want love, food and protection. For many years, this argument has been taken to courts and to adoption agencies. The query is, are they so capable to be fit as parents to raise a child? In recent times, there has been an unbelievable improvement in the number of homosexual couples seeking to adopt a child. The best interest of the child is at risk when it approaches to adoption. Adoption agencies have to make sure that proper care of child will be taken, all should be supported to child, and have good responsibility in their lives also. In the case, if homosexual couples have all the superiorities to meet the necessities, they should be permitted to adopt a child. Homosexual couples must be agreed to adopt a child so as to raise a child in a secure and affectionate atmosphere. Although, they are all human beings and understand and take breathes in the same manner as a normal person, homosexuals are poorly behaved because they select to live a life in different style. There are numerous gay and lesbian people who want to become parents. Some of them bring children from their previous relationships or a number of couples permeate through artificial insemination. Other couples are looking for adoption to their favoured procedure of bringing a child into their family. Gay couples must give evidence that they have sufficient finances, good health, and emotional steadiness, proper motivation and parenting skills. These are outstanding qualifications that should be taken care of when a couple wants to adopt a child. The dilemma is, various couples are getting away with not successfully meeting with all of the given qualifications because they are heterosexual. There is a portion of preconceived propaganda about gay parenting. Such labels about gay parenting that they raise gay kids, children of gay parents have further troubles and that gay men are more possibly to sexually misuse children are inappropriate and not a true fact. In some latest studies pe rformed on the sexuality of gay parents and their children, there has been no proof to recommend that the sexual orientation of adoptive parents have an effect on the sexuality of their children. There are several citizens who are in opposition to gay couples being permitted to raise children. Homosexuals are normal people who live in our culture. The basic dissimilarity is they have decided to be attracted to people of their same gender. Homosexuals would be capable to give the love and esteem any parent gives to their child. They worry about others also, if not they are un-human and have no emotions and sentiments (Cantor, and Cantor). The gender uniqueness of preadolescent children raised by lesbian mothers has been discovered dependably to be in with their biologic sex. Having a child in a home with homosexual parents is not sufficient grounds for the child to become homosexual. There are no differences have been found in the plaything, game, or any activity, clothes, footwears, or friendship liking of boys or girls who had lesbian mother come with persons who had heterosexual mother. It is the communications and connections within the families that make the children build up their living habits instead of the sexual orientation of the parents. A rising body of scientific literature explains that children who grow up with one or two gay and/or lesbian parents and also in sentimental, cognitive, social and sexual performance as do children whose parents are heterosexual. As state laws differ on adoption rights, not all gay and lesbian individual has the same capability to adopt. The United States has a lot of children waiting to be adopted. Older children and those with some exceptional needs and requirements are specifically hard to place. Children who fit this category are in foster homes at present with gay parents who wish to adopt them. It appears to be very unwarranted and deceitful to the children to reject them for permanent and stable safety homes. Most children in the United States do not reside with two married parents. As per the 2000 census, just 24% homes were arranged of a married mother and father with their kids living at home. There are only total four states, such as, Vermont, New Jersey, Massachusetts and California allows same sex couple adoption. Some states authorizes single parent to adopt, other people opposes it. The reason for that, the gays are not permitted to get married, it can be difficult for gay people to adopt a chi ld in those mentioned states. Since, Vermont has civil unions; both parents have equivalent rights in adoption cases. The Florida court disagrees that children are better off taking care in a two-parent heterosexual household. Actually, systematic and methodical learning reveals that children who grow up in gay households are simply emotionally and socially as children whose parents are heterosexual. Researchers have proved that children are more inspired by their communications with their parents, as compared to sexual orientation. With this point keeping in mind, the American Association of Paediatrics encourages gay and lesbian couples adopting children. At last, there is no lawful reason that why gays should be rejected the right to adopt children. The rules only hurt children waiting to be adopted and withdraw loving parents who would be taking care for these children (Mucciaroni). Other communal doubts that work as obstacles to entry for homosexual parents include the fear that homosexuals have a higher propensity to pedophilia and the fear that homosexuals are simply hedonistic and cannot engage in a durable and stable relationship. There is no empirical data to show that homosexuals have higher tendencies to engage in pedophilia or child molestation. Result of a study conducted by Dr. A. Nicholas Groth shows, that there are practically no reports of sexual molestation of girls by lesbian parents and that the adult male who sexually molests young boys is not likely to be a homosexual. People are misled that the homosexual society is predisposed to sexual abuse but it is in fact heterosexuals that have higher rates of sexual misconduct with children. Furthermore, the statement that homosexuals cannot engage in a durable and stable relationship is unfair. Homosexuals have not been privileged as heterosexuals to engage in a legal marriage. And it is apparent in todays society that homosexuals still lack the recognition of a formal marriage with an exception of a few states. Many would choose to solidify their relationship through marriage and ensure stability, but are forced to cohabitate with their partner, their relationships are inherently unstable. Following are the circumstances for Gay and Lesbian Adoptions: The United States has many kids remaining to be adopted. Older children and those with particular requirements are specifically hard to place. Children who suit this group are in foster homes at present with gay and lesbian parents who want to adopt them. It is unsafe and dishonest to the children to reject them permanent protected homes. Most of the children in the United States do not reside with two married parents. In the real fact, as per the 2000 census survey, only 24% homes were created of a married mother and father with children residing at home. The Florida court disagrees that children are better developing off raised in a two-parent heterosexual family. Actually, methodical experiments which have demonstrated that children who grow up in one or two-parent gay or lesbian families only as sensitively and communally as children whose parents are heterosexual. Learnings have explained that children are more inspired by their interactions with their parents, other than by their sexual orientation. Keeping this is mind, the American Association of Pediatrics maintains gay and lesbian couples of adopting children. There is no lawful purpose why gays and lesbians should be refused the right to adopt children. The rule only harms children coming up to be adopted and removes loving parents who would be concerned for these children. If a couple has a child all through the artificial insemination, just the birth parent is acknowledged as the legal protector. All through the second-parent adoption, both parents can get hold of legal protection of the child. In the condition, that do not permit second-parent adoption, if somewhat takes place to the custodial parent, the remaining parent, still if they gave been raising the child for years, can be observed as a unfamiliar person in the sense of the law. The child may not be qualified for the non-custodial parents health insurance, social security or other insurance but that parent turns out to be debilitated. There is no other method which can be in the top attention of the child. Following are the reasons against Gay and Lesbian Adoptions: Florida disagrees that it has the right prohibition to gay adoptions since it is the states method of saying it criticizes of gay and lesbians becoming parents. The Florida court states that children are develop in homes with a mother and a father, who are married. A number of challengers fight that children of gay and lesbian parents will be the area under discussion to harassment and annoyance (Belge). Finally, this is the last and fourth section discussing about the rogerian discussion of solution. Gay couples are becoming a more common element of American society. Gays have lobbied, and in some cases at least, been awarded many of the rights that are granted to heterosexual couples (David 966). There are still many issues, however, that need to be worked out as to how gay couples fit in society and as to what rights they should be awarded (David 966). Many of these issues surround the question of whether gay couples could be fit parents (Campaigns and Elections 17). Interestingly, several states have actually banned adoptions by homosexuals (Campaigns and Elections 17). The purpose of this paper is to explore the question of whether gays should be allowed to adopt in the format of a Rogerian argument, an argument which is complete in a review of both sides of the issues and an argument which certainly results in a somewhat modified view of the positives verses the negatives of ho mosexual adoption. To do so, however, the thesis will be presented up front that: Although no scientific evidence exists that demonstrates gays would be bad parents, there are simply too many variables to be able to safely conclude they would not. To complete the Rogerian argument on homosexual adoption, we must clearly explain our elements of argument and disclaimer while at the same time avoid logical fallacies. Many feel that homosexual couples simply cannot form a nutritious family unit. There is, however, no data supporting or refuting this argument. Others argue that gays are just as capable of providing for the needs of a child as are heterosexuals. Here too, however, there is no facts demonstrating this or refuting it. Very simply, because the concept of homosexuals adopting children is a relatively new idea, no scientific studies exist that either support gay adoption or condemn it. While there is little to no facts available demonstrating that gays would be either good or bad parents, there is considerable facts showing the negative impacts of non-traditional parenting units. Consider, for example, the impacts that have been made in the name of feminism. This impact sometimes differs completely from our perceptions of the glitter and glory of modern feminism. Some of the women who have reached the peak of our quest for liberation from traditional responsibilities, responsibilities such as commitment, childrearing, and marriage, are often not really that happy or that successful. These women are more often characterized by high stress levels and emotional insecurity about whether they have really made the right life choices. The quality of parenting cannot help but be affected by this unhappiness. The point here is not that feminism is wrong but rather that immersing our children in a philosophical framework which so radically differed from the traditional frame work of earlier generations had impacts which no one had anticipated. The same could very well be true of immersing children in homosexual families. Single parent families are another example that can be used for guidance in understanding how non-traditional families can be less than optimum. These families face many unique problems related to the familial structure itself. Although the single parent structure itself does not make the single parent family inferior to traditional families, some problems ultimately result. Many more problems could be expected to result when that single parent lived a homosexual lifestyle. This is not to say that a homosexual couples in the role of the traditional mother/father unit would result in fewer problems for the child being raised in that environment, however. Problems would undoubtedly arise there as well. Among the more obvious are how would the child be accepted by its peers from heterosexual parents and how would the child form its view of gender roles? Conclusion In conclusion, the above research shows societies baseless fears against homosexual adoption. Most of these misconceptions are based on social stigmatization and stereotypes. Allowing homosexual couples to adopt will provide homes for orphans thus reducing the long-term use of foster care for children. Children flourish mentally and physically when they are afforded a stable and structured home. There is always a fear in the unknown but we cannot allow ourselves to keep the right of parenthood solely based on sexual orientation. I want you to know that I think my family is great, so why dont you people just stop all this hate? I know that love comes right from the heart. My parents taught me love from the start. -Hannah Jurs-Allen, fifth-grader, daughter of lesbian parents (Quotes from Gay Parents and Their Children). There is no exact and specific answer for the question of whether gays should be allowed to adopt a child. Certainly, there are more questions coming up than answers. Could the answer be one thing if the child being raised was intended as a subject matter of genetic makeup for homosexuality and an additional if that child were truthfully a heterosexual? The most relevant question, however is should we test with our children to find out? Logically says, no. The lack of research demonstrating that this would be in fact not unfavourably impact the child, says no.

MORPHINE Essay -- essays research papers fc

MORPHINE Morphine is a narcotic analgesic drug, which means that it is a downer painkiller. It is most commonly given intravenously (by injection) for more rapid results, but it can also effectively be given orally. It has a remarkable ability to reduce physical distress, and its calming effect protects against exhaustion in traumatic shock, internal hemorrhage, and several other conditions. This drug is truly a miracle worker. Morphine is an opiate, coming from the poppy seed. It was first isolated from opium in 1803 (some sources say 1806) by the German pharmacist F. W. A. Serturner, who named it after Morpheus, the god of dreams. Morphine was first used as a painkiller, and mistakenly, as a cure for opium addiction. Morphine quickly replaced opium as a cure-all recommended by doctors, not to mention its popularity as a recreational drug. The exchange of morphine addiction for that of alcohol was considered positive for the reason that alcohol was harder on the body, and more likely to trigger antisocial behavior. By the time heroin was discovered in 1874, morphine had already addicted hundreds of thousands of people. Soon heroin found its way to the level of morphine and codeine. Since the practice of selling patent medicines had no regulation until 1906, with the Pure Food and Drug Act, it was common to simply mail order any of these drugs. Morphine played a part in the American Civil War as well. Not only was it commonly the companion of a soldier injured on the fiel...

The Three Major Theoretical Perspectives in Sociology Essay -- Sociolo

Introduction Sociologists develop theories to explain and analyze society at different levels and from different perspectives. Sociologists study everything from the micro level of analysis of small social patterns to the â€Å"big picture† which is the macro level of analysis of large social patterns. Sociologists employ three major theoretical perspectives in sociology today. They are the structural-functionalist perspective, the conflict perspective, and the symbolic interactionism. The structural-functionalist perspective is done at a macro level and its focus is on the relationships between the parts of society. The Conflict perspective is done at a macro level and its main focus is on how the wealthy controls the poor and weak. Symbolic Interactionism is done at a micro and it focuses on the use of symbols and face to face interactions. Structural-Functionalist Perspective The structural-functionalist perspective looks at society as a complex system composed of various parts much like a living organism. Each aspect of society contributes to society's functioning as a whole. Social institutions play a key role in keeping a society stable. All societies need certain things to survive (Newman 2010). Auguste Comte (Newman 2010) pointed out the need to keep society unified as many traditions were diminishing. He created the term sociology. Auguste Comte suggests that sociology is the product of a three-stage development. Talcott Parson (Parsons 1951) sees society as a collection of systems within systems Parson determined that each individual has expectations of the other's action and reaction to his own behaviour, and that these expectations would be derived from the accepted norms and values of th... ...analyzing a social issue because neither of the perspectives solely addresses all the possibly circumstances of an issue. Works Cited Durkheim, Emile. 1915. The Elementary Forms of the Religious Life: A Study in Religious Sociology. Translated by Joseph Ward Swain. New York: Macmillan. Goffman, E. 1959. The presentation of self in everyday life. Garden City, NY: Double Day Parsons, Talcott. 1951. The Social System. Glencoe, IL: Free Press. Newman, David N.2010. Sociology: exploring the architecture of everyday life. Mead, G. H. 1934. Mind, self and society and society. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. Merton, Robert K. 1957. Social Theory and Social Structure. New York: Free Press. Mills, C. W. 1956. The power elite. New York Oxford University Press. Weber, M. 1947. The theory of social and economic organization. New York: Free Press.

Alcohol and College Students Essay examples -- Drinking Research Under

Alcohol and College Students Introduction:  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I decided to research alcohol, because of the large numbers of lives that alcohol ruins not only in the short run but also for the rest of peoples lives. Growing up I have witnessed many people who have developed alcohol problems at a young age and allowed it to take control of the way that they live their lives. It is obvious that alcohol has become a dangerous problem for college students in and out of the classroom. Research Methods:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To understand why alcohol is a problem for college students, I decided to survey a random sample of 26 students here at State U. I designed the survey to be a quick and effective way to obtain the drinking habits of college students in order to discover where possible alcohol problems may arise. I chose to survey a random sample of students in order to get a complete response from older students as well as some of the younger students.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The first questions I asked in my survey where how many days of the week do you drink, and what is your favorite drink. I asked these 2 simple questions just to get a feel for how often this person goes out and what this person usually drinks. I then wanted to find out whether or not students pre-game before they go out and party, so that was my next question. This will be an important question, because when students pre-game, they usually get hammered, then they will go out to a party and drink even more. In order to find out if students are also getting into drugs, I asked if a student has ever mixed alcohol with drugs. This question will be helpful in showing why students become attached to alcohol easily. Drugs will only make the need for alcohol increase. Drinking to relieve depression and to relax are also key points that go along with alcoholism, so it was almost necessary to ask those questions as well. Once a person begins to drink because of depression, it can swallow him/her right up, because alcohol will seem like the only way out for a person who is depressed. When students want to get drunk quick, they will usually use a beer bong to drink as many as 2 beers at a time. In order to find out which students do this, I asked how many students have ever used a beer bong.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Finally, my last 2 questions involve drinking and driving as well as receiving an underage. As everybody knows, drinking and driving... ...nses as well as the responses to my interview, I?ve decided that there are 2 main reasons why students develop dependence towards alcohol. The first and probably most important reason is that people start drinking extremely too early in their lives. As stated previously from the interview, the average person starts drinking at age 13. If a person starts drinking at age 13 then they most likely will revert to alcohol to help solve their problems. When students get older and are in college, the stress level increases. If a student is stressed out and has been drinking since age 13 then obviously the problem will only get worse from here. My research has showed that students do drink when they are depressed or stressed out, so I believe that keeping kids away from alcohol at a young age is the first step in solving alcoholic problems in college students. Conclusion:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To conclude, I?ve decided that no matter what, students will drink. The problem cannot be solved overnight either. However, we need to be able to recognize when a friend has a problem. If dependence does occur then it needs to be taken care of immediately. Alcohol is never the answer, nor is it ever going to be.

Islam Essay

1. The word â€Å"Islam† is derived form the Arabic root â€Å"asalama† which literally means peace, purity and submission. Thus Islam means â€Å"surrender to the Almighty† and Muslim means â€Å"one who is in a state of submission†. It is understood that this submission is to the Will of God, as is laid down in the Quran. This tenet is unequivocally accepted by all sects of Islam be they Shia, Sunni or Sufis. 2. Islam is an unerringly monotheistic religion. It enjoins the existence of one God, his prophet Muhammad who is the Last Prophet (khatam-in-nabiyin) in a long line of prophets sent throughout time and to every civilization, and the Quran as the Word of God revealed to Muhammad through the angel Jibrael. Muslims believe that God is one and incomparable and the purpose of life is to worship him and to adhere to his word, as laid down in the Quran, and in Sunnah (the normative practices of the Prophet), as closely as possible. They believe that Islam is the final, completed and universal version of a faith (Deen-e-Ibrahimi) revealed too many prophets before; most notably Abraham, Moses and Jesus, but whose message has now been distorted. 3. The practices of Islam are based on the ubiquitous â€Å"Five Pillars†. These are, in order of importance, Shahadah or acceptance of One-ness (Taw hid) of God, Salat or five daily Prayers, Saum or Fasting in the month of Ramadan, Zakat or obligatory Alms-giving, Hajj or Pilgrimage to the Kaabah (House of God) at least once in a lifetime, for those able to afford it. These five â€Å"Pillars of Faith† are incumbent upon every Muslim and form the basis for his belief. Some scholars say that the pillars in Shia Islam involve an additional four points in addition to the principal ones. Namely, Nabuwah or Prophet Hood of Muhammad, Jesus, Moses etc., Imamah or Leadership of the Tweleve Imams, Qiyamah or Day of Judgment and Adel or Justice. 4. The fundamental goals of Islam are a complete submission to God and adherence to the teachings of the Quran and the example of Sunnah. When a child is born he is â€Å"ordained† into Islam by reciting the Kalima (the verses outlining Tawhid) into his ear, and thereby giving Shahadah i.e. acknowledgement of the One-ness of God. Muslims must perform the ritual of prayer five times a day, fast and give alms in the month of Ramadan, and perform the pilgrimage to the Kaabah if he is of sound mind and body and is able to afford it. The principles of the Promotion of Virtue (amr bil-maaroof) and Prevention of Vice (nahi an-al-munkar) are long-standing and Muslims are expected to inculcate them in their dealings with others. As Islam enjoins peace and harmony with mankind and with nature there is a great emphasis placed on community. Indeed, the Muslim brethren at large are considered one community (Ummah), irrespective of political, cultural or physical barriers. A Muslim is encouraged to perform good deeds for the community (masawaat) and to call people to worship the One God (Dawah). 5. Authority in Islam remains with God. His injunctions, as laid down in the Quran, and the practices and teachings of the Prophet, Sunnah are to be followed in establishing a political structure. Traditionally the concept of political leadership was embodied by the â€Å"Great Caliphs† (Khulfa-e-Rashiduun), who succeeded Muhammad in leadership of the nascent Islamic Empire. This political set-up personified adherence to the Shariah, duty of the rulers to seek consultation or Shura and of censuring unjust rulers. It is widely believed that the â€Å"Great Four†, the four to succeed Muhammad in succession, were the only ones in practice true to the cause of Islam and subsequent rulers fell victim to dynastic politics and greed. With the fall of the Ottoman Empire there was an abolition of the Caliphate, no matter how symbolic, and closure of the traditional Islamic political setup. Shia Islam has a theological concept of the Imamate. This term is often used interchangeably with the Caliphate but has very different connotations. The Shia believes that it is a divine institution succeeding the Last prophet and the Imams divinely chosen. The chosen Imams take up the mantle of religious, political, social etc. leader of all the Ummah. Traditionally Shia followers and scholars have shown political aloofness or activism against what was viewed as an increasingly corrupt caliphate. 6. The legal ideal in Islam resides with God. His injunctions form the basis for Islamic Law or Shariah. Shariah derives from two sources: divine revelations set forth in the Quran, and the normative practices of the Holy Prophet, Sunnah, as pertained to everyday matters. Fiqh or Jurisprudence extends on matters not directly touched upon in these primary sources. The foundations for Fiqh come from Ijma or consensus of learned scholars and qiyas, analogy from quran and Sunnah. Shia jurisprudence replaces this with aql or â€Å"reason†. Shariah law is not widespread, and even in Muslim countries there are often parallel justice systems. In countries where it enjoys official status Shariah is upheld by the qadis. Shariah has widespread implications; from matters of politics and economics to diet and personal hygiene. Shia scholars employ a different tack. According to them sources of law (usul-e-fiqh) are: Quran, Sunnah, the practices of the Twelve Imams and aql (reason). 7. Islamic philosophy and theology have more or less a harmonious perspective. Theology in Islam centers on six main articles of belief; Belief in One God (Tawhid), Belief in the Last Prophet (Nabi) and all the Messengers of God (Rasul), belief in Angels (Malaika), books sent by god (kutub), judgment (qiyamah) and predestination (qadar). Islamic philosophy as produced in an Islamic society is not exclusively concerned with religious matters nor is it wholly Islamic in origin; rather it has grounds in Hellenistic and Pre-Islamic Indian traditions. The golden age of Islamic philosophy is centered on the 8th to 12th centuries and exemplified Averroes and Avicenna. The first aspect of theology is Kalam which deals with theological questions and the other is Falsafa based on Aristotelianism. Kalam centers on ijtihad or using thought to investigate the doctrines of the Quran, while Falsafa was mainly concerned with the translation of Greek and Hindu texts and expounding them to the community at large. It is quite possible for a Muslim to hold separate philosophical and theological beliefs; believing on the one hand in the Aristotelian principle that the existence of the world is not only a possibility but also a necessity, and also valuing the fact that existence of the world in due only to God. The Shia school of thought differs only in what it considers purely theological matters i.e. Roots of religion (Usul e-Din) and Branches of Faith (Furu-e-Din) 8. By the end of the 12th century, the Islamic Empire was a vast entity. Stretching from beyond the shores of the Mediterranean to much of India. Thus Islamic art and architecture shows wide and varied themes, each influenced by the culture and climate of the particular land. The principal Islamic architectural styles are the mosque, tomb, fort and palace and from these an idea of the recurring themes may be gleaned. Soon after Muhammad, a recognizable style of architecture emerged comprising interior vaulted spaces, a circular dome and decorative arabesques. The great mosque of Samarrah in Iraq, the Dome of the Rock in Jerusalem, and the Hagia Sofia in Turkey are prime examples. The conquest of the Persian Empire in the 7th century introduced large arcades and arches. Moorish architecture is perhaps the most familiar example in the western world. The Great Mosque (Mezquita) in Cordova, the Alhambra and the fort of Granada introduced wide breezy interiors and decorative foliage and Arabic inscription motifs. Mughal architecture has built a class of its own. Perhaps the most famous is the Taj Mahal, built in white marble entirely in symmetry with large minarets and cupola domes. The Mughals also introduced gardens as a relevant theme in their architecture, most famously the Shalimar Gardens. While theology does not have a very significant impact on Islamic architecture a recurring theme is the absence of human or animal imagery, widely considered to be forbidden by the Prophet. Instead calligraphic inscriptions of the Quran and geometric patterns replace as decorative influences.