The Death Of The Author - 1194 Words

In the French theorist’s Roland Barthes’s essay, â€Å"The Death of the Author,† he explores that reading is done through a lens of the authors life. According the Dictionary.com, to read is to â€Å"comprehend the meaning of (written or printed matter) by mentally interpreting the characters or symbols of which it is composed.† Barthes argues that the reader spends to much time allowing the author’s identity to get in the way of comprehending the meaning of the ‘written or printed matter.’ He then goes on to say that reading is way more than just a means to use to judge the author. He proclaims that we stop thinking â€Å"the birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the author† (257). In other words, he means the only way we can understand a work of writing is to disregard â€Å"the authors, his person, his life, his taste, his passions† (254) because the readers should not use these things in a bias when i nterpreting a piece of writing. He does not want the reader to be blinded by what the think of the author. Barthes says that we must disregard the essence of the author, I say we use it to further our interpretation of the piece of writing we are reading. While reading Barthes essay for the first time, I thought that what he said was obvious. I was saying to myself, â€Å"of course, I don’t care about the author life! I just care about what is written on this page.† I really did want to agree with Barthes, at first read, he made total sense. Ironically enough, while reading hisShow MoreRelatedDeath and the Author1733 Words   |  7 PagesWe all struggle with our own immortality, many authors use death to declare their thoughts and beliefs on what it feels like, and what happens during the process of death. Stories such as Dorothy Richardson’s â€Å"Death† and Katherine Anne Porter’s â€Å"The Jilting of Granny Weatherall†, use a stream of conscious narration to get across to the reader that death is different and one in the same for everyone. R ichardson and Porter use the stream of consciousness to add depth to their characters, and to tellRead MoreDeath of the Author864 Words   |  4 Pages‘Death of the Author’ Analysis Roland Barthes is a French literary philosopher born in 1915. In one of his theories ‘Death of the author’ he argues that by â€Å"giving a text an author is to impose a limit on that text†. He claims that having knowledge of the author’s background and purpose for the text restricts the readers imaginative license to build their own interpretations, and that the author and text are completely unrelated. Barthes declares, The death of the author is the birth of theRead MoreEssay on Critique Of death Of The Author775 Words   |  4 Pagesquot;Death of the Authorquot; nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The title to the story quot;The Death of an Author,quot; by Roland Barthes, suggests this story may be a fictional novel about the story of an authors death. Perhaps one might pick it up, and skim the foreword in hopes that beneath the cover of this book there would be a mystery, a story of detectives, eye- witnesses, clues, and a puzzle for the reader to solve. Before I read this story, the title quot;The Death of an Authorquot;Read MoreThe Author of the Black Death: John Aberth Essay828 Words   |  4 PagesAuthor, John Aberth was born on July 6, 1963. He currently lives in Roxbury, Vermont and serves as an associate academic dean at Castleton State College. There he teaches several history class. He has also taught at many other colleges in Vermont, including the University of Vermont. In 1992, John Aberth received his Ph.D. from the University of Cambridge in Medieval Studies after he received his masters from the University of Leeds. He is the author of five books, whose main focus is the effectsRead MoreEssay on An Analysis of Roland Barthes’ Death of the Author2707 Words   |  11 PagesAn Analysis of Roland Barthes’ Death of the Author â€Å"The birth of the reader must be at the cost of the death of the Author.† – Roland Barthes Must the Author be dead to make way for the birth of the reader? In Roland Barthes’ essay â€Å"The Death of the Author,† Barthes asserts that the Author is dead because the latter is no longer a part of the deep structure in a particular text. To him, the Author does not create meaning in the text: one cannot explain a text by knowing aboutRead MoreFacing Death in Tuesdays with Morrie, the author, Mitch Albom814 Words   |  3 Pagessociety as a civilization we are constantly being reminded of death. In Tuesdays with Morrie, the author, Mitch Albom, conveys the story of his professor, Morrie Schwartz, whom is dealing with a life threatening disease. In his life Mitch is so caught up materialistic possessions that he begins to lose focus on the true meaning in life. After this realization Mitch comes in contact with Morrie and writes down on a piece of paper a list, â€Å"death, fear, aging, greed, marriage, family, society, forgivenessRead MoreAuthor Mill er’s Death Of A Salesman: A Family’s Misguided Attempt At The American Dream 707 Words   |  3 Pages Death of a salesman is a two-act play set in the late 1940s. The death of a salesman is a tragic story of one family’s failed attempt to live the American dream. Majority of the action in the play takes place in the Loman’s home and yard. The Loman family consists of Wily, Linda and their two sons Biff and Happy. Overall I consider Death of A Salesman a fascinating Play. To begin with I found my self-having difficulty reading the play. I immediately began writing off the play as another story ofRead Moreâ€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† and â€Å"Annabel Lee†: Similarities, Differences, and Their Authors1494 Words   |  6 Pageswords and sentences. This is the case, for example, of Edgar Allan Poe’s poem â€Å"Annabel Lee† and Emily Dickinson’s poem â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death.† Both poems focus on the same theme of death, but while Poe’s poem reflects that death is an atrocious event because of the suffering and struggle that it provokes, Dickinson’s poem reflects that death is humane and that it should not be feared as it is inevitable. The two poems have both similarities and differences, and the themes and characteristicsRead MorePersonification Of Death859 Words   |  4 Pagesof death is unknown to everyone. Death is eternal. A person cannot come back to tell the l iving about the death experience. Death is the one aspect of life that is guaranteed no matter what the circumstance. In the poem, â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death† by Emily Dickinson, she uses personification, symbols and metaphors to portray death as a person. In the poem, â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death†, Emily Dickinson personifies Death. In the first line, â€Å"Because I could not stop for Death†, theRead MoreWilliam Shakespeare s Everyman, The Summoning Of Everyman1378 Words   |  6 Pagesinterpretation. However, Death takes most of critical role (Goldhamer, 1973). Everyman is the main character but without Death, the play would lack its illuminative and illustrative nature. Nonetheless, the author depicts Death as the messenger of God, cruel judge as well as rescuer of humankind. According to the author, human kind is supposed to be answerable for the mistakes committed by Adam. Indeed, the bad deed raises the sins of Everyman Perception and treatment of Death The author of the play, notwithstanding

Five Factor Theory Free Essays

One of the long held goals of psychology has been to establish a model that can conveniently describe human personality and disorders therein, with the intent to use this model in the remedying of personality disorders and improving general understanding of personality. Currently, a handful of models have risen to prominence, and have thus far stood the test of time. Some models are more generally accepted than others. We will write a custom essay sample on Five Factor Theory or any similar topic only for you Order Now Support for some models seems to come and go in cycles. One of the more prominent models in contemporary psychology is what is known as the five-factor model of personality. This theory incorporates five different variables into a conceptual model for describing personality. These five different factors are often referred to as the â€Å"Big 5†. The five-factor theory is among the newest models developed for the description of personality, and this model shows promise to be among the most practical and applicable models available in the field of personality psychology. Thorough critical attention is given to the proposal that the five-factor model is in fact a great theory. As it became evident to many psychologists that, mathematically, combinations of five factors were useful in describing personality, there was a need to clearly define what these factors were. Indeed, this process led to some dissent in the ranks. One dissenter from the five-factor theorists was renowned psychologist H. J. Eysenck. Eysenck felt that, due to overlaps in the five factors and their correlates, in fact a three-factor model was more appropriate and accurate. His theory is called the PEN model (which stand for psychoticism, extroversion, neuroticism), or sometimes is even shortened to the two factor E-IN model (extroversion-introversion, neuroticism). Many psychologists support Eysenck’s PEN model. However, of the major â€Å"factor-analytic models†¦ the Big Five dominates the landscape of current psychological research† (Ewen, 1998, p. 141). Through extensive debating and experimenting, there is currently a general consensus in the realms of scholarly psychology as to the identity of the five factors, and their basic interpretations and values to analysis of personality. The five factors are extroversion-introversion, neuroticism, agreeableness, conscientiousness, and openness. Extroversion has long been one of the traits that has appeared in factor-analytic models, and is one of the two traits to appear in both the five-factor model and Eysenck’s PEN and E-IN models. Extroversion also is sometimes referred to as social adaptability, though the popularity of this term seems to be waning. Extroversion is defined as a trait characterized by a keen interest in other people and external events, and venturing forth with confidence into the unknown. Neuroticism is the other trait to play a role in most of the contemporary factor models for personality. In some studies, adjustment is examined as a factor, instead of neuroticism. In this case, higher scores will indicate a positive result, consistent with the other four factors. This is because the term neuroticism has an inherent negative denotation (Bradshaw, 1997). The bases of neuroticism are levels of anxiety and volatility. Within these bounds, neuroticism is a dimension of personality defined by stability and low anxiety at one end as opposed to instability and high anxiety at the other end. Openness, agreeableness, and conscientiousness are all terms with which most people outside the realm of psychology are familiar. In general, openness refers to how willing people are to make adjustments in notions and activities in accordance with new ideas or situations. Agreeableness measures how compatible people are with other people, or basically how able they are to get along with others. Conscientiousness refers to how much a person considers others when making decisions. As with the two factors in the big five from Eysenck’s E-IN, these three are also placed on sliding scales. These three scales, like neuroticism and extroversion, slide between their limits to give a clear picture of personality. The limits of these scales give a clear idea of their applications and are defined as trusting and helpful versus suspicious and uncooperative (agreeableness), hard working and reliable versus lazy and careless (conscientiousness), and nonconformist and creative versus conventional and down-to-earth (openness). Never the less, there are many other theorist who have evaluated the five factor theory in a much boarder aspect. These researchers began by studying all known personality traits and then factor- analyzing hundreds of measures of these traits in self-report and questionnaire data, peer rating and objective measures from experimental settings in order to find the basic, underlying factors of personality. The big five factors of personality are five broad domains or dimensions of personality which have been scientifically discovered to define human personality at the highest level of the organization. These five over-arching domains have been found to ontain and subsume more or less all known personality traits within their five domains and to represent the basic structure behind all personality traits. They have brought order to the often-bewildering array of specific lower level personality concepts that are constantly being proposed by psychologists, which are often found to be overlapping and confusing. These five factors provide a rich conceptual frame work for integrating all the research fi ndings and theory in personality psychology. Three sets of researchers have worked independently for decades on this problem and have indentified generally the same Five Factors. They are Goldberg at the Oregon Research Institute, Cattell at the University of Illinois, and Costa and McCrae at the National Institutes of Health. These three sets of researchers used somewhat different methods in finding the five traits, and thus each set of five factors has somewhat different names and definitions. However, all three sets have been found to be highly inter-correlated and factor-analytically aligned. The Big Five Factors are commonly known as Openness, Conscientiousness, Extraversion, Agreeableness and Neuroticism, also Known as OCEAN or CANOE. OPENNESS Openness is a general appreciation for art, emotion, adventure, unusual ideas, imagination, curiosity, and variety of experience. The trait distinguishes imaginative people from down-to-earth conventional people. People who are open to experience are intellectually curious, appreciative of art, and sensitive to beauty. They tend to be, compared to closed people more creative and more aware of their feeling. They are more likely to hold unconventional beliefs. In addition, people with low scores on openness tend to have more conventional, traditional interest. They prefer the plain, straight forward and obvious over the complex, ambiguous and subtle. They may regard the arts and sciences with suspicion, regarding these endeavours as abstruse or of no practical use. Close people prefer familiarity over novelty. They are conservative and resistant to change. CONSCIENTIOUSNESS Conscientiousness is the tendency to show self-discipline, act dutifully and aim for achievement. The trait shows a preference for planned rather than spontaneous behaviour. It influences the way in which we control, regulate, and direct our impulses. Conscientiousness includes the factor known as Need for Achievement or NAch. It is obvious that the benefits of conscientiousness are high. Conscientious individuals avoid trouble and achieve high levels of success through purposeful planning and persistence. They are also positively regarded by others as intelligent and reliable. On the negative side, they can be compulsive perfectionists and workaholics. EXTRAVERSION Extraversion is characterized by positive emotions, surgency and the tendency to seek out stimulation and the company of others. The trait is marked by pronounced engagement with the external world. Extraverts enjoy being with people and are often perceived as full of energy. They tend to be enthusiastic, action oriented individuals who are likely to say â€Å"I most certainly will! † or â€Å"Come on let’s go! † to opportunities that will excite them. When placed in groups they are likely the first to talk, and assert themselves, just to draw attention to themselves. However, Introverts lack the exuberance, energy and activity levels of extraverts. These individuals tend to be quiet, low-key, deliberate, and less involved in society. Their lack of social involvement should not be interpreted as shyness or depression. Introverts simply need less stimulation than extraverts and more time alone. AGREEABLENESS Agreeableness is a tendency to be compassionate and cooperative rather than suspicious and antagonistic towards others. The trait reflects individual differences in general concern for social harmony. Agreeable individuals value getting along with others. They are generally considerate, friendly, generous, helpful and willing to compromise their interests with others. Agreeable people also have an optimistic view of human nature. They believe people are basically honest, decent and trustworthy. On the other hand, disagreeable individuals place self-interst above getting along with others. They are generally unconcerned with others’ well being and are less likely to extend themselves for other people. Sometimes their scepticism about others’ motives causes them to be suspicious, unfriendly and uncooperative. NEUROTICISM Neuroticism is the tendency to experience negative emotions, such as anger, anxiety or depression. Emotional instability it is sometime called. Individuals who score high in neuroticism are emotionally reactive and vulnerable to stress. They are more likely to interpret ordinary situations as threatening and minor frustrations as hopelessly difficult. Their negative emotional reactions tend to persist for unusually long periods of time, which means they are often in a bad mood. These problems in emotional regulation can diminish the ability of a person scoring high on neuroticism to think clearly, make decisions and cope effectively with stress. However, on the other end of the scale, those who score low in neuroticism are less easily upset and are less emotionally reactive. These individuals tend to be calm, emotionally stable, and free from persistent negative feelings. Freedom from negative feelings does not mean that low scorers experience a lot of positive feelings. Frequency of positive emotions is a component of the Extraversion domain. How to cite Five Factor Theory, Papers

Countryside v.sCity Life free essay sample

Have you ever thought about your birth place? Do you make your own decision where to live? I believe every person, in a certain time, think about the place they should live: countryside or city? To make the best choice, we must look at three big differences between countryside and city: the environment, education, entertainment. First of all, the countryside has a quiet and peaceful environment. Since most people living in the countryside make their living mainly on farming, the atmosphere is kept fresh and healthy. They are living close to the nature with green vegetables, pure water. In the countryside, people are neither in a hurry, nor anxious. They can stay in their house until they feel the need to visit their farm. On the contrary, the city has a busy and stressful environment. Everyday city dwellers have to face with pollution by noise and smoke from a huge amount of vehicles. We will write a custom essay sample on Countryside v.sCity Life or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Since many people work in factories or offices, and they also get paid by working hours, every day they are full of schedules and plans. As a result, they are suffering more pressures than those living in the countryside. The next difference between city and countryside is education. In the countryside, there are not many high graded school, many students have to go to the big city for higher education. While schools in the countryside don’t provide much services for students, many schools in the big city are equipped with modern labs supporting for practice and research. Others with workshops on or off campus give the learners the best training for later work. Schools in big cities also offer many activities for low grade students like field trips and boys and girls club. In higher levels, with many exhibitions, fairs, festivals and conferences, students are much easier to do their researches. Entertainment is another concern of many people. In the countryside, entertainment is only in some physical activities: fishing, biking, hiking, swimming. These things, in fact, are only practice outside and sometime not enough for the human nonstop needs. In big cities, there are more culture activities like concerts and cinemas making the richness of mental life. Entertainment of the nightlife including casinos, clubs, hotels, recreation and shopping centers, gyms, fashion centers, contributes to the liveliness of a city, which we are hardly find in the countryside. In conclusion, both countryside and city has their own values. Therefore, people can choose living in the countryside or in the city depending on their most needs. For me, each person only has one life. We are not able to choose the birth place but we completely can choose the place to live. That is the part of reaching our most optimal peak of life. Once we look back we are proud of the happy time we have ever lived in that place.

Different Aspects Of Love Essay Example

Different Aspects Of Love Essay A tragic love story of two star cross lovers which reveal many aspects of love. The impetuous Romeo certainly demonstrates different responses as love develops.In the opening scenes, Romeos mother, Lady Montague, asks Benvolio, Romeos friend if he knows his where abouts. Dramatically the audience learns of Romeos troubled mind. From this you can see Romeo is love sick and depressed. (I i 11) Shuts up his windows, locks fair daylight out and makes himself an artificial night. His sadness, tears orgmenting and deep sighs. You can see this when Romeo enters the scene. Benvolio is asked by Lady Montague and Montague why Romeo is so depressed and the reason for his mood.Romeo is in love with a lady called Rosaline but is out of favor with her. Romeo has never been in love before and hasnt experienced the emotion in which he is feeling. Romeo is enjoying being in love, never before has he felt this way about anyone. The language reflects Romeos confusion and is obvious from the metaphors t hat Romeos view of love is imaginary and not real. How would he know if this feeling he got was love, he hasnt had any feelings for anyone else! Later during the scene, Romeo is still wallowing in unrequited love. Rosaline does not love Romeo back and Benvolio suggests to Romeo that there are plenty of beauties out there. Romeo does not want to hear this at all.Romeos friends persuade him to go to the Capulets party. They gathered that Romeo might find someone fairer than Rosaline. Romeo agreed to go the party because of the fact he read that Rosaline would be attending the party.The convention of the ball was Masks and this would allow easy entry for Romeo and his friends into their enemys house. Romeo sets out to find Rosaline but immediately falls in love at first sight, with Juliet. Oh she doth teach the torches to shine bright (I 5 45). Romeo uses religious imagery which is symbolic that love is deeper, and suggests the idea of meeting with great passion. It is written as a son net which makes the event much more important. This is a form of poetry which reflects the language, especially love poetry in Shakespeares time.Juliet feels the same way for Romeo as he does for her, and they both realize they have fallen in love with the enemy. Romeos love for Juliet means him risking his safety to be with his love. Romeo is prepared to risk everything, even his family name for Juliets sake. The marriage must remain a secret and Friar Lawrence agrees to help the young lovers. Romeo must make practical arrangements with the nurse for the wedding nightAfter the success of the secret marriage, Romeos attitude towards his enemies, the Capulets changes. Tybalt challenges Romeo to a duel and Romeo refuses. Mercutio especially and Romeos other friends are angered and insulted with his refusal to fight. Tragedy occurs when Romeo tries to prevent Mercutio and Tybalt fighting. For a moment in time, Romeos friendship for Mercutio overcomes his love for Juliet and his marriag e, guilt and sorrow at his friend death vanishes his intensions to be loving towards his in laws, killers of his friend. In revenge Romeo kills Tybalt and is vanished.Romeo is distraught in what he has done; Juliet is his love, his soul mate, being without such love, unimaginable. This will destroy her. Friar Lawrence tries to comfort Romeo, but Romeo ignores his attempt to stop him weeping and tries to stab himself. The friar tells Romeo to be a man and to comfort his love, his wife.The nurse brought a ring from Juliet to Romeo which makes him realize that this tragedy has not destroyed what they have- each other and their love for one another. To send a ring in Shakespeares time was a token of love. Some people might do that today, where others use it as a sign of friendship. Romeo would not physically do anything to hurt Juliet and cares more about Juliet than his own sorrow. The poetry of the lovers wedding night reflects the emotion of their love.That night, Romeo has a dream t hat his lady found him dead. This is a sense of dramatic irony (5 1 6).Back with the nurse at Juliets house, she has been proposed to by a rich young man, and is to marry him this coming Thursday. Juliet panics and doesnt know what to do. She tries to send a message to Romeo to tell him of her death, but it fails to get there. Juliet has everything planned, she is willing to give up everything, her life, well nearly, to be with Romeo and so she swallows the poison.Balfazar hears of Juliets death and at once tells Romeo, but Balfazar does not know that Juliet will wake from her long sleep, to make a new start with Romeo.Romeo cannot live alone; his word also suggests his eternal quality of his love and defies even the stars to join his lady in death. Here once again, Romeo is willing to give up his life as he can not bare not to be with his love, Juliet. Love is consuming as Romeo found out.

Core Knowledge and Skills for Primary Mental Health Care Practice

Core Knowledge and Skills for Primary Mental Health Care Practice Free Online Research Papers Depression has been described as the common cold of mental health problems (Hotopf, 1996) and 90 % of depression is managed in primary care (Mann, 1992). The National Service Framework (NSF, DoH, 1999) identifies cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) as a major component of primary mental health care services, as it has a strong effectiveness research tradition (Salkovskis, 2002). CBT is a short term, structured form of therapy that provides clients with a rationale for understanding their problems (Blackburn Davidson, 1990). CBT requires a sound therapeutic alliance; the therapist should demonstrate warmth, genuine regard and competence (Beck, 1995). It follows the premise that psychological problems arise as a direct consequence of faulty patterns of thinking and behaviour (Maphosa et al, 2000). In mild depression the person ruminates on negative themes and CBT examines the effects of people’s thoughts on how they feel and what they do (J. Williams, 1997). It is now com mon to draw out the central elements of CBT to offer a more condensed intervention (Teasdale, 1985). Self-help materials are usually given to clients as homework (Richards et al, 2003). Bower et al (2001) found that self-help techniques can have considerable impact on a broad range of mental health problems. Guided self-help should be considered for clients with mild depression. It is a collaborative form of psychotherapy; the client learns new skills of self-management that they can put into practice in their daily lives (DoH, 2003). The following analysis examines the role-play of a primary care graduate mental health worker (PCGMHW). These workers were part of a government plan to enhance mental health services in primary care (DoH, 2000). Throughout this analysis strengths and weaknesses of the therapist will be discussed and what improvements can be made to the demonstrated clinical skills. Introduction to the session The objective of assessment is to find out about the difficulties that are impacting upon a client’s life and to inform decisions of interventions to be offered, taking into consideration the client’s own perceptions of the nature and cause of the problems (Maphosa et al, 2000). The referral letter can lead preliminary decisions about the assessment; usually the information provided in the letter is quite restricted so an assessment is necessary to build on this (Maphosa et al, 2000). The initial meeting is a critical part of the session as this is when the therapeutic relationship begins (Newell, 1994). The therapist began the role-play by greeting the client and introducing herself and then ascertained by what name the client preferred to be known. She immediately gave an overview of the session, as small talk may prolong the client’s anxiety around divulging personal information to a stranger (Newell, 2000). She proceeded to explain her role though only briefly and did not explain comprehensively the nature of self-help and in what way she would act as a facilitator to these sessions; this is a crucial part of acquainting the client to the sessions, as the client may be unaware of why his referral was made and what is to be expected throughout the session. A therapist would want to remove uncertainty in this situation as it detracts the client’s attention away from the session ( Newell, 2000). Session length was clarified; this helps to reduce anxiety and to give the client the opportunity to prioritise the issues to be discussed (Newell, 2000). An agenda was touched on at the start, though the therapist ought to have outlined the procedures to be followed during the process and exactly why the information was needed and to what purpose it would be put. This helps motivate the client to cooperate and improves trust (Purtilo Haddad, 1996). Within primary care the number of sessions a client should expect is six, recent studies have illustrated that this had comparable outcomes to 12 sessions (Newman et al, 1997). However, this, and how often future sessions would be was not made clear to the client. In forthcoming sessions the therapist will incorporate this information, as Barkham et al. (1996) determined that improvements were more rapid when limits were placed on the number of sessions. An essential part of initiating the client to the session is establishing the rules around confidentiality. The client should feel that their privacy is respected but also understand that confidence needs to be broken if theirs or someone else’s safety is at risk (Davies, 1997). In this role-play the client was advised of issues in relation to confidentiality, he was made aware of when confidentiality may be broken and why notes were being taken and assured they would be kept locked away. Note taking should not interfere with the communication process (Munro et al, 1989). The therapist demonstrated good verbal interaction while note taking. Information Gathering and Questioning Style The body of the interview is aimed at attaining the objectives. In this role-play the therapist is interested in learning the causes of the client’s presenting depression and how it is affecting his daily routine. The interview is more than an information gathering process: it is the first stage of active management. This may be the first opportunity for a patient to tell his full story or to be taken seriously, and the experience should be cathartic in itself (Davies, 1997). Open questions are used at the beginning to get a general idea of the client’s difficulties at that time, these encourage clients to talk and to concentrate on the present situation and help establish a rapport (Davies, 1997). This was demonstrated when the therapist asked for the client’s view on how he sees life at the moment and if he thought the term depression â€Å"fits† with how he feels. Such questioning allows the client free rein to discuss issues of relevance to him. The therapist should proceed to specific open questions (Newell, 2000). These include the 4 Ws, the core essentials for a structured interview. These are questions used to identify ‘what’, ‘where’, ‘with whom’ and ‘when’ does the client notice his problems becoming worse or easier (Briddon et al, 2003). In this role-play they are not laid out in such an obvious, rote manner. For example, â€Å"do you have a good relationship with your manager?†, â€Å"how’s everything with your partner?† are used to identify if he is having any social or personal relationship difficulties. Questions relating to support networks give an understanding of how the patient organises his life and whether he has close confiding relationships. While knowledge of his occupation gives an insight into his life style, financial security and network of relationships. Lack of these has been found to be vulnerability factors for depre ssion (Brown Harris, 1978). In this situation the therapist asked about these issues to determine if anything else was impacting on the client’s depression. Throughout the role-play the therapist used the client’s answers to form the next question; this makes the session more interactive and not too formal. Clients with depression do not want to have to answer lists of questions but want an opportunity to talk comfortably, and the therapist needs a chance to listen carefully (American Psychiatric Association, 2000). Sessions delivered within a cognitive behavioural framework aim to elicit the client’s difficulties in terms of the autonomic, behavioural and cognitive (ABC) aspects surrounding depression. At this stage the therapist incorporates closed questions. These are used to elicit specific information and form a checklist of symptoms often found in depression (Davies, 1997), such as poor appetite, sleep, concentration (France Robson, 1997). The effect these have on his work and home life and any other problems which may be contributing factors to the overall picture (France Robson, 1997). The triggers for depression vary, for some there will be a clear reason but for others the reasons are less clear (Briddon et al, 2003). During the role-play the therapist asks questions about â€Å"talk of redundancy at work†, this is done in a circuitous way, e.g., â€Å"so it’s problems at work, that feeling of stress, would that be right?†, rather than directly asking the client if he thinks this is the trigger. In future situations it would be preferable to do so as it would further integrate the client into the session. Garland et al (2002) highlight key questions to establish the presence of reduced and unhelpful activity. The therapist in this role-play asks, â€Å"is there anything†¦you’ve stopped doing?† â€Å"have you started doing anything†¦more than you would have before?† Asking such questions helps the client begin to identify his own vicious circle of depression (Garland et al, 2002). This process of starting with open questions, then asking specific open questions and then closed questions is described as ‘funnelling’ (Briddon et al, 2003). To get to the key thoughts that the client is having about his present situation the therapist introduces Socratic questioning, which is aimed at guided discovery (Padesky, 1993). The client mentions that he feels useless and a failure, the thera pist pursue this thought and asks, â€Å"if people did think you were a failure what would that mean for you?† In future sessions the therapist would examine these thoughts further with a view to helping the client challenge his negative thoughts, however, that was out of the scope of this role-play. At times the therapist was leading the client in his answers, e.g., â€Å"so it could be possible you’re feeding off everyone else’s fears?† rather than guiding him to his answers, she could be more mindful of the Socratic technique in further sessions. In this role-play the therapist asks about suicide and self-harm utilising a frank approach, while letting the client know that these thoughts are common. Dexter and Wash (1995) advocate considering all clients with depression as potentially suicidal. Such thoughts are common in people with mental health problems and can be frightening, sufferers are often relieved to find someone to share with and to learn that these thoughts are common (Davies, 1997). The therapist could have pursued this area further, although she asked the client if he felt he had a good support network, this does not necessarily mean that he had someone he felt he could confide in. Problem Formulation When the therapist was satisfied that the relevant areas had been covered she ‘recapped’ what she considered to be pertinent information. The aim of the interview is to pull together the idiosyncratic components of the problem, to identify problem triggers and the overall impact so that the therapist and client are able to consider the next steps (Maphosa et al, 2000). Giving the client a clear conceptualisation of their problem has been associated with beneficial clinical outcome (Power Brewin, 1997). At this point the therapist asked â€Å"do you think that’s everything, is there anything else that’s causing you stress?† and â€Å"do you think that fits with how you feel at the moment?† This allows the client to reflect on the information he has given the therapist and confirm whether the therapist has accurately captured it. Once formulated the effects of the client’s problems should be illustrated to the client using a simple experiment (France Robson, 1997). In this role-play the therapist introduced the client to the ABC model using a diagram (see appendix 1). The ABC model presents a visual representation of the meaning of emotion for both therapist and client and imparts a depiction of the client’s individual experience of emotion. It illustrates the ‘vicious circle’ of depression (Briddon et al, 2003). In the role-play the therapist explained to the client in what ways the different aspects impact on each other. This association crucially enhances the client’s self-esteem and removes a sense of exclusion (France Robson, 1997). The rationale of how depression comes about and how it can be treated can bring a feeling of control and hope (Blackburn Davidson, 1990). Explanations of psychological symptoms and problems likely to be useful to clients include explanation of feedback mechanisms between thoughts, emotions and behaviour (Cape et al, 2000). In the role-play the therapist also looks at the effects the environment has on the model, as something in the environment is quite often the trigger for depression. Decision Making Once the links between A, B and C had been established the therapist introduced possible service options as a way to break the cycle of depression. However, these were only briefly introduced, e.g., â€Å"a good place to start would be your behaviour†¦maybe phone a friend.† In future sessions the therapist will explain why behaviour is a good place to start, as a rationale for interventions enhances greater client involvement and understanding of their difficulties (Newell, 2000). One of the main reasons that therapists’ instructions are not followed is due to inadequate communication skills (Sanson-Fisher Maguire, 1980). Sleep hygiene, looking at negative thought patterns and problem solving were also offered as interventions. These are technical terms that could have been clarified further. Clear problems evolve from this; if the client cannot understand what is being explained to him important information may be missed (Purtilo Haddad, 1996). It also ex cludes the client from the collaborative process of his own therapy. Furthermore, the client may feel his situation is not being taken seriously (Cassell, 1982). The therapist can further confuse the client by jumping from one topic to the next and failing to summarise or to ask the client to do so (Purtilo Haddad, 1996). Anti-depressant medication had been discussed earlier in the session, further consideration was not given to this as an intervention as the client had decided not to pursue that option and NICE guidelines (2004) do not recommend anti-depressant medication for mild depression. While outlining the service options in future sessions, the therapist will give the client more time to consider each one as thinking processes are slowed and negatively biased in depression (Garland et al, 2002); and give the client an opportunity to feedback on each option. In the role-play the client was given a copy of the ABC-E model and the different service options available, this augments what has been discussed in the session, as it is unlikely that the client will have retained in detail what had been discussed (Garland et al, 2002). At the end of the session the therapist gave the client self-help booklets on sleep problems and information on depression, it was not within the scope of the role-play to discuss these booklets in detail, however, information in this format helps the client focus on issues discussed in session and areas of his life that he would like to prioritise. Use of self-help materials is helpful in enhancing suggestions for change (Kupshik Fisher, 1999). Interpersonal Skills Rogers (1967) posited that the fundamental therapist manner of empathy, congruence and unconditional positive regard are both necessary and sufficient for implementing therapeutic change in clients. Empathy signifies to the client that the therapist has understood the feeling the client is experiencing. Balint (1969) described patient-centred medicine as â€Å"understanding the patient as a unique human being†. Concepts such as ‘user involvement’ and ‘patient empowerment’ became active in health policy during the late 1980s and 1990s (e.g., NHS Executive, 1996). Patients are considered to be active ‘consumers’ who have the right to a certain standard of treatment with access to information and should be actively involved in their treatment (Mead Bower, 2000). In patient-centred care developing a therapeutic alliance is a prerequisite instead of an ’extra’ and enhances the sense of partnership and increases client perce ption of the relevance or potency of an intervention (Mead Bower, 2000). Throughout the role-play the therapist makes reference to therapist and client collaboration when identifying the different service options available, she continually emphasised that the options would be something worked on together. Engaging in a positive therapeutic relationship allows the client to feel free to discuss emotional problems; an association of positive therapeutic relationship with clinical outcome is one of the most robust findings in psychological treatment research (Horvath Luborsky, 1993). Interpersonal skills are a crucial way of building on the therapeutic relationship. Therapist factors are active listening, empathy and a genuine concern for the client (Horvath Luborsky, 1993). There are a number of ways of doing this. Reinforcement throughout the session is a beneficial way of ensuring relevant information. The therapist used such remarks as ‘yes’, and minimal prompts, e.g., head nods; this lets the client know that a particular piece of information is important (Burnard, 1999) and that the therapist is listening (Krasner, 1958). Reflection is a useful way of prompting the client for more information. The therapist used this process of repeating back the last few words or phrase that the client had used. Such remarks should be highlighted straight away and not kept for later on in the session as they may have lost their relevance (Burnard, 1999). The therapist maintained good eye contact throughout the session. Eye contact has a role in regul ating and controlling the course of communication and is an important signal for turn taking in conversation. It is also a further way of indicating that the therapist is listening (D. Williams, 1997). Structure to interviewing style is intended as a guideline, it can be confusing for a client if they cannot continue on a certain topic but are asked about a number of topics (Dillon, 1990). During this role-play the therapist got side tracked on occasions, e.g., she asked about his work situation and sleep at different points in the session instead of following through at the time these problems were mentioned. Throughout the interview process the therapist should ask for feedback from the client; it shows respect for the client in addition to making sure the therapist has all the relevant information, client understanding and reinforces the therapeutic relationship (Newell, 2000). Interviewing clients involves asking about feelings, thoughts, beliefs and behaviour, and relating the responses to the difficulties (Maphosa et al, 2000). These are quite complex issues and the therapist should ensure she has an idea of timings for each section so that some points aren’t discu ssed in a rushed manner, in this role-play the client didn’t leave enough time to discuss the service options, this is something to consider for subsequent sessions. It is also important to highlight to the client that the way he is feeling is quite common, to remove feelings of isolation. The therapist utilised this approach throughout the session. Information gathering should represent sufficiency and necessity. There should be sufficient information to glean necessary information from the client to ensure relevant client details are collected in terms of maintenance of their difficulties if interventions are to be successful (Newell, 2000). In the role-play the therapist was able to elicit key factors surrounding the client’s depression, such as stress at work. However, she lost sight of the structure at times, and although structure is used as a general guide, problems could arise if key ideas aren’t followed through, leading to inaccurate information and, therefore, inaccurate interventions. Awareness of using leading questions will also be something to take on board in the future, no one knows the client’s problems better than the client and the therapist doesn’t want to speak for the client, as this would not be beneficial for either the client or therapist. The importance of not using tec hnical language can’t be emphasised enough, this can seriously hamper the therapeutic relationship and the client may disengage from the process. The relationship between the autonomic, behavioural and cognitive aspects of depression was illustrated well. It is essential that clients understand the maintaining factors of depression or they will not appreciate how the vicious circle of depression can be broken. In future sessions the therapist could go into more detail of how depression is maintained as it is very common for client’s to misinterpret situations in ways that undermine their coping, as summarised by Epictetus, â€Å"Men are disturbed not by things, but the views they take of them† (Enright, 1997)}. Research Papers on Core Knowledge and Skills for Primary Mental Health Care PracticeThree Concepts of PsychodynamicInfluences of Socio-Economic Status of Married MalesThe Project Managment Office SystemMarketing of Lifeboy Soap A Unilever ProductAnalysis of Ebay Expanding into AsiaArguments for Physician-Assisted Suicide (PAS)Relationship between Media Coverage and Social andIncorporating Risk and Uncertainty Factor in CapitalGenetic EngineeringTwilight of the UAW

How to Recognize the Signs of Burnout and Stay on Fire

How to Recognize the Signs of Burnout and Stay on Fire Don’t be the one who face-plants on the conference table because you failed to see the signs of your own exhaustion- or start to hate your job because you need a break badly, but never thought to take one. Get your energy and motivation back before you’re totally overwhelmed. Keep an eye out for these symptoms, learn to recognize them, and prepare yourself to stave off burn-out before it burns you.1. DisaffectionYou’re getting snarkier and more sarcastic with every passing meeting. Little things you would have shrugged off last year are suddenly sticking in your craw. A few eye-rolls at the absurdity of corporate speak are fine, but if you’re catching yourself venting your annoyance more frequently than usual, that might be a sign you’re almost at the breaking point.2. FatigueYou’re not just sleepy after the spaghetti you ate for lunch. You’re sleepy all the time. You wake up tired, get to the desk tired, go home too pooped to enjoy yo urself. You’re never â€Å"in the zone† anymore.3. StagnationYou’re not getting any pleasure out of minor victories or completed projects. You feel like you’re working tirelessly, but nothing seems to go anywhere.4. BoredomYou’ve got a billion tasks on your to-do list and projects on your plate, but you just can’t get past the boredom. You have a hard time engaging with your work.5. ProcrastinationWell, more procrastination than normal. Procrastination can actually be productive. But if you’re catching yourself not working more than you’re concentrating on your work, this may be a sign that you need a breather.6. Mystery Ailments and/or StressYou have a sudden onset of medically unexplainable headaches, stomach aches, or insomnia. The doctors say you’re fine, but you feel terrible. Often these symptoms can be stress-related- your body telling your brain you need a break!  These aren’t the only signs you might be close to burn-out, but they’re a good start. Do yourself a favor and take a step back to evaluate. Take stock of which parts of your job are satisfying or annoying- what tasks you like and what is causing you stress. Take a bigger look at whether you’re on track, not just in your job, but in your career. See if there are any steps you can take to be more engaged.Then, implement a plan for change. But don’t forget to take some time off first! You’ll need the extra energy to push you through. Schedule a vacation, take a few more breaks per day, delegate tasks that aren’t holding your attention, and try and focus on the parts of the job that you still love.It’s possible to work hard and relax hard; you just have to plan ahead.How to Recognize the Signs of Burnout Before You’re Burned Out

Philosophy Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words - 3

Philosophy - Essay Example Also the character’s downfall raises pity and fear and eventually a tragedy provides catharsis or release of these emotions. Aristotle composes ‘Poetics’ about 50 years after Sophocles’ death in 345 BC. His admiration for Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus the King† is well-known. Since he considers the play as a perfect tragedy, it is not a surprise that his definition of a tragedy fits the play most perfectly. But the underlying flaw to which Aristotle makes himself vulnerable to is to establish his entire premise for a tragedy on a single example of his choice and then to proceed further inductively to define tragedy depending on this single example. Aristotle’s induction is somewhat as following: ‘Sophocles’ â€Å"Oedipus the King† is a perfect tragedy and it has some essential features. Therefore all perfect tragedies should incorporate these particular features that this play has’. But Aristotle is apparently obli vious to the risk that such induction poses. If Aristotle faces with another example of tragedy, having different features, that seem to appeal him as tragic, most likely he would change some of the requirements of his supposed tragedy to make it more embracing. Though some of Aristotle-induced features of a tragedy are Sophocles’ play-specific, most of them are universal. They are essentially the universal dynamics of a tragedy. For example, if Aristotle would have been allowed to watch the plays like â€Å"Hamlet† or â€Å"Death of a Salesman†, most likely Aristotle would expunge the doctrine of the downfall of a person of noble status or high rank. Aristotle considers drama as an essential medium of tragedy. According to him, a tragedy must not be a narrative. That is, it will not tell anything, rather it will show. For him, tragedy deals with an elevated or philosophical theme through dramatizing what may happen. It is different from history, since it can dr amatize the law of probability or what is possible according to the law of probability or necessity† (Aristotle 13). But history cannot deal the law of probability, since it deals with particulars. Why history cannot be dramatized lies in the fact that the cause-effect relationship between any two events is a subject to interpretation. Therefore, it does not allow an author to arrange the events in a cause-and-effect chain. But in a tragedy, the author is endowed with the freedom to manipulate the events in a universal cause-and-effect chain that create the possibility of an event as an effect of any preceding event. The tragic hero who undergoes these cause-and-effect chains of events are supposed to arouse both pity and fear, since the audience can envisage themselves in the same chains, but with different events. Since Aristotle is mostly concerned with the dramatization of the events and actions according to the laws of probability, plot occupies the central place among th e features of a tragedy. For Aristotle, plot is not the story itself, rather the â€Å"arrangement of the incidents† in a story. Indeed the incidents in a story should be arranged