Second Writing Assignment Primary Sources Case Study

Second Writing Assignment Primary Sources - Case Study Example The speech by Beveridge represents a statement of expansion and social growth across the borders, which formed part of the American ambitions. In this speech, Beveridge asserts the notion that America is the leader of universal democracy that is entitled to benefit all mankind irrespective of where they are. He believes that united states are endowed with a mission to spread its enlightened politics, culture, economics and religion to all corners of the world whether they are willing to receive it or not. According to Beveridge, the Americans are endowed with a talent to exercise control of the world, a talent they should not hide1. Manifest Destiny is an ideology by in this speech that supports imperialism in various ways. It supports the notion of Anglo-Saxon racial superiority since Beveridge believed that his race is superior to others and should thus conquer others in the whole world. Beveridge believed that Americans were justified to displace the natives as they expand across the continent in the name of civilization. Beveridge had no soft words for his opponents. Due to this, he considered opponents of imperialism as infidels to gospel who would make America lose their territories. He argued that those against American imperialism were against the wishes of God, making him differ with his opponents who argue that continuation of American isolationist policies is inherently selfish. He urged his opponents that imperialism is a policy that enabled the Americans to preserve the spirit of their founding fathers who had restrained the wilderness. According to Paris, evident destiny delivered Beveridge with more decent and challenging reason to participate in grand activities against other territories beyond the foundation of commercial supremacy. According to Beveridge, the American-Spanish war the most holy wars ever waged by one nation against the other since it

Business topic Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Business topic - Assignment Example The assignment will discuss about these elements that can help the newly developed bookshop to develop effective core competencies. The general Environment The newly developed bookshop should try to consider the importance of each and every element of general environment in order to achieve significant business output. Economic Conditions It is true that Australian economic environment is becoming highly challenging due to recent financial crisis and global economic recession. Therefore, it is quite difficult for the new organization to achieve significant business growth rate from the initial point of time. The organization should try to focus on high business performance by ensuring effective intellectual capital. Employees are considered as the strongest assets for an organization. The newly developed book shop should try to maintain effective relationship with the skilled and effective employees as the retention of experienced and skilled employees is the major concern for each a nd every organization. High performance and skill level of an employee enhance effective business performance. Employees generally represent the organizations’ intellectual capital. Retention and recruitment of new employees will help the organization to maintain effective relationship with the government and several stakeholders. The economic slowdown affected the economic environment of Australia (Damanpour, 1991, p.11). It is true that high unemployment rate, limited purchasing power and low disposable income of people are the major consequences of economic slowdown. Therefore, the organization’s recruitment and retention policy will help to overcome the economic challenges like high unemployment rate. In addition to this, the organization should try to provide products in economic price level. Customers are considered as the real king for the business organization. They can switch over other brand or shop if the current organization fails to satisfy their basic nee ds. During this, economic slowdown it is important for the organization to reduce several business operation cost and implement competitive pricing strategy without compromising with the quality of the books. It will help the organization to gain significant advantages. Socio-cultural Conditions The knowledge of employees can be regarded as the important asset for the employers. Securing intellectual capital will help the newly developed bookshop to maintain effective relationship with the customers. It is important for the bookshop to maintain strong ethics in the business processes to avoid the possibilities of workplace conflicts. Last but not the least; it is important for the organization to ensure effective leadership and managerial skills to manage a diverse multicultural workforce. In case of any difficulty the managers of the organization should try to implement change management process to develop strategies according to the current market demand. It is highly important fo r the newly developed bookshop to develop a strong management foundation to maintain effective workplace environment (Rodiek, 2008, p.29). It is discussed earlier that

Media Studies Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Media Studies - Essay Example This essay approves that newspapers existed on the earth in some form or other because of man’s innate tendency to know news and share it with other fellow men. People disseminated news by word of mouth, written correspondence or public notices before the development of printing technology. As more people learned to read and write, news reports became more. Ancient Rome had a particularly stylish system for spreading written news. The process of consolidation of the press and other tools of mass communication has been taking place in US and Canada in a big way. This process might spread to other parts of the world with the emergence of globalization as an unavoidable phenomenon in the world today. The number of newspapers in circulation keep on declining in most U.S. and Canadian cities. Many cities today have only one newspaper publisher. In Canada, only six cities are supplied by two or more independently owned newspapers. In more than 170 American cities, a solo publisher p roduces both a morning and an evening paper. Fewer than 30 U.S. cities have rival papers with different ownership. This report makes a conclusion that we are at the threshold of globalization, a phenomenon that is unavoidable. However, we need the systems in place to guard the values and ideals that man has developed over many years. To make the purpose of the press and other media as only providers of entertainment and statistical enumeration of data is a subservient role that we give to the media. Media has a much more important role to play in the world today as a remedial force and as a forum for engaging in healthy debates on cardinal issues of our times.

Unethical Business Research Essay Example for Free

Unethical Business Research Essay Research is important in any business to interpret data being collected to improve or make new discoveries. The article read was about Dr. Woo Suk Hwang who used unethical research to enhance his career in the world of science. Hwang hurt everyone who was involved in his work. Leading people to believe that his research was real he provided false hope into his new discoveries. Trying to figure out why he would want to ruin his career and how this could have been avoided is important to why he used fabricated research. Looking into the unethical decisions made by Dr. Woo Suk Hwang will help people see what could be possible consequences for using false results in research material. Dr. Woo Suk Hwang, a professor of theriogenology and biotechnology at Seoul National University (SNU), began his work in 1999 when he told how he could clone an animal (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). People began to treat Hwang like a hero after publishing two papers about stem cells in 2004 and 2005 in Science and later a paper in Nature where it was talking of how he cloned the first dog (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). In late December 2005, Hwang was found to have falsified data by an internal investigation at SNU (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). SNU formed a panel to investigate the charges and within about four weeks they compiled a fifty page report (Kukak, 2009). The results of SNU’s investigation released in late December 2005 which was followed by the withdrawal of Hwang’s work by Science in January 2006 and Hwang’s acknowledgement of scientific fraud in March 2006 (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). While conducting his research Hwang falsified his results by not citing accurate results and not providing the participants with information on the serious risks of egg donation. South Korean’s National Board of Bioethics indicated that not all the donors received information on the serious health risks of egg donation, furthermore, sixteen donors required treatment for effects from the procedure( Kukak, 2009). By not providing people accurate risks Hwang failed to protect his research participants. Hwang also falsified the papers in Science which were illed with false research that has never been accurately recorded. This could lead to people going off research that had never been tried and cause harm to new researchers. Hwang hurt several people by the inappropriate research that was acquired. Before the results of SNU’s results of the internal investigation Hwang was considered to be Korea’s most important scientist (Logan, Park, amp; Jeon, 2010). When it was uncovered to be false data and that the research was not real it hurt everyone who believed in him. This helped the community to see that further actions needed to be taken to see that this could no longer negatively impact the entire scientific community. The society saw that wanting to push further in stem cell research was important but making up false information was not the way intended to achieve this important landmark. The first reactions to the scandal focused on the case: the detrimental effects on public trust toward science and stem cell research, the economic damages in the field’s funding, the loss in the market value of the biotech industry, and also the negative effects on the policy debate (Kakuk, 2009). The unethical behavior committed by Hwang has caused scientific magazines and the press to be careful when publishing information for their articles (Kakuk, 2009). After the scandal the journal decided to establish an independent panel to evaluate the publication process (Kakuk, 2009). Dr. Hwang was affected by having his papers editorially retracted form the Journal after the huge amount of fabricated data was found (Kakuk, 2009). Hwang later admitted to various deceptions and was fired form the university on March 20, 2006 (Kakuk, 2009). The society was also negatively impacted because now further movement in this field may not be researched. This in turn can take away form the funding and jobs that might of developed upon successful results of the correctly gathered data. Unethical behavior used by Hwang could have been avoided by correctly reporting the gathered data. This case helped to highlight a need for internationally accepted guidelines for the conduct of research (Kakuk, 2009). If Hwang would have valued his coworkers and his own abilities as a scientist this case would have failed to exist. Hwang became pushed by the society to produce results and ended up letting everyone down. Trying to please others led to the dismissal of Hwang’s job and the respect of his believers. Dr. Hwang’s case showed how unethical research can lead to the dismissal of your livelihood and career. A highly talented individual is now living a life of what ethics can do when you decide to abuse them. Looking at his research people were amazed to hear what was being accomplished and saw him as a hero. Shortly after Hwang was dishonored and made to show the consequences of not using strong ethics to make positive decisions. Hwang affected his coworkers, scientists, and his society by using governmental funding to create false data that people used before the realization that what they thought to be true was only determined to be a lie.

Impacts of Green Energy Production on Ireland

Impacts of Green Energy Production on Ireland An Evaluation of the Impacts of Green Energy Production on the Flora and Fauna of Ireland Introduction Green energy production has significantly increased in recent years. Its rise is primarily due to environmental concerns and the vital need to find alternative energy sources as fossil fuels supplies decline. In terms of the environment, the use of renewable energy in order to alleviate the effects of global warming is supported internationally. (Warren, et al., 2005) There are several sources of renewable energy used in Ireland today, these include; wind power, solar, hydroelectric energy and biomass etc. Global Policy and legislation: In 1992, at the Earth summit in Rio, many nations joined an international treaty, which was known as the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC)ÂÂ   (United Nations, 2017). This treaty was put into effect in 1994 and its main aim was to fight the challenges of climate change. In order to achieve this, they encouraged member states to keep their greenhouse gas emissions at a steady state. (United Nations, 2017). This treaty was accompanied by the Kyoto Protocol which was more successful as it committed developing countries to reduce their emissions by introducing legally binding reduction targets. (United Nations, 2017) EU policy and legislation: In 1997, the EUs renewable energy policy came about with the implementation of the White Paper which was called Energy for the future: renewable sources of energy (European Commission , 2011). This paper gave details of how gross energy consumption in terms of renewable energy needs to increase from 6% to 12% by 2010 (European Commission , 2011). Then in 2008 the Commission proposed an ambitious Climate Change and Energy Package. The European Union accepted this package in December of 2008. This energy package stated that European Union Member States must achieve the following targets: 20% decrease in greenhouse gas emissions by 2020 in comparison to the 1990 levels. 20% increase in the use of renewables. 20% increase in energy efficiency. (European Commission , 2011) All EU Member States were required to draw up National Renewable Energy Action Plans (NREAPs) as part of the Renewable Energy Directive (European Commission , 2011). These NREAPs outlined the way in which each Member State aimed to meet their approved share of the overall target of a 20% increase of renewables in energy consumption by 2020. Additionally, the NREAP must also describe the steps that will be taken to improve and grow the use of renewable energy. Examples of this include improving conditions to allow more access to electricity gird lines as well as having less administrative barriers. (European Commission , 2011). Irelands Policy and Legislation: Irelands renewable energy policy and legislation is entirely based on the context of European legal responsibilities. Our policies and legislations are specified in numerous Directives and Regulations, as well as in many international and national targets (Dineen, et al., 2015). In terms of the NREAP, Ireland submitted its final plan to the European Commission at the end June in 2010. We submitted our initial progress report in the January of 2012 followed by the second report two years later in February 2014 (Dineen, et al., 2015). There are many schemes that are carried out nationally to meet the EUs 2020 targets. Irelands Strategy for Renewable Energy: 2012 2020, proposed an ambitious statement which stated that Ireland could become a world-wide leader in the research and progress of renewable energy and other associated technologies (Dineen, et al., 2015). Irelands strategy for renewable energy recognises five goals, some of which include; an increase in both onshore and offshore wind; the construction of a sustainable bioenergy sector and building robust and efficient electricity networks etc. (Dineen, et al., 2015). Under the European Union Directive 2012 on energy efficiency all member states, including Ireland must have a NREAP. The European Energy Directive placed energy efficiency at the forefront of the EU Energy 2020 strategy. It became a part of the law in Ireland through the SI 426 of 2014 and SI 131 of 2014 (Dineen, et al., 2015). The directive is aimed at keeping energy use from economic growth separate as well as setting out a mutual framework of measures to meet the European Unions 20% target in energy efficiency by 2020 (Dineen, et al., 2015). It is obligatory that all member states submit three National Energy Efficiency Action Plans to the European Commission over a seven-year period. The action plans should detail the measures planned to meet the 20-20 targets (Dineen, et al., 2015). Irelands initial National Energy Efficiency Action Plan was available in May 2009. It reiterated the target which was originally included in 2007 in the White Paper on energy efficiency. This target aimed to save approximately 20% of the average primary energy used from a period of 2001 2005, with this target being reached by 2020 (Dineen, et al., 2015). In terms of Irelands legislation on the protection of flora and fauna, the protection of biodiversity on an international front comes from the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), in the form of an extensive strategy towards sustainable development. The CBD has three main aims which include; To conserve biodiversity. To sustainably use the components of biodiversity. To share the benefits that come from the use of genetic resources in a just and impartial way. (A, et al., 2005) Irelands main policy to protect the flora and fauna is included in the National biodiversity plan Actions for Biodiversity. This action plan outlines how Ireland plans to conserve and protect its biodiversity. This policy is supported by the following legislation; Birds Directive 1979 Habitats Directive 1992 (Natura 2000 sites) Wildlife Act 1976, plus amendment Act 2000 Irish Flora Protection Order 2015 (Scheer, et al., 2016) Discussion Currently there are numerous different types of renewable energy available in Ireland, which include; wind power, solar, hydroelectric energy and biomass etc. This section is going to focus on just wind and hydroelectric energy. Wind Power background: Wind power began to draw interest just after the oil shocks in the 1970s and it only started to grow during the 1990s (Warren, et al., 2005). Today, wind energy is at the forefront in terms of renewable energy as it has emerged as one of the cleanest, safest and cheapest sources of energy. Since the 90s the capacity of wind generating energy has been doubling approximately every three years and the production costs have been decreasing thus making it a favourable source of energy. In Ireland, the first operational windfarm came about in 1992 and as of 2015 there were 228 operational windfarms present across 27 counties (Irish Wind Energy Association, 2017). These windfarms are producing a wind capacity of 3025 megawatts. It is estimated that the value of 1MW can provide energy for approximately 650 homes, therefore the capacity of 3025MW is providing enough energy for 1.97 million homes in Ireland (Irish Wind Energy Association, 2017). However, for these windfarms to be effective it is vital that they are located in open, exposed areas where wind speed is high. Thus, the uplands, coastal and offshore areas are generally proposed (Drewitt Langsto, 2006). Impacts: From a report carried out by BirdLife (BirdLife Europe , 2011), wind power energy was classified as a medium risk technology, therefore meaning that it can have negative impacts i.e. habitat disturbance especially in terms of sensitive species. However, if the correct framework policies are in place and if they are strategically organised then they can be developed without any negative impacts (BirdLife Europe , 2011). Areas such as the uplands, coastal and offshore are important habitats for migratory, breeding and wintering birds and therefore their habitats may be affected by the development of windfarms. However, the impact of wind farms on bird populations can vary and depend on different aspects including; the habitats that are affected, the species that are present, the topography of the adjacent land and finally the biogeographic range of a species (Drewitt Langsto, 2006). At numerous poorly sited wind farms (specifically at offshore sites) collision mortality has had a significant effect on population level (BirdLife Europe , 2011). In addition, more indirect effects such as access to remote areas i.e. tracks may lead to an increased level of disturbance or an increased risk of predation. Cumulative mortality may contribute to the decline in more susceptible species due to other environmental or anthropogenic pressures (BirdLife Europe , 2011). Thus, impacts that are site specific in addition to effects on the local wildlife populations are in fact relevant apprehensions if windfarms are not developed properly. To mitigate the effects of developing windfarms there are two directives under EU environmental legislation that are directly applicable to the development of wind farms. These directives include; SEA Directive (Strategic Environmental Assessments) EIA Directive (Environmental Impact Assessments) (European Commission , 2011) Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEAs) are assessments that authorities use to improve spatial plans for various infrastructure needs such as; energy installations (BirdLife Europe , 2011). These assessments include the process of analysing as well as allowing the publics input to combine the analysis of environmental protection into plans and to encourage sustainability through investment programmes (BirdLife Europe , 2011). Furthermore, Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs) are carried out by developers with the aim of avoiding, reducing and mitigating the impacts of projects. They then consider their findings in the planning decisions (BirdLife Europe , 2011) Hydroelectricity background: Hydroelectricity is another major source of renewable energy and it is made from the movement of water. It is currently the worlds most extensively used source of renewable energy (O Rourke, et al., 2009). Three different categories of hydroelectric plants occur which include; Impoundment -ÂÂ   most prevalent and known kind of hydroelectric plant. It uses a dam to keep the water in a reservoir and a turbine releases the water, therefore generating electricity. Diversion the water is diverted/transferred from the river over a canal which turns the turbine. Pumped storage water is pumped from a low reservoir into a higher reservoir when the electricity demand is low. Thus, electricity is generated when the electricity demand is high and the water is released. (O Rourke, et al., 2009) In terms of Ireland, hydroelectric energy is our second greatest source of renewable energy, just behind wind. The development of this energy will increase with more focus on the smaller scale hydroelectricity plants. Currently the ESB oversee the larger-scale plants and they have stated that these plants supply approximately 6% of our electricity (O Rourke, et al., 2009). Impacts: Hydroelectric plants can have numerous negative impacts on both the land and in terms of wildlife. Firstly, hydroelectricity plants can have a significant effect on aquatic ecosystems. For example, fish and several other species can be wounded or killed by the turbine blades, however there has been numerous mitigation methods to minimize these impacts e.g. fish ladders and in-take screens (UCS, 2017). As mentioned above the most common types of hydroelectric power plants use a dam and a reservoir and they generally can hinder the migration patterns of fish, thus affecting their population. These plants can also have an impact on the flow of the river and on the water temperature i.e. the temperature not being consistent. These changes can have a significant effect on the native flora and fauna in the river and on the land (Environment and Ecology , 2017). Wildlife impacts can also occur within the dammed reservoir in addition to downstream from the plant. Water from a reservoir is ge nerally more stationary compared to normal river water (UCS, 2017). As a result, it would be expected for the reservoir to have a higher amount of sediment and nutrients, which in turn would promote a surplus amount of algae and other aquatic weeds (UCS, 2017). This then allows the weeds to crowd out additional flora and fauna that exist in the river. (UCS, 2017). Conclusion Irelands Current State: Ireland has made significant progress towards achieving the energy efficiency and renewable energy targets. From a report carried out by SEAI (Scheer, et al., 2016) in 2016 they stated that to date Ireland has done the following; In terms of our energy efficiency target, Ireland has energy efficiency savings relating to about half of the countrys 2020 energy efficiency target (Scheer, et al., 2016). In terms of meeting our 2020 renewable energy target, we are also just over half way with 8.6% of our gross final consumption coming from renewables in 2014 (Scheer, et al., 2016). This has been achieved due to more than 40,000 homes and more than 550 businesses using some form of renewable energy. In terms of heat, 6.6% of the national 12% heat target has been achieved by end 2014 (Scheer, et al., 2016). Additionally, since 2003 around 190 wind farms, linked across 24 counties, have been developed. This compares to 2,375 MW of renewable electricity capacity. In total, over 6 million tonnes of CO2 emissions have been avoided each year through using energy efficient and renewable energy technologies (Scheer, et al., 2016). In terms of wind power energy, with careful development they can prove to be successful as they dont produce greenhouse gas emissions, pollutants, effluent or waste. In addition, its a natural source of energy. Hydroelectricity also has potential as a source of energy, as stated above it currentlyprovides approximately 6% of our electricity. However, Ireland is limited to a small number of large-scale of hydro sites for the generation of power. (O Rourke, et al., 2009). References A, Z., C, M. D, B., 2005. The Convention on Biodiversity and Its Potential Implications for the Agricultural Sector in Europe, s.l.: Institute for European Environmental Policy (IEEP) . BirdLife Europe , 2011. Meeting europes renewable energy targets in harmony with nature , Sandy, U.K: The RSPB. Dineen, D. D., Howley, M. Holland, M., 2015. Renewable Energy in Ireland 2013, s.l.: SEAI. Drewitt, A. L. Langsto, R. H., 2006. Assessing the impacts of wind farms on birds. International journal of Avian science , 148(S1), pp. 29-42. Environment and Ecology , 2017. Hydropower and the Environment. [Online] Available at: http://environment-ecology.com/energy-and-environment/100-hydropower-and-the-environment.html[Accessed 30 January 2017]. European Commission , 2011. Wind Energy developments and natura 2000, Luxembourg: European Union. Irish Wind Energy Association , 2017. Irish Wind Energy Association Environmental Impacts. [Online] Available at: http://www.iwea.com/environmentalimpacts[Accessed 30 January 2017]. Irish Wind Energy Association, 2017. Irish Wind Energy Association. [Online] Available at: http://www.iwea.com/index.cfm/page/windenergyfaqs?#q19[Accessed 28 January 2017]. O Rourke, F., Boyle, F. Reynolds, A., 2009. Renewable energy sources and technologies applicable to Ireland. Renewable and sustainable energy reviews , Volume 13, pp. 1975-1984. Scheer, J., Clancy, M. Gaffney, F., 2016. Irelands Energy Targets, Progress, Ambition Impacts, s.l.: SEAI Energy. UCS, 2017. Environmental Impacts of Hydroelectric Power. [Online] Available at: http://www.ucsusa.org/clean_energy/our-energy-choices/renewable-energy/environmental-impacts-hydroelectric-power.html#.WI-UvfmLTIU[Accessed 30 January 2017]. United Nations, 2017. The UN and climate change. [Online] Available at: http://www.un.org/climatechange/towards-a-climate-agreement/[Accessed 10 February 2017]. Warren, C. R., Lumsden, C., ODowd, S. Birnie, R. V., 2005. Green On Green: Public Perceptions of. Journal of Environmental Planning and Management, Volume 48, pp. 853-875.

Travels With My Aunt. Essay -- English Literature

Travels With My Aunt. In Travels with my Aunt, Graham Greene, the author, tends to show less respect that we would present towards some traditional values and institutions such as religion, Church, marriage, police and funerals. His attitudes towards traditional values lets us see other points of view, for example we wouldn’t had laughed reading about a funeral whilst reading Travels with my Aunt we did. Henry is one of the few characters which Graham Greene show with a respectful attitude towards many things. However he changes and develops his ideas as the days pass by next to aunt Augusta. â€Å"I lead them into the dinning room† this quotation shows the respectful attitude Henry had towards the police at the beginning. â€Å"Police business of course, I said. What other business do you deal in?†, this other quotation is showing Henry talking with less respect than before and as he continues â€Å"It was almost as though my aunt were speaking through me.†, we realise that Henry is changing his attitude because of Augusta, because he is now close to Augusta and as she hasn’t got respect to the police Henry is starting to act the same way. Aunt Augusta on the other hand has been during the book a character who showed no respect or very little towards the police, authorities. She’s a woman who lives her life as she likes and does not care about legal or illegal attitudes. Graham Greene mocks the stereotypical character of an old lady, an example is one of the main characters of the book, Aunt Augusta. The audience would have expected her as a calm, sedentary woman, maybe married but instead she is very active, she’s very. The audience would have expected her as a calm, sedentary woman, maybe married but i... ...pical old woman, we wouldn’t expect woman of her age talking freely about sex whilst Augusta is not shy and so talks freely and happily about sex, this quotation proves it: â€Å"I am all for a little professional sex†. Also Graham Greene mocks daily life style and behaviours, an example is again aunt Augusta, she’s very attracted to men whilst an stereotypical woman of her age wouldn’t. â€Å"I let them in, though, because they were polite and one of them, the one in uniform, was tall and good-looking â€Å". This quotation proves that Augusta is very attracted to men. In conclusion, Graham Greene writes about daily life things but though another point of view, he stands out the curious, special, rare things that could happen in the most common occasions. Also Graham Greene mocks several pillars of respectability such as religion, law and traditional morality.

My Counseling Theory Paper Essay

Running head:Finding Meaning Finding Meaning in Life Sandy Patty Made Up University Abstract What is to be said about life and circumstances? There are many different theories and perspectives about it, but my concern is when someone feels they have to be subject to their circumstance. Further in this paper I will discuss my personal counseling theory and how I believe that not one person has to be ruled by a certain circumstance and that they are not by any means validated by one person because they have the opportunity to discover meaning in their life for themselves and discover an array of opportunities in life. Finding Meaning in Life Introduction My story is not something new or one that has never been told before, but it is unique to me and bears significant value due to the way that it shaped and formed me into the person I am today and the reason for me pursuing a career in counseling. I come from a mixed, biracial, and very religious family. The women in my family all seem to have gone through significant and grave hardships and/or traumatic experiences. My grandmother was sold as a sex slave when she was 3 years old because her Mother was dirt poor and needed money to sustain her drug/alcohol addiction. At an early age my grandmother was forced into prostitution as a way of life and a means to sustain herself. She then later met my grandfather who was a minister in a local religious church and they married. My mother was born into a very religious environment, strict dress codes, no jewelry, makeup, pants, they were forcefully instructed that they were the lesser of men, and they were to always obey their husband regardless of the issue or circumstance. During my Mother’s adolescent years she was a victim of child molest and the perpetrator was an important figure in the church. When my Mother attempted to tell my grandmother what had happened, she was severely physically punished and accused of lying. Since then, she never once told a soul as it continued to occur. She had become a pin-cushion for a â€Å"religious leader† within the church. Later on in life, my Mother met my father who was a young youth pastor in town and they married. My father was also a very religious man and held strongly to his beliefs. My parents struggled financially and experienced many hardships due to church and family. I believe my parents were somewhat forced in marriage at such an early age due to their religious setting and they were not prepared at all for what faced them ahead. My mother had children by age 19 and her life changed dramatically. My one and only older sibling was born and he became the closest thing to a mentor that I had. I too, grew up in a very religious and strict home environment. We were taught that there was only one way to live and it was according to the Bible and the rules taught in Church, anything else was unacceptable and reprimanded. My father was always a very hard worker and was hardly home due to working so many jobs in order to provide for the family. When he was home, I remember him and my mother arguing constantly due to issues with his family interfering with their marriage and finances. From an early age, I remember my mother crying and coming to me to talk about what was bothering her or issues with my father. I would just listen and offer advice as best as an 8 yr. old could and I remember thinking to myself, â€Å"Is this normal, am I supposed to be doing this?It felt strange and hard to not be biased in a situation involving my family, but I learned at a very young age things a child should not know or experience. I definitely had to grow up quick and learned to figure things out on my own. My older brother pretty much raised me and was the only person I could confide in or talk to. My family was not very affectionate, but rather very cold and distant and always brought everything back to a religious setting. I have always been told I was very mature for my age and I attribute this to my childhood or lack thereof and being forced to play an adult role due to circumstance. I do not write this story for pity, but rather because I believe it played a significant role in me pursuing counseling as a career path. It feels so natural for me when I’m talking to people because it was something I can always remember doing. From such an early age, I have always been engaged with older people and hearing about issues from failed relationships to traumatic/crisis situations. I strongly believe that this is one of the reasons I am not a very judgmental person because I feel I have experienced so much that I know what it is like to go through many different situations and not so pleasant circumstances. Core Theoretical Principles My counseling theory is that even though human beings have the need for approval or longing of someone else to bring substantial meaning in their life, they are not by any means validated by any one person or situation because you focus on the present and future and make the most of your circumstance. I experienced that in my childhood every time I saw my mother and father arguing and later I would hear from her what exactly happened between them. I remember thinking to myself that why would someone stay in an abusive situation or at least not stand up for themselves. I concluded that she needed to be validated by the relationship and for her to leave the relationship or stand up for herself would mean to defy her husband, church, and God. The Existential theory really brought insight into my life because it helped me understand what I always knew and from what I had experienced at an early age. In essence Existentialism states that we are not victims of circumstance because, to a large extent, we are what we choose to be (Corey, 2009, pg. 133). It is about recognizing certain tragedies experienced in life, but also embracing and understanding the positive opportunities that lie ahead, and to also comprehend the fact that we are human and what it means to be just that. It is a difficult concept to grasp at first because society teaches us that it is about building relationships and finding someone to validate who you are as a person, but existentialism is about understanding and facing the fact that we are essentially alone and facing that anxiety. It is in this theory that we tend to discover just who we are as a person and are able to discover more about ourselves and make sense of our existence. According to Carl Rogers, his experience taught him that if one is able to get to the core of an individual, one finds a trustworthy, positive center. He believed that people are trustworthy, resourceful, capable of self-understanding and self-direction, able to make constructive changes, and able to live effective and productive lives. In this theory, I believe that despite circumstance, a person is able to â€Å"bounce back† and still be able to live a healthy and high functioning life. I would incorporate what Car Rogers expressed as the three main attributes needed to foster change, Congruence, Unconditional Positive Regard, and Accurate Empathic Understanding. For me, it has always been very important for me to deal with someone on a personal level, never forgetting that we are all humans and not above anyone else. I honestly believe that when you treat someone with respect regardless of age, gender, race, etc. then trust and respect is created and that is the number one element in any counseling relationship. Gestalt is another form of holistic psychology theory and one that I would strongly employ because I am a firm believer in perception and the meaning-making process. Gestalt therapy suggests that the objective is to enable the client to become more fully and creatively alive and to become free from the blocks and unfinished business that may diminish satisfaction, fulfillment, and growth, and to experiment with new ways of being (Corey, 2009, pg. 204). It looks at the bigger picture as a whole not just one part of the whole because I believe in order to truly understand someone you need to perhaps dissect pieces, but only in order to understand the whole. Anticipated Settings I currently am employed at a Child & Family Advocacy Center that helps victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, child abuse, and elder abuse. I have always been interested in the helping profession and because of my childhood and the many different experiences and circumstances I encountered, I have always known I wanted to work in this specific area in order to attempt to make a change and help people who fall victims of such a terrible circumstance. As a future counselor I would like to remain relatively in the same field of helping victims of a crime, which include sexual assault, child molest, and domestic violence. I have seen and experienced all of this personally whether with family or friends and I have a passion and urge to help make a difference. I believe that life is definitely not fair, people are played the cards they are dealt, but also that a person is not validated by their past circumstances or anyone and it is up to them to find meaning in their life and discover who they are and want to become. Techniques I believe that it is necessary to provide adequate education and training to all the community because there are many people who unaware of the laws that can protect them from crimes and they are also unaware of the many various options they have to change their situation. I would employ an ongoing community education program offering free training to local offices, schools, day cares, etc. , just to spread the word of the different community resources available to help the people. In working closely with and advocacy center, I would incorporate a domestic violence group that is not biased and one that actually helpful to people and does not enable them. Unfortunately, services in this area are limited to the same service providers and people are left with limited options. Too many times, clients have approached me with disappointment in therapist they have encountered and they are turned off by the idea of counseling because of several negative experiences. I am very passionate about this type of work specifically because of my past and I would like to genuinely be able to help people in these types of situations and therefore, would in the future, like to offer counseling services specifically to victims of domestic violence, sexual assault, and/or child abuse. I would not be biased, and because of my past I understand what it is like to live in that type of situation and I also understand leaving is not always the easiest decision a person can make because there are many factors to consider. People in these types of situations are very unique in the fact that they have learned to survive on their own and know what they need to do or to say the right thing in order to survive. This is not a situation where one counseling theory covers all clients, so I would tailor each to the specific person because I understand their situation is unique and requires a technique to match. Also, I believe that it is vital to establish a healthy relationship with the client in order for them to trust you and open up to you. I would incorporate many of the Rogerian techniques regarding the genuine relationship with the client, trusting environment. Victims of any of these types of crime have been through some of the most horrendous situations and they have learned to adapt to the perpetrators needs and threats. If a counselor walks into a session with an â€Å"all knowing† authoritative attitude it will discourage the victim from speaking the truth and the counselor will have lost, which may have been the only opportunity, to help the victim possible change their circumstance. I would enter into the counselor/client relationship giving respect and trust on my part and genuinely attempting to get to know the client and their unique situation. I would also involve the client every step of the way because it is this same client that returns to their situation at home and not me so I would always need to have their best interest and safety in mind. The clients would not just be another file on my desk, but rather a person who’s life can be altered by perhaps just one meeting in counseling so what better change to reach out and try and help someone. It is with this that I would definitely incorporate many of the existential techniques in helping clients find meaning in their life by exploring their different life situations. Limitations A very common limitation that I experience already in the line of work I do now is the fact that even though I am passionate about this field, the actuality of it is that I cannot change a person, they have to decide for themselves when that change is appropriate. Many times I have seen counselors burnout in this field because they feel they are not making any significant change due to many victims returning to the same abusive relationship or circumstance. So in theory, all of these techniques and theories are wonderful, but in reality they are dependent on the client. Summary Life is simple, it’s just not easy. People have to play the cards they are dealt. Life is not fair by any means and we could use this as an excuse to wallow in pity or use it to motivate us to overcome and conquer our situation. We are not validated by any one circumstance or person, we can choose to discover for ourselves who we are and who we wish to become. My personal counseling theory is just that, very personal because it was unknowingly developed over time due mostly through what I have experienced in life.