Wednesday, August 7, 2019
Humans Live in a World Where Everything Tries to Make You Something Else Essay Example for Free
Humans Live in a World Where Everything Tries to Make You Something Else Essay Identity is now so hard to define. No longer as simple as whom am I? Identity is it solid or fixed? Neither is it constantly changing from birth till death. In addition to the problems faced with growing a developing an individual also faces problems from ideas surrounding personal problems. These can be examples from the environmental influence, such as arriving into a new school or even a new culture. These experiences can be both positive and negative though, negative as they may leave an individual disillusioned with their direction and place in life, yet positive in the way that an individual may feel reinvigorated and their perception of personal boundaries removed. Growing up in Australia is a short collection of stories from various artists that entails their stories of being different to others and the challenges that they faced in order to fit in when their identities are so different. Sticks and Stones and Such Like by Sunil Badima is a story about How being different, can isolate an individual and make it difficult for them to belong. The main difference in this story is the name Sunil, it singled him out and showed his different nature compared to everyone else. The way that people couldnââ¬â¢t pronounce it only served to exacerbate his push for a more ââ¬Ëwesternââ¬â¢ name, Neil. This changing of an identity, from the Indian Sunil to the Aussie Neil, represents how people are willing to change and conform in order to fit in and be accepted by others, even going so far as to forego cultural preoccupations. How to be Japanese by Leanne Hall is a story that Discusses the stereotypes that exist, the racial prejudices that those from a culture deemed the minority are subject to. An individual cannot control how they look yet theyââ¬â¢re judged about this. The cultural differences usually hinder an individual, whereby once cultural values sporting exploits as that of success another views success educationally as high marks, yet it is the minority group which is subjected to being stereotyped. This stereotyping is an action that removes an individualââ¬â¢s identity, placing an individual into a wider group whereby they lose their identity, given a set of predetermined characteristics, which is extremely common amongst the racial groups, e. g. the Japanese love hello Kitty. Reveals how a loss of identity can occur as an individual is adjudged to be something else before qifference, alienating them, difficult to conform. A personal identity is impossible without belonging to a family, society and culture. Without Belonging to a group somewhere an individual cannot hope to find their identity, the two are inextricably linked. Without a place in the world, an individual is lost and cannot hope to find their place. This is shown progressively throughout the film of Skin. Because Sandra is coloured and her parents and brother are white, she is constantly confused about her identity and who exactly she is. rBelonging is an innate predisposition that majority of the populous seek the feeling of acceptance and a place in the groups ranks offers. Once Sandra relises she cant find this within her family and the society she grew up in she looks to the Black people of South Africa to find a sense of belonging. Belonging to a group offers a sense of security and acceptance that people seek. It is through this environment that an individual will learn and their identity flourishes under the experiences of the group and that of their own, belonging to a group reaffirms our own identity. Whilst belonging to a group may culminate in the formation of an identity, this may not be the true potential of the individual. This influence may upon an individualââ¬â¢s identity may be detrimental, their identity a mere extension of the groupââ¬â¢s prerogative. May also lead to an individual being stereotyped and/or alienating their past. Therefore those that cannot belong or alienate themselves from the rest of society struggle to find their place in the world, they are constantly drifting, the question of who am I, left unanswered. This is emphasised throughout the film Skin as Sandra is constantly changing her state as a white South African to a colored South African, so that she is able to find a sense of identity and belonging. People are put into groups, like family and school, and this is a struggle when it conflicts with identity. Whilst belonging to a group, the choice to conform is one that most people must make, we are all born into a group of some degree. Yet it is this place within a group, the arrangement of parameters that can lead to conflict surrounding an individualââ¬â¢s identity. When we are born, we are born into a family environment, born into a group already. Yet through this group, as individualââ¬â¢s we learn and model ourselves off the actions of those in the group, the decisions and perceptions of its members are reaffirmed onto our own. Yet this predetermined group can cause problems for our identity as individuals. This family whilst providing a base from which an identity can develop, also masks an individualââ¬â¢s identity, the individual may have of been raised in the interests of the group, unfulfilling their true potential. Moreover this placement of an individual occurs through other avenues of life as well. At school an individual may be labelled, stereotyped in a particular way based upon something as simple as they way in which they dress. This stereotyping and prejudice can breed only conflict within an individual as they struggle to determine who they truly are, are they the person they are perceived as? Or are they more? Furthermore in order to fit into a group, an individualââ¬â¢s conformity may be misaligned with the values and perceptions of this group, only giving birth to further conflict surrounding an individualââ¬â¢s identity. They struggle to find who the truly are, their true identity against the restraints that conformity offers them. There is conflict between identity and belonging. Where conflict is resolved it is good for the individualââ¬â¢s identity. The need to belong is an innate predisposition for most humans. As we are social creatures we seek a place in the world, a place where we can be accepted, a place of security. Yet in our willingness to conform, conflict can arise between an individualââ¬â¢s identity and that of the group. This discrepancy something that breeds only discontent as an individual discovers that the interest of the group may be misaligned to those of their own. Furthermore in a group the needs of the group are put before those of the individual, thereby stifling the true identity. Yet this creates further conflict as some of the decisions of the group, the choices that it makes may not be reflective of those of the individual. As the individual takes second wrung to the needs of the group, the individual may become discontent about where they are, questioning their own identity.
Tuesday, August 6, 2019
The Necklaces Essay Example for Free
The Necklaces Essay Motifs Coveting Throughout ââ¬Å"The Necklace,â⬠Mathilde covets everything that other people have and she does not. Whereas Monsieur Loisel happily looks forward to having hot soup for dinner, Mathilde thinks only of the grandness of other homes and lavish table settings that she does not own. When Monsieur Loisel obtains an invitation for a party, she covets a new dress so that she can look as beautiful as the other wives as well as jewelry so that she does not look poor in comparison to them. She is so covetous of Madame Forestierââ¬â¢s wealth that she cannot bear to visit her, but she overcomes her angst when she needs to borrow jewelry for the party; there, her coveting is briefly sated because she gets to take one of the ornaments home with her. After the party, she covets the fur coats the other women are wearing, which highlight the shabbiness of her own wraps. This endless coveting ultimately leads to Mathildeââ¬â¢s downfall and, along the way, yields only fleeting happiness. It is so persistent, however, that it takes on a life of its ownââ¬âMathildeââ¬â¢s coveting is as much a part of her life as breathing. Symbols The Necklace The necklace, beautiful but worthless, represents the power of perception and the split between appearances and reality. Mathilde borrows the necklace because she wants to give the appearance of being wealthy; Madame Forestier does not tell her up front that the necklace is fake, perhaps because she, too, wants to give the illusion of being wealthier than she actually is. Because Mathilde is so envious of Madame Forestier and believes her to be wealthy, she never doubts the necklaceââ¬â¢s authenticityââ¬âshe expects diamonds, so diamonds are what she perceives. She enters willingly and unknowingly into this deception, and her complete belief in her borrowed wealth allows her to convey an appearance of wealth to others. Because she believes herself rich for one night, she becomes rich in othersââ¬â¢ eyes. The fact that the necklace is at the center of the deception that leads to Mathildeââ¬â¢s downfall suggests that only trouble can come from denying the reality of oneâ⠬â¢s situation.
Monday, August 5, 2019
Factors Causing Language Speaking Anxiety In Classroom English Language Essay
Factors Causing Language Speaking Anxiety In Classroom English Language Essay In the last few decades, considerable effort has been devoted to recognising the role of anxiety in L2 learning. Such studies (Scovel, 1978; Horwitz, 1986; Spolsky, 1989; Phillips, 1992; Maclntyre Grander, 1994; Baker Maclntyre, 2000; Cheng, 2004) have provided us with useful information about anxiety that has recently acknowledged one of the main barriers that impedes L2 learning (Brown, 2007; Grander, 2001 cited in Pritchard, 2007). According to Abdul Aziz (2005), it is vital to realize the role of anxiety and its affect on the process of language learning since it ranks high among factors that can influence language learning, regardless of whether the setting is formal or informal. So what is meant by anxiety and to what refers language anxiety? What are the reasons that prevent students from participating in language classes and make them resort to silence? What causes their language anxiety? And, from which sources does it stem? Such questions will be answering in this chapter alongside reviewing some previous studies on second/foreign language anxiety. 2.2. Definition of Anxiety The term anxiety in general, has been defined by Scovel (1978, p.134) as a state of apprehension, (and) a vague fear. It is a complicated phenomenon to describe since it arises from various sources. People usually are not able to specify the exact emission of their nervousness and anxiety. However, it is worth mentioning that although there are several studies that have dealt with such an area, Horwitz was the first investigator of foreign language classroom anxiety (Liu, 2006). Horwitz claims that anxiety experienced by L2 learners is unique to the learning process and completely different from other types of anxiety (1986). Language anxiety according to Maclntyer and Gardner (1994, p. 284), is a type of anxiety that can be defined as the feeling of tension and apprehension specifically associated with second language contexts, including listening, speaking and learning. Anxious students usually show some signs of panic such as panic stare, white face (and) cold trembling hands (Ganschow Sparks, 2001, a35). On top of that, Abdul Aziz (2005) adds that those students may suffer from headache, blushing and pounding heart. The anxiety symptoms also could be physiological, for example an upset stomach and numbness, or cognitive symptoms such as preoccupation and worry, or behavioural symptoms such as avoidance (Cheng, 1999). 2.3 The Correlation between Anxiety and L2 Learning Some research into language anxiety has considered it to be an important variable that causes negative effects on students performance in class. They maintain that the higher the level of anxiety, the less the students are willing to communicate (Horwitz, 1986; Maclnttyre Gardner, 1994; Baker Maclntyre, 2000). It also points out that anxiety is an aid in raising the affective filter of the learners, resulting in stress, depression or fear and thus blocks the input from being absorbed and processed (Richards Rodgers, 2001; Abdul Aziz, 2005; Harmer, 2009: 58). It has also been noted that such feelings as mentioned above, are mostly centred around listening and speaking tasks with difficulty in speaking in class being the most common complaint of anxious students (Horwitz, 1986; Spolsky, 1989). However it is not necessary for anxious students who allege that they have a mental block in foreign language classes, to have the same feelings in other situations. The same students might be good learners and strongly motivated in other classes. Where some research has proved that even highly proficient language learners experienced different degrees of anxiety (Horwitz: 1986, p. 125; Brown, 2007: 163). On the other hand, there are theorists who argue to the contrary, who say that there is no correlation between anxiety and low achievement. Aida (1994) for example, who studied Japanese learners, has found a negative relationship between the anxiety experienced by the students and their performance. Other researchers asserted that second language performance and anxiety are positively related (e.g., Kleinmann, 1977; Spolsky, 1989), especially facilitative anxiety that is closely related to competitiveness which is considered to be key to successful learning (Brown, 2007: 162). However, such facilitation has only been found when using very simple grammatical structures (and) in all other cases, anxiety has been a debilitating factor in language acquisition (Duxbury Tsai, 2010). With regard to the relationship between anxiety and L2 learning, it is still under debate whether it is the cause or the product of learners low performance, or whether it harms or helps their performance. Is it a negative or a positive factor? Can teachers avoid or ameliorate anxiety in foreign language classes? (Brown, 2007: 163). To date, the research in this segment has not yielded any consistent findings (Matsuda, 2004). The studies surrounding this phenomenon are still under developed and attempts to better clarify it are still being carried out (Bailey, 2000). From the previous discussion, it can be seen that the correlation between anxiety and performance may not be a simple linear one; some factors (e.g., culture and learners proficiency) could also play a part (Na, Z., 2007). 2.4 What Factors Could Boost Language Anxiety? Horwitz et al. (1986) has pointed out some related causal factors for second language anxiety which can be summarised by: (1) communication apprehension, which is a type of shyness characterised by fear or anxiety about communication with people, (2) fear of negative evaluation and (3) test-anxiety. The example of I am usually at ease during tests in my class language (Woodrow, 2006) clarifies test-anxiety. There are other factors associated with the learners themselves and the environment of their language classes. Such factors are: self perception, learners beliefs about language learning, and the instructors beliefs about language teaching and classroom procedure (Tanveer, 2007). Other factors include age, gender, motivation and lack of confidence (Horwitz, 1986; Sparks Ganschow, 1991; Baker Maclntyre, 2000; Ohata, 2005). All of the things mentioned above, and many other factors contribute to existing L2 anxiety.
Sunday, August 4, 2019
Process Essay - Bathing a Large Dog -- Expository Process Essays
Bathing a Large Dog Bathing a large dog in a bathtub is a test of human endurance equal to the most trying of Olympic events. It is, however, well worth the effort. You will be rewarded in knowing you are helping to keep your pet healthy. Additionally, you will know your home won't smell like the primate building at the zoo. To begin, prepare the bathing area. Gather several large bath towels; usually six are adequate. Put two of these on the floor near the tub. Place the additional towels on the closed commode. Use a shampoo that is especially made for the event. The Hartz Company makes an herbal scented brand that is pleasant to use. Have the shampoo within easy reach. You may want to place it on top of the closed commode. Have something at hand by which you can pour water on your dog; I suggest you use a rubber hose with a soft plastic nozzle resembling a miniature shower head. These hoses are inexpensive and attach to most bathtub water spouts. It is very important to have all of the necessary bathing supplies in the bathroom before you bring th...
Saturday, August 3, 2019
The Global Warming Debate Essay -- Climate Change Debate, 2015
"Global warming is not a conqueror to kneel before - but a challenge to rise to. A challenge we must rise to." -- Joe Lieberman INTRODUCTION Global warming is a controversial environmental topic in todayââ¬â¢s society. Global warming is when greenhouse gases (carbon dioxide, water vapor, methane, chlorofluorocarbons, perfluorocarbons, and nitrous oxide) act as a blanket that insulates the earth and prevents heat from escaping into space, which in turn causes the global temperature to rise. This ââ¬Å"greenhouse effectâ⬠is a naturally occurring phenomenon; without it, the earth would be too cold for any life to inhabit. However, due to fossil fuel burning and other human activities, there is an excess amount of greenhouse gases (mainly carbon dioxide) in the atmosphere. Even though there is significant evidence of global warming, there are still skeptics whom believe that global warming is not occurring. BACKROUND INFORMATION Global warming is an increase in the earthââ¬â¢s temperature due to the use of fossil fuels and certain industrial and agricultural processes, which lead to a buildup of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Fossil fuels are energy-rich substances that have formed from long-buried plants and microorganisms. They provide most of the energy that powers modern society. Fossil fuels include petroleum, coal and natural gases. Petroleum or crude oil, is a naturally occurring oily, bituminous liquid composed of various organic materials. Coal is a solid, dark-colored fuel found in deposits of sedimentary rock. It is burned to produce energy and is used to manufacture steel. Natural gases are any combustible gaseous mixture used as fuel to produce energy for domestic or industrial use. ... ...e Backlash Against Global Warming Has Begun.â⬠The Economist. ââ¬Å"Sample Errors and Biases in the Global Warming Theory.â⬠. Date accessed: 12 April 2000. ââ¬Å"Still Waiting for the Greenhouse.â⬠. Date accessed: 12 April 2000. Taubes, Gary, ââ¬Å"Apocalypse Not.â⬠Science, Nov 7, 1997. ââ¬Å"Trends.â⬠EPA Global Warming Site Climate. . Date accessed: 8 April 2000. ââ¬Å"Vector and Zoonotic Illnesses.â⬠. Date accessed: 7 April 2000. ââ¬Å"What Future Changes in Climate Can We Expect.â⬠. Date accessed: 12 April 2000. Joe Lieberman Quote http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/keywords/global_warming.html#H2fdTgav5l6VVGt8.99
Battle Of Impunity :: essays research papers
Battle of Impunity à à à à à Insults often serve as a catalyst for revenge. Yet, revenge never comes without consequences. These consequences can stay in a personââ¬â¢s subconscious for the remainder of their life. Through the clever short story ââ¬Å"The Cask of Amontilladoâ⬠by Edgar Allan Poe, Montresor suffers from being insulted, seeking revenge and living with guilt. Montresor is unsuccessful in punishing Fortunato with impunity. The obsession to confess is a killer. Montresor starts the evil revenge plot with a smile on his face. ââ¬Å"It must be understood that neither by word nor deed had I given Fortunato cause to doubt my good will. I continued, as was my wont, to smile in his face, and he did not perceive that my smile now was at the thought of his immolation.â⬠Montresor believes that he will feel free and better about himself, for he will be completing his mission of impunity. With one brick remaining, ââ¬Å"My heart grew sick; it was the dampness of the catacombs that made it so.â⬠He thinks he will feel free, but throughout his life his freedom to do otherwise stands chained in the dank vault with Fortunato. He to is dead to the world, immobile, chained to the rock of his one guilt-ridden act of aggression. The sickness he feels isnââ¬â¢t the dampness of the catacombs, but the first feeling of remorse. He is killing a well ââ¬Å"respected and even fearedâ⬠man. Now confessing, t here is no way to change the past and his guilty conscience still remains. Through all the trouble Montresor goes through to kill the one person he truly despises, he benefits nothing. He thinks he will be happy. He even smiles at the sight of Fortunato in the beginning. Once he completes the task, the only thing left to do is live his life leaving Fortunato behind physically and mentally. Montresor can be better off leaving Fortunato alone, but instead he takes the unchristian way out and ends Fortunatoââ¬â¢s life. He doesnââ¬â¢t gain anything from doing this, except a guilty conscience and a dead body. ââ¬Å"A wrong is unredressed when retribution overtakes its redresser. It is equally unredressed when the avenger fails to make himself felt as such to him who has done the wrong.â⬠Montresor doesnââ¬â¢t gain anything positive from the revenge. à à à à à With every experience one learns a lesson. Montresor lets the insulting Fortunato go straight to his head. He over reacts and cleverly tricks Fortunato into ââ¬Å"the catacombs of the Montresors.
Friday, August 2, 2019
Different forms of child abuse Essay
Child abuse is a common term for four types of child maltreatment: sexual abuse, physical abuse, emotional or psychological abuse, and neglect. Children are usually victims of more than one type of abuse. They could be both sexually and emotionally abused or they could also be physically abused and neglected. In some severe cases, children may suffer from more than two forms of abuse. Child abuse was once viewed as a minor social problem that only affected a handful of U.S. children. In recent years the media and law enforcement has paid close attention to the issue. More than 1,000 children died from abuse in 1996, in the U.S. (1). Approximately 231 children are abused each day. That is 10 children every hour, and one child every six minutes. Each day in the United States, more than three children die as a result of child abuse, in the home. More children, age four and younger, die from child abuse and neglect than any other single, leading cause of death for infants and young children (1). The abusers can be family members, parents, caretakers such as babysitters and teachers, and strangers. Abuse occurs among all ethnic, social, and income groups. Most parents donââ¬â¢t hurt or neglect their children intentionally. Many were themselves abused or neglected. Usually the cases that are reported involve poor families with little education. Also common in reports are young mothers, single-parent families, and parental drug or alcohol abuse. The frequency of child abuse is difficult to estimate, due to so many cases going unreported. There are signs, symptoms, and causes to all four types of child abuse. When you have a concern for a childââ¬â¢s well-being, the signs or symptoms may help guide you in the process of reporting. Although, these signs, mentioned later, donââ¬â¢t necessarily indicate that a child is being abused. A professional, who would be able to determine the abuse, should investigate the possibility. Determining the exact cause of child abuse is almost impossible. In general,à the factors that influence whether abuse will happen is grouped into two categories- internal and external. Lack of social support, economic hardship, and chemical dependency are a few external factors. Some internal factors are: biological, emotional, and psychological. Some factors are as common as low intelligence and range to, as rare as, a severe personality disorder such as Schizophrenia. Isolation is a factor contributing to abuse. When families have difficulties, perhaps from unemployment or other social problems, they may respond in a number of ways. The families that respond by isolating themselves, by withdrawing themselves from neighbors and friends, are the most likely to be abusive. Charles F. Johnson defines sexual abuse as â⬠any activity with a child, before the age of legal consent, that is for the sexual gratification of an adult or a significantly older child.â⬠Sexual abuse involves fondling, penetration, persuading a child to expose his or her sexual organs, and allowing a child to view pornography. In most of the reported cases the child knew the abuser, and one in five of the abusers were under age themselves. 12% of the confirmed cases reported in 1996 involved sexual abuse. An estimated 10-15% of males and 20-25% of females reported they were sexually abused by age 18 (2). Most sexually abused children never come to the attention of the authorities. There may be no physical signs of harm, but there is always the intense shame, and secrecy is often maintained, even by the adults who know of the abuse, for fear of destroying a family. There is evidence emerging that as many as one in three incidents of child sexual abuse are not remembered by adults who experience them, and that the younger the child was at the time of the abuse, and the closer the relationship to the abuser, the more likely one is not to remember, claims Linda Williams. Convicted rape and sexual assault offenders serving time in State prisonsà report that two-thirds of their victims were under the age 18, and 58% of those (nearly 4 in 10 imprisoned violent sex offenders) said their victims were aged 12 or younger. In 90% of the rapes of children less than 12 years old, the child knew the offender. Sixty percent took place in the victimââ¬â¢s home or at the home of a friend, neighbor, or relative. Two-thirds of sex offenders in state prisons victimized a child. For offenders imprisoned for violent crimes against victims younger than 18 (1994), 15% were convicted of forcible rape, 57% were convicted of other types of sexual assault (lewd acts of forcible sodomy, statutory rape, etc.), about thirty percent reported attacks on more than one child, and more than half the victims were younger than 12. Out of 277 inmate interviews of all prisoners convicted of rape or sexual assault, two-thirds victimized children. Three out of four child victims were female, prisoners convicted of attacking children were mostly male, 97%, and about 22% of the child sex offenders reported having been sexually abused themselves during childhood. Half of the women raped were younger than 18 and 20% were victimized by their father (3). Children often fail to report because of the fear that disclosure will bring consequences even worse than being victimized again. The victim may fear consequences from the family or feel guilty for consequences to the perpetrator. Victims may also have a feeling that ââ¬Å"something is wrong with me,â⬠and that the abused is their fault. The impact of child sexual abuse is tremendous. It is estimated that there are 60 million survivors of childhood sexual abuse in America, today. Approximately 31% of women in prison state they have been abused as children and about 95% of teenage prostitutes have been sexually abused. Young girls who are forced to have sex are three times more likely to develop psychiatric disorders or abuse alcohol and drugs in adulthood, than girls who are not sexually abused (4). There are two different types of indicators of sexual abuse, physical indicators and behavioral indicators. Some of the physical indicators are: 1)Torn, stained or bloody underclothes. 2)Frequent, unexplained sore throats, yeast or urinary infections. 3) Bruises or bleeding from external genitalia, vagina, or anal region. 4) Sexual transmitted disease. 5) Pregnancy. Some of the behavioral indicators are: 1)The victimââ¬â¢s disclosure of sexual abuse. 2)Disturbed sleeping pattern. 3)Difficulty in walking or sitting. 4)Avoidance of undressing or wearing extra layers of clothes. 5)Sudden decline in school performance. The two prerequisites for this form of maltreatment include sexual arousal to children and the willingness to act on this arousal. Factors that may contribute to the willingness include alcohol or drug abuse, poor impulse control, and a belief that the sexual behaviors are acceptable and not harmful to the child. The chances of abuse are higher if the child is developmentally handicapped or vulnerable in some other way. Often there is no physical evidence of sexual abuse for a doctor to find. In fact, physical examinations of children in cases suspected sexual abuse supply grounds for further suspicion only 15-20% of the time (4). Physical abuse is the nonaccidental infliction of physical injury to a child, such as cut, bruises, welts, and broken bones. The abuser is usually a family member or other caretaker, and is more likely to be male. In 1996,à 24% of the confirmed cases of U.S. child abuse involved physical abuse (4). A rare form of physical abuse is Munchausen syndrome by proxy, in which a caretaker, most often the mother, seeks attention by making the child sick or appear to be sick. Skulls and other bone fractures are often seen in young abused children, and in fact head injuries are the leading cause of death in abused children. A few physical indicators of physical abuse are: 1)Unexplained welts or bruises on the face, upper arms, throat, thighs or lower back in unusual patterns or shapes which suggest use of an instrument (electric cord, belt buckle) on an infant in various stages of healing that are seen after absences, weekends, or vacations. 2)Rope burns. 3)Bald patches. 4)Refusal to undress for gym. Some of the behavioral indicators of physical abuse are: 1)Behavioral extremes- withdrawal, aggression, depression. 2)Unbelievable or inconsistent explanation for the injury. 3)Fear of physical contact-shrinking back if touched. 4)Fear of medical help or examination. The usual physical abuse scenario involves a parent who loses control and lashes out at a child. The trigger could be a dirty diaper or crying. Unlike nonabusive parent, who may become upset or angry with their children fromà time to time but are genuinely loving, abusive parents tend to harbor deep-rooted negative feelings toward their children. Emotional abuse, also known as psychological abuse, according to Richard D. Krugman, ââ¬Å"has been defined as the rejection, ignoring, criticizing, isolation, or terrorizing or children, all of which have the effect of eroding their self-esteemâ⬠. Emotional abuse usually expresses itself in verbal attacks involving rejection, belittlement, humiliation, and so forth. Emotional abuse also includes bizarre forms of punishment, such as confinement of a child in a dark closet. Often psychological abuse accompanies other types of abuse and is difficult to prove. It is rarely reported and accounted for only 6% of the confirmed 1996 cases (3). A few physical indicators of emotional abuse are: 1)Eating disorders- obesity or anorexia. 2)Nervous disorders- rashes, facial tics, hives, etc. 3)Speech disorders- stuttering, stammering, etc. 4)Flat or bald spots on head (infants). A few behavioral indicators of psychological abuse are: 1)Age inappropriate behaviors- bedwetting, soiling, etc. 2)Habit disorders- biting, rocking, etc. 3)Cruel behavior- seeming to get pleasure from hurting another child, adult, or animal. 4)Overreaction to mistakes. Emotional abuse can happen in many different settings: at school, at home, on sports teams, and so on. The forth and final forms of child abuse is neglect. Neglect is the failure to satisfy a childââ¬â¢s basic needs and can assume many forms. Emotional neglect is the failure to satisfy a childââ¬â¢s normal emotional needs or behavior that damages a childââ¬â¢s normal psychological and emotional development, physical neglect is the failure to provide adequate food, shelter, clothing, or supervision, and educational neglect includes the allowance of chronic truancy, failure to enroll a child of mandatory school age in school, and failure to attend to a special educational need. Failing to see that a child receives proper schooling or medical care is also considered neglect. In 1996, neglect was confirmed in over half of the abuse cases (3). Some physical indicators of neglect include: 1)Poor hygiene- lice, diaper rash, body odor, etc. 2)Lack of immunizations. 3)Untreated injury or illness. 4)Poor state of clothing. A few behavioral indicators of neglect include: 1)Chronic hunger or tiredness. 2)Assuming adult responsibilities. 3)Unusual school attendance. 4)No social relationships. Many cases of neglect occur because the parent experiences strong negative feelings toward the child. At other times, the parent may truly care for the child, but lack the ability to adequately provide for the childââ¬â¢s needs due to being handicapped by drug abuse, depression, mental retardation, or other problems. As a result, their physical, emotional, social, and mental development is hindered. Young children remain at high risk for loss of life. Between 1995 and 1997, 78% of these children were less than five years of age at the time of their death, while 38% were under one year of age. As for cause of death, 44% of deaths resulted from neglect, 51% from physical abuse, and 5% from a combination of neglectful and physically abusive parenting. Approximately 41% of these deaths occurred to children known to child protective service agencies as current or prior clients (5). Abuse investigators are often a group effort involving medical personnel, police officers, social workers, and others. Careful questioning of the parents is crucial, as is interviewing the child. The investigators must ensure, however, that their questioning does not further traumatize the child. A physical examination for signs of abuse or neglect is, always necessary, and may also include blood tests, x-rays, and other procedures. If the child has sisters or brothers, the authorities must determine whether they have been abused as well. Signs of physical abuse are discovered in about 20% of the sisters and brothers of abused children (4). Child abuse can have lifelong consequences. Research shows that abused children and adolescents are more likely, for instance, suffer emotional problems, do poorly in school, abuse drugs and alcohol, and attempt suicide. As adults they have often have trouble establishing intimate relationships. Notification of the appropriate authorities, treatment of the childââ¬â¢sà injuries, and protecting the child from further harm are the immediate priorities in child abuse! Sources All Figures Based Upon The Following: 1.A Nationââ¬â¢s Shame: Fatal Child Abuse and Neglect in the United States. 2.Child Maltreatment 1998: Reports from the States to the National Child Abuse and Neglect Data System. 3.http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats.htm 4.http://www.prevent-abuse-now.com/stats2.htm 5.Wang, C.T. & Daro, D. (1998). Current Trends in Child Abuse Reporting and Fatalities: The results of the 1997 Annual Fifty State Survey.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)