Abandoned Senior Citizens

Are Americans prepared for the increasing numbers of elderly population? In the next century the oldest of old will be the fastest growing population in the nation. According to The AGS Foundation for Health and Aging (2005), the size and character of the elderly in the United States is rapidly changing. Since the 1900 most of the US population was under the age of 65, but this drastically changed over the course of the century. In fact, the senior citizen population grew from 3. 1 million to 33. 2 million from 1900 to 1994. Furthermore, by the year 2030, â€Å"one out of every five Americans will be a senior citizen. † Our society must prepare to handle the increasing number of elderly that are abandoned by family or have no family to care for them. As a result, the elderly are those who stand to suffer the most due to the lack of proper care. Longer life spans and infertility is creating a serious unbalance in ages. Moreover, with the continual growing numbers of the age group 65 and above, Americans may not be ready to handle the burden that will come with supporting the elderly. Senior Citizen Population is on Brink of Explosion in World and in United States. This shift in the age structure of the world’s population poses challenges to society, families, businesses, health care providers and policymakers to meet the needs of aging individuals† according to the Census Bureau, (2009, Para. 6). To further illustrate the major impact Americans will experience due to the over growing e lderly population, the Division of the U. S. Census Bureau published middle- series projections that gives a good demonstration of growth percentages from 1990 to 2050 by race. Figure 1. 0. Statistics of The Elderly Population Projections of the United States, by Age, Sex, Race, and Hispanic Origin The worst is yet to come for the elderly frail as an unbalanced society cannot or will not provide a helping hand. â€Å"In fact, while children are projected to still outnumber the older population worldwide in 2050, the under 15 population in the United States is expected to fall below the older population by that date, increasing from 62 million today to 85 million. † Census Bureau, (2009, par a. ). These shocking numbers should be a wakeup call to our society to prepare for the impact on the financial strain the elderly will poses to their families. Consequently, children or families of the elderly will carry the burdens of making difficult decisions to help or to turn the other cheek and walk away. Moreover it will be the elderly who will suffer the most from being abandoned and forgotten in the care of hospitals, nursing homes, halfway homes, or hosp ices for someone else to worry about. The sad and unfortunate reality of what lurks beneath the decisions to leave frail and aging parents with others is the desire to be free or rid of the responsibility of caring for one’s elderly parents themselves. In time, the once young and viral independent adult who were able to contribute to society, have withering bodies that become sick, disabled, or suffer from decease and are considered too old and too much trouble to deal with. When the elderly are left alone; they experience health risks, mental instability, social isolation, loneliness, and depression (Saul, 1983). Truly one cannot image something worse than watching an elderly person’s mind slowly deteriorate due to lack of stimulation, emotional support, or love a lonely elderly craves. Typically, dementia or loss of memory sets in to the point that an elderly person cannot remember what happened from one day to the next. Eventually, the despondent elderly becomes sicker, or worse disabled from a fall or a non- curable decease like Parkinson’s or Alzheimer’s, which leads to helplessness, disorientation, bitterness, and anger because they cannot remember or help themselves. In truth, it can be a rude awakening witnessing one’s parent turn into a different person in what seems like overnight. The wonderful vivacious spirit that one loved about a parent or family member has become this empty shell of a person. Indeed the experience spoken of comes from one who has become the parent of a parent diagnosed with Parkinson’s two years ago, and who knows that any illness or disability can be could be seriously reduced with the proper medical attention, nutrients, and most of all the nurturing love an elderly person earns for. Mind blowing, yet all too true are the statistics piling up in hospitals that have no family to pick them up; or left alone in nursing homes hoping for family to come for them, or worse left alone in their homes with no one to turn to (Pek Yee, 2009). Specifically one such story happened to a friend’s brother in law who lost his mother to a horrible and tragic death when his father died three years ago. Shortly after his father’s death his mother became distraught and depressed and started visiting him and his family frequently because he lived the closest to her apart from his sisters, so he wanted to help his mother through the pain of her loss. During her visits it seemed his mother was pulling through her depression, but she often had heavy bouts of deep sadness accompanied by anger and hostility. In truth the son and his family experienced mental abused by the mothers enraged hostility; however, his family managed to suppress the desire to lash back at her because they knew she did not live with them permanently. Eventually, the mother became more despondent and asked her son if she could live with him, so she did not have to live by herself anymore. Although; she did have two other daughters, they both lived in another city and never made an effort to see her or have her come visit them. In spite of the mother’s sadness, the son denied his mother from living with him mainly because he believed her negativity would be too hard to live with. Since, she was in good health her son did not see a reason for her to move in with him because this would add more responsibility for him and definitely create tension for his family. As a result of the denial, the mother felt rejected, sorrowful, and heartbroken and became detached from everyone and began wondering off from time to time without letting anyone know where she would go. Finally; one day his mother called and said she was going away for a while but again without word of where she planned on going. Sadly and one week later was found face down in a creek dead about 10 miles from her home with only her purse in hand. The authorities who found her said she had been dead for four days and ruled her death a suicide. In short, they said she probably wondered off in distress and decided to take her life rather than be alone and without someone to care for her. Unfortunately, the son will have to live with knowing he rejected her and the possibility that he caused her to take her life, which can be terrible weight to carry for the rest of one’s life! It stands to reason that children will experience the pain and guilt of knowing either they help their aging parents or resort to disassociation. In fact, the brutal reality is that children are becoming the parents as their aging parents are vastly becoming the children to support. Indeed the experience of having time and money stripped away from the children who care for their aging parents, along with baring the extra responsibilities of caring for them, all take a toll on a family’s emotional and physical health. At first, one wants to believe that once their elderly parent is placed safely in a nursing home the responsibility of caring for their parent is lifted form them and shifted over to the care workers, but in reality this is not true at all. To begin with, the parents finances need to be take care of; regular visits to the doctor, supplies like clothes and hygiene products, and most importantly regular checks with the nursing home to make sure the parent or family member is not mistreated. Of course, nursing homes will feed them three meals a day, bath them, administer their medicine routinely, and take care of the everyday task of making sure they do not hurt themselves. However, if a medical emergency should arise and a family member is not there to help, the nursing home just ships the elderly family member off to the emergency room, for someone more equipped can help them, which can be a horrifying experience if the elderly person is left to go through the experience alone. Typically if an elderly person does not have a family member to pick him or her up at the hospital after they are discharged, the hospital’s social worker will be assigned to place them in State facility or arrange to dropped him or her off at his or her home, even if the elderly person is not equipped to take care of him or herself. It is no wonder that elderly living alone have higher risks of increasing functional disability and much broader clinical detections of social loneliness and depression (Shu-Chuan, 2004). Thus, both the elderly and their families suffer in some form or another. Once upon a time aging gracefully was respected and adorned, but today aging has become a frightening look at the future and a sad end to one’s youth. Why is becoming old such a scary place to go for so many, perhaps because the awareness people have that they too could end up sick, alone, and abandoned. A prime example of why people are so afraid would be how our nation’s nursing homes have become a dumping ground for the elderly. One only needs to venture into a States nursing facility to witness what elderly are experiencing. Underneath all the hype that the elderly are well taken care and respected, lays the ugly truth of decreased standards of living conditions. To begin with, elderly are left in their soiled underwear for hours at a time, or sometimes left lying in their beds all day long without food or drink. If an elderly person is sick and incapable of doing for him or herself, or a family member does not take the time or appropriate measures to stand up for the parent or family member staying in nursing home, terrible things can happen. Moreover, health care providers are increasingly becoming more abusive, neglectful and defiant, which is aiding in destroying the health and the very fabric of our elderly generation. Regretfully the aging frail have no other choice but to submit their selves to whatever care they can receive leaving them helplessly in the hands of retirement or nursing workers who do not care about them. As time progresses more senior citizens are feeling the aches and pains of growing older and abandonment, but this does not seem to matter because he or she continues to wait patiently and hope someone will come visit or care for them [pic] Figure 2. 0. An Alone and Hopeful Elderly Women Patiently Waits for Someone to Visit Her. Someone needs to care for and help the elderly, despite the implied burdens. In the forefront of people’s mind that have had to give up or change their lives to accommodate the aging parent or family member, there lies a desire to help in some way. However, if the surface were pulled back underneath would lay admissions of oppressions of too much to bear. Thus, the uglier side of the naked truth is revealed, which is less and less the children of the elderly refuse to take on the responsibility that comes with caring for the elderly. Out of sight, out of mind is all too often the guiltless fall back for families unwilling to help. Surely, someone needs to care for and help the elderly, despite the implied burdens. Helping the elderly might be burdensome, but life is life regardless of age. Of course, helping the elderly is a heavy burden to some but life is life, regardless of age. With this in mind, it stands to reason that our nation needs to wise up and instill the proper support structure to our badly needed aging society to create balance. So that families need not look at growing old as a scary road to venture down; or aging as a strain or burden, but rather as a gift to be grateful for.

4G WIRELESS TECNOLOGY

4G WIRELESS TECNOLOGY Abstract Today is the day of internet. In most field wireless system is very widely used. Currently a number of technologies like1G,2G,2. 5G,3G etc A new technology is introduced which is called as 4G technology. Fourth generation wireless system is a packet switched wireless system with wide area coverage and high throughput. It is designed to be cost effective and to provide high spectral efficiency. Data rate of 20mbps is employed.Mobile speed will be up to200km/hr. The high performance is achieved by the use of long term channel in both time termchannel in both time and frequency ,scheduling among users and smart antennas combined with adaptive modulation and power control. Frequency band is 2-8 GHz. it gives the ability for world wide roaming to access cell anywhere. It uses OFDM (ortogonal frequency divisional multiplexing) and Ultra Wide Radio Band(UWB), and Millimeter wireless and smart antenna. G uses a multi network functional device software which is very helpful for multiple user. Advantages -support for interactive multimedia, voice, streaming video, Internet, and other broadband services -IP based mobile system-High speed, high capacity, and low cost per bit. -global access, service portability, and scalable mobile services -Seamless switching and a variety of Quality of -Better spectral efficiency.Service driven services. – Better scheduling and call admission control techniques Disadvantages -Expensive and hard to implement -bettery usage is more -needs complex hardware Conclusion There is a need for next generation of wireless technology i. e. 4G which will be a platform for seamless technology providing widespread coverage ,band width and power consumption with higher data rates . .

My hobbies Essay

Badminton is my favourite sport. It is the fastest racket game in the world. It is played with rackets and a shuttlecock. There are six main shots: the serve, the clear, the drop, the smash, the forehand drive and the backhand drive. The court on which badminton is played is in the shape of a rectangle and is divided in half by a net. I started playing badminton when I was old enough or strong enough to swing the rackets. I love racket sports, especially badminton because badminton involves a lot of running, stopping, and changing directions, it is very easy to become tired while playing. A high level of physical fitness is required for a person to play several games continuously. I usually last only about two games. After two games I usually just stand on the court, rather than running to get the shuttle. It’s in my blood but I rarely play anymore. Where I live now, it’s hard to find a partner to play with. One of my favourite hobbies is calligraphy. Learning proper calligraphy has been top of my to-do list for ages. Learning calligraphy will give you a much more intimate sense of each letter and it will help you to learn how to manipulate each one or many together to create a beautiful composition.The principal tool for a calligrapher are the pen, which may be flat- or round-nibbed, and the brush. For some decorative purposes, multi-nibbed pens, steel brushes can be used. Ink for writing is usually water-based and much less viscous than the oil based inks used in printing. High quality paper, which has good consistency of porosity, will enable cleaner lines. I am not that good at calligraphy still; I try to practice the strokes and curves in my leisure time. I believe that life is a learning experience and being able to recognize our own strengths and weaknesses can help us become better individuals in anything we choose to do, whether it is positive abilities and skills that can help achieve our goals or negative personal areas that need improvement. Knowing yourself and what you can do, can help you recognize and overcome your weaknesses. One of my greatest strengths is that I am flexible person. I know how to adapt according to atmosphere. My positive attitude never fails me. I also enjoy having a good impact on peoples’ lives and  giving people a reason to smile. I am able to drift deep in thought and start imagining things basically anytime. I am interested in learning from others and my own mistakes easily. I can handle myself in difficult situation by sweet communication with patience. My weaknesses are that I am not expressive. I am someone who tends to shrink from social contacts and becomes preoccupied with my own thoughts. Stage fright is my biggest weakness. I am a person who shares less with others and tries to resolve problems by over thinking. I also over think even simple and minor things and end up complicating them. That is the downside of having too much alone time.

Language and Culture in New Zealand Organization Research Paper

Language and Culture in New Zealand Organization - Research Paper Example According to the research findings, it can, therefore, be said that various languages are spoken in the country where some are officially recognized, and others are not. These diverse languages bring about different cultures and influence the organization structure of the country. New Zealand is located in the Southwest of the Pacific Ocean. The country is mainly made up of two landmasses namely the South and North Islands. Several ethnic groups can be found in New Zealand, which includes the Maori, Europeans, Asians, and Pacific Islander among others. The country's official languages are Maori, English and the New Zealand sign language. English can be termed as the main business language, as it is spoken by 98 % of the citizens this can be attributed to the British Commonwealth ties. Maori is considered a Polynesian language which can be compared to languages spoken in other Pacific Cultures such as Tongan, Samoan and Hawaiian. As per the census done in 2006, more than 157,000 peopl e in the country speak Maori. This language has existed in New Zealand culture from as early as the country’s discovery. Maori people were the first to get to New Zealand and were later followed by the European settlers. However, it was only after passing of the 1986 Maori Language Act that the language was formally recognized as an official language. The use and the development of Maori language is consistently encouraged by the New Zealand language Commission. English and Maori are used all over the country in varied media outlets especially in radio and television programs. As apparent in most regions of the world where cultures have intermixed, Both English and Maori cultures have influenced each other. Various words have been absorbed into the vocabulary of the two languages. There are quite a number of differences in the above cultures especially when tribal circles are involved.

Easy Jet Airlines Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Easy Jet Airlines - Essay Example The CEO - Stelios is known for exceptional decision-making and problem-solving skills (including correct analysis, comparison of alternatives, and selecting best alternative), Value driven; possesses qualities of honesty and integrity, Takes initiative and plans accordingly (includes planning, organizational, and time and conflict management skills), Holds accountability for actions, Knowledge in given field, Observant and reacts to employee/customer needs, Effectively assumes responsibility and rewards/punishes accordingly, Promotes team-building and relationship building. Stelios, founder and CEO of easyJet Airlines, want to offer low cost airlines to its customer & to become leader in airline industries. He believed that in order to be successful, it was important to be first to market and to saturate the geographic market. The main issue with the easyJet is that due to monopoly of European Airline Industry, it is very difficult to become the global leader in Airline Industry. Due to monopoly of European airlines, easyJet airlines are not able to enter in to the European countries. For that Stelios had done a lot of efforts to attract passengers towards easyJet. He offered low cost tickets, easy ticketing procedure through internet or phone call, and also he purchase some front seat tickets of an European airlines and send his employee in a uniform that is advertising for Easy Jet. It means some passengers traveling in an European airlines are advertising for Easyjet Airlines. To succeed successfully in the airline industry, a company must be led by a visionary leader with good decision making skills. The leader must be in-line with the organizational culture, promoting a favorable internal environment. In order to become the global leader, Stelios, founder & CEO of jet Airlines tries his hand in other business in 1999. Among his pet projects was the creation of a cyber cafà © business called easyEverything cafà ©. easyEverything will provide internet at lower cost (Less than a phone

Ecological problems Case Study Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Ecological problems - Case Study Example For a start, it is prudent to acknowledge that such kinds of mishaps arise due to inexistence of clear-cut communication channels between various departments that constitute the City’s Fleet Operation Maintenance Bays. The situation can also be as a result of lack of quick and steadfast implementation of changes made over a given period of time in the City’s Fleet Operation Maintenance Bays and other departments that work in unison with it. Such kinds of mishaps have to be addressed amicably to ease managerial strains and enhance smooth operations in the bays and their affiliate departments. I therefore recommend that the four dumpsters lying at the power site remain there until an amicable solution to the quandary is constituted and implemented to the letter. This recommendation is based on the fact that, returning the dumpsters to the front of the City’s Fleet Operation Maintenance Bays would bring serious environmental repercussions and even unwarranted indust rial mishaps that would affect the Bays’ functioning and processes. Bringing back the dumpsters back to the bays would also pose grave health risks to the workforce that operates in the bays. In the meanwhile, before a lasting resolution to the impasse is found, I recommend that the concerned stakeholders in the department chart a temporary approach ahead to deal with dumpsters that will be filled before a permanent solution is instituted. What responsibility does Fleet Operations have? Fleet operations are charged with the ardent task of warranting cars and other automobiles within the City’s fleet are well maintained and execute performance to the uttermost. This calls for the personnel operating in the Bays to have experience in treating automobiles in the event of any required operation, executing habitual maintenance checks and make plans for repairs on malfunctioned or damaged motor cars and automobiles registered under fleet’s name. Furthermore, the fleet operations have the responsibility of reducing the number of oily rags disposed as a sign of being environmentally conscientious and more so, as a means of plummeting disposal expenses. To achieve this, the fleet operations ought to adopt effectual means and measures of reducing the number of disposable rags from the bays. Such measures include reducing drastically the average quantity of absorbents used and generated sequentially to reduce quantities of spills, drips/leaks and overfills that typically take place during operations (Committee on Health Effects of Waste Incineration, 2000). This is possible through implementation of trouble-free and minimal-cost pollution/contamination prevention mechanisms such as: Performing scheduled scrutiny of fluid storage spaces for spillages overfills or leaks. Perform habitual anticipatory maintenance checkups on equipment, automobile machinery and containers like replacing permeable container seals, and dispenser machines. Train baysâ€℠¢ personnel on how to implement and maintain excellent baykeeping measures and strategies. Curtail the trip numbers and distance correlated to substance shifting in order to lessen chances of inadvertent spills. Use of suitable storage and transfer equipment to avoid unnecessary spills, container breakages and loosening of seals. Case Scenario # 4 What are your first actions? My foremost reaction to such a scenario would be to ask the power plant supervisor to put off the cigarette since it is not advisable to smoke in such an establishment purely on health and hazard justifications. From his explanations that expose what one of the workers has unearthed, I direct him to thoroughly wash his hands because of his involvement in sorting out the garbage which is in essence, ‘ripe’ and has probably come into contact with the contaminated box. After he

European Union Law- (Problem Question) Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

European Union Law- (Problem Question) - Essay Example Certainly, there has been no enforcement of the minimal redundancy directive by the ECJ. Because ‘a directive shall leave to national authorities the choice of form and methods’ and always requires national implementation which can lead to different implementation methods in different member states (UK Redundancy, 2003), Andrew, who worked for an emanation of the state, might have better positioning than Boris, who worked for a private entity. EC/EU law takes priority over the law of Member States if there is inconsistency between them. If in any respect British law is incompatible with applicable European Community law, then an individual who suffers loss as a result may be able to claim compensation from the British government due to state liability. This result is unlikely for Boris coming from the private sector both because the British government normally goes to considerable trouble to ensure that British law conforms with EC directives and because the British Courts will resolve any ambiguity in the wording of a British statute in a way which is cons istent with EC law. The courts will also interpret British law in a way which is consistent with applicable EC law unless the wording of the British provision makes this impossible. Nevertheless, there are several examples of cases in which British law has been held to be unenforceable because it is inconsistent with EC Directives (European Communities Act, 2005). Sr Francovich sued the Italian government on the grounds that he had suffered loss as a result of the governments failure to implement EC Directive 80/987 ("on the approximation of the laws of Member States relating to the protection of employees in the event of insolvency of their employer"). He was employed by a company in between January 1983 and April 1984. The employer went bankrupt owing him some 6m lire (approx  £3,000) pay. He obtained judgment

Use and Abuse of Power in Management Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2750 words

Use and Abuse of Power in Management - Essay Example It is necessary for both the mangers as well as the non managers to study organization because organizations are vital mechanisms and helps in achieving the goals in modern society. Therefore, the aim of the essay is important to be able to distinguish between the use of power management and its abuses. Thus in order to achieve the required aim, the essay would highlight the theories in literature review and provide an example in order to relate the theories with practical examples. Thus the essay starts off with an introduction on the use and abuse of power in the management, followed by a literature review, quoting the theories necessary for the topic. The next part of the essay would put light on practical examples of organizations with relation to use and abuse of power and finally the essay ends with a conclusion and recommendation for the managers stating how a manger should distinguish between use and abuse of power in management and work accordingly providing an effective result for the organization. It has been founded that there arise a thin level of difference between the use and abuse of power and the managers are familiar with the danger of uncoupling power with politics from an ethical point of view. Managers are concerned about how can the negative aspect of power be managed. Therefore the answer to this query lies in generating an understanding of the relationship between power, the ability to influence and the political process (Butcher & Clarke , 2008, p.19). Power is defined as the ability to marshal resources in order to get something done. The use of power and authority in organizations are crucial, but a manger needs to plans, manage, organize coordinate and control the various activities of an organization. And this makes one of the reasons as to why managers want to get promoted to a higher position so that they can utilize the power. Thus an organization can be seen as political system where the use and abuse of power plays a significant role in the functioning of the organization (Dzimbiri, 2009, p.33). Theoretical Background Introduction Leaders implement the task and roles with the help of power that they possess. It has been suggested that a leader should always stay away from blaming, coercive and bullying style of leadership. A manger can support innovations and the ongoing activities of the organization are many different ways. In a hierarchical organization, the locus of power is fixed and clear but in a fla tter structure power is more fluid and is constantly being negotiated. According to Adair, the authority in the organization is usually derived from position, knowledge and personality. Kotler suggested that the first and foremost thing which is important in leadership is to understand the types of power and the methods used to influence the people, to utilize different types of power as per the need and seek out the appropriate leadership role, to create more power and utilize them and finally to temper the use of power with maturity and self control and recognizing the impact of use and abuse of power on others (Morrison, 1998, p.214). It has been found out by the authorities that effective use of power is the most important element of management. Some of the leaders have proved themselves to be highly influential leaders and powerful. These leaders were powerful because of the fact that they were able to build a strong

Q (VE1) or Q (VE2) Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Q (VE1) or Q (VE2) - Research Paper Example a mean, ethics (how we are trained to handle any situation) is plainly the cause of the achievement of the ‘average’ feeling of happiness (happiness does not have a measure but either a lack or presence of it) (Aristotle 10a). Some of the moral virtues that Aristotle listed in his work include joy, pity, envy, confidence, appetite, friendliness, emulation, and more feeling-related human attributes. They are all considered to have an average, unlike such feelings as happiness and anger that stand as distinct feelings and can only be described by way of how they are expressed and not how much of them we can assess. If I were the shepherd in Plato’s story (Plato par 1-7), I would consider it ethical to wear the ring because the powers that come with it are bound to bring me a feeling of protection and, subsequently, happiness. The ethical dimension to it is the ability to acquire the average feeling of satisfaction knowing the power I

Limitations of interviews Essay Example for Free

Limitations of interviews Essay Despite the advantages associated with interviews, a number of limitations must also be acknowledged. For example they are time-consuming; one of the biggest weaknesses could be the ability to interview only a sample population, raising concerns with the generalization of findings. As a consequence, in this investigation, the use of multiple sources of data has been conceived to validate qualitative data, as the degree to which archival data, interviews, and document analysis converge makes the conclusions about the phenomenon more convincing. The Method in which Conclusions will be derived The most important issue in research is that the process of arriving at conclusions is not a sequential one. No conclusion can be drawn until there is a clear data display. The process of arriving at conclusions will be as shown in Figure 6 below (Miles. Huberman, 1994). Consequently, after having administered the questionnaires and collated the responses, the findings will be compared with review of literature to analyze the banking system in China and UK. Figure 6 Chapter 3 – Literature Review Literature on Banking in China. Banking China General. Modern banking in China commenced with the establishment of the first Chinese bank based on western pattern of banking in 1897. (Cheng, 2003). The Chinese banking system however has undergone turbulence over the years due to historical upheavals in the country such as the invasion by the Japanese in 1937, the Second World War, the Communist Revolution, communist party rule and there after opening of the economy in the 1980’s and 1990’s. The era of 1927 to 1937 is regarded as the golden era of Chinese banking under the government of Sun Yat Sen. There after there have been many changes until the emergence of the present banking system. (Cheng, 2003). Chow (1994) has indicated that the principal player in the Chinese banking industry is the People’s Bank which has played an important role in the Chinese economy even after liberalization though its role has been relatively passive. The Chinese banking reforms were undertaken after the landmark decision during the Third Plenary Session of the Fourteenth Congress of the Chinese Communist Party on 11 and 14 November. (Chow). These reforms reversed the processes undertaken almost five decades earlier in December 1948 when the People’s Bank was established after consolidating a number of local banks such as the Huabei Bank, Beihai Bank and Xibei Farmer Bank. The China Banking Regulatory Commission was established to supervise the financial industry in March 2003, thus diluting the hold of the People’s Bank as a central bank established in 1983. The People’s Bank is supported by four principal state controlled banks of which Bank of China (BOC) is one of the largest entities. The OECD Economic Survey on China 2005 indicates that the government policy has provided adequate space for the growth of market forces to influence the economy and is now determining the prices, trade, and investment by foreign companies as well as the overall financial system. (OECD, 2005). These reforms have impacted the level of savings in the Chinese economy while at the same time providing for greater foreign investment. The report has called for greater reforms in the banking sector to ensure that the process of growth is carried forward. (OECD, 2005). Thus broadly it would be seen that Chinese banking industry is on a threshold of transformation. Literature on Bank of China Bank of China – General The Bank of China is one of China’s oldest banks which has had a significant role to play in China’s financial history. The Bank was established in 1912 under the Sun Yat Sen regime. It had an important part to play in the turbulent period of China’s history to include a constant flux in the economy, political change and revolutionary periods including wars. (About Bank of China,. 2006). In the beginning of the Communist era, in1949, it was nominated as the primary bank specializing in foreign exchange. Thus it was at the fore front of development of foreign trade, providing currency and credit facilities to a large variety of individuals and firms. (About Bank of China, 2006). In 1994, the Bank was converted to a state owned commercial bank thus in 2003, when the Chinese banking sector assumed velocity it greatly benefited Bank of China. In 2003 another initiative to convert it into a joint holding bank was undertaken, a process which was finalized in 2004 when it was incorporated as a joint stock commercial bank, thereby providing it the ability and the regulatory authority to provide a wide spectrum of services across a vast geographic area to include 27 countries and regions. It is stated to have 10000 domestic and 600 overseas operations. (About Bank of China, 2006).

The biological and learning perspectives

The biological and learning perspectives Aggression remains a substantial problem today. According to Berkowitz (1975) aggression can be defined as any behaviour which is intended to cause harm to another person whether physically or verbally. This investigation is an evaluation of the biological and learning perspectives of psychology accounting for the development of aggression in children. Aggression from the biological perspective is seen as an innate behaviour which is genetically transferred from the parents to their offspring. Supplementary biological factors which cause aggression are low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, as well as certain brain structures such as the hypothalamus and amygdala, that when manipulated, may result in aggressive behaviour. When considering the learning perspective and environmental determinants of aggression in children there are key factors which play an essential role. The observations of others behaviour as demonstrated by Albert Bandura (1961) as well as the frustration aggression hypothesis suggested by Dollard (1939) have been found to be considerable factors in the development of aggression. Video games have also been identified as a contributing cause of aggression in children. This examination investigates the origins of childhood aggression and evaluates two differing perspectives, these being the biological and learning perspective, and collectively concludes that there are various factors which contribute to a child acting aggressively. However, a collective understanding and strong evaluation of both the biological and learning perspective has led to a stronger foundation of understanding childhood aggression. Therefore, to fully understand the origins of aggressive behaviour, both biological and environmental factors must be considered within their limited scope. This leads to the conclusion that there are multiple forces which lead a child to acting aggressively; hence biological and environmental factors which trigger aggression cannot be isolated. Word Count: 282 Contents Biological perspective v Evaluation of the biological perspective ix Learning perspective xi Evaluation of the learning perspective xv Conclusion xvii References xix Bibliography xxi Introduction There are many ways in which aggression can be defined. According to Berkowitz (1975) aggression is any behaviour which causes intentional harm to another person. There are many different forms of aggression which include verbal, physical and emotional behaviours that are apparent in some children. Studies conducted on children (ranging in age from approximately 3 to 15 years old) suggest that aggression develops in children based on their biological background or their environmental context. This essay is an evaluation of the biological perspective and learning perspective of psychology accounting for the development of aggression in children. This issue is worthy of investigation since aggression has become a substantial social problem amongst upcoming generations. Alarming news articles and reports focus on aggressive acts. Children and youth growing up all around the world are resorting to violence on a daily basis. It has always appealed to me to understand the basis of aggressive behaviour as I have seen this behaviour amongst most children and teenagers, as well as adults. It is my curiosity and eagerness to discover more about the development of aggression from two opposing views, these being the biological and learning, which have motivated me to undertake this research topic for my extended essay. This essay is aimed specifically to evaluate the importance of innate drives and the environmental determinants of aggressive behaviour. Biological perspective The biological perspective of psychology is based on the assumption that behaviour is biologically determined. In Weiten (2007) text, the biological perspective belief that is referred to is that all psychological issues stem from a physiological background. Therefore, aggression in children, according to the biological perspective, is considered to be an innate behaviour. Biological factors which trigger aggressive behaviour in children are inheritance, where aggression may be passed from the parents to their offspring, as well as low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin, and the activity of certain structures in the brain, that when manipulated may trigger aggressive behaviour. Many of the theories and case studies that have been put forward to support the hypothesis that aggression in children is biologically determined will be discussed in further detail. The biological perspective suggests that aggression in children is inherited through the traits of parents. Many theories have been driven by findings from research on animals, which highlight that there is some genetic aspect to aggression. Selective breeding has been one of the longest existing methods to find the existence of a phenotypic characteristic. In 1979 a Finnish psychologist, Kristi Lagerspetz, took the most aggressive mice from an assembly and mated them with other aggressive mice, and similarly the same applied for those non-aggressive mice. Lagerspetzs procedure was repeated over 26 generations of mice giving birth to their offspring (cited in Grivas.J, Carter.L 2005). The significant outcome of this experiment was that the mice that had been bred for aggressive tendencies demonstrated immense levels of aggression; where they instantly attacked other mice sharing the same cage. Mice that were not bred with aggressive mice did not act aggressively; when other mice atta cked them, they did not illustrate the tendency to retaliate. Lagerspetzs experiment can be criticised on the grounds that it cannot be conducted with humans because it is clearly unethical. A significant contribution of this selective breeding experiment is its illustration of a genetic basis of aggression and how it can be passed onto the offspring. These mice had a practical advantage over humans because these species have a short gestation period, which is essential as aggressive behaviour can be monitored over successive generations in a short period of time. The mice can have their behaviours observed in a lab, unlike humans. This is also a practical advantage as the mice were all kept in the same environmental conditions; hence their behaviour would not differ from one mouse to another because they shared the same environment. Arising from this experiment is the criticism of extrapolating results from animals to humans. Despite some similarity between humans and animals; there is still a large difference between them, therefore a direct link cannot be made between mice and children. Mice species have differing logic and reasoning capacities as compared to humans, hence mice do not facilitate the opportunity to choose to be aggressive or not, whereas children have the capability of logically choosing to act aggressively. On the other hand, more efficient methods of demonstrating that aggression in children is an inherited behaviour is emphasised by other research methodologies such as twin studies. Twin studies suggest that aggression in children is an inherited trait passed on from parents to their offspring. Twin studies are very useful for the reason that identical twins are monozygotic, and their genetic makeup is identical. Hence, all additional differences in their behaviour are accounted by their environment and experiences as an individual. In one study, conducted by Caspi (1998), data was collected from identical and non-identical twins following a questionnaire asking various personal and non-personal questions. The results indicated that aggressive behaviour was only partly inherited, and that environmental factors played an equally contributing role. However, according to Baron and Richardson (1994), the tendency to be aggressive is not passed on from the parents to the offspring; rather the temperament which is capable of making someone more or less aggressive can be inherited. This twin study is clearly indicative of the inheritance of aggressive behaviour, yet it cannot be claimed that inheritance is the only key factor which causes aggressive behaviour or the tendency to be aggressive in children. Over time research has also consistently indicated that low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin plays a central role in increased levels of aggression in children. In a study conducted at the National Institute of Mental Health (Bethasda MD), a positive correlation was found between low levels of the neurotransmitter serotonin and the levels of aggression in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (Mitsis.E et al, 2000). In another study conducted by Russian researchers, silver foxes were studied. It was found that those foxes which had been bred for over 30 years for domestic behaviour, showed no defensive reactions to humans because they had high levels of serotonin in various structures of the brain, compared to the foxes which had been bred without freedom (Popova et al, 1991). These studies clearly highlight the role which serotonin plays in causing aggressive behaviour amongst children; the lower the levels of serotonin the higher the level of aggression. Once again, this research could be criticised on the grounds that it is difficult to associate these findings to children as they are different beings. The above experiments are of considerable value as the foxes could be trained and kept over an extended period of time where their behaviour is closely observed, unlike humans who cannot be kept in such environments. Certain parts of the brain have been found to be responsible for the development of aggression in children. The structure of the hypothalamus and the amygdala located within the brain are a leading biological cause of aggressive behaviour. Both structures communicate with each other via electric signals. The hypothalamus and amygdala can be manipulated using electrical currents, and they may be switched on or off disabling their normal operation using an electrode. Bard (1934) investigated the effect of lesions on the levels of aggression in cats. Bard found that when parts of the cortex were removed from the cats, they displayed sham rage where the cats acted aggressively. He also found that when parts of the hypothalamus were removed the sham rage disappeared, clearly demonstrating that the manipulation of the hypothalamus and cortex plays a role in the development of aggression. Evaluation of the biological perspective The biological approach of explaining aggressive behaviour in children is very scientific and is consequently regarded as reliable. It is based on many experimental studies which are conducted in laboratory conditions in order to eliminate any environmental influences on the findings. However, the location of the experiments is not only a strength but also a potential weakness. The biological perspective involves low ecological validity where most studies are conducted within laboratory conditions. Experiments conducted in the laboratory will most certainly produce different results then in real-life situations as participants will not demonstrate the exact same behaviour in real-life situations as they will under examination. Thus, this weakness does not implicate that such laboratory experiments are invaluable; rather they are limited to generalisabilty. However, positive correlations between real life situations can be drawn, highlighting that laboratory studies are considerably u seful. The biological perspective can be criticised on the basis that aggression in children cannot be related to studies that have been conducted on animals. An argument stemming from this point is that it is not possible to apply animal findings to humans regardless of the similarities because they are different beings. Parallels between humans and animals may be oversimplified, and therefore social, as well as learning processes, must also be taken into consideration. The analysis of animal results from the biological perspective requires cautious interpretation. However, using animals to demonstrate the link between childhood aggression and biological factors is also beneficial. Studies such as the breeding of generations as conducted by Lagzerspetz and lesions on certain parts of the brain, conducted by Bard, are contributing factors in the development of aggression which cannot be conducted on humans because it will cause psychological and physical harm to the participants and most li kely result in death. Similarly, there is always some sort of connection that can be drawn between animals and humans, therefore using animals can be a starting point to understanding the biological bases of aggression in children. Another weakness of explaining the development of aggression in children from the biological perspective is the reductionist nature of the biological approach. This is one of the main weaknesses which the biological perspective incorporates. The biological perspective does not regard or take into the account the interaction of the mind and body with the environment, rather it only takes into consideration neurological processes. Environmental factors are also not placed into perspective. This is a downfall as complex human behaviours cannot always be explained on a genetic basis; the surrounding environment also plays a central role in influencing and triggering aggressive behaviours. One certain structure of the brain cannot be the only factor which is responsible for the development of aggression in children, because most structures of the brain are connected and their influence or triggering of behaviour cannot therefore be based in one specific area. Correspondingly, the findings of all studies conducted cannot be generalised to all children. These findings are applicable to a small sample and findings cannot be predicted to be the same for a different sample of children as all children are different. Yet, this can be a starting point to understanding the basis of aggressive behaviour. Learning perspective The learning perspective is established on the basis that although everyone is born with a genetic endowment which is the root of instinctual behaviours, the majority of behaviour is learnt from the environment. The underlying principle of this assumption suggests that aggression in children does not purely develop as a result of biological factors, rather it accounts for a very minor part. According to Bandura (1961) aggression can be learnt from the observation of other people and their aggressive behaviour. Aggression in children can also be learnt through the observation of frustrated people who surround them and frustration also triggers aggressive behaviour (Dollard 1939). Alarming articles and studies have revealed that violent video games are linked to aggressive behaviour amongst children. Firstly, a theory proposed to support the theory of aggression from the learning perspective is the frustration-aggression hypothesis which was proposed by John Dollard (1939). The frustration aggression theory suggests that frustration is the main factor which contributes to aggression. For example, when an individual is frustrated, in a certain situation, they will immediately display aggressive behaviour. According to this hypothesis, aggression will only occur due to frustration and no other particular factor. Also, according to Glassman (2000) the level of aggression demonstrated is purely dependant on how frustrated one may be. For instance when a child is prevented from taking a course of action or possessing something it is most likely believed that the child will become aggressive; occurring as a result of being frustrated. Barker et al (1941) further investigated frustration as a cause of aggression in young children. In their study, children were shown a roomful of attractive toys which were kept out of their reach. The children were kept away from the toys for a while before they were allowed to play with them. The controlled conditioned group of the children were allowed to immediately play with the toys. Similar to Dollards findings (1939), it was observed from this conducted study that the children who were frustrated because they had to wait before being exposed to the toys, played aggressively with the toys by smashing and stomping on them. On the other hand, the children who were allowed to play immediately with the toys handled them carefully and played happily. One social determinant of aggressive behaviour is Albert Banduras social learning theory (1961) which highlights the role of observation and its consequences on the aggressive behaviour in children from the learning perspective. Albert Bandura views most human behaviour as learned by observing a model or simply another person, which affects a childs view of how this new behaviour can be developed and how this new attained behaviour is a guide for their actions. This provides the basis of explaining aggressive behaviour in children from the learning perspective. Banduras (1961) most well known experiment was the Bobo doll experiment; the Bobo doll being a plastic clown doll. In this experiment Bandura examined the consequential actions of children observing an adult behaving aggressively with a Bobo doll. During the experiment he had children watching models acting aggressively towards a Bobo doll. They watched the video of the model constantly acting aggressively by sitting on the do ll, punching it and kicking it repeatedly. Bandura had other children watch a non aggressive model playing calmly with the Bobo doll. Once the children were exposed to such models, they were taken into another room where there were many toys amongst them the Bobo doll. The results from this experiment indicated that children, who were exposed to the aggressive model and observed their acts, imitated aggressive behaviour towards the Bobo doll. In contrast, the children who were exposed to the non-aggressive model showed no or very little aggressive behaviour. Albert Banduras Bobo Doll experiment highlights the role of observation in childrens learning. Children were the subject as they are less socially conditioned unlike adults. However, this experiment raises the possibility that children may have thought that this experiment was a game as a consequence of the Bobo doll having a spring which causes it to spring back immediately after being knocked down. A criticism of this research is that it is not ecological the children may have not acted aggressively towards any human in real life. Another potential weakness is the fact that the children may have not been exposed to the Bobo doll previously, hence they did not know how to play with it. A criticism of the social learning theory is also that it does not take into account the physical and mental changes which a child undergoes as they mature. Children at different ages may respond to laboratory experiments in different ways. Much like observation of others behaviours, violent video games and television shows have also been proven to trigger aggression in children. The learning perspective suggests that children who play violent video games such as Doom, Wolfenstein 3D or Mortal Combat and others often experience aggressive behaviour, either physically or verbally. Violent video games have a supplementary impact on young children and trigger aggressive behaviour more than violent television shows because they are more interactive, engaging the child in aggressive acts and ultimately rewarding them for acting aggressively within the game. Dr. Craig A. Anderson, Ph.D. (2000) states, This medium is potentially more dangerous than exposure to violent television and movies. Dr. Anderson of Iowa State University in Ames and his colleagues found that in the U.S and Japan, Japanese and American children who played violent video games demonstrated more aggressive behaviour months later compared to their peers who didnt. In Andersons study, 181 Japanese students aged between 12 and 15 years old and 364 U.S. children aged between 9 and12 years old were tested. The U.S and Japanese children named their favourite video games and how often they played. The children from both groups were later on asked to rate their level of aggression and reports from their teachers and peers were also taken into consideration. From the results it was found that the children from each group who were exposed to more violent video games were much more aggressive than those who were less exposed. Comparisons were made between their prior levels of aggression and how there was a dramatic rise in this level (Cited in BBC News, Video games Increase Aggression, Health Section, 2000). Violent video games can impact on childrens aggression levels, as children begin to believe that the world is a hostile place, and aggressive acts are an acceptable part of normal daily life. Presumably, constant and excessive exposure to v iolent video games causes children to become desensitized to violence. Once they have been engaged in aggressive acts it impacts on the children emotionally, and as a consequence these children find it much easier and acceptable to engage in violence and aggressive acts. A criticism of this study is that the cultural context of the children was not taken into account. Japan and the U.S are two differing cultures; hence what is deemed as aggressive in Japan may not be aggressive in the U.S and vice versa. Hence, it is difficult to compare the behaviour of these children whilst ignoring cultural factors. Leonard Berkowitz (1989) investigated the effect of pain and discomfort on individuals to demonstrate their likelihood of acting aggressively. He induced pain by placing the participants hands in cold or warm water while they distributed rewards and punishments to a partner. Berkowitz identified that those who had their hands placed in the cold water caused greater harm to their partner than those who had their hands immersed in warm water. This is sufficient to draw the conclusion that pain is a contributing factor to aggression. Evaluation of the learning perspective The learning perspective also incorporates strengths and weaknesses. Similar to the biological perspective of explaining aggressive behaviour in children, it is reductionist. It explains aggressive behaviour in terms of a characteristic which is being learnt although it does not deny the genetic endowment of aggressive behaviour. The learning perspective argues that aggressive behaviour is learnt through observation, and triggered by the surrounding environment and conditions. It simplifies the occurrence of certain behaviours, especially aggression, into a few steps. For instance, the problem of reduction is evident in Albert Banduras study of the Bobo doll whereby aggressive behaviour is reduced to the process of imitation. Thus, it has overlooked other leading causes of the development of aggression including the childrens upbringing and home environment. Children were varied therefore some children may have been brought up in a violent home and exposed to many aggressive situatio ns. This may have affected the way they acted in the laboratory and the ultimate results of the experiment. It was also assumed that all biological influences such as levels of serotonin are identical for each participant. The frustration aggression hypothesis supported by Dollard (1939) is an inefficient method of demonstrating how childhood aggression develops as in some cases, such as learned helplessness, frustration may not lead to aggression; rather it may lead to depression. Therefore, frustration is not the only key factor which contributes to aggressive behaviour: there are other sources which may lead to this same outcome. The learning perspective also denies some very important mental processes which also result in the development of aggression in children. This perspective does not take into account how certain brain structures may trigger aggressive behaviour, in other words it does not take into account neurological processes, and rather it simply accounts for the influences of daily life and the environmental context which a person is brought up in. The learning perspective does not incorporate any biological or cognitive processes which are also responsible for the development of aggression. Nevertheless, the learning perspective focuses on the environment and the condition in which a child is situated to produce an aggressive response. It has many practical applications which have been effective in explaining the development of aggressive behaviour. It clearly highlights how certain behaviours, particularly aggression, can be learned by the observation of others. The learning perspective also has a low ecological validity, whereby the children who were engaging in the experiment may have acted differently in the laboratory than what they would have in a real life situation. To be specific, Albert Banduras Bobo doll experiment can be criticised on the grounds that the childrens aggression was measured away from their natural environment. However, if such experiments are conducted in a more realistic manner, then the results would be more beneficial in terms of understanding how aggressive behaviour in children develops. Conclusion This essay was specifically an evaluation of the biological and learning perspectives of psychology accounting for the development of aggression in children. Having considered the interpretations of the development of aggression in children from both the biological and learning perspective, and the criticisms which arise from the research conducted, it can be concluded that both the biological and learning perspectives contribute to the development of aggression in children. In terms of the biological perspective, aggression is viewed as purely being based on biological basis. It is regarded as highly reliable since it is based on science. However, the learning perspective views aggression as being unrelated to genes, rather aggression is learnt. The learning perspectives social learning theory is a useful explanation for the aggressive behaviour of children. It not only applies to direct experiences such as being disciplined by parents, but rather at all times such as when watching television. The frustration-aggression hypothesis has a weaker stance, because frustration does not always induce aggression, rather it may encourage retaliation. This hypothesis suggests that frustration accounts for all aggressive acts. For this reason it is not completely justified, because there are more determinants of aggressive behaviour. Both the biological perspective and learning perspective are based on evidence and practical studies which have been conducted. However, the learning perspective views aggression in children as having some sort of biological basis, yet through experience and reinforcement aggression becomes learned and evident amongst children. For instance, the role of the parent is paramount in using the biological factors of the child to mould the child and guide them through their development. If a childs genes are inclined to be aggressive, the parent within the environment will attempt to nurture and accommodate for their childs genes by attempting to provide a calm lifestyle. Parents may also choose to put their child in a hobby that is sports oriented to cater for the aggressive levels in order to use their energy in a positive way, where they stimulate thinking and reasoning skills preventing the child from resorting to aggressive acts. From this it is clearly evident that both the biologica l perspective and learning perspective account for and contribute to the development of aggression in children as it is difficult to isolate the contributing factors. It is clear that innate biological factors may be present in a child; however the environment sets the limits on how to behave and deal with social influences that influence a child to act aggressively. Understanding the underlying factors which contribute to aggressive behaviour will form the basis of combating the levels of violence all around the world where children, youth and adolescents often resort to violence. Through further investigation, the effect of cognitive and mental processes may now be evaluated to determine their influence on childhood aggression which will lead to educational programs being implemented in schools and for the general society. References Books Baron. R.A Richardson. D.C (1994). Human Aggression (2nd ed.). Plenum Publishing. Berkowitz, L. (1975). A survey of Social Psychology. Hillsdale, IL: Dryden Press Dollard, J. D. (1939). Frustration and Aggression. New Haven CN: Yale University Press. Glassman, W. (2000). Approaches to Psyhcology (2nd ed.). Philadelphia: Open University Press. Grivas.J, Carter. L. (2005). Psychology for the VCE Student (4th ed.). Australia: John Wiley Sons. Weiten, W. (2007). Psychology: Themes and Variations (7th ed.). 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