Psychological and Sociological Factors in Smoking Addiction Essay

Psychological and Sociological Factors in Smoking Addiction Understanding the habit of smoking tobacco The essay will discuss how smoking tobacco became a habit among people; what are the factors that affect the thinking of individuals in experimenting tobacco smoking; and what makes them think of quitting smoking. It will address both psychological and sociological ideas and will attempt to apply each idea in order to understand people’s lifestyles. Introduction Tobacco is a green and leafy plant and mostly grows in a warm environment. When it is fully grown, it will be harvested, dried, processed and can be used in different ways. It can be smoked in the form of cigarette, cigar, pipe, sniffle through the nose or it can also be chewed. In tobacco, there are thousands of chemicals and one of these chemicals is the nicotine that makes it addictive or can form a habit. Once you smoke tobacco, the nicotine goes to your bloodstream that triggers your body to want more. Nicotine is a drug and a stimulant that changes your body in some way. If you smoke, it speeds up part of your system (nervous) and makes you feel you have the energy to cope with your daily living. Smoking also make your heart beat faster and raise your blood pressure (Jacobs, 1997). However, Jarvis (2004), states that the link with nicotine addiction does not imply that pharmacological properties drives smoking behaviour in a simple way. It does not excludes other influences such as personal, social, economic and political and these influences play an important part in determining patterns of smoking prevalence (Jarvis, 2004). Psychological Aspects of the Habit of Smoking Once smoking became a habit or you became addicted, it is hard to beat. It is ... .../niceMedia/documents/smoking_low_income.pdf [Accessed 24th July 2010] Niven, N. and Robinson J. (1994) Psychology applied to nurses. In: MÃ ¼ller, D. Psychology applied to nurses’ series. Chippenham: Antony Rowe Ltd. Office of National Statistics (2010). General Lifestyle Survey, Smoking and Drinking among Adults 2008 [online]. London: statistics.gov.uk Available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/GLF08/GLFSmoking&DrinkingAmongAdults2008.pdf [Accessed 20th July 2010] Office of National Statistics (2007). Smoking-related Behaviour and Attitudes, 2007 [online] London: statistics.gov.uk Available from http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_health/smoking2007.pdf [Accessed 25th July 2010] Office for National Statistics (2004) Prevalence of cigarette smoking by sex and age: 1974 to 2003: General Household Survey 2003 London: OPSI

A Visit to the Animal Kingdom in Florida Essay

English Reflective Essay Florida is portrayed as a fantasy land where Mickey Mouse greets you around every corner and where Cinderella actually lives, where days go by without a single drop of rain and the sky is consistently perfectly blue. However this was the farthest thing from my mind as I sat in an immense carbon-emmiting monster whose air conditioning has spluttered and died and while the heavens poured the air was so thick and mucky that flies were sticking to the windshield as we drove, only to be washed away by the drowning rain. As this was happening, my dad who was yet to figure out his left from his right had the near-miracle task of finding our hotel. Which was almost impossible because visibility was limited to about a yard and that requires great concentration, which was hard to find after the fiasco at the airport†¦. Day 2 To my great excitement, â€Å"Animal Kingdom† was our first theme park, rather disappointing though what was hyped up to be a splendour of animal based excitement turned out to be a zoo with the odd thrill. However my memory of the first day was largely marred by Dad; with his new and shiny American muscle car; forgot that when all four doors were shut the lock system was activated. All hell broke lose! With my mum muttering and rambling nonchalantly and quietly with the odd distinguishable, â€Å"God.. men† and my dad, the man of the household and the â€Å"decisive† being, who was spouting all sorts of obscenities and was spanking the car,lightly so no damage was done but gave the impression that somehow it was the cars fault, it was up to me (seeming the only level headed member of the family) to aqcuire the basic survival needs such as food and water. With out park tickets being used for the day there was no way of buying fresh water. Giving up on the task of survival and surrending to the fate of the great over-powering Florida sunshine that was gobbling up every ounce of liquid, I went to a little ledge at the very far side of the car park and with ironic timing the edge of my eye caught sight of a little pool. And just like an oasis in the middle of the Sahara desert the temptation to drink from this minor miracle was extreme. As I squatted and stared while heavily drooling with my mouth arid there was a conflict of conscience apparent in my head. The good side was reciting the well known fact that one of the locals had stated, â€Å"In every pool of water in Florida there is an alligator. † The other â€Å"evil† side accompanied by my sailva and most major organs, was willing to tempt fate yet my good conscience claimed noble victory and I was left to dessicate. And looking back on it, it was probably a wise decision, however the journey back to the apartment was like a front row seat between Mohammed Ali and Mike Tyson.

Beyond Rivalry Essay

During childhood, sisters and brothers are a major part of each other’s lives, for better or for worse. As adults they may drift apart as they become involved in their own careers, marriages and families. But in later life, with retirement, an empty nest, and parents and sometimes spouses gone, brothers and sisters often turn back to each other for a special affinity and link to the past. â€Å"In the stressful, fast- paced world we live in, the sibling relationship becomes for many the only intimate connection that seems to last,† says psychologist Michael Kahn of the University of Hartford. Friends and neighbors may move away, former coworkers are forgotten, marriages break up, but no matter what, our sisters and brothers remain our sisters and brothers. This late- life bond may be especially important to the â€Å"Baby Boom† generation now in adulthood, who average about two or three sibling apiece. High divorce rates and the decision by many couples to have only one or no children will force members of this generation to look to their brothers and sisters for support in old age. And, as psychologist Deborah Gold of the Duke Center for the Study of Aging and Human Development points out, â€Å"Since people are living longer and are healthier longer, they will be more capable of giving help. † Critical events can bring siblings together or deepen an existing rift, according to a study by psychologists Helgola Ross and Joel Milgram of the University of Cincinnati. Parental sickness or death is a prime example. Ross and Milgram found that siblings immersed in rivalry and conflict were even more torn apart by the death or sickness of a parent. Those siblings who had been close since childhood became closer. In a study of older people with sisters and brothers, Gold found that about 20 percent said they were either hostile or indifferent toward their siblings. Reasons for the rifts ranged from inheritance disputes to animosity between spouses. But many of those who had poor relationship felt guilt and remorse. A man who hadn’t spoken with his sister in 20 years described their estrangement as a â€Å"festering sore. Although most people in Ross and Milgram’s study admitted to some lingering rivalry, it was rarely strong enough to end the relationship. Only 4 out of the 55 people they interviewed had completely broken with their siblings and only 1 of the 4 felt comfortable with the break, leaving the researchers to ask, â€Å"Is it psychologically impossible to disassociate oneself from one’s siblings in the way one can forget old friends or even former mates? † As brothers and sisters advance into old age, â€Å"closeness increases and rivalry diminishes,† explains Victor Cicirelli, a psychologist at Purdue University. Most of the elderly people he interviewed said they had supportive and friendly dealings and got along well or very well with their brothers and sisters. Only 4 percent got along poorly. Gold found that as people age they often become more involved with and interested in their siblings. Fifty- three percent of those she interviewed said that contact with their sisters and brothers increased in late adulthood. With family and career obligations reduced, many said they had more time for each other. Others said that they felt it was â€Å"time to heal wounds. A man who had recently reconciled with his brother told Gold, â€Å"There’s something that lets older people put aside the bad deeds of the past and focus a little on what we need now†¦especially when it’s brothers and sisters. † Another reason for increased contact was anxiety about a sister’s or brother’s declining health. Many would call more often to â€Å"check in† and see how the other was doing. Men especially reported feeling increased responsibility for a sibling; women were more likely to cite emotional motivation such as feelings of empathy and security. Siblings also assume special importance as other sources of contact and support dwindle. Each of us moves through life with a â€Å"convoy† of people who supply comfort and nurturance, says psychologist Toni C. Antonucci of the University of Michigan. As we age, the size of the convoy gradually declines because of death, sickness or moving. â€Å"Brothers and sisters who may not have been important convoy members earlier in life can become so in old age,† Gold says. And they do more than fill in gaps. Many people told Gold that the loneliness they felt could not be satisfied by just anyone. They wanted a specific type of relationship, one that only someone who had shared their past could provide. This far- reaching link to the past is a powerful bond between siblings in later life. â€Å"There’s a review process we all go through in old age to resolve whether we are pleased with our lives,† Gold explains. â€Å"A sibling can help retrieve a memory and validate our experiences. People have said to me, â€Å"I can remember some with my spouse or with friends. But they only person who goes all the way back is my sister and brother. † Cicirelli agrees that reviewing the past together is a rewarding activity. â€Å"Siblings have a very important role in maintaining a connection to early life,† he says. â€Å"Discussing the past evokes the warmth of early family life. In validates and clarifies events of the early years. † Furthermore, he has found that encouraging depressed older people to reminisce with a sister or brother can improve their morale. Some of the factors that affect how much contact siblings will have, such as how near they live, are obvious. Others are more unexpected-for example. Whether there is a sister in the clan. Cicirelli found that elderly people most often feel closet to a sister and are more likely to keep in touch through her. According to Gold, sisters, by tradition, often assume a caretaking and kin- keeping role, especially after the death of their mother. â€Å"In many situations you see two brothers who don’t talk to each other that much but keep track of each other through their sisters,† she says. Researchers have found that the bond between sisters is strongest, followed by the one between sisters and brothers and, last, between brothers. Sisters and brothers who live near each other will, as a matter of course, see more of each other. But Cicirelli says that proximity is not crucial to a strong relationship later in life. â€Å"Because of multiple chronic illnesses, people in their 80s and 90s can’t get together that easily. Even so, the sibling seems to evoke positive feelings based on the images of feelings inside. † Gold’s finding support this assertion. During a two- year period, contact among her respondents decreaed slightly, but positive feelings increased. Just the idea that the sibling is alive, that ‘there is someone I can call,’ is comforting. † Although older people may find solace in the thought that their siblings are there if they need them, rarely do they call each other for help or offer each other instrumental support, such as loaning money, running errands of performing favors. â€Å"Even though you find siblings saying that they’d be glad to help each other and saying they would ask for help if necessary, rarely do they ask,† Cicirelli points out. Gold believes that there are several reasons siblings don’t turn to each other more for instrumental help. First, since they are usually about the same age, they may be equally needy or frail. Another reason is that many people consider their siblings safety nets who will save them after everything else has failed. A son or daughter will almost always be turned to first. It’s more acceptable in our society to look up or down the family ladder for help than sideways. Finally, siblings may not turn to each other for help because of latent rivalry. They may believe that if they need to call on a brother or sister they are admitting that the other person is a success and â€Å"I am a failure. † Almost all of the people in Gold’s study said they would rather continue on their own than ask their sister or brother for help. But she found that a crisis beyond control would inspire â€Å"a ‘rallying’ of some or all siblings around the brother or sister in need. † Despite the quarreling and competition many people associate with the mere mention of their sisters and brothers, most of us, Gold says, will find â€Å"unexpected strengths in this relationship in later life. †

Explain How Groups Can Influence People in Positive and Negative Ways Essay

Being part of a group can give an individual a sense of security, a boost to their self-esteem and a feeling of belonging. They may see themselves as being part of an ‘in-group’. Being part of a group that is seen as being better than others (an ‘in-group’), can create a bond between the members. People of different races or religions, or rival gangs, would be seen as being the ‘out-group’. The sense of security and bonding with the other members can come from having people around you that are working with you, and knowing that you have somebody looking out for you if and when things go wrong. Having people depending on you in a leadership role can give boost an individual’s self esteem. There are many negatives that can come with being part of a group also. Peer pressure and the feeling of having to conform in ways in which may seem inappropriate, could cause members to go along with decisions and behaviour made, so that they fit in even though they know the outcomes won’t possibly be the best ones. The pressure to conform in front of other members of a group was apparent in an experiment carried out by Solomon Asch in the 1950s. It showed how members of a group will go along with decisions that others make even though they know that it’s not necessarily the correct choice. A small group were shown a picture of a line and then asked out of three other lines, which one was the same length. Several members of the group deliberately gave the wrong answer. They had been influenced by the experimenters. The results showed that the level of conformity grew when the answers were said out loud. The level of conformity decreased when the participants were asked to write down their answers in private. The members (not in on the experiment) clearly felt that they needed to conform with the rest of the group, whether it was because they didn’t want to seem stupid or they just felt pressured into agreeing a nd not being the odd one out. During the 1950s and 1960s an experiment carried out by Muzafer Sherif et al (1961) took a group of boys from a summer camp and divided them into two groups. The boys interacted well at first, working together and behaving in ways that would be expected, until they set up a tournament type competition. The behaviour between the groups very quickly turned negative with name calling, hostility and aggression. Within the groups though, the level of solidarity was extremely high between the boys. Once the experimenters intervened and introduced activities that encouraged the groups to work together again, the boys were able to cooperate well and any bad feelings were forgotten. This experiment shows how peer pressure clearly had quite an influence on the boys’ behaviour as the aggression felt towards the other group clearly wasn’t personal as the negative behaviour was quickly forgotten once the experimenters took control. It seems more so that one member, possibly the boy seen as the ‘leader’, made a move, quickly the rest of the group’s behaviour changed one by one escalating to such hostilities. The members of the individual groups would have felt as though they were the à ¢â‚¬Ëœin-groups’ and probably felt a sense of security in that they had others working with them and the self esteem of the ‘leader’ would have risen significantly. Another example of how being part of a group can have it’s negatives and positives is the story of Dorinne Kondo (1990). She was a Japanese American woman who, having lived all her life in America, goes to Japan to study. There, she stays with a Japanese family, the Sakamotos. Kondo finds it hard to conform from the start of her visit and she feels she is being judged for looking Japanese but not acting in the correct manner or being able to properly communicate as she didn’t speak the language. After spending time and helping out with the family she is staying with, Kondo gradually learns the way to do things to suit the Japanese culture. After she gets praise from Mr Sakamoto himself for greeting him with a bow in the traditional manner and when her teacher praises her flawless performance at the tea ceremony, Kondo will no doubt have had a boost to her self esteem and possibly a bonding with the Japanese women. The negatives seem to out-weigh the positives during Kon do’s time in Japan though as she struggled with the fact that women are seen as being below the males and having to bow down (literally) to them. She felt obliged to take on the ‘daughter’ role during her stay and a feeling of peer pressure to perform as a Japanese woman, even though it wasn’t necessarily the way she would act in her life in America. In conclusion being in a social group (the boys from the Robbers Cave experiment) there seemed to be more positives as the boys felt they had others on their side and lots of back up when things turned bad. Their self esteem would have been pretty high and the bond between them all would of grown as the time went on. Kondos story, which showed more of a cultural group, had more negatives as she really felt the pressure to conform to suit her cultural group and setting.

Employment Law Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Employment Law - Assignment Example There exist instances when such rules may be acceptable without being discriminative. An English-only rule may only apply under justification of business necessity. That means that the employer may only use such a rule in as far as the employee needs to communicate in English to operate efficiently and to ensure safety. According to the Equal employment opportunities Commission, EEOC, English-only rules are justifiable in limited instances. According to EEOC, some of these circumstances that warrant the application of such rules include; a paid speaking position where one is meant to continuously speak to and English speaking audience, when communicating with customers and fellow employees who only speak English, during emergencies where there is need for a common language to ensure safety, where a supervisor needs to monitor employee’s performance, and for cooperative assignments that require workers to speak a common language for efficiency (Rutherglen, 2007). An employer may be allowed to prohibit employees from using any other language apart from English when speaking to customers who speak only English. That would be to enhance communication with clients and ensure flawless business transactions. Also, the employer may require employees to speak English when addressing their colleagues who speak only English or who may not understand the language that such employees may be comfortable using (Rutherglen, 2007). During emergencies, there is need for there to be a common language that can be understood by all. That is to ensure safety for everyone. That also includes those working on or operating machinery, chemicals or items that may cause harm if not handled with care. In such circumstances, the employer may apply English-only rules as they would help safeguard everyone’s safety. For cooperative duty that requires employees to work in teams, English-only rules may come into application especially if some

Tlatelolco Massacre Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Tlatelolco Massacre - Essay Example The incident clearly violated the human rights of this century as it killed many innocent people of the subcontinent. Massacres have taken place through out the world at different instances. At some instances the governments of states itself has been involved in carrying out the massacres. In other words massacres can also be defined as the mass killing of people without any concrete reason. Furthermore the causes of some of the mass massacres which have taken place in the history of this world are yet to be known. One of the massacres of such intensity is known as Tlatelolco Massacre. This took place in the city of Mexico on the date of October 2, 1968. It is known to be the deadliest of massacres which took place over a century in the city of Mexico. This essay would further analyze the massacre from all view points and would further examine the role of CIA in response to the massacre which happened. The incident of Tlatelolco took place in October 1968 at Plaza de las Tres Culturas. It was an armed incident which took place in the response of student demonstrations in Mexico. The year 1968 marked different demonstrations of students taking place all over the world which inspired the Mexican students also. Furthermore the students started having different rallies all over the city to get some of their demands accepted. The students further started to threaten the authorities of dire consequences if their demands were not met. The students had different demands which in totality wanted abolition of certain authorities and wanted to get some officers dismissed. The students also had other demands which were not being accepted by the government. At that time the President of Mexico was Gustavo Diaz Ordaz. He was determined to end the student demonstrations through out Mexico through different means and he even took aggressive methods to end it up. Till October the demands of the st udents were yet not met and they threatened the event of Olympics which were to take place in Mexico 1968. This took the authorities with surprise and it is reported that the government asked for support from the US to stop any mishap from happening in the Olympics. The rallies of the students extended to such a number that it became alarming for the authorities and on the eve of October 2 at Plaza de las Tres Culturas aggressive means of methods were used against these students to make them finish their demonstrations. However after the massacre it was till 2003 not established as to who was responsible for the massacre. The government at that time claimed that some of the students hiding in other buildings had started firing on the security forces and in response the security forces did the same. Although different stories have been put up by the State department, FBI and CIA the view points of CIA would be emphasized more in this essay. The State department which was being informed by different sources about the incident is still not having clear claims as to how the incident occurred all the authorities have contradictory views as to from the first shot took place. The army is not blamed at by the authorities as the general of army was trying to disperse the crowd when the first shot was fired. The Federal Bureau of Investigation also had no prior knowledge as to how the inc

Critical Thinking Paper (read the instructions carefully) Essay - 1

Critical Thinking Paper (read the instructions carefully) - Essay Example As such, the Christian Americans always perceive the Arab Muslims as terrorists; whereas the Arabs perceive the Americans as villain pagans, whose justice is death. The Arab Americans conflicts extends through each American administration, with every new president of the united states of America coming up with a new international relations policy, as well as, developing new strategies in creating world peace through the merging of both Arabs and Muslims in one belief of faith and progression through democracy (Colbert & John 34). However, these conflicts always lie in the three main issues mentioned above, which is terrorism, oil, and religion, particularly Islam. Terrorism is a worldwide scourge, whereby renowned terrorist groupings attack American installations across the world, and to some extend bring the war to American soil, such as the 9/11, terrorist attack whereby the Al Qaeda group of terrorists based in Afghanistan hijacked four passenger planes and crashed them at tree strategic targets in the United States. These strategic targets were the twin towers in New York City that hosted the World Trade Center, and the pentagon building that hosts the United States Department of Defense. The 9/11 attack led to the death of over 3,000 innocent Americans, which was another scar in the already palatable American Arabs relationship. This terrorist attack led to the onset of the Iraq and Afghan incursion to root out terrorists, with a global man0hunt to the notorious terrorist leader Osama Bin laden believed to be the mastermind behind the 9/11 attack. In addition, this attack worsened every peace efforts made by the various American governments to foster peace and restoration between Americans and the Arabs. For a long time, America suffered terrorist attacks either on its own soil, or in its foreign installations, such as ambassadorial offices, such as the Nairobi august 1998 bombing at the US consulate located in the CBD leading to the death