Hurricane Hits England By Grace Nichols and Storm on the Island Essay Example for Free

Hurricane Hits England By Grace Nichols and Storm on the Island Essay Hurricane Hits England about a hurricane that came across from the Caribbean and hit the South coast of England (Sussex). In 1987 the poem takes place at night and follows the poet, Grace Nichols, as she talks and questions the hurricane like it were an old friend. Storm on the lsland is set on the top of a cliff on a barren island off the coast of Ireland. It describes the storm and how the village people are prepared for it and have built there houses squat. This shows that there are storms there frequently and it also speaks of no trees to avoid falling branches. Storm on the Island is written in blank verse. This reflects the crashing motion of the storm. It was often used by Shakespeare because it sounds like spoken English, this makes the poet sound like he his talking to the reader. However Hurricane Hits England is written in free verse which gives the poem a relaxed feel. Also breaking it up in to stanza lets you see how the mood changes throughout the poem from questioning, to understanding. Come to break the frozen lake within me the frozen lake being her sense of belonging and home. By not using an article before the title Heaney makes it sound blunt and gives a sense that he is not just talking about one storm in particular but many. To create drama Heaney writes the poem in present tense. Enjambment is used to create the surprise a storm would give when it blows full / Blast like a gust of wind suddenly Blasting in at the start of a new line. Despite the confident start Heaney admits to being scared of the storm it is a huge nothing we fear. Whereas in the first stanza of Nichols uses a very effective metaphor to describe the hurricane howling ship of the wind this creates a ghost like quality to the hurricane this is later backed up by the word spectre. The view of the hurricane changes from stanza to stanza. In the third stanza Nichols questions the like it were an old friend. The mood is then saddened when Nichols describes roots as cratered graves. The island is described as Wizened which at first conjures thoughts of a desolate and barren landscape. There are no stacks suggests there are no crops, but as the hurricane is introduced the view of the island has been change and maybe its not just the ground that is Wizened but also the villagers. The fact the villagers are prepared for the storm is emphasised more so by the lack of trees. He uses the imagery of a tame cat / Turned savage because the sea is usually calm a gentle but can become violent and angry. The fact this is spread over two lines is to use the pause between them as the quiet before the storm. The military theme is carried on when he uses words like dives, strafes, salvos and bombardments to show the distructive power of the storm. While the storm in Hurricane Hits England is show to be an actual person or a one point a God this is meant show that Nichols has not rejected her culture and is still capable of seeing things in terms of her native culture. The poets heart is unchained by the hurricane which breaks the frozen lake in me. There is a clear implication that she has felt trapped in England and by riding the hurricane (a global event, of course) she finds her freedom. Heaneys poem is written in a repetitive and confident way and by using blank verse it reflects his mood that he will survive the storm. Although this changes throughout the poem, halfway through he uses phrases like the thing you fear and exploding comfortably to portray he is scared. While Nichols writes in free and open way which reflect her past in the Caribbean to show this she uses the words the earth is the earth The final lines of Hurricane Hits England are a plea for multiculturalism and a pride in ones own culture. The poet has realised that she can only be free and happy in England if she stops yearning for her own culture and accepts that, that culture is a part of her: she brought it to England with her just as the hurricane has brought a feeling of the Caribbean to England. This is unlike the ideas in Storm on the Island which concern our uneasy relationship to powerful natural forces and the feelings of vulnerability and fear. That we feel in the face of the potentially destructive powers of a storm.

Factors Affecting Blood Glucose Levels

Factors Affecting Blood Glucose Levels This essay discusses the factors affecting the blood glucose levels to fluctuate, the natural mechanism of the body to control it, the inability of the body to control it and the disease it causes. The Human body is perfection in its own way. The controlled balance of factors keeping the internal environment of the body constant is a vital process that keeps one healthy. Any slight changes in these factors disrupt the internal environment causing disequilibrium. This maintenance of internal environment of the body between limits is called homeostasis and the parameters being controlled include: body temperature, blood pH, carbon dioxide concentration, blood glucose concentration and water balance. When the control of the blood glucose level does not work effectively the concentration can fall or rise beyond normal limits. This condition is called diabetes mellitus or simply diabetes. Diabetes mellitus is a group of metabolic diseases characterized by high blood sugar (glucose) levels that result from defects in insulin secretion, or action, or both. Diabetes mellitus was first identified as a disease associated with sweet urine, and excessive muscle loss in the ancient world. Elevated levels of blood glucose (hyperglycemia) lead to spillage of glucose into the urine, hence the term sweet urine. Diabetes is a chronic medical condition, meaning that although it can be controlled, it lasts a lifetime. Blood glucose level is controlled by a hormone (insulin) produced by the beta cells of the Islets of Langerhans in the endocrine gland pancreas. After a heavy carbohydrate enriched meal the blood rise exponentially and thus have to be brought down within the normal limits. The high concentration is detected by receptors which then activate the beta cells in the pancreas to produce insulin which converts glucose into a polysaccharide form glucagon and store it in the liver thus removing glucose from the blood. The history of diabetes indicates that it was present as early as the First Century B.C. when it received its name from a Greek physician, Aretaeus of Cappadocia, after the word dia-bainein which means to siphon. This was related to the patients passing excessive amounts of urine. Several centuries after that in 1921 Frederick Banting and Charles Best discovered insulin as a diabetes medication and won a Nobel Prize for their discovery. Insulin is the hormone that controls that lowers the blood glucose concentration and its deficiency or insensitivity by target cells causes diabetes. Later after a few years of discovering insulin in 1936 Sir Harold Percival Himsworth distinguished diabetes type 1 and 2. There are three main types of diabetes: Type 1 Diabetes: also known as juvenile diabetes or insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus is caused by the destruction of insulin beta cells. The onset of this type is usually during childhood (hence the name juvenile diabetes) and as the beta cells produce insufficient insulin, insulin injections are used to control the glucose levels (hence the name insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus). Diet cannot control this type of diabetes as it does not increase or decrease the amount of insulin produced by the beta cells. The classical symptoms of type 1 diabetics are frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, nausea, vomiting, and fatigue and weight loss in spite of increased appetite. These symptoms may be explained by the fact that due to the uncontrolled high levels of glucose the osmotic pressure of the blood changes owing to the increased solute concentration (glucose) in the blood and the body gets rid of all the extra glucose from the body through the urine as it cannot st ore it efficiently. Eventually this leads to the other symptoms. High amounts of glucose in the urine can cause increased urine output and lead to dehydration. Dehydration thus causes increased thirst and water consumption. Apart from these acute effects of high blood glucose level other chronic effects of diabetes include eye complications, kidney damage and nerve damage. Moreover Diabetes accelerates hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) of the larger blood vessels, leading to coronary heart disease (angina or heart attack), strokes, and pain in the lower extremities because of lack of blood supply (claudication). So far the researchers have concluded that a combination of genetic susceptibility, diabetogenic trigger and exposure to a driving antigen are the leading causes of inducing the Type 1 diabetes however other risk factors have also been identified. These include: environmental factors, triggering beta cells damage due to a virus, diet and other chemicals and drugs. Type 2 Diabetes: also known as adult-onset diabetes or non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus and is far more common than type 1 as it is the most common and frequent type of diabetes. It usually occurs in late stages of life, but younger youth are being diagnosed with this disease more frequently. The pancreas organ produces less insulin to keep blood sugar levels in the normal range, often because the target cells are no more sensitive to the insulin. Similar to the symptoms of type 1 diabetes, type 2 symptoms are frequent urination, increased thirst, increased hunger, fatigue, increased appetite and in some cases, blurred vision. Insulin injections are not usually needed to control this type of diabetes (hence the name non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus) and more stress is laid on controlling the patients diet by limiting it to low carbohydrate foods, exercising and if the condition worsens medication is often prescribed. Similar to type 1, genetics (family history) is thought to be a leading cause in inducing Type 2 diabetes in combination with a few other risk factors such as lifestyle, eating habits, age over 45 years, gestational diabetes giving birth to a baby who weighs more than 9 pounds, heart disease, high blood cholesterol level, obesity, not getting enough exercise, polycystic ovary disease (in women), previous impaired glucose tolerance and some ethnic groups (particularly African Americans, Native Americans, Asians, Pacific Islanders, and Hispanic Americans). Gestational diabetes: is when high blood sugar levels develop at any time during pregnancy in a woman who does not have any form of diabetes. Women who have gestational diabetes are at a much higher risk of type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular disease in the future. The risk factors of this kind of diabetes are similar to the risk factors of type 2 diabetes as gestational diabetes lead to type 2 diabetes. In general, no cure has been found for diabetes. Treatment for diabetes can involve various medicines, a balanced diet, and frequent exercise to control blood glucose levels and minimize symptoms with a long term aim to prevent the chronic complications of diabetes and to prolong patients life and reduce symptoms. Apart from achieving this through the use of insulin injections, diet control and exercise, blood pressure and cholesterol levels control, careful control of blood glucose levels and an educational background and awareness about diabetes play a vital role in treating and diagnosing diabetes. Testing for diabetes is easy and very handy nowadays. Testing of the urine may be used to look for glucose and ketones from the breakdown of fat. However, a urine test alone does not diagnose one with diabetes. This is because the presence of glucose in not necessarily due to the patient being a diabetic and could have been caused by the damage of the basement membrane in the kidney or the malfunction of the kidney. For diabetes diagnosis the following blood tests may be Fasting blood glucose level diabetes is diagnosed if higher than 126 mg/dL on two occasions Hemoglobin A1c test Normal: Less than 5.7% Pre-diabetes: Between 5.7% 6.4% Diabetes: 6.5% or higher Oral sugar tolerance test diabetes is diagnosed if sugar level is higher than 200 mg/dL after 2 hours. This test is also used more for type 2 diabetes. Random (non-fasting) blood glucose level diabetes is suspected if higher than 200 mg/dL Diabetes is a leading disease in many parts of the world causing innumerable deaths each year. Statistics show that diabetes affects 25.8 million people of all ages 8.3 percent of the U.S. population out of which only 18.8 million people are diagnosed while the rest remain oblivious to their medical condition. The severity of this disease goes unnoticed or unacknowledged by several people who label this disease as sugar and confine it to being related and associated with the intake of sweet things only. Very few know that diabetes is a major cause of heart disease and stroke and the seventh leading cause of death in the United States. However, over the years diabetes has emerged as one the leading health threats in third world countries and so a lot of research is being concentrated on curing, managing and preventing this disease. Curing the diseases has positively motivated several scientists to further their stem cell research and using the stem cells of the diabetic patient create a healthy fully developed and functioning pancreas or even healthy Islets of Langerhans that produce insulin. This will not only cure type I diabetes but also eliminate post operation complications like tissue rejection and immune suppressant drug dependence etc. Similarly, gene therapy is also being used to switch on certain genes on the chromosomes that would trigger insulin production. Medicines have been introduced and drugs to increase target cell sensitivity are continuously being invented but they mainly revolve around monitoring the disease not curing it. Portable blood glucose meter, insulin pumps etc are all new inventions aimed at helping diabetics control and follow their blood glucose level thus making their life a lot easier. Lastly as mentioned before, as yet there is no cure for diabetes but as the saying goes prevention before cure, educating the population about the risk factors and dangers of diabetics is at the moment the nest way to prevent the number of people suffering from diabetes and so awareness should be spread. [word count: 1603]

People Employed For Shift Work Social Work Essay

People Employed For Shift Work Social Work Essay Over the last decade in India , boom in the IT and the BPO sector brought about an increase in the number of people employed for shift work . Employers face tough competition from other companies and the global business environment . In order to increase productivity and to make themselves available to employers and consumers based abroad , many companies work round the clock and have made provisions for night shift work . Increase in job opportunities in this sector has also given rise to dual earner families and more women entering the work force , working in day shifts as well as non standard work hours . This paper focuses on women who work in the night shift . While night shift jobs may have its perks and financial benefits , there are many disadvantages that add to the stress of the daily life of the employees . To explain night shift schedule , it can be defined as work schedule that is full time , extending after midnight with atleast 8hours and 5 days work , which means that the employees are expected to work in the dark and sleep during the day , bringing in major alterations to their life styles and the life styles of those living with them . Night shift work can vary in terms of fixed or rotating patterns . In a fixed schedule , the employee works in the night shift on a permanent basis , where as in a rotating schedule , the employee alters between day shifts , evening and night shifts depending on the arrangements made by the employers . Physical and mental Health There have been numerous studies conducted to examine the effects night shift work has on health , sleep , circadian rhythms and mental health . Findings from research studies that explore health disorders of shift workers stated that there is a relationship between certain medical disorders and shift work . Evidence stated that heart and gastro intestinal problems and complications in pregnancy outcomes , ulcers were some of the medical disorders commonly faced by shift workers (Knuttson 2003 ) .A study conducted on nurses working in 2 the night shift reported that shift workers have a higher prevalence of physiological problems like digestion problems caused by change in eating patterns, inadequate sleep , fatigue , colds , muscle pains , cramps and heart problems . Disturbance to the normal sleep cycle or the circadian rhythms is likely to cause shift work sleep disorder (SWSD), especially when employees are working in the night shift for prolonged periods . Insomnia and excessive sleepiness while working non standard schedules are the primary signs of SWSD . Desire to take short naps , dozing off while at work , shorter and lowered quality of sleep , poor work performance , reduced mental accuracy are some of the negative effects brought about by SWSD , which inturn leads to the expression of psychological syptoms like irritability , anger , erratic mood and depression . A study conducted on dairy workers in India working in the night shift examined stress levels , health and mood states and provided evidence that night shift workers face higher work stress , negative mental health outcomes and life stress . Role over load , increased work -home conflict , role ambiguity were significant indicators of increased stress levels and mood states . Findings also indicated that night shift work did increase physcial , physiological , psychological and social problems when compared to day shift workers (Srivastava , 2010 ) . There has been an upsurge of interest in studying mental health effects of shift workers .Early research studies have shown evidence that night shift work is associated with depression . Findings from a study that examined the effects of physical health and mental depression due to night shift in nurses revealed that disruption in the circadium rhythm has a direct influence on physical health and depression , reducing quality of life and affecting work performance and social relations . Another model in this study suggested that job schedule limited participation in social activities , affecting social and personal life leading to depression . (Skipper Jung , 1990 ) . Burn out , lethargy , exhaustion , irritability , anger or psychological symptoms like irritability , depression not only affect personal well being , 3 but can also affect ones social life and satisfaction of their marital relationship (Fam , Econ Iiss , 2007) . The negative consequences that affect physical , psychological , psychosocial well being can seep into the workers marriage , reducing the quality , stability and satisfaction of marital relationship adding to existing stressors . Since this paper focuses on marital satisfaction of night shift workers and the strategies they use to make their marriage work , the definition of marital satisfaction will help gain an understanding as to what this paper purports to examine and the aspects that need to be considered . According to Stone (2007) Marital satisfaction reflects a mental state of percieved benefits and costs of a marriage to a particular person . The more costs the partner inflicts on a person , the less satisfied one generally is with their marriage and with their marriage partner . Similarly the greater the percieved benefits are , the more satisfied one is with their marriage and their marriage partner . Some of the components that come under marital satisfaction would be leisure time spent together , communication , conflict resolution etc . But the challenges that shift workers have to face in their marriage is to face new demands posed due to their work schedule . This would involve them to make ad justments on the home front , especially for female employees , since they have added roles and responsibilities to perform . For a marriage to work , one of the important aspects of marital satisfaction is leisure time spent together . But for a night shift worker , because of the work schedule , quality time and the quality of leisure time spent together would be lower . Quality time would involve the married partners to indulge in favoured activities and pursue shared interests . Weekends seem to be the only time workers could indulge in leisure time with their partners . For a night shift worker , weekends would be used to recuperate from the weeks stress , which could lead to lowered quality of leisure time spent together . Leisure satisfaction especially if the leisure activities performed are favoured by the couple is related to marital satisfaction (Heather , Zabriskie , Hill Brian , 2009) Also , Contribution to 4 leisure time by night shift workers in their marriage would be less because of the disruption between the workers time off and the familys time off . Work would come in the way of some of the familys rituals , for which the worker would be absent or too tired to be part of , like being present at the table at meal times , going out together , attending community events etc . The worker would either be working into the night or would be sleeping and recuperating from work . Social and community life . Since most community and social activities take place in the evening , a night shift employee would probably find difficulty in making time for such events. While weekends provide time to engage in social activities , a night shift employee might be too tired and may not be able to give in fully to social activities as their schedule and life style causes inconvenience to enjoy a social life and for the couple to participate in community activities . In a study that was conducted on families of workers working a modern shift roster , 67.2% of employees reported that night shift work frequently intervened in their social life . This could result in the worker having poor social support in the long run , unless the worker can maintain a balance between work and time for socialization . Social support also helps improve a persons psychological state , their mood and feelings about themselves . Women shift workers challenges . A changing work force has led to an increase in women entering the work force and women opting for non standard work schedule , challenging traditional roles that women held and bringing about changes in family dynamics . The challenges that a woman shift worker has to face is to fulfill multiple roles ie to fulfill family and role obligations , needs and expectations of the family , fulfill social obligations by being part of community activities and fulfill responsibilities at the work front . Women face more role strain when compared to men as a result , night shift work exacerbates and intensifies the stress that women employees have 5 to face . For a married woman night shift worker maintaining work to home balance and reducing work-home conflict would be a major hurdle . Cambridge dictionary defines work-home balance as the amount of time you spend doing the job compared with the amount of time you spend with your family and doing things you enjoy . Shift work is linked with work-home conflict and this conflict is faced more by women when compared to men (Tuttle Garr , 2012) . Barnett and Baruch ( 1985 ) define.role balance as rewards minus concerns , more rewards recieved from a particular role and less concerns experienced would lead to a positive role qualtiy where in lower levels of role conflicts,role overload and anxiety is faced . Considering that employed women working the night shift face role strain , rewards recieved in one of the roles could reduce role conflict and stress and increase well being . If family support is one of the positive role quality on the home front , it is likely that job involvement and control over job would increase . Following role theory , Greenhaus (2003) in his theory of work-home balance , describes work home balance as a continuum where in imbalance in family role lies on one end and balance in work role lies at the other . Greenhaus theory on work family enrichment includes three concepts . Time balance ie equal time invested , Involvement balance ie psychological effort and physical presence expressed and Satisfaction balance ie rewards and satisfaction recieved from both work and family front . Frone (2003) views work-family balance as bi directional . Engaging in one role or domain can either create conflicts or enhances the other domains . Involvement in the family role can either enhance the work domain or create conflicts in the work domain and involvement in work domain can wither create conflicts or enhance the family domain . Stress . Bodenmann ( 2005 ) defines stress as a dyadic phenomenon which involves common 6 concerns , emotional intimacy between the partners and maintaining a close relationship . Dyadic stress concerns a stressful event which confronts the couple , the source of stress could be external , originating between the couple like job stress , culture , society , other relations etc , or could be internal , originating within one of the partners or when the stress of one of the partners seeps into relationship . The impact stress has on one couple will be different for another . It is therefore important to take into consideration the locus of stress , duration and intensity of stress . The locus of stress could either be external or internal . When there is an interaction between the social environment and the couples relationship causing conflicts and internal stress originates within the couple relationship like job stress , personal needs and desires etc .Intensity of stress can be either major or minor and can be measured based on the impact the stressor has had on the relationship and the duration of stress can be seen as acute or chronic ie temporary or prolo nged Bodenmanns stress divorce model analyses the effects minor daily stressors , acute or chronic in nature , on stability and functioning of marital relationships . External stressors , those coming outside the couple system can prove to be more damaging to relationships . such external stressors are usually outside of couples conscious awareness and are minor stressors (time spent together , communication) and not major (critical life events), causing mutual alienation over time , if the stressor is persistent , causing dissatisfaction with the marital relationship ,eventually leading to divorce . According to Bodenmann , external stressors cause impact on marital relationships by decreasing the amount of time spent together so that there are fewer joint expereiences between the couple leading to a lowered feeling of togetherness , poor coping at times of stress . This would eventually lead to a poorer quality of communication and interaction . Interaction between the couple would be largely negative , driving the couple to withdrawing from each other . These stressors leading to deterioration in the quality and stability of 7 marriage would later increase risk of physical and psychological problems like trouble sleeping , sexual dysfunction etc . The impact and reaction to these stressors would eventually lead to negative expression of emotions between the couple like anger , anxiety , increasing conflicts . This entire process would lead to couples alienating and withdrawing from each other . The situation they have landed themselves in would lead to marital disatisfaction , eventually leading to divorce if the problem persists . Bodenmanns model can be applied to a shift workers marriage . Since night shift schedule makes it inconvenient for the couple to indulge in shared experiences and quality time . The job schedule and stress from the job can be seen as a stressor that doesnt permit quality time between the couple . The couple might feel that the amount of time spent together is less eventually leading to poor quality of interaction . When joint experiences shared are lower and the amount of interaction between the couple is low , there could be instances when one of the partner feels lonely and might percieve that the quality of their marriage is deteriorating leading to expression of negative emotions like anger , frustration , sadness . Eventually appraising their marriage as dissatisfying . The effects that shift work has on the physical and mental health of workers can seep into their marital relationships . They sleep during the day when the entire household is active which disturbs their sleep adding to marital distress . Psychological symptoms like irritability , depression can bring down the level of satisfaction of their marriage . Since they feel tired and fatigued frequently , engaging in leisure activities with their spouses becomes difficult . With there being hardly any time for contact , communication becomes difficult between the spouses , which is essential in a relationship . There are many problems that night shift work poses to a workers marriage . This study seeks to find strategies that workers who are satisfied in their marriages use to overcome problems induced by night shift work . 8 Rationale : There have been studies conducted to understand and analyse the impact shift work has on the lives of employees , their physical and mental health , social life and their families .With many of the problems faced by shift workers being covered , this study seeks to gain insight into what makes a shift workers marriage work and explores strategies they use to make their marriage work and to study how night shift employees maintain work home balance . 9 Review of literature Following studies discussed analyze the effects shift work has on health , general well being , and on marital relations . This study analyses the impact that non standard work hours versus standard work hours has on marital satisfaction in five domains which are global distress , problem solving communication , time together , sexual dissatisfaction and affective communication , measured by marital satisfaction inventory , which is a 280 item questionaire that assesses certain domains of marital satisfaction .30 employees who worked the day shift and 20 night shift employees at Western Union in New jersey were selected for the study . The research was built around 5 hypotheses . Hypotheses 1 predicted that day shift workers when compared with non day shift workers would display higher levels of marital satisfaction . Hypotheses 2 predicts that day shift workers would express better problem solving communication and there would be fewer conflicts in their marriage when compared to non day shift workers . Hypotheses 3 predicted that the time spent in quality and leisure time by day shift workers with thei r spouses would be higher when compared to non day shift workers . Hypotheses 4 predicts that day shift workers would experience higher levels of sexual satisfaction with their spouses when compared to non day shift workers .Hypotheses 5 predicted that day workers would be more content in their marriage because of the affection and understanding provided by their spouses . ( Lauf-Goldstein ,1990) research findings could not support the predictions of any of the hypotheses . Unlike many other studies on shiftworks influence on marriage , this study proved that there was not much difference in marital satisfaction between day shift and non day shift workers. The study summarises the effects and consequences of shift work while discussing some of the benefits of shift work ( Finn ,1981). The information for this article is derived from many of the studies conducted on employees who work non standard hours in and 10 outside the U.S.A . Some may accept night shift work because of lack of job opportunities while some would use their night shift work schedule as an opportunity to hold a part time day job as well or pursue education during the day . Night shift work also provides for financial incentives and accomodates employees who function better at night than during the day . The drawbacks are that it takes a toll on ones health , interfering with the normal sleep cycle and reducing the quality of sleep and appetite and causing physical and emotional problems . On the job accidents would also rise if the employees would have to handle machinery . In terms of family life , shift workers experience more work home conflict because of the discrepency between the workers time off and the spouses time off . The workers spouse would have to adjust to the shift workers job schedule and would have to alter their patterns to their working spouses atypical pattern inorder to be able to spend quality time for leisure , meals and recreation . This would take a toll on the mental and physical health of the shift workers spouse especially if theyre working the day shift . The time a shift worker gets to spend time with family could also be poor in quality because they experience fatigue and sleepiness and would find difficulty in carrying out normal activities with their spouses or would show less interest in attending social events or go out together to spend quality time . Sexual activity is another aspect that is interfered by night shift work .In terms of social life , it becomes difficult for a shift worker to attend events for which theyre invited by their friends . It becomes difficult for the spouse to plan any social activity before hand . From this article it becomes evident that shift work impairs ones physical and mental health , their family life , job safety and social life . A study conducted in Netherlands examines the effects non standard shifts have on partnership quality through semi structured interviews . Findings reveal that women were more dissatisfied with varying hours , especially if they had children , as it created stress 11 when compared to men . Men found varying hours more comfortable for tag team parenting . The research explored into the relationship between non standard hours and its effects on marriage . The results indicated a weak link between non standard shift and relationships indicating that non standard work hours did not reduce relationship quality. The study also found that partner support in families with night shift workers , expressed more satisfaction with their relationship which reduced the negative effects that non standard work has on relationships ( Mills Kadri , 2010) . This study assessed both percieved family well being and stressors influenced by non standard work schedule in two studies (Kelly , Amy David , 2008). The goal of this study was to assess work-family spill over and whether the spill over was positive or negative and if working non standard work hours decreased marital instability . The study was conducted on 1166 people aged between 25 74 . Findings of the study revealed that night shift work increased marital instability and also increased negative work home spill over , which are the attitudes , experiences of work transferred to home . Since night shift work can come in the way of ones sleep cycle causing fatigue and stress , the stress gets carried into the workers family life .Stress increases with the presence of a child at home since workers have the added responsibililty to care for the child and causes stress at a daily level . This study investigates the association between shift work and family satisfaction and goes a step further by including people from different work backgrounds into their sample instead of analysing people from one company or a particular type of work . This study also examines different categories of shift from day , evening , night , rotating to split shift and hypothesises that workers experience family satisfaction in degrees , with satisfaction being higher for day shift and lessens as it progresses towards split shift . The study also examines the relationship between the number of work hours , job autonomy and nature of job on family satisfaction . Findings indicated that being in a non standard , non flexible job reduced 12 family satisfaction , especially for evening and night shift workers (Davis , Goodman , Piretti Almeida , 2008). The study also revealed that job autonomy and the nature of the job and work atmosphere resulted in high family satisfaction , since work family spillover would be less . 168 fire personnel from 3 working shifts were part of this study . The purpose of this study was to examine the effects that the 3 types of shift work has on emotional exhaustion as it pertains to work family conflict and social support (Jonathon Halbesleben , 2009). The subjects were made to complete measures on emotional exhaustion , work family conflict and support and demographic controls .The study revealed that work to home conflict increases when the shift work is more demanding and when time spent at home is less . This work home conflict can also contribute to emotional exhaustion in fire fighters . The support that an employee recieves from ones family can break down the stress that an employee faces at night shift work . The study suggests that the schedule should make allowance for the employees to be able to spend more time at home , so that with quality time spent with family could lead to building emotional support for the night shift employee . This research study examines the relationship between shift work and work to family fit . The study hypothesis that employees working in the non standard shift would have poor work to family fit when compared to those employees working in the day shift or flexible hours and also examines if negative work home spillover would be less if the employees had control over their work schedule . The study took 2008 national study of workforce to examine the influence shift work has over employees . (Tuttle Garr 2012) indicated that shift work did largely influence work home conflict , especially in female employees even if the control over shift schedule was more . In the case of men , the results revealed that men had less work to family conflict when they had a greater control over their schedule . 13 This study examines the effects of shift work on marital quality on six domains . Marital happiness , interaction , disagreements , general problems , sexual problems and child related problems (White Keith 1990) . National panel of 1668 men and women were interviewed.. The result revealed that shift work does have a negative impact on marriage . Every domain that the study examined were also affected negatively due to shift work . This study investigates the effects night shift has on marital relations (Messer , 1992) . 65 married men , with 19 full time employees at grocery stores and 46 full time employees of the southern california state departments were chosen for the study.. The employees worked consistent morning , evening , night and rotating shifts . Marital satisfaction inventory was used to assess the level of marital satisfaction / distress . Findings revealed that night shift workers experienced higher work home conflict when compared to day shift workers . The study predicted that people working in consistent day shifts , evening shift , night shift ,and inconsistent rotating shifts would experience different levels of job satisfaction . The results suggest that employees working different shifts express different levels of job satisfaction , with rotating shift workers being most dissatisfied with their work schedule because of the inconsistency of the work schedule . The impact of different timings of work and rotating shift on Work home conflict , job satisfaction and health among the military police is the focus of the study . The study was conducted on 3122 Dutch military police . (Demerouti , Sabine , Arnold Euwema , 2004) revealed that non day shift work resulted in work home conflicts . The findings also revealed that employees from the rotating shifts experienced low job satisfaction since it is inconsistent . Consistency in the timing of shift even if its a non standard work hour didnt result in low job satisfaction when compared to rotating shifts , but only incr eased work home conflict . An article in hindustan times reports that night shift work can disrupt ones life in many ways . David maumes research on the effects of shift work on marriage suggests that 14 both men and women feel that night shift work affects and strains their marital relations . Women are more affected than men by shift work due to role strain . It becomes difficult for them to manage time and to fulfill responsibilites at home , engage with their family members and care for them when compared to men causing strain in their marriage and increasing work -home conflict . The study is built around three themes .Economic trade offs , family routines and emotional adjustments (Handy ,2010) . With night shift work comes financial benefits . In many families , the members have to adjust around the shift workers routines and patterns , spouses would have to give up their own jobs so as to manage family life . Financial benefits comes in handy , making it comfortable to rely on the shiftworker while the spouse takes care of the family , resorting to traditional family roles .the study also focuses on emotional health of the shift worker . The physiological and psychological effects of shift work could take a toll on ones emotional well being In terms of family routines , the workers had little knowledge of the family routines , since the spouse takes prmary responsibilty to ensure that the family members rituals fall in line with the workers . This shows the amount of effort spouses expend to make the marriage work and play a part in reducing work to home c onflicts Psychopathological symptoms caused by night shift work and its influence on the quality of life of health workers is examined in this study (Dusunen ,2010) . 45 nurses working the night shift were the sample for this study . Symptom checklist and short form 36 was used to measure psychopathological symptoms and quality of life . Night shift nurses reported higher scores for somatization , obsessive compulsive , interpersonal sensitivity , anxiety , paranoid ideation and global severity scores than day shift workers . Shift work also reduced the quality of life and the night shift nurses scored higher on pain and physical function . The studys implications were to improve the quality of life of the nurses by adjusting their work schedule , keeping in mind the influence night shift has on their 15 psychological state. While most studies indicate that night shift work can reduce marital satisfaction and increase work home conflict , there are few studies which have proved that night shift work doesnt affect marital relationships . Employees with better control over their schedule and job autonomy and job satisfaction showed having a better family life and marital satisfaction as work home conflict is less . Greenhaus and powell (2006) came up with a theory called work to family enrichment , a concept that explains that being able to manage time , carrying over the positive mood from work back home and using networks from work to help their families lessened work to home conflict . Some studies also indicate the possibility that couples working the night shift score high on marital satisfaction because they already have conflicts with their spouses , not induced by working the night shift . They find night shift work convenient as they can avoid conflicts at home and interacting with their partner s . 16 CHAPTER 4 RESULTS AND DISCUSSION This chapter presents results in a tabular format following content analysis . The responses were coded , categorized and placed under a broad category of themes . Following each table expansive responses as examples are provided by the participants , representing each theme . Analysis . Content analysis for the first question Mention some of the advantages of working in the night shift revealed 5 themes and are mentioned in a table below . 20 Table 1.Mention some of the advantages of working in the night shift Category Sub categories Number of responses Advantages of night shift. More pay 5 Travelling easier 4 Find time for chores 3 Husband has experience 2 in the same field. The second most frequent theme which accounted for 40% of the responses is easy commuting while working in the night shift . Respondent 9 stated that , Respondent 3 stated that travel time to office and back home is less and the roads are relatively empty while getting out says respondent 8 . Travelling to and from work becomes more convenient as traffic will be smooth and the stress involved in travelling 21 reduces considerably. 30% of the participants responses falls under a category termed as Find time for chores . These participants find night shift work favourable as it allows time to complete chores during the day . The following response given by respondent 9 will help describe this theme . Table 2 Can you list the problems you face working in the night shift Category Sub category Frequency of responses Disadvantages of night shift. Less time with partner 15 Health issues 14 Partner frustrated. 4 Worries about having a baby. 4 Normal routine affected 4 22 Relationships and friendships 2 affected. Analysis for this question revealed 6 themes under the category Disadvantages of night shift. The most apparent theme seen as a disadvantage of

The Relationship Between Video Games and Aggression Essay -- Video Gam

The Relationship Between Video Games and Aggression As technology continues to forge ahead concerns about its effects on the populace are raised. Whether it be microwave ovens causing cancer or cell phones causing accidents, people are always interested in researching, and often condemning, these new products. Such is this case with videogames. Ever since PongÃ’ swept the nation, scholars have been researching videogames' effects on children. The most popular aspect of videogame research is whether or not games increase aggression. A video game is any console or PC based interactive game, aggression is any thoughts or behaviors related with the intention to cause harm. Contrary to popular belief, there is no reliable correlation between videogames and aggression. Claims are the backbone to a study; they are both the starting point and the goal. Cooper and Mackie (1986) sought to discover if a highly violent game would affect 4th and 5th grade kids differently than a nonviolent game or a paper-and-pencil game. Tamborini et all (2000) predicted that aggressive thoughts and behaviors would be highest amongst those playing a violent virtual reality game followed by those playing a violent standard game, followed by those playing a nonviolent standard game. Derek (1995) was interested in what effect, if any, playing violent games would have on aggressiveness in different personality types. Ballard and Weist (1996) researched whether the level of violence in a game would affect peoples? responses on a hostility questionnaire. Sherry (2000) performed a meta-analysis on 25 video game/aggression studies; he wanted to see if there was any credence to the claims. All five studies are very similar in their intent. They mostly focus on whether the level of immersion (via different hardware, violent content, and/or graphics) affects the level of aggression. To understand a study one must understand the definitions used within that study. All five studies use the same general definition of a videogame that the general public uses; an interactive game played on a television or monitor whereby onscreen objects can be manipulated through the use of a controller. Violent video games are those that involve death and destruction to things resembling reality and/or fantasy. Definitions of ?aggression,? however, differ. Cooper and Mackie (1986) used a ... ...nding results, indicating that the positive findings in some of the studies could be anomalous. This lack of evidence would leave one to believe that the status quo is acceptable. Game content can be found through the rating system, but any other measures would be burdensome and unnecessary. So, until more convincing data comes along we can rest assured that any rage is the result of good old American anger, not blasting on-screen boogie men. Works Cited Ballard, M. E., & Wiest, J.R. (1996). Mortal Kombat: The Effects of Violent Videogame Play on Males? Hostility and Cardiovascular Responding. Journal of Applied Psychology, 26, 717-730. Cooper, J., & Mackie, D. (1986). Video Games and Aggression in Children. Journal of Applied Social Psychology, 16, 726-744. Derek, S. (1995). The Effect of Video Games on Feelings of Hostility. The Journal of Psychology, 129, 121-130. Sherry, J. L. (2000). The Effects of Violent Video Games on Aggression: A Meta-Analysis. Human Communication Research*. Tamborini, R., Eastin, M., Lachlan, K., Fediuk, T., Brady, R., Skalski, P. (2000). Virtual Violence. 86th Annual Convention of the National Communication Association.

Rescue Of Susanna :: essays research papers

The Rescue of Susanna 								 In the story of Susanna in the New Testament of the Bible many valuable lessons are learned. The story begins by describing the wife of a man named Joakim, the beautiful Susanna. She had been taught according to the law of Moses and was very righteous. Because her husband was very rich the two elders who were appointed judges often were often there and anyone with a lawsuit came to them there. Susanna would spend the long afternoons in the large garden adjacent to the house. The two elders sometimes watched her and they both secretly began to desire her. Their minds turned from what was holy and they only thought of her. They later developed a plan so that they could lie with her, sneaking into the garden when she was bathing, they threatened to testify that there was a young man in there with her if she did not lie with them. Being the self respecting woman that she was she answered, "I am hemmed in on every side. For if I do this thing, it is death for me; and if I do not, I s hall not escape your hands. I choose not to do it and to fall into your hands, rather than to sin in the sight of the Lord." When the servants hear about this they are very surprised because nothing like this has ever been said of her before however they trust their elders and listen to them. As Susanna is being carried to her death God hears her prayers and aroused the hold spirit of a young lad named Daniel. Daniel pointed out the weaknesses in the two elder’s stories and the Jews rose against them. This story is memorable for several reasons. One is the fact that Susanna doesn’t give in to the elders’ requests even when they threatened her life and her reputation. She has impressive faith in God and trusts him to make everything right. Another reason this story is memorable is how Daniel risked his own life by standing up against the elders to defend a woman whom he did not even know. His faith in God is also very impressive. There are many lessons which can be taken from this story, some more obvious than others. One that plays an important role in our society today is the rule that one is innocent until proven guilty.

American Agricultural Family History

The Family in History as we would hear perhaps from old folks who are still living in some rural areas is a picture of husband and wife and kids living simply outside urban area. According to Arlene Skolnick, â€Å"throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, well over 90 percent of the American family lived in small rural communities† (Skolnick 79) and every one is busy as all members of the family work be it in the farm, or in a shop, or maybe in the home.In Skolnick’s comparative study of the families then and now, she only noticed slight difference and this is in terms of size of family members. She noted that a â€Å"typical house hold in the 1790 included about 5. 6 members compared to about 3. 5 today† (Skolnick 79). During this period, married women were usually home maker specially those who belong to middle class family, but poor married young women and widows worked in the factories. Mara Dunleavy noted that during the early 1800s adult female role include the responsibility to have children and to care for them.She also had to take care of the house under her husband’s supervision. Also, she is expected by her husband in farm or garden labor. The husband on the other hand is responsible for the financial needs of the family. During this period, most men had farm or were working as farm laborers or what ever skill that got them employed. The husbands were also responsible to support and defend his family, and are expected to be strong, independent and reliable. They were to work in the field and to market his farm product.The married women role of running the household and to care for children were indeed a full time job as it also includes cleaning the house, preparing and cooking the foods, bottling and canning the produce of the farm, and provides for all the need of the husband and the children as well. Children had also their own role. They were taught these roles at their young age particularly how to farm for the boys an d how they could provide for in their families in the future. Children were also sent to school and were taught the basic academic subject as higher education was available during this time.Girls on the other hand, were taught the household chores and some basic education, but higher educations were not available for women until 1837. Dunleavy pointed out that even when higher education were opened for women in 1837 but it only offered limited degree not enough to provide them career alternatives, rather they were taught how to be a good wives and mothers. Arlene Skolnick pointed out that â€Å"differences between the American family in colonial times and today are not at all stark; the similarities are striking† (Skolnick 79).But these similarities could maybe only apply in the social climate of both periods. Indeed there is a striking contrasts in the roles those men, women and children that they are now doing and the roles that family members had assumed during the colonia l times. How Have Things Change Skolnick noted that during the civil war period American attitudes toward the family had profoundly changed. The reason for this is the gradual transformation of America into an urban, industrial society during the early decade of the 19th century.Skolnick further noted that in 1820, â€Å"less than eight percent of the population lived in cities but by 1860 it rose to twenty percent and by 1900, that figure had doubled. But the benefit of industrialization did not immediately affect the structure of the family† (Skolnick 80) However, there was a decline in the size of the family though most of the social condition remained about the same. But the industrialization had a lasting effect on the family as the whole members don’t have to work as independent workers. Men can work in the offices and factories while wives concentrate in the house to take care of the children now going to school.Mara Dunleavy contends that during the twentieth c entury, women’s role gradually moved into male dominated labor force and the home became a meeting place mainly for the family to gather together. According to Clarence Roberts, during the industrial revolution period men worked too far from their home and were usually tucked away in offices or factories (Roberts). Men became the bread winner to a great extent of the family while women left in charge of the children and the home. Roberts pointed out that this was thought to have helped destroy the equalitarian position of women in the family.During this period too, Roberts noted that children could now help earn for their families as they could work in factories even with out the approval of their elders. Roberts further noted that home training and instruction was now replace by formal education in public school and work in the factories. Dunleavy pointed out in his article published on line entitled â€Å"How Changing Sex Roles Have Affected the Family Unity in the United Stated,† that during the World War II there was a large shortage of men. Because of this shortage, women took the vacancies as men were sent abroad to join the war.Women took active roles in the male dominated work traditionally. Since then, women’s roles broaden and some began making careers outside of their homes for themselves. Since then up to now, more changes had taken place although children still work but authorities see to it that it would not hinder their education, thus making work schedule only on Saturdays. How Have They Remained the Same? There is no doubt that everything about the family life had changed to a great extent. The traditional family had also changed and even affected by this change because of the women’s quest for equality with men.Many things reflect great changes in the family life since the 1800s. Perhaps the only thing that has not significantly change is the social climate which still features almost the same social condition. Ear ly premarital pregnancies, abortion, marrying age, premarital sex, and divorce were just some of the issues of the past that still ring in the present society. It was in this area that Arlene Skolnick noted that there was striking similarities between the families of the past and the families of the present. Why do you Think that something have Changed Over time?There were indeed some things that had changed over time in the lives of the families in history. One of these things is, with the rise of industrialization men went to urban cities to seek for work in factories or offices for their families. Their farm lives were suddenly left behind, and the duties of the wives had changed from equally working with men in the farm to just manage the home and to take care of their children. This change went over time that women found themselves already in the situation, before they realize their utter dependence on their husband.The reason for this is nothing else than economic. Men sees th e opportunity for economic advancement which their farm lives could hardly provide. Family relationships particularly extended families have changed over time as every one had the opportunity to work. The once conjugal work of the disappeared and was replace by men as bread winner of the family. Children too have had experienced changed over time as they were now income earners too. All these changes were hue mainly to the economic opportunity bought by the advent of industrialization and the men’s desire to improve their family lives.Work Cited Dunleavy, Mara. â€Å"How Changing Sex Roles Have Affected the Family Unit in the United States. † Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute. http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1982/6/82. 06. 09. x. html Roberts, Clarence Jr. â€Å"The Changing Family: How Changes in the Family Reflect Social and Economic Changes in Society. † Yale-New Haven teachers Institute. Vol. 4, 2007 http://www. yale. edu/ynhti/curriculum/guides /1990/4/90. 04. 08. x. html Skolnick, Arlene. â€Å"The Paradox of Perfection†(given file)

Victimology: Crime and Criminal Victimization

Society's Response to Criminal Victimization Although crime and victimization rates have steadily declined since the early 1990s, society’s perception and fear of crime is still very high. Greater participation between community members and local law enforcement is needed to help ensure that crime and victimization rates continue to decline. Crime prevention is a concept that can help reduce crime and public fear perception. Combating victimization requires a concerted effort between the public and private sectors. The United States is responding to violent crime in various proactive and reactive ways.Proactive measures are designed to prevent violence; they include community-family action programs, personal protection measures, lifestyle changes, and other crime prevention and security measures designed to divert opportunistic offenders at one’s home, business, or other institutional setting. Victimization cannot be totally prevented; even the best crime prevention eff orts are not guarantees against crime. Reactive responses to victimization include community programs and laws implemented in response to a crime problem.The reactive responses are restorative approaches such as victim compensation and support programs, legislation, and civil justice responses. The restorative programs deal directly with victim assistance, although civil justice is designed to punish those responsible or associated with the victimization. The increase in the purchase in weapons reminds us of the fear many have. Community crime planning and increased security measures are a vital part of any crime prevention effort. The 1994 Federal Crime Bill was a significant step in addressing victimization and crime.The best way to curtail victimization is to address the sources of crime. Reducing victimization also includes awareness of personal risks or avoidance of life styles conductive to crime and victimization. Current victimology studies are performed by the World Society of Victimology. This organization does not focus on assigning responsibility to victims. The organization mentions the additional concept of secondary victimization by the criminal justice system; for example, a victim of a rape may be forced to recollect the act on the witness stand in front of the judge and jury so that the rape suspect can be convicted.The World Society of Victimology also mentions the role of the victim in the reform and restitution of a convicted criminal. Criminal victimization is a frightening and unsettling experience for many Americans. It is unpredictable, largely unpreventable, and often unexpected. Unlike normal life experiences, victimization is not sought out and is never welcomed; it is debilitating and demoralizing, and its efforts can often be long-term and difficult to overcome. Victims may be confused, fearful, frustrated, and angry. Becoming a victim of crime is an unpleasant and unwanted life experience at best.The impact of criminal victimizat ion is serious, throwing victims into a state of shock, fear, anxiety, and anger. The emotional, physical, psychological, and financial ramifications of crime can be devastating to victims. Coping with and recovering from victimization are complex processes. Sadly, some victims are never able to do so. Crime victimization can impact an individual’s ability to perform across a variety of roles, including those related to parenting, intimate relationships, occupational, and social functioning.Much of the available research focuses on changes in functioning among victims of intimate partner violence, with less research devoted to examining the consequences of other crime types on role functioning. I believe that society has responded very well to criminal victimization. They have created programs to help people who have gone through things in life other people don’t go through. Society is also improving their programs to help patients forget what happened to them. They ar e finding ways to help prevent victimization.If I were a victim, the programs available would seem a very encouraging opportunity to begin my road to recovery. If the society doesn’t do anything to help to respond to criminal victimization, there would be a lot more victims in need of help that can’t get it because the society doesn’t seem to care what happens to their people. I believe that the United States has done everything they can to help either prevent victimization or come up with different programs to help those in need.Not all societies have responded the same to victimization though; for example, Russia responds to victimization quite differently than the U. S. Some people may or may not choose to accept these programs that the society has come up with to help people in need. In my opinion, the society has responded very well to criminal victimization. The sources I used were: www. icpsr. umich. edu/icpsrweb/NACJD/NCV, www. ncjrs. gov/criminal_justic e2000/vol_4/04c. pdf, and www. ojp. usdoj. gov/ovc/publications/†¦ /FirstResponseGuidebook.