Motivation in the Play Essay Example for Free

Motivation in the Play Essay Villains and why they do their villainy is always justified or explained in any literary work. Even those childhood fairy tales with the villain’s formulaic and predictable evil deeds will always do things that have a purpose or will do those things because they were compelled to do it caused by a negative feeling: jealousy, revenge, envy, greed, a childhood without someone to love them or support them, etc. William Shakespeare’s plays are not an exemption to this case as he even creates characters that are capable of not only of evil; they embody evil in their totality as a person—if you may call them that. An example of this would be Iago, touted as the most villainous of all villains in the literary world because of the simple reason that he was guiltless, conscienceless and definitely purposeless in his strategic deeds that destroyed Othello and the people close to the tragic hero. This analysis will focus on this villain and scrutinize his character, villainy and most of all, his purpose (or the lack thereof) on why he did the things he has done that aimlessly ended to other people’s lives. In fact, there is already an answer to this query for Iago is just plain evil, nothing less and definitely more. His motivation lies in the fact that he wants to end other people’s happiness and takes simple delight in causing other people pain and grief which makes him not just a villain but a very mysterious and most terrifying one. In Othello, the Moor of Venice, a man’s capacity to do evil is magnified as Iago is overcome with rage as Othello gives a position to another less qualified man that was originally intended for Iago. Iago takes this in deep and plots against Othello, a Moor in Venice that holds such high position, influential power and great riches. Iago uses jealousy to destroy Othello and the people around him by making it appear that Othello’s loyal wife, Desdemona, is having an affair with another man. In rage, Othello kills his own wife and when he realizes that it was all Iago’s evil plan, he kills himself out of grief and guilt. Iago confesses to no one and does not explain his actions; instead, he keeps mum about what he has done and the purpose in them. Thus, as the play concludes, it is only the audience who are witnesses to Iago’s malice and the extent of his wickedness—but there is a possibility that Iago also leads the audience into believing that they know the entire truth when in fact, he has been dishonest the whole time to everyone—even that of the audience. Iago acts as the villain in the play even if he was not really the one who did the bad deeds. He is the sole villain because he was the master plotter in the whole thing that even innocent people like Roderigo and Emilia were implicated as bad people when they were not wholly that capable of evil. Roderigo and Emilia were simply pawns to his plans and he used them and easily discarded them. In the book of Dobbs Wells entitled The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare, they sum up the villainy of Iago (and pretty much, the entire play) in a few words: He skilfully convinces Othello that his wife Desdemona has been adulterous with Cassio. He wounds Cassio, murders Roderigo, whom he has involved in his plots, and also kills his own wife Emilia. (211) The extent of Iago’s villainy does not merely end in his acts and plans but in an entirely different context and case because his villainy was unjustified and unexplainable. He did not have a purpose and an aim in ruining Othello’s life and soul. For even if it seems that Iago was motivated by the anger he felt over Othello’s passing over the position that was rightfully his to another man that was very much unqualified (according to Iago that is), it still seems not enough motive. In the first part of the play (act I, scene i), Iago insists that he does hate Othello and does a lengthy monologue on why he hates the Moor. However, it can be later learned that maybe Iago was not really motivated by that trivial act done by Othello since Iago has never really revealed the real reason on why he hates Othello. This is because in the same act, he declares that he will never say what he feels and thinks because it is dangerous and it is laughable: For when my outward action doth demonstrate / The native act and figure of my heart In compliment extern, ’tis not long after / But I will wear my heart upon my sleeve For daws to peck at. I am not what I am. (Shakespeare 1. 1. 63-7) His supposed reason on hating Othello may not be his true reason for the vendetta he so chillingly instills on the Moor because Iago will never disclose his real reasons. Thus, even though Iago was transparent with his feelings and thoughts to the audience and some characters like Roderigo and Emilia, he actually lied to everyone since he could never â€Å"wear his heart† on his sleeve. Moreover, even if the rage he felt over Othello’s actions propelled him to do/plan such things, it was not enough to completely destroy the life of one man and the lives around that man. To think that Iago even killed his own wife with his own hands—without a second thought on doing it or a guilt overcoming afterwards. As what Dobbs Wells wrote, Iago was a â€Å"motiveless evil† and that lack of motivation in him makes him a superior proponent of evil (211). In conclusion, Iago is most villainous not just because of the things he has done but also because of the lack of motivation in them, the absence of purpose, the incapacity to be guilty over the success of his evil plans and most of all, the mockery he throws to the characters and the audience at the end of the play with his silence. This silence is eerie as it has a purpose—to make everyone shiver at what other havoc and damnation he could have done with that evil mind of his. Works Cited Dobson, Michael and Wells, Stanley. â€Å"Iago†. The Oxford Companion to Shakespeare. New York: Oxford University Press, Inc. , 2001. 211. Shakespeare, William. â€Å"Othello, the Moor of Venice†. Ed. Russ McDonald. New York: Penguin Group, 2001. Print.

Environmental Impact of Ship Breaking Industry

Environmental Impact of Ship Breaking Industry Introduction: We are going to look into Ship breaking industry around the world and its impact on the environment, health and safety, social values and human rights issues. Ship breaking is the course of dismantling an archaic vessels structure for scrapping or recycle, mean to be conducted at a pier or dry dock to dismantling ship, it includes various activities, from removing all gears, parts and equipment to cutting down the ships substructure. Ship breaking is a difficult course of action due to the structural complication of ships. There are thousands of people involved in this industry. So many issues come up during breaking ships which remains beyond our knowledge. We are trying to demonstrate these serious issues and overcome these problems. Increasing demand of raw materials for re-rolling mills and other purposes and negative impacts on coastal environments, ship breaking activities present both challenges and opportunities for coastal zone management in a holistic manner. These activities are example of both the potentialities and the dangers of an increasingly globalised economy. It has achieved a good fame for being profitable but it cost huge environmental damage. A variety of disposable materials and refuse are being discharged from scrapped ships are often mixed with the beach soil and sea water which in turn has a negative impact on our coastal environment and biodiversity. However, accidents are normal phenomena in the ship breaking yards. Over the years more than 1000 workers have lost their lives and were seriously injured. Due to unconsciousness and lack of government patronization, the activities are facing several internal and e xternal problems. Considering all these facts, a distinct and well-balanced policy is necessary for sustainable ship breaking activities. Aims Objectives: There are some aims and objectives have been set to conducting this research: Aims †¢ Solve the serious issues †¢ Set proper guidelines †¢ Make awareness of the workers †¢ Keep the child workers away †¢ Awareness of the government †¢ Finding pros/cons Objectives †¢ Finding the problems †¢ Co-operate with the local authority †¢ Training for the workers †¢ Education for all †¢ Collecting data and analyze them †¢ Implement the outcomes of the research Environmental pollution: According to the report of Jim Puckett (International Conference on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships, 2009), the Beaching Method whereby ships are run grounded on ocean beaches for cutting and breaking apart in the intertidal zone can never be achieved in a manner which is environmentally noise or shielding of human health. Careful analyses of the intrinsic characteristics of beaching operations are conclusive that no amount of prescriptive improvements or protections can remedy the four fatal characteristics of intertidal beaching operations: * there is the impossibility of containing pollutants on a tidal beach where hulls of ships are often breached accidentally or by cutting, or toxic paints erode or are abraded sending persistent organic pollutants, heavy metals and oils onto the beach and into the seawater; * due to a shifting and soft wet tidal sand surface, there is the impossibility of rapidly bringing emergency response equipment, including fire-fighting equipment and vehicles, ambulances and cranes alongside the ship, to assist or remove persons hurt inside the hull; * the impossibility of allowing cranes to work alongside to lift heavy cut sections of a ship and thereby preventing heavy cut sections from being subject to gravity, shifting or falling directly into workers or into the marine environment; and * There is the absolute incompatibility of conducting hazardous waste management operations (which is what they are as long as ships contain hazardous wastes) in the ecologically delicate and vital coastal zone. Puckett revealed that these fatal flaws of the beaching method inevitably will result in causing avoidable death and pollution and thus make a mockery of the application of Regulation 19 of this Convention. No amount of band-aid guidelines and criteria can cure the malignancy inherent in beaching operations. To ask Parties to prevent adverse effects to human health and the environment from massive toxic ships on an intertidal beach already makes the fulfilment of this objective impossible. However the worst outcome is that by not drawing a clear line at the outset, this fatally flawed method will be legitimized, millions of dollars will be thrown into trying to mitigate the inherently inappropriate and dangerous working platform and the IMO will have succeeded in perpetuating death and pollution for many years to come. Hazardous activities: Ship breaking activities are being condemned as the whole process entails a series of risky tasks and as a depot of hazardous substances, which pose threats to the ambient environment and working people. Depending on their size and function, scrapped ships have an unloaded weight of between 5,000 and 40,000 tonnes (an average of 13000+), 95% of which is steel, coated with between 10 and 100 tonnes of paint containing lead, cadmium, organ tins, arsenic, zinc and chromium. Ships also contain a wide range of other hazardous wastes, sealants containing PCBs; up to 7.5 tonnes of various types of asbestos; several thousand litres of oil (engine oil, bilge oil, hydraulic and lubricant oils and grease). Tankers additionally hold up to 1,000 cubic meters of residual oil. Most of these materials are defined as hazardous waste under the Basel Convention. In Asia old Ships containing these materials are being cut up by hand, on open beaches, under inhumane working conditions. Experts are unanimo us in their opinion that ship breaking is a high-risk industry. Paul J. Bailey criticized in his ILO discussion papers (2000) that By any standards, the demolition of ships is a dirty and dangerous occupation. The ship breaking hazards generally fall into two categories: intoxication by dangerous substances and risk of accidents on the plots. Violations of Human and labour rights: Be short of professional health and safety standard, personal or limited of training protection equipment provided. †¢ Limited or no access to emergency services, compensation when a worker is injured or killed on the job, and treatment. †¢ Less than bare minimum wages. †¢ Child labour uses. †¢ Wide range of working hours without right to overtime, annual leaves or sick. †¢ Short of job security: there is no pay where no work. †¢ No right to form or join or any trade union. In the most of the shipyards, workforces are being privileged of their human rights. They work under dangerous situation however they have no right of entry to job security, a take-home pay or safety kit. OHS, accidents and diseases: Over the last twenty years more than 400 workers have been killed and 6000 seriously injured according to the Bangladeshi media. These are the ones that have been reported. The explosion of the Iranian tanker TT Dena on 31st May 2000 alone is said to have caused 50 deaths. To this toll, the thousands of cases of irreversible diseases which have occurred and will continue to occur due to the toxic materials that are handled and inhaled without any precautions or protective gear need to be considered. On average, one worker dies in the yards a week and everyday a worker is injured (End of Life Ships: the Human Cost of Breaking Ships). It seems like nobody really cares: ship breaking workers are easily replaceable to the yard owners: if one is lost they know another 10 is waiting to replace him due to the lack of work. The Government collects the taxes and turns a blind eye. Workers are not aware of hazards to which they are exposed. The overwhelming majority of workers wear no protecti ve gear and many of them work barefoot. There is hardly any testing system for the use of cranes, lifting machinery or a motorized pulley. The yards re-use ropes and chains recovered from the broken ships without testing and examining their strength. There is no marking system of loading capacity of the chains of cranes and other lifting machineries. Consequently, workers suffer from lung problems which cause temporary loss of working capacity. The hatches and pockets of vessel may contain explosive or inflammable gases. The cutters, if they understand from experience, drill small holes in order to release gases or fumes. This still however, often cause severe explosions. Gas cutters and their helpers, cut steel plates almost around the clock without eye protection. This leaves their eyes vulnerable to effects of welding. They do not wear a uniform and most dont have access to gloves and boots. Those that are unskilled carry truck able pieces of iron sheets on their shoulders and th ere are no weight limits to the sheets they carry. Usually, these workers carry weights far above the limit prescribed in the Factories Act and Factories Rules. The beaches are strewn with chemicals and toxic substances, small pieces of pointed and sharp iron splinters causing injuries. Workers enter into the areas without wearing or using any protective equipment. Occupational health and safety is clearly not a priority for the owners and as for the workers their desperate need to find employment to support their families means that their livelihoods take precedence over their lives. Treatment and compensation: When there is an injury some immediate treatment may be given but there is no long term treatment for those who have a long term or permanent injury. In terms of compensation, only a nominal amount of compensation given and often only when there is public pressure. When a worker becomes disabled by a major accident, he gets a maximum of 10 to 15 thousand taka (1 USD=71 taka) and forced back to his home district. In most cases a worker will only get transportation costs to go back to their home district. When a worker killed in an accident, the contractor, who is responsible for the workers, will only pay the costs of sending the body back to the victims family and arranging for their burial. In the case of local workers from the area, if they die on the job, their family receives more than 50,000 taka as compensation. This is mainly due to the fact that the yard owners and contractors cannot avoid the locals who yield some power and pressure them. Prior to 2006, the labour laws in Ba ngladesh had a lot of limitations. The Workers Compensation Act 1965, only 30,000 taka was proposed for a 100% disable worker and 21,000 taka for dead workers family. The recently passed Labour Law Act 2006 now stipulates that a 100% disabled worker will receive 100,000 taka and a deceased workers family will receive xxx taka. Child labour: In Bangladesh, most poor families are more or less dependent on the childrens income for survival. The Bangladesh Shishu Adhikar Forum (BASF) has identified 430 risky jobs. Within these 67 professions are classified as very much risky and 11 are classified as dangerous. Ship breaking is falls in the latter. YPSAs baseline survey in 2003, 10.94% of the labour force is made up with children (age up to 18). Most of 5the children come from the northern regions of Bangladesh. It was noticed that ship breaking contractors prefer to recruit children as they are less expensive than their adult counterparts. The children work mainly as gas cutters assistants and move small iron pieces from one place to another. They either work in the yard from sunrise to sunset or do the night shift. On average they receive 50-60 BDT a day for their efforts. There are no educational or recreational facilities. Conclusion: Nobody seems to really care about the workers and their families. Neither the ship owners, nor the exporting countries, the ship breakers or the local governments. They are simply numbers that can be replaced. There is an urgent need to interconnect the reality on the ground, the dominating economic interests of the shipping industry and the discussions taking place at the international level, in order to change the working and environmental conditions on the yards. References: Akther, M. et al, YPSA (2005). Workers in Shipbreaking industry: a base line survey of Chittagong (Bangladesh), chapter 4, pp. 29-36. Bailey, P. J. (2000). Is there a decent way to break up ships? Sectoral activities programme discussion paper, International Labour Organization (ILO). Retrieved at 03:00 (GMT) Aug 22, 2009, from http://www.ilo.org/public/english/dialogue/sector/papers/shpbreak/index.htm Dr. Hossain, Md. M. M. Islam, M. M. (2006). Ship Breaking Activities and its Impact on the Coastal Zone of Chittagong, Bangladesh: Towards Sustainable Management, Young Power in Social Action (YPSA). pp 13-17 Vardar, E. et al, Greenpeace-FIDH (2005), End of life ships: the human cost of breaking ships, Human rights report, Puckett, J. (2009). The NGO platform on Ship breaking on the Beaching Method, Presented at the International Conference on the Safe and Environmentally Sound Recycling of Ships.

Hepatitis B infection: An overview

Hepatitis B infection: An overview HEPATITIS B What is hepatitis B? Hepatitis B is a liver infection caused by the hepatitis B virus. Chronic hepatitis B is a long-term infection of the liver that can sometimes develop after a bout of acute or short term, hepatitis B. How does a person get hepatitis B? The virus that causes hepatitis B is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids of people who have hepatitis B. For example, you can get hepatitis B by having unprotected sex with an infected person. People who use intravenous drugs can get hepatitis B when they share needles with someone who has the virus. Health care workers, such as nurses, lab technicians and doctors, can get these infections if they are accidentally stuck with a needle that was used on an infected patient. Pregnant women who are infected with hepatitis B can also pass the virus on to their babies. Hepatitis B cannot be transmitted through casual contact. For example, you cannot get hepatitis B by hugging or shaking hands with someone who is infected. How long does it take chronic hepatitis to develop after acute hepatitis B? The time between the acute illness and signs of chronic hepatitis B varies. It may take a short time, or it may be years after the acute infection before chronic hepatitis B develops. How is hepatitis B diagnosed? Blood tests are used to diagnose hepatitis B. Blood tests can tell your doctor whether your liver is working properly, and they can also be used to follow your condition during treatment. Your doctor may want to look at your liver with an ultrasound exam or x-rays. A liver biopsy may also be needed. With a liver biopsy, a small piece of the liver is removed through a needle and looked at under a microscope. A liver biopsy can help your doctor diagnose your illness and see the condition of your liver directly. What are the symptoms of hepatitis B? The symptoms of hepatitis B are: nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, abdominal pain, jaundice (the skin turns yellow), weakness, fatigue, or brown urine (may look like tea), Symptoms of hepatitis B can range from mild to severe. If you have a mild case of hepatitis, you may not even realize that you have it. It may not cause symptoms or may only cause symptoms similar to the stomach flu. What are the complications of chronic hepatitis B? People with chronic hepatitis B may not have any symptoms at all. In some people, chronic hepatitis can lead to cirrhosis of the liver. Cirrhosis occurs when the liver cells die and are replaced by scar tissue and fat. The damaged areas of the liver stop working and cant cleanse the body of wastes. The early stages of cirrhosis may not have symptoms, but the following symptoms may arise as cirrhosis gets worse and more of the liver is damaged: weight loss, fatigue, jaundice, nausea, vomiting, or loss of appetite, Cirrhosis can lead to liver failure and even liver cancer. If you have hepatitis B, you are also susceptible to hepatitis D (also called Delta agent). Hepatitis D can only develop in people who already have hepatitis B. It can make your symptoms of hepatitis B or liver disease worse. It is spread through contact with infected blood or other body fluids of people who have hepatitis D. How is chronic hepatitis B treated? If you have chronic hepatitis B, your family physician will probably refer you to a gastroenterologist or other subspecialist that treats people with chronic liver problems. There are a number of medical treatments available that are often successful. These include Interferon alfa-2b and other antiviral medicines. Treatment may take a year or more, depending on the severity of the infection and the response to treatment. Can hepatitis B be prevented? The best way to prevent hepatitis B is to have protected sex (use a condom) and to avoid sharing needles. A vaccine is available to prevent hepatitis B. It is now routinely given in the first year of life to all newborn infants. It is safe and requires 3 shots over a 6-month period. This vaccine should be given to people who are at high risk for this illness, such as health care workers, all children, drug users, people who get tattoos or body piercing, and those with multiple sex partners. (Hepatitis B, 2007a) (Hepatitis B, 2007b) (Viral hepatitis B, 2007) References Hepatitis B. (2007). Retrieved December 30, 2007, from eMedicine Health website: http://www.emedicinehealth.com/hepatitis_b/article_em.htm Hepatitis B. (2007). Retrieved December 30, 2007, from World Health Organization website: http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs204/en/ Viral hepatitis B. (2007). Retrieved December 30, 2007, from CDC website: http://www.cdc.gov/ncidod/diseases/hepatitis/b/

History as Scourge :: essays research papers

History as Scourge How truly the wisest of men used to assert that the souls of despots, if revealed, would show wounds and mutilations – weals left on the spirit, like lash-marks on a body, by cruelty, lust, and malevolence. Tacitus, The Annals of Imperial Rome. Penguin Group. Translation by Michael Grant, 1996 ed. Pg. 202   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tacitus wielded his history like a scourge, excoriating the corruption of emperors and populous alike, attempting to revise the fictions of earlier histories and chart the decay of Roman values and virtue in the early Empire. The end of the Republic in 31 BC was, for Tacitus, the end of freedom and equality in the Roman state. Though he idealized the republic as the embodiment of Roman values and virtue, Tacitus had no illusions, fully recognizing that it was irretrievably lost. The histories of Rome’s emperors after Augustus were, according to Tacitus, tainted by flattery. Venerating the old republic, Tacitus sought to strip away the concealment of earlier historians, revealing emperors and aristocrats as transgressors against Roman values. Tacitus’ view of the purpose of the historian was shaped by his determination to truthfully illuminate the moral character of his subjects. While we may be uncertain with regard to some of the specific events of The Annals, we are quite certain of the actors as they cross the stage. Tacitus leaves us with no doubt about who was virtuous and who was corrupt.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Tacitus portrays the emperor Tiberius as a cunning and ambiguous figure, though Tacitus went to great lengths to resolve the emperors’ uncertain qualities as further evidence of corruption and excess. Tiberius suffers in comparison with his adoptive son, Germanicus. Tacitus always casts Germanicus in a positive light, praising his virtues, comparing him favorably to Alexander the Great who Germanicus surpassed, â€Å"in clemency, self-control, and every other good quality.† In elevating Germanicus to such heights, even raising the possibility that he might have restored the old republic, Tacitus denigrates Tiberius who is cast as scarcely able to conceal his delight at the death of his popular heir. In his final assessment of Tiberius, Tacitus maps the trajectory of his decline into corruption in proportion to his growing power.

Why Safety Belts? :: Car collisions

Why Safety Belts? To understand the value of safety belt use, it's important to understand some of the dynamics of a crash. Every motor vehicle crash is actually comprised of three collisions. The Car's Collision The first collision is known as the car's collision, which causes the car to buckle and bend as it hits something and comes to an abrupt stop. This occurs in approximately one-tenth of a second. The crushing of the front end absorbs some of the force of the crash and cushions the rest of the car. As a result, the passenger compartment comes to a more gradual stop than the front of the car. The Human Collision The second collision occurs as the car's occupants hit some part of the vehicle. At the moment of impact, unbelted occupants are still travelling at the vehicle's original speed. Just after the vehicle comes to a complete stop, these unbelted occupants will slam into the steering wheel, the windshield, or some other part of the vehicle interior. This is the human collision. Another form of human collision is the person-to-person impact. Many serious injuries are caused by unbelted occupants colliding with each other. In a crash, occupants tend to move toward the point of impact, not away from it. People in the front seat are often struck by unbelted rear-seat passengers who have become high-speed projectiles. The Internal Collision Even after the occupant's body comes to a complete stop, the internal organs are still moving forward. Suddenly, these organs hit other organs or the skeletal system. This third collision is the internal collision and often causes serious or fatal injuries. So, Why Safety Belts? During a crash, properly fastened safety belts distribute the forces of rapid deceleration over larger and stronger parts of the person's body, such as the chest, hips and shoulders.

Solutions to the Air Pollution Problem in America Essay examples -- En

Solutions to the Air Pollution Problem in America   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is steadily becoming harder to breathe these days. Every major city in the world is experiencing the ill effects of air pollution. The level of toxic air pollutants, known as toxics, has been on the rise globally, though not nationally, since the Clean Air Act of 1990, according to Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards [OAQPS], an office within the Environmental Protection Agency [EPA]. However, though more regions -- i.e., cities, metropolitan areas, rural areas, etc. -- are meeting the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards, certain areas were and still are designated as "nonattainment" areas. These areas are regions which do not meet all the National Ambient Air Quality Standards [NAAQS] for ground-level ozone, a primary constituent of smog (USEPA-- National Air--Ozone and Carbon Monoxide 1).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   What are air pollutants and what is their composition? According to studies done by Brigham Young University on air pollution, air pollutants are made up of sulfur dioxide, carbon monoxide, hydrocarbons, nitrogen oxides, ozone, and lead (Health Problems 3). They are in particulate form meaning these compounds are particles 10 microns in size -- i.e., the diameter of an average human hair. In fact, most sources agree that these are the main components of outdoor, versus indoor, air pollution.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Locally, the state of Arizona has had trouble with sulfur dioxide levels in the past near mining areas such as Globe-Miami (USEPA--Breathing Easier 5-2,3). Those problems have been addressed and have been reported as below the Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards (USEPA--Breathing Easier ES-2,5-2,3). The big problem which remains is withi... ...tants: A Citizen's Guide." March 1991. United States Envirmental Protection Agency. Office of Policy, Planning and Evaluation. Office of Air and Radition. Environmental Indicators. [WWW document]. URL Go To, July 17, 1996. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Air Quality Planning and Standards. National Air Quality and Emissions Trends Report, 1995. Ozone and Carbon Monoxide Air Quality Update. [WWW document]. URL Go To, 1995. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Office of Air and Radiation. 1995 National Air Quality Trends Brochure -- Toxic Pollutants. 1995 National Air Quality: Status and Trends. [WWW document]. URL Go To, 1995. United States Environmental Protection Agency. Region 9 Air And Toxics Division. Breathing Easier: 1996, A Report on Air Quality in California, Arizona, Neveda and Hawaii. Update Report, September, 1996.

Adolescence is the period Essay

Adolescence is the period of transition from childhood to adulthood, which is between 13 to 20 years of age. The term â€Å"adolescent† refers to the arraignment of psychological maturity. Puberty, on the other hand, refer to the stage wherein adolescents become physically and biologically ready for reproduction. Most people refer to this stage as a period that is highly stressful and volatile although teenagers nowadays successfully meet these challenges. Every individual is born into a family with several generations of cultural traditions, norms and social patters. They belong to a specific family, race and community with its own language and religion. The social setting with which the child is brought up may have an effect on his growth and development, including his ability to think, his emotions as well as the behavior he exhibits. Children fundamentally learn through the adult’s modeling and instructions. Social settings include the child’s home, the school, the community at large, as well as religious organizations. Positive relationships with family members serve to protect individuals from the risk of negative behaviors. These relationships provide as secure and fundamental base for which individuals learn to grow and develop positively. The family exerts a considerable influence on shaping the individuals concept of self and his outlook towards those outside the family. The family serves as role models so that the child learns which behaviors are socially acceptable, the enhancement of relationship skills as well as maintaining effective communication patterns. In addition, conflicts within the family that are effectively resolved are also important since the child will be using these as the basis during his dealings with those outside the family See more: Beowulf essay essay According to Piaget, changes occurring inside the individual’s mind as well as his broadening exposure to various social settings allow the adolescent to achieve the highest level in terms of intellectual development, which is known as formal operations. The adolescent develops the ability to determine possibilities, rank possibilities, solve problems and make decisions through logical operations. The teenager has the ability for abstract thought and is able to effectively answer questions or problems that may be hypothetical in nature. Adolescents have the capacity to reason with respect to possibilities and new cognitive powers allow the adolescent to do more far-reaching problem solving including their future and that of others. Although adolescents have the capacity to think as well as an adult, they lack experiences on which to build their decisions which may also result in conflicts between teens and their parents. Piaget acknowledged that biological maturation plays a role in this developmental theory but believed that rates of development depend upon the intellectual stimulation and challenge in the child’s environment. An adolescent may perform at different levels in different situations based on past experiences, formal education, and motivation in the use of logic and effective deductive reasoning. Erik Erikson established the psychosocial development of human beings that consists of eight stages starting from infancy until the late adult stage. During each stage of psychosocial development, the individual is confronted with several challenges that he must master and be able to successfully master the conflicts within each stage as the inability to do so would result to future problems. The major task of adolescent psychosocial development according to Erikson is the search for personal identity. Teenagers may become isolated socially during their inability to establish close relationships within their social environment. The primary danger of this stage is identity versus role confusion. Adolescents work at becoming socially independent from their parents while retaining family ties. Furthermore, they need to develop their own ethical systems based on their own personal values and principles. Choices, especially regarding lifestyle, vocation and future education must be made by the adolescent. Indecisiveness and the inability to make an occupational choice are behaviors indicating negative resolution of the developmental task at hand. According to Kohlberg’s Moral Developmental Theory, adolescents are at the â€Å"Post Conventional Level† wherein individuals find a balance between basic human rights and obligations and societal rules and regulations in this level. Individuals move away from moral decisions based on authority or conformity to groups to define their own moral values and principles. Individuals at this stage start to look at what an ideal society would be like. Under this Level, are 2 stages namely: Social Contract Orientation and Universal Ethical Principle Orientation. Under social contract orientation, an individual may follow societal law but he recognizes the possibility of changing the law to improve society. The individual may also recognize that different societal groups may have differing views as well as values although they may be in agreement on several fundamental concepts such liberty and life. On the other hand, the universal ethical principle orientation defines the â€Å"right† by decision of conscience with self chosen ethical principles. Kohlberg himself questioned this stage because he found out that very few subjects reasoned at this stage and thus termed it a â€Å"theoretical† stage. References: Behrman, R. , Kiegman, R. and H. Jenson. Nelson textbook of Pediatrics. Philadelphia: WB Saunders, 2000. Bukatko, D. , and M. Daehler. Child development, a thematic approach. 4th ed..Boston: Houghton Mifflin, 2001. Edelman, C. , and C. Mandle. Health promotion throughout the Life Span. 5th ed.. St. Louis: Mosby, 2002. Hockenberry , M. J. Wong’s nursing care of infants and children. 7th ed. St. Louis: Mosby, 2003 Howe, D. , Brandon, M. , Hinings, D. and Schofield (1999). Attachment Theory, Child Maltreatment and Family Support. A Practice and Assessment Model. Palgrave: Houndmlls, Basingstoke, Hampshire and New York. Kohlberg, L.. â€Å"Review of child development research. â€Å"Hoffman, ML. 1964.