Personal Mission Statement Essay Example for Free

Personal Mission Statement Essay Section I: My Role in my Education I recently finished a diploma program at Remington College for Medical Billing and Coding in October 2010. I successfully completed 9 months of being on the Dean’s list and had perfect attendance throughout the program. I also received the Distinguished Graduate Award for most outstanding student of the Medical Billing and Coding program. I recently decided to continue my education to obtain my Associate’s Degree in Health Information Technology. I will be finished with my Associate’s program in June 2012. In five years, I plan on working as a manager for a well-established organization. My ultimate goal is to continue my education until I obtain my Master’s Degree so that I can continue moving up the ladder until I am at the top where there is nothing else left to achieve. There are many obstacles in life that could get in the way of accomplishing my goals but I will just share three of the obstacles with you. The first and most important I think would have to be the lack of support. Even though I have moved back in with my parents while I am in school, I get no positive support from them. I really surprised them at graduation back in October for my diploma program when I was announced as the Distinguished Graduate. I am taking this no support from family as positive motivation to prove them all wrong when I obtain my educational goal which is finishing my Associate’s Degree. Another obstacle that could get in my way of achieving my goal would be my mindset or attitude. In the past when I younger and going to college I use to not have the right attitude for school. I was into just having fun and worrying about my grades. Now that I am older and know what I want, I think I have the right attitude to accomplish my educational goal. One of the reasons for my right attitude now is having a son that I didn’t have back in my younger and immature days. Finally, the last obstacle that I could have to face would be the lack of motivation and drive. This one goes hand and hand with the first two obstacles. In the first two obstacles, getting no positive support from my family and having a son now is giving me the motivation and drive I need to accomplish my educational goals. With this said, I think I have the motivation and drive that I need to succeed and overcome any obstacles that get in my way. Section II: Problem Solving for Success Step 1: Research and Define the Problem Using Present State and Desire State In my present state I am currently unemployed and receiving military funding for college through the Montgomery GI Bill. The money that I am receiving through the Montgomery GI Bill is what I am living off of right now. My desired state would be to be working at a job in my field of study to where I can be working my way up to management. I would also like to put more money in savings so that I can have a sizeable amount of savings in case any emergencies came about. Step 2: Determine the Causes of the problem * What- The problem is that I receive no support from my family in accomplishing my educational goals. * Why- This is a problem because when I was younger I never finished what I started except for High School. * Who- My family is the problem because even though I didn’t finish college when I was younger, they should still support me in finishing it now. * Where- The problem is occurring at home because that is where I see my family the most. * When- The problem occurs every day. This sometime causes me to not to want to be at home. I have to let the negativity go in one ear and out the other, and focus on accomplishing my ultimate goal. * How- The problem occurred because of my past non-accomplishments when I was young and immature. Step 3: Generate Solutions by Brainstorming There are several solutions that could be possible in solving the problem. 1. I could market myself in different cities in order to have more employers see my resume. 2. Once I get a job, I can move out and away from the negativity. 3. I can get a part-time job also to help out with expenses once I move back out on my own. At this time I have been only marketing myself with a 50 mile radius from where I live. I am going to start job searching in a 100 mile radius and possible farther out. Right now I will take a job anywhere, no matter where it is at. Based on all of the knowledge that I have learned in this class, I will be able to analyze the situation and use my critical thinking techniques to come up with the best possible solutions to my problem. Once I look at the problem from every angle possible, I can then apply the solutions based on my analysis of my present state and present issue.

The Advertisements Of Business And Politics In An Semiotic Analysis Advertising Essay

The Advertisements Of Business And Politics In An Semiotic Analysis Advertising Essay Every day when we wake up in the morning, we hear or see an advertisement almost anywhere and anytime; at home, on way to school or work and even we can find an advertisement when we are standing in bathroom queue in cinema. Advertisements come in different forms and shapes but all of them have the same purpose and that is to convince their audience to buy a product or to use a service that the company has to offer. Nevertheless, the key to a successful advertisement lies within the Semiotics which in simpler words means the study of signs (Chandler 2008: 2). The goal of this paper is to provide a semiotic analysis of advertisements in the fields of business and politics. In the business section, logos of famous companies such as Adidas and Dior will be discussed. Then, in the political section, we will take a look at the recent presidential election in Iran and parliament election in Sweden. Beasley and Danesi defined advertisement as: à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ any type or form of public announcement intended to direct peoples attention to the availability, qualities, and/or cost of specific commodities or services. (Beasley Danesi 2002: 1). The most common types of advertising come in forms of print (newspaper, magazines, brochures, fliers), outdoor (billboard, kiosks) and broadcast (TV, radio) which you see them every day and to some extent they have become a part of our daily life. Advertisers use different kinds of codes to draw attention of audience to their products, but mainly they focus on social codes more than the other ones. Another important factor in advertising is to present things according to the gender and age of their target group, because a 5 year old child will not respond to an advertisement the same as a 30 year old man. Maybe now you can see that why people call it Advertising Industry, because it takes more than one man or woman to do the whole job. A grou p of experts in different fields come together and essence of their ideas will become an advertisement which either will succeed or fail. Examples All the big companies try to pick logos and mottos which represent their companys field of work and at the same time they (advertisers) try to make it simple and understandable for almost everyone. There are always different signifiers in logos and other types of advertising. For instance, the German company of Adidas Group which is famous for its sports and clothing goods has a simple, but at the same time meaningful logo and motto. It is also worth to mention that Adidas was picked after Adolf Dassler nickname (Adi Dassler). The companys logo can be discussed in three different aspects; shape, color and font. First, the Three-Stripe brand mark became the Adidas worldwide logo in 1996. Before that the logo looked like a Trefoil which its three leaves symbolized the Olympic spirit. However, one can still find a resemblance between old and new logos. The Three-Stripe logo is also associated with a mountain-like figure especially for those who are living in Alps areas. The spaces between the lines could be assumed as the steps that one should take to reach the top and achieve greatness. Nowadays, the trefoil logo is associated with Adidas classic designs, so we can see that time has changed the association between the logo and its meaning among people. Second, the color black has good and bad connotations but among athletes and especially young ones. Black color suggests the idea of being serious, elegant and sophisticated and it is an inspirational motif for them. Finally, the font in the logo is designed by ITC Avant Garde which is both a pioneer and a well-known company in its own field. The Adidas font like the rest of other fonts designed by company is simple and also formal which gives a special simplicity to the logo. The Adidas Company like its logo has always tried to design simple but catchy goods and we must say that they were successful. It has always been said: the simpler, the better. Another interesting aspect of advertising by the Adidas Company is their motto impossible is nothing. Stanley Fish believed that it is impossible to mean the same thing in two (or more) different ways (Chandler 2008: 123), this quote gives us the reason why Adidas did not chose a different word order for their motto. Instead of impossible is nothing they could have said everything is possible or nothing is impossible, but would it have the same effect? The answer is simply NO. Using double negative in the motto intensifies the meaning; you can do whatever you want if you have the right equipment, which is Adidas. In addition, according to markedness theory, one can say that impossible is nothing is more marked than the other forms, but we should keep in mind that they are different phrases according to their word order and will not have the same meaning or effect. Next advertisement that is going to be analyzed is Jadore perfume from the Dior Company. In this advertisement film, which Charlize Theron stars in it, variety of signifiers and codes have been used to illustrate prestige and excellence of the Diors products. The clip starts by Charlize Theron walking from a room to another one, which from the settings you can guess it is happening in a castle or a very luxurious house. She is wearing a beautiful night gown which goes well with her setting and we would say that she belongs to upper social class. Then, she starts taking hear jewelries off and after that she takes her night gown off. And, while she is taking her jewelries and clothes off there is light music in the background and she says: Gold is cold, diamonds are dead, limousine isnt a car, dont pretend, feel whats real, Jadore, Dior And, the clip ends by a back naked shot of Charlize Theron in a way that looks like the bottle of the perfume. The advertiser has used power of images and words together and made a powerful combination in which lack of any of them would have changed the message that wanted to be conveyed. There are lots of connotations in what Charlize Theron says during the advertisement clip. The denotation meaning of Gold is: a yellow malleable ductile metallic element that occurs chiefly free or in a few minerals and is used especially in coins, jewelry, and dentures (Merriam-Webster Dictionary), but connotation meaning is something valued and fine in its own kind. And, the same thing is true for connotation meaning f diamond; something which is exotic and scarce or Limousine, something which is luxurious and fancy. Advertiser is using both connotation and denotation meanings to say that if you wear Jadore perfume then you are valuable, exotic and luxurious. Also, the advertisement wants to say, maybe you do not have gold, diamonds or limousine car but they things which are not real and they are just for showing off but if you want to stand out and be unique use Jadore. No doubt, Charlize Therons appearance in this advertisement plays an important role. First of all, she is a famous actress who is known for her beauty and she is said to be an icon in her career, therefore, one would quickly assume that this advertisement has something to do with women. This assumption happens because of mass media codes; it is not common that a woman advertises men products especially when the advertisement is about colognes or perfumes. Additionally, Therone is living in the USA but she is originally from South Africa which is a symbol of an exotic land and precious stones such as diamonds. Also, Charilze Theron age might be related to the idea that this kind of perfume suits women not girls, experts in perfume industry also suggest that ideal age for this perfume is between 30 and 45 years old. Lastly, the bottle of perfume represents all the aspects that were mentioned above. The bottle looks like a woman and also you can find the gold and white colors which are related to what Throne says during the advertisement. After discussing about advertising in the business field now it is time to focus on all time controversial subject of politics, and the strategies politicians and their campaign teams use in their advertisements to gain more vote in order find their way to a position in their government system. Advertising plays an important role for political candidates, especially presidential candidates, because advertisement come in different forms and people can have access to them easily anywhere and anytime. The more candidates give information about them and present transparent and precise programs for future the voters are willing more to vote for them. The candidates are aware of this fact and they use a very powerful tool called advertisement to reach their goal. In Irans recent so called fraud-free presidential election a new school of thought was born which is called Green Movement. The leader of this movement, Mir-Hossein Mosavi, chose the green color as a symbol for his campaign which mostly won the attention of the younger generation in Iran. Choosing the green color shows the intelligence and intention of those people who were in charge of Mosavis advertising campaigns, they had a bigger thought in their mind rather than just simply choosing a color for the party; in Iran the green color is a symbol of different things such as a new life, being religious and holy and being fresh, so it gives the idea that they must be different from the other ones. Also, the Green Movement was able to unify its supporters successfully by this simple act. However, when election result was revealed and Ahmadinejad was announced as the president for second time green color found a new meaning among Iranians. The green color now has become of a symbol of freedom and resistance among Iranians and they try to send this message to other parts of the world to show that they are not like Ahmadinejad and his supporters who have been running the country for a long time. Nowadays, their supporters by only spraying a big green V on the walls of the city show that they are still out there even though the government has been suppressing them in violent ways. Green color now has new meanings among Iranian people one of which might be a civil disobedience. So, clearly we can see that first there was an intention behind all these matters and now they way Iranians interpret the green color is different from the way it meant to Iranians before presidential election. The final advertisement that I want to talk about is the ad which was made by Sverigedemokraterna (far right party) in Sweden during their recent parliament election which was controversial in its own kind. Sverigedemokraterna is known as a fascist party and they are strongly against immigration. They presented their views clearly in their ads using lots of codes and symbols which can be found all over the clip. In this particular ad, it has been shown that a man and a woman are sitting behind their desk while counting the money using the machine. On one side of the table where there is more money it is written immigration officer and on the other side which there is no money it is written pensions officer. Then, the alarm goes off and two red handles are hung from the ceiling, on one of them it is written immigration and the other one pensions. After that there is an old lady who is using a walker in doing her best to get to the handle, while a group of women wearing black veil and borqa are running faster than her to get to the other handle. The first thing that draws attention to itself in this ad is the dark setting that is symbol of bad situation in Sweden. And, the red handles along with the siren sound means that there is emergency situation and something had to be done immediately. Women who are wearing veil and borqa symbolize all the immigrants in Sweden, particularly Muslims. The old lady in the clip symbolizes the hard working Swedes who have paid their taxes and when they want to get their pension now they fall behind because of the immigrants. In this ad the advertiser focused more on social codes (bodily codes and commodity codes) which exist in Sweden. Nevertheless, the discrimination factor is very vivid the distance between the handles and the space between the old Swedish woman and the women who are dressed in black. The general message of this ad is to say, stop immigration or it will be at the expense of the real Swedes. Conclusion To sum up, we are living in a world full of signs and codes. People use them for different purposes, whether they are good or bad. By using your mind, you can find all signs and decipher all codes and make a right decision.

Robert Cohns Struggle for Respect in The Sun Also Rises Essay

Robert Cohn's Struggle for Respect in The Sun Also Rises    Jake Barnes: "You're not an aficionado?" Spanish waiter: "Me? What are bulls? Animals. Brute animals... A cornada right through the back. For fun-you understand." (Hemingway, 67)  Ã‚  Ã‚   Why does everybody hate Robert Cohn? At the beginning of Hemingway's novel, The Sun Also Rises, Jake Barnes, the story's point-of-view character, wants us to believe that he has at least some appreciation for Cohn. He relates some of Cohn's life for us, how at Princeton he was a middle weight boxing champ, how despite his physical prowess he had feelings of "shyness and inferiority...being treated as a Jew," (Hemingway, 11) his turbulent career as a magazine editor and his failed marriage. It's easy to begin to feel sorry for this guy. The only mistake he made was falling for Lady Brett Ashley. Cohn's infatuation with this heartless wench, coupled with the jealousy and competitive nature of the novel's other bon vivant characters, lead to his disgrace.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Brett Ashley is, from the start, a careless woman. A lady by marriage only, she has affairs with many men, breaks many hearts, and drinks lots of liquor. She wants to be the center of everyone's attention. She may be physically stunning, but she lacks class and restraint. Like the rest of the novel's main party, she has a taste for living the good life in disregard of the feelings and actions of others. It seems everyone loves or has loved her, including Jake Barnes. So Robert's unfortunate attraction to Brett Ashley has already heightened tensions between the male characters.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   For a significant portion of the novel, Cohn is defending himself from the threats and name-calling of Mike, the man to whom Brett... ...on, he posed no great threat to the group and was more a victim of racism than of unrequited love. If his interest in Lady Brett amounted to anything, it was as a target for the jaded sentiments of his "fellow" bon vivants; someone should have clued Cohn in and told him he'd be better off staying in Paris. I suppose these sordid affairs only prove Hemingway's feelings, as expressed by Bill in the novel: "You're an expatriate. You've lost touch with the soil. You get precious. Fake European standards have ruined you. You drink yourself to death. You become obsessed by sex. You spend your time talking, not working." (120) Maybe Robert Cohn, a victim of this ruination, will know better than to waste his time with these dark-hearted dilettantes who hold costly ideas of enjoyment. Works Cited Hemingway, Ernest The Sun Also Rises. Scribner Paperbacks: NY, 1997.

Truth Is It Good Or Evil Essay -- essays research papers

Have you ever met someone who cares so much about the way they look or how people perceive them that they can't even focus on reality? This sums up the way the grandma in a 'Good Man Is Hard To Find'; is in a nutshell. Superficial would also be a good word to describe the way in which Grandma lived her life. Her whole existence on earth was unrealistic and to a certain extent surreal. Grandma led a life of not knowing the meaning of happiness. A perfect existence for grandma would be for everyone who knew her to think of her as a perfect lady who had no imperfections and always looked and acted like the lady she dreamed to be. For example, when grandma and the family took a road trip to Florida grandma dressed in her nicest clothes because she feared that if they got in an accident people would find her and they would not think she was a real 'lady';. To most people the thought of pre- planning an outfit in fear of an accident sounds rather peculiar and silly but that was just a norm al thought of grandmas. We do not meet the misfit until the end of the story, but it is he who hold the key to grandmothers utter emotions. I believe the Misfit was grandmother's destiny. Flannery O'Conner creates a story that forces us to question, 'What is truth?'; Through the grandmother who lives a life of clichà ©s – we are taken on a journey of discovery. By the end of the journey we discover to be 'good'; we must be able to accept and forgive even those who deliver great loss to u...

Free College Admissions Essays: An opinion I have had to defend :: College Admissions Essays

Tell us about an opinion you have had to defend Tell us about an opinion you have had to defend. How has this affected your belief system? I chuckle to myself every time I think about this. I am perceived as a mild-mannered, intelligent individual until I mention that I am involved in riflery. It is interesting to watch someone's expression change. It is as if I instantaneously grew a pair of horns and a sharp set of claws. Believe me this gets worse; I am a member of the NRA. I try to tell these folks that I belong to the NRA to fire my rifle. "Oh my God! You fire real guns? with real bullets?!?" they remark with a perplexed look on their face. Besides having horns and claws, I now possess a tail and leathery wings. This is how it began five years ago. I had played on a soccer team for several years. As I grew older I began having difficulty playing soccer because of shortness of breath. I was diagnosed as having mild asthma which ended my soccer career and eliminated my participation in most physical sports. Shortly afterward, during a Boy Scout summer camp, I participated in riflery at their shooting range. This was the first time I had ever touched a firearm. To my amazement, I won the camp's first place award for marksmanship. I was more than eager when a friend of mine asked me if I would like to join a shooting club. My parents were wary when I asked to join the rifle club. My mother feared guns, but my father felt there was no problem with trying this sport. Gratefully, he gave me the opportunity to try rifle marksmanship, despite secretly hoping that I would quit. Both of my parents were afraid of what people would think about their son's involvement with guns. Like my parents a majority of people believe that all firearms are dangerous to our society. All they remember are the hysterical news releases of street violence and injured children. I am often asked how many deer I've shot. Frankly, I could never bring myself to injure another living creature and neither would most of the competitors I have met. Yet, I keep finding myself defending the sport from all of the misconceptions that surround it.

Personal Model of Helping

I take pride in everything that I do and strive to give my all to the people who need my help, and this is the basis of my personal model of helping. I cannot give someone only part of my effort because the individual may not take me serious and not be able to use the help that I am offering. My goal in offering this help is to assist them in overcoming any negative situation they are trying to get out of. People reach out for help and when they do so they want the best help that they can find because they can seek a positive resolution. I know that circumstances in life can take a toll on a person, and these circumstances cause them to be in the situation that they are seeking help for but to change their behavior and improve themselves they need to give 100% as well as the people who are offering help to them. How and why and you formed this viewpoint This viewpoint was formed because there are individuals who seek help from professional counselors every day because they believe that these professionals can get them back of track with their lifestyle and overcome the struggles of hardship they have been facing. If this individual does not believe that the help they are getting from the professional is successful than it would seem that either the professional or the individual seeking help is not giving 100% effort on their part in order to get positive results. There are many different reasons an individual seeks therapy; it can be gambling problems, drug or alcohol addiction, abuse, health issues, family issues, or even death of a family member. A professional counselor needs to be prepared for any reason that a client may seek help from them and be ready and willing to offer them appropriate help of treatment. View of helping My view of helping is a result of a person taking pride in their profession of helping others and them going the extra mile and giving the effort necessary to make sure the client is on the right path for a positive resolution. People do not appreciate being judged by others and believe that many cannot relate to their situation because they do not understand the lifestyle and hare life they have experiences to this point. It is difficult for these individuals to admit they need professional help, and then to seek that help from a stranger who may judge them or the situation that he or she is in. The relationship between the clinician and the participant The relationship between the clinician and the participant should be welcoming and inviting to prepare for the session and to open lines of communication. When individuals talk to others that they do not know personally they have to gain a level of comfort so that they can open up and discuss personal matters that are causing their issues. I can relate to a client’s story by listening to them on a personal level and then sharing my experiences once they have built a rapport with me and show interest in my knowledge. Many views that individuals have of counselors or therapists is that they live a happy and worry free lifestyle and that he or she may/does not have a personal issues they are struggling with because of their profession; however this is not usually the case and many counselors seek therapy as well. Many professionals have issues and skeletons in their closet that they do not want anyone else to know about, and every person has a story to tell of their experiences in life and it is not fair for the counselor or others to be judged based solely of these experiences or for them seeking help to overcome personal struggles. Technique or approached to change There are many approaches that a counselor can take to change the perceptions a client may have about their lives, and show them another way to view their situation. When clinicians address behavioral issues with their client the techniques come from modeling. An example would be a client who struggles with expressing themselves may benefit from seeing the counselor use beneficial skills they need to acquire by demonstrating them in a role play scenario. It can be beneficial to select a model to assist in any role play scenarios who is similar to the client the counselor is trying to help. Age, gender, ethnicity, and social status should all be taken into consideration (Parrott, 2003). Positive reinforcement is another technique in therapy that is successful because it provides positive rewards or recognition for success or positive actions and behaviors. Relaxation training is another method of therapy that can be successful in treating a variety of disorders when other techniques are proven unsuccessful. Some disorders that can be treated successfully with relaxation therapy are headaches, pain, anxiety, hypertension, and PTSD. The basic idea of relaxation training and therapy is that the tension of muscles exacerbates anxiety and results in the individual feeling less anxious by them learning the knowledge to understand the difference between tense and relaxed muscle groups and the appropriate methods to treatment training (Parrott, 2003). A coherent model that is consistent, shows adequate understanding of the material presented, and reflects the ability to integrate and synthesize the course material Behavioral therapy shows successful results because it uses approaches that focus on certain characteristics of the individual in an attempt to successfully identify the appropriate therapy approach to helping the understand their behaviors and to gain self-control. â€Å"In addition to the rise of behaviorism, experimental research on the psychology of learning also contributed to the development of behavior therapy. This is an approach based on a view known as logical positivism, under which everything that exists is empirically verifiable. From this perspective, if the material universe, understandable only as matter and energy operating according to universal laws, is all that is, then human beings are material beings only and hence explainable by natural laws; In a sense, the experimental method was putting behaviorism’s philosophy into practice† (Parrott p. 271). The kinds of problems that can be addressed with your model The model learning theory can be used to address behavioral therapy approaches and techniques. Counselors are able to use this to observe their clients actions and behaviors to see if these approaches and techniques are successful for certain clients or all clients they are counseling. Cognitive –Emotive Dissonance; This is the most important stage in new learning and is characterized by two important features. : (1) the occurrence when people begin to act and think differently by understanding their new approach and control to their behavioral goals (2) the individual has emotional feelings that are uncomfortable when they start to believe that their actions are incorrect and they are not behaving appropriately. People using describe these feelings that they experience as â€Å"feeling wrong† or â€Å"not feeling right to me. † An example of this that occurs commonly would be while driving in a place you are unfamiliar with, such as an American questioning themselves for driving on the wrong side of the road in Europe. These types of emotions and feelings are unavoidable in experiences associated with psychotherapeutic therapy or any changes made to a person’s habits or accustomed behaviors. This is the stage of maximal therapeutic resistance in psychotherapy. If this approach is poorly handled and not addressed appropriately by the counselor then clients usually become noncompliant and stop attending therapy. Conditioning; this is the process of learning behaviors and the reaction or response to learned actions or familiar stimulus and how this changes and becomes a new behavioral response. There are two types of conditioning: (1) Classical conditioning where the response to certain stimulus is a learned behavior or innate response to a neutral stimulus, such as salivating to smell of something specific. 2) Operant conditioning where the behaviors they are learning are new, and they develop what their responses and reactions will be. Discrimination; The process in which a subject’s reaction are only appropriate to one similar or two different stimuli. Drive; A force that impels and motivates individual or animals to make a certain behavioral response based on the actions that have occurred. In behavioristic terms, drive is often dr iven by physiologic deprivations such a shelter, food, water, or necessities to survive. It also can be a reaction or response as a result of pain or unbearable or unpleasant stimulus (Maultsby & Wirga, 1998). Multicultural Issues Multicultural issues come from the diversity of others seeking help. There are many different reasons in which individuals seek counseling, so with this being said the counselor should be prepared on how to approach any situation they are confronted with by their clients. They need to be well versed in multicultural issues that can influence the approach to therapy uch as cross-cultural counseling where the client and the therapist do not share the same background, values, or lifestyle and these can be obstacles to overcome for any professional. People of cross-cultural differences find it difficult to settle of agreements with certain techniques or approaches to therapy that would be the most successful for the client. Gender issues are something to consider, where a male therapist may not be well versed or experienced in matters of women issu es and it can seem that they are not taking the clients matter serious where a female therapist may be able to relate to what the client is experiencing. Individuals who are disabled may feel singled out by others and isolated from the general population so the therapist needs to research and understand how to appropriately approach a client with this issue. Clients who are religious may not view therapy as a successful tool because of their beliefs. Certain professionals have techniques or therapeutic methods that are successful for many of their clients. The challenge they face is how to handle issues that are spiritual or religious in any way, ensure ethical integrity with the client while still being able to offer a method of treatment that they believe will be successful (Parrott, 2003). Limitations and strengths of the model The limitations of therapy or strengths of the treatment or model of therapy can depend on the clients learning abilities or disabilities, health issues, or cognitive challenges from clients who suffer from mental disorders, PTSD, or anxiety. The population this model can help The behavioral model can help many individuals within the population, and in order for this model to be successful people have to be open to receiving help even if it means putting them in situations that can bring them back to negative situations that are the roots of the individuals issues. The population that is seeking the help could be individuals addicted to drugs who want to get help to overcome and fight their addiction but do not understand the proper approach to overcoming these issues. Prostitutes who want to stop the emotional and physical abuse they are causing to themselves by selling their body for money. Even married couples who are at the end of their relationship but want to try to save what they once had in order to avoid divorce. Other clients who can benefit from this model of therapy ould be clients who suffer from health issues and are trying to understand how to cope with it, parents who are trying to gain control over a rebellious child, or even individuals who suffer from phobias that are interfering with them living a successful life. Original Thinking Individuals have to be open and accepting of therapy for it to be successful, when an individual is open to receiving help and seek a positive resolution to their issues then the counselor can par ticipate in the client’s therapy and give them the necessary steps to take for a successful change. Being an effective counselor means being open to new techniques, ideas, and approached to therapy that could be successful for the client. Each client and every case is different so there are different approaches to take in handling the situation in a professional manner. Conclusion There are many needs for therapy that need a successful approach, and a therapist willing to adapt to the needs of the patient. Utilizing all theories, methods, and techniques available to the therapist will help them have the tools necessary to offer treatment for any issue that their client presents them with. When a therapist is confident in their abilities and can relate to the issues faced by their client then they will have the inside needed to develop a successful approach to treatment and to present their client with a plan that explains their model of helping so that the client can be actively involved in the success of their treatment.ReferencesIndividual Counseling, Life Skills–Behavioral Therapy, and Group Experiences www.lifelongaes.com/services%20and%20fees/counseling.html. Kondrat, A. (2009). Behavioral and Cognitive Approach in Psychology. Retrieved from http://suite101.com/article/behavioral-and-cognitive-approach-in-psychology-a98399 Maultsby, Maxie C. & Wirga, Mariusz. (1998). Behavioral Therapy. Howard University College of Medicine. www.arcobem.com/publications/Beh-Tx.htm. Parrott, L., III. (2003). Counseling and psychotherapy (2nd ed.). Pacific Grove, CA: Thomson/Brooks/Cole. Smith, M.A., M., Segal, M.A., R., & Segal, Ph.D.,

Philosophy †Free Will vs Determinism Essay

The dialogue between philosophers over the existence of free will versus the inevitability of determinism is a debate that will always exist. The discussion centers around the true freedom of humans to think and act according to their own judgment versus the concept that humans are intrinsically bound by the physical laws of the universe. Before I enter this chicken and the egg debate I need to quantify my terms: Free will is defined by the great philosopher, St. Thomas Aquinas as â€Å"vis electiva† or free choice. It is the ability of man to contemplate and judge the effects of the actions he is about to take. †¦But man acts from judgment, because by his apprehensive power he judges that something should be avoided or sought. But because this judgment, in the case of some particular act, is not from a natural instinct but from some act of comparison in the reason, therefore he acts from free judgment and retains the power of being inclined to various things. † (Aquinas. Suma Theologica) Determinism is a complex notion but is best described by David Hume as the notion that something cannot come from nothing and that all actions have causes preceding them. I conceive that nothing taketh beginning from itself, but from the action of some other immediate agent without itself. And that therefore, when first a man hath an appetite or will to something, to which immediately before he had no appetite nor will, the cause of his will, is not the will itself, but something else not in his own disposing. So that whereas it is out of controversy, that of voluntary actions the will is the necessary cause, and by this which is said, the will is also caused by other things whereof it disposeth not, it followeth, that voluntary actions have all of them necessary causes, and therefore are necessitated. (Hume. Liberty and Nessessity. ) Philosophy and world religion alike were born of the same origins. Each of the two ancient disciplines arose from the quest for the answers to life’s ominous questions. These human questions, archetypical to people of all geographic locations; where did we come from; why are we here; where do we go when we die; unite us as a race. It is no coincidence that each religion and theology from all four corners of the earth tackles these black holes of human logic. Each religion carves their own individual explanations of these unanswerable questions into their core belief systems, each one centrally different than others. However, they all share one common thought; each shares a belief in an afterlife determined by the choices made in life. Free will is the common denominator in all world religions, because all share the essential concept of morality. The widespread acceptance of the concept of morality implies that there is a choice to be had at each and every juncture or life. The choice comes from recognition of good and evil. For good and evil to exist, then there has to be the ability to decipher between the two and also decide to accept one over the other. The existence of morality alone proves that free will exists, because without the freedom to choose right or wrong in any given situation there would be no qualitative measure of the â€Å"rightness† or â€Å"wrongness† of ones actions. David Hume comments on the origin of morality and its place in our everyday decision making processes, â€Å"Only when you turn your reflexion into your own breast, and find a sentiment of disapprobation† (Hume.  Treatise of Human Nature). In other words, there are no outside stimuli that can decipher good from evil; the line can only be drawn by internal thought. Hume was a naturalist in that his vision of the world and therefore stance of philosophy was based directly through the experiences of the senses. His stance on many issues directly originated from his ability to experience it with the five senses, and on the subject of morality he takes exception. Even he recognizes the existence of morality in everyday life, even though it cannot be explained through the lens of the senses. It would seem that morality’s acceptance must therefore prove that free will exists, but there is one essential school of thought yet to weigh on this topic; science. Science was the latest bloomer of the three major disciplines of existential explanation and in the post modern era is becoming more and more popular. As the world becomes further secularized and the reaches of scientific logic continue to exceed their grasp, many of the world’s intellectuals identify â€Å"truth† on a scientific scale. Science does not support the theory of morality, because it can’t be proven to exist. The notion of â€Å"free-will†, something which world religion and philosophies alike recognize as a fundamental part of our human anatomy, is called into question in a few simple and logical ways. Science supports the theory of determinism as the only logical explanation of the unfolding of the actions of our lives. First off, science has recently developed the discipline known to us as physics, in which the laws of the universe have been defined. In the short time in which humans have been graced by the scientific understanding of the laws of the universe, human kind has yet to fully step back and contemplate the magnitude of this discovery. In generations past, humans believed that we were made special with â€Å"free will†, but now we know that like all things in the universe we are subject to the physical laws. This is a huge step forward in rational thinking because it allows us to understand that our previously God given concept of â€Å"free will† was really a result of a lack of understanding of the deterministic laws of the universe. For instance a law as simple and commonly accepted as â€Å"gravity† challenges the idea of free will. Gravitational pull determines that no matter the size of an object, once separate from the surface of the earth will be dragged back down at the same force every time. This is a simple concept that we take for granted, but it works in the free will v. determinism argument. We are ruled by gravity, and therefore all of our lives activities answer to it. We can’t choose to jump off a building and float in the air because we’ll be pulled back to the ground to our imminent deaths. We can’t choose to stay younger and keep our skin tight to our faces because gravity’s long-term effect causes our skin to droop down towards the ground. The choices I just listed may seem farfetched to some, however, if we examine the notion that we have â€Å"free will† in the empirical sense of the word we see that not all of our decisions are controlled by us, and that we fall victim to the tyrannical rule of the physical laws of the universe. We aren’t truly â€Å"free† to create our own actions in life. Albert Einstein offers a particularly apt synopsis, â€Å"Everything is determined, the beginning as well as the end, by forces over which we have no control. It is determined for the insect as well as the star. Human beings, vegetables, or cosmic dust, we all dance to a mysterious tune, intoned in the distance by an invisible piper. † (Albert Einstein) The rule of physical law aside, which hinders us from truly being â€Å"free† to choose our own actions in life, is a much more simple scientific argument that dispels the notion of free will. For example: Say a 20 year old man murders another man in cold blood. They have no affiliation, no prior knowledge of who each other is, or reason to dislike each other. Man A walks up to random Man B and shoots and kills him. Was this action of Man A a result of â€Å"free will†? To examine the notion fully you need to look at his action coming from two sources. Either Man A was born with the moral flaw to allow himself to find killing another human acceptable, or that Man A was influenced during the course of his life by interactions and actions of others and came to that conclusion based on his own experience. There is no other explanation for Man A to willingly choose to open fire on Man B and kill him. If we look at the first option, Man A’s natural moral compass was skewed, allowing for him to conceive the notion that killing another is okay. This speaks to the determinant nature of our chemical makeup. Its possible his DNA made a mistake coding somewhere and he developed overtime and understood that killing another is â€Å"wrong† or maybe that his entire sense of â€Å"right from wrong† was skewed inside his mind. This would lead Man A to lead a life normally on the outside, and yet without regard for consequence, open fire on another man and kill him as easily as he could have held a door for him. This is the idea that he naturally had the capacity to kill, and that he could not control it. Eventually one of his animalistic impulses would finally stick and he’d be in the right place at the right time, and that it was only a matter of time until he killed someone. If you don’t subscribe to that theory and believe that he chose to kill Man B that day, try and consider that the results will still be pre-determined. If Man A killed Man B due to his choice, then his own â€Å"free will† and judgment that he finds reprehensible to kill another man can’t be attributed to truly â€Å"free† will of choice. Not every human kills others as part of their natural lifestyle, as they might kiss or mate with another. In fact a very small percentage of people in the world murder other humans, and this begs the question of why? What makes this small percentage of people â€Å"choose† to kill another person? The answer is that if they choose to do it, and they weren’t previously miswired so as said in the prior paragraph, then they must have been influenced by their surroundings. When Man A was six years old he didn’t choose to murder Man B, the events of his life led him to make this decision about whether or not murder was okay. This is yet another reason that he wasn’t truly free to choose; outside influence hinders the ability to choose freely. Whether he was abused, molested, lost a loved one, or just plain fed up with the monotony of everyday life in society, something pushed him over the edge. Something allowed for him to justify his actions; that something is outside influence. This deterministic train of thought explains why people do what they do, but not when. What makes us actually hit the point of no return, or when will the right opportunity hit the right mood leading the right action? (In our example the murder of Man B) The paradox between â€Å"free will† and â€Å"determinism† exists because of the influence of the different schools of thought. If one aligns his personal truth based on religious fervor, then an understanding of â€Å"free will† can exist logically and on the other hand if one bases his logic around science then â€Å"determinism† seems to be the only answer. So where does that leave philosophy, the great bridge between the two polarized schools of thought? It leaves philosophy somewhere in the middle, examining the validity of both sides of the argument, and helping to shed light on the debate over whether or not we truly are free to make a choice or if we are merely floating along the currents of the universe. Personally, I’m lost somewhere in the middle, hoping that the answer to this time-old question will be revealed.