Children after the separation Essay Example for Free

Children after the separation Essay Further his studies of the effects of war on children who were separated from their mothers at an early age was considered to be research done in a crisis situation. Critics argue under these circumstances it would be impossible to conclude how the same children would have reacted out of a war time environment. It was also argued that Bowlby failed to take account in his studies what had happened to the children after the separation. Bowlby was influenced greatly by James Robertsons research on the effects of separation on mother and child through hospitalisation. Robertsons studied children between six months and three years of age who were separated from their mothers due to hospitalisation. Robertson claimed to have established a sequence of behaviour that all children would pass through. This sequence consisted of distress, were children behaved in a disturbed manner. Despair whereby the child seems to lose hope of finding there lost parent. Lastly, the child display detachment type behaviour, refusing anyone to become involved with them. Robertson concluded that separation from their mother was harmful. In 1971 Klein and Stern studied why parents abuse their children. They found evidence in their studies that a high percentage of abused children had been born prematurely. Because these children were put into an incubator and separated from their parents an attachment was unable to develop, resulting in later abuse toward the children. The study concluded that there is a crucial period when attachments not formed adequately would not be able to be re-formed. This is of considerable importance to social work in relation to the modern day understanding of child abuse as further research has shown that many abusers were once abused themselves. Klaus Kennell (1976) two paediatricians put forward the theory that they too believed there was a critical period when attachment took place, this was immediately after birth, when the mother was physiologically pre-disposed to bond with her infant. It was during this time that the strength of the attachment was determined.  The American National Center for Clinical Programs supports Bowlbys notion of motherlove. They propose that a parent who realises they are going to have a long-term relationship with their child will put more into the caregiving and interaction, as opposed to a substitute care giver who may not be so motivated as they see many children come and go and therefore do not build up a caring relationship with children. This idea has implications for fostering as a consequence may be lack of care or favouritism towards other children in their care. John Elisabeth Newson (1986) point out that one function of a parent is to act as a memory store for the children to play back and compare experiences. Children in a care setting without a key adult with whom they have a close relationship with will be unable to build upon past experiences and this may have an impact on their emotional development.  Many studies have looked at whether attachment is instinctive, as Bowlby had believed. Konrad Lorenz (1935) agreed that attachment was instinctive when he put forward his imprinting theory. His observations revealed that newly hatched goslings follow the first thing they saw, this could be a human or other object and there was a brief critical period early in the goslings life when this would occur and was found to be irreversible. Lorenzs believed this was biological, a factor of evolution that ensures the young of all species are able to attach to someone for survival, and was relevant to the way humans form attachments in relation to it being an instinctive behaviour. Critics of his theory (Sluckin 1961 and Bateson 1964) have shown that if a young bird is kept isolated it stays unimprinted beyond Lorenzs critical period and imprinting can take place after the critical period has passed. This casts doubt on Lorenzs claim that imprinting processes are instinctive. Many researchers now believe that imprinting is actually a process of rapid learning (MacFarlane 1975) In contrast to the theory that attachment is instinctive Colin Turnbull and Margaret Mead when studying families in various African tribes concluded that they saw no signs of instinctive love or affection between parents and children. It was quite normal for many children to be left to fend for themselves; many were even killed as they were thought of as burdens by their parents. The researchers came to believe attachment to be a learnt process that we internalise from observing our own mothers behaviour, and if not learnt properly for example through illness or as in the tribes case through a different set of family norms and lifestyles, then no bonding or emotional attachment can occur. In New York in 1943 Goldfarb conducted a study of orphans. Two groups of fifteen orphans were matched for age, sex and social background of their parents. The orphans of group A had been fostered before nine months old. The orphans in group B had spent at least their first three years in an orphanage before they were fostered. Goldfarb visited each child at ages three, six, eight and twelve years and measured their development with regard to intelligence, language skills, social maturity and their ability to form relationships. Goldfarb found that every child in group A did better than those in group B leading to the conclusion that a normal family home is crucial to emotional and cognitive development. Critics of this study argue that the children may not have had the same intelligence to begin with and that the children in Group B did not have the stimulation of a family for as long a period as those children in Group A. Harlow Zimmerman conducted studies on a group of rhesus monkeys. Their studies consisted of isolating young monkeys for three months, six months or twelve months. The researchers concluded that the behaviour of the monkeys who had been isolated for twelve months was proportionately worse than those who had been isolated for three months. The behaviour of all the monkeys who had suffered isolation was seen to be disturbed. The same researchers also placed monkeys in a cage with surrogate mothers, a doll made of wire with a feeding bottle and a doll made of wood and towelling without a feeding bottle. The monkeys spent equal amounts of time with each surrogate mother. The studies showed that the monkeys preferred to cling to the towelling doll even if it meant they did not have a feeding bottle. This led the researchers to believe that warm contact is of critical importance as a need for the monkeys and leads to affectionate responses. Critics of both these studies question the relevance of animal studies to human behaviour. Bowlbys influential theory managed to link together the evolutionary focus of adaptation with the psychodynamic and behavioural importance of social relationships during infancy and childhood. (Hollin 95)  A measure of its influence can be gained from the action of the World Health Organisation in 1955 stating that Permanent damage can be done to the emotional health of babies and children when put into nurseries or sent to child-minders. The WHO report had many consequences and resulted in lots of practices regarding child care and childrens needs being changed. Women were encouraged to stay at home and were made to feel guilty and bad mothers if the went out to work. (Which suited the government at the time, as they needed these vacated jobs for men) Family Allowance payments were also introduced as a further inducement to keep women from going out to work  Maternity wards encouraged siblings to stay with their mother, whilst childrens wards encouraged mothers to stay.  A main influence on social work practice was the idea that a bad home is better that the best institution which resulted in less fostering and removal of children from poor if not dangerous situations at home. Bowlbys findings were influential but controversial and became the starting point for further studies. Some studies began to disagree with Bowlby, Fraiberg in 1974 argued that it was possible to strengthen an attachment; Parents of blind children who did not experience eye contact with their infant felt rejected and consequently were unable to develop a strong attachment to their children. When taught to interpret their childs hand movements, it was found the bond could be strengthened. Interaction was thought to be the important element in developing the attachment.

The Marx Brothers :: Research Papers

The Marx Brothers In his book entitled Creating Minds, Howard Gardner (1993) engaged in a thorough study of creativity. He did this by studying the lives of exceptional creators in seven different domains in search of trends that could be readily identified and, perhaps, even help to paint a clearer picture of what the ingredients for creativity are. After examining these creators' lives he came to some conclusions based on the trends he identified and formed a model of creativity. In order to test both his model and his findings, it is necessary to extend the search (and study) beyond his initial seven great creators. In doing this it becomes possible to refute or add credence to his conclusions. This extension also allows for further questions to be asked. During the reading of Creating Minds I happened upon an interesting thought: Could Gardner's model for creative individuals be applied to the study of a creative group? Furthermore, would a group show similar trends in their creative development? If I was going to attempt to answer this question I decided I would have to qualify what a creative group was. I defined a creative group as a group of individuals producing a single creative work. The creativity of this work must be a result of the combination of the individuals' strengths being pooled (as equally as possible) to produce an output that could not have been produced by any of the individuals on their own. The group would be analogous to Gardner's individual creator, and the group's combination of mental talents would parallel the individual creator's personal array of intellectual strengths. Having defined what a creative group was, it became necessary to ask perhaps an even more important question: Could such a group exist? If so, could an example be found? The answer to both questions, I decided, was yes. But who? My ponderings on this subject invariably brought me to the Marx Brothers, kings of comedy. My Method In his study Gardner had followed the lives of his chosen creators and examined the progression of their works as a function of the creator and his or her surroundings. It would be difficult to treat the progression of a group in precisely the same manner. If I chose to treat the group as a single unit and reported on its progress and surroundings, the workings of its component creators could be lost.

How illiteracy influences people’s life Essay

In the movie, â€Å"The Reader,† Kate Winslet played the role of Hanna Schmitz, an illiterate train conductor who was sent to jail without even understanding what she has done wrong. When Hanna said the line, â€Å"I would rather listen to you†¦ ,† I was moved because these few words allowed me to empathize with people who are illiterate. It gave me a glimpse of the feelings of helplessness and frustration they must encounter in their everyday life. The movie also showed me how illiteracy can affect a person’s life. Because of the fact that they do not have access to the information the rest of the world has, they end up being enslaved by the opinions of the literate. It is impossible for them to construct opinions as they do lack the details needed to create one. At the same time, they are forced to be dependent on people who can provide them with this information. They are also under the mercy of people who have knowledge in the written law. The movie also showed me how humbling it must be not to be able to read or write. At the start of the movie, she had an affair with a man half her age. And, whenever the man would read for her, her seniority faded away because of the way she would act like a child waiting for her father to read her a bed time story. Hanna’s story shows how important being literate is. It plays an important role in a person’s life as it can change his or her destiny. In this essay, I would like to talk about the changes and effects of literacy to a person’s mind and life. I would like to show how literacy can give intellect and power to a person by going through the works of Staple, Douglass and Kozel which they created in order to emphasize the importance of literacy in the democratic world. Brent Staple, an author and editorial writer for the New York Times, recounted the way his grandfather changed his life by learning how to read. In one of his articles, he wrote: Name of Author – 2- â€Å"Nevertheless, the ability to read and write gave them a vantage point on their circumstances and protected them from swindlers who regularly stripped illiterate people of land and other assets. † (p. 1) Staple’s grandfather was able to gain his independence by learning how to read and write. He also learned how to distinguish what is good from what is bad, what can benefit him and what can ruin his life. He also found himself with the power to think and give his opinion as he now has a better grasp of the issues around him. Armed with the knowledge he was able to acquire from reading, he found the power to make his own decisions and fight for his rights. He was able to free himself from the prison of other people’s thoughts. Another writer, Frederick Douglass, who is famous for his line: â€Å"I would unite with anybody to do right and with nobody to do wrong,† wrote an article that is parallel to Staple’s article in the way that he talked about the way literacy influenced his life and his thinking. Douglass’ story, however, is quite different from that of Staple’s grandfather. In his story, he recounted that he learned how to read in secret with the fear of being beaten. Being born a slave, Douglass was passed on from one owner to another. The wife of one his owners taught him the alphabet even though she knew that there was a law against teaching slaves how to read. Her husband obviously disapproved about this when he found out. He believed that a slave who gains literacy will be unsatisfied with his condition and yearn for freedom. Even with the threat of being caught and beaten up, Douglass learned how to read with the help of the white children in the neighborhood. He also did his best to observe the way the order white men would write. His perspective changed after he has attained literacy. Douglas realized that black men are not brutes or savages who should be limited to working as a slave, Name of Author – 3 – they have the right to be educated and respected. As his master predicted, he yearned for the freedom that the white people have. As he continues to learn how to read and write, Douglass’ attitude to life is gradually transformed by literacy. Douglass mentions in the article: â€Å"I read them over and over again with unabated interest. They give tongue to interesting thought of my own soul†¦. The moral which I gained from the dialogue was the power of truth over the conscience of even a slaveholder. † (p. 45) By learning how to read and write, Douglass learned not only the meaning of words and sentences, but the power of knowledge. He slowly became aware of his rights as a human being and how unfairly the black people have been treated. He also realized that illiteracy is the reason why the white people were able to enslave his race for so long. Not only did illiteracy keep them unaware of their rights, it also made them unable to think for themselves, to distinguish from right and wrong, what is harmful and what is not. It also stopped them from acquiring the knowledge that they need to pursue their freedom. Hence, they were influenced by the white people to believe that their only purpose in life was to work for them. With his newfound knowledge, he was able to change his life and gain his freedom. At the same time, having appreciated the value of literacy, he passed on the knowledge to other slaves, giving them the opportunity to change their own lives. In Kozol’s article, he focuses on how illiteracy can threaten a person’s way of life and thinking. He believes that one will never really have ability to protect himself if he is illiterate because he is always unaware of what’s going on. He can’t read the strange signs on the street that warns him of danger or tells him that he is breaking the law. Neither can he read legal documents, making him vulnerable to being swindled. He is also unaware of his rights. Kozol Name of Author – 4 – says, â€Å" They do not know what rights they have, what deadlines and requirements they face, what option they might choose to exercise. They are half-citizens. Their right exist I print but not in fact. † (52-53) They cannot protect their own rights since they don’t know what their rights are. Neither can they apply their rights or make a choice because they do not know what their options are. The same points were tackled by Douglas in his article when he said that black people were treated like slaves because they were not literate and were not given the chance to know that they do not have to limit themselves to such a status. They just thought that would go through this nightmare for the rest of their lives because no one could save them. What they didn’t know was they could’ve saved themselves had they known that they had rights to fight for. If they had been literate, they would have realized that they are not slaves and they have right to be educated and respected because they are humans. Illiteracy, however, has exiled them to such an nightmarish existence where their destiny is dictated by their masters. Now literacy still plays the most important role in society. If you are not able to read and write, it would be really hard for you to live. You wouldn’t know how to deal with a lot of things. You wouldn’t know what is right or wrong, what would benefit you and what would harm you. Because of the numerous things that you do not know, your lack of knowledge can bring you harm. At the same time, your lack of knowledge, stops you from having your own beliefs or opinions. And, since you have know access to the options you can choose from, you end up believing that there are none and the only thing you can do is follow what the other people are doing or to have the same opinion as they do. Without literacy, all the people can do is follow and obey, allowing other people to take charge of their own lives. If a country is filled with illiterate people then democracy is useless since the mindless majority can be controlled by the Name of Author – 5- government and the votes of those who are literate and have their own minds can be surpassed by those who aren’t. If that is the case, then the government can become a dictator in the guise of democracy. Hence, it is safe to say that without the presence of literacy, there is no knowledge. Without knowledge, there are no choices. And, without knowledge, there is no freedom which is the very essence of democracy.

How Radioactive Is Fiesta Ware

Old Fiesta dinnerware was made using radioactive glazes. While the red pottery is noted for its especially high radioactivity, other colors emit radiation. Also, other pottery from the era was glazed using similar recipes, so just about any pottery from the early to mid 20th century  may be radioactive. The dishes are highly collectible, both because of their vivid colors (and because the radioactivity is cool.) But is it really safe to eat off these dishes or are they best thought of as decorative pieces to be admired from afar?  Heres a look at just how radioactive the dishes are today and the risks of using them for serving food. Whats In Fiesta Thats Radioactive? Some of the glazes used in Fiesta Ware contain uranium oxide. Although several colors of glazes contain the ingredient, the red dinnerware is best known for its radioactivity. The uranium emits alpha particles and neutrons. Although the alpha particles dont have much penetrating power, the uranium oxide could leach from the dinnerware, particularly if a dish was cracked (which also would release toxic lead) or the food was highly acidic (like spaghetti sauce). The half-life of uranium-238 is 4.5 billion years, so you can rest assured pretty much all of the original uranium oxide remains in the dishes. Uranium decays into thorium-234, which emits beta and gamma radiation. The thorium isotope has a half-life of 24.1 days. Continuing the decay scheme, the dishes would be expected to contain some protactinium-234, which emits beta and gamma radiation, and uranium-234, which emits alpha and gamma radiation. Just How Radioactive Is Fiesta Ware? There is no evidence that the people who made these dishes suffered any ill effects from exposure to the glazes, so you probably dont have a lot to worry about by just being around the dishes. That being said, scientists at Oak Ridge National Laboratory who measured radiation from the dishes  found that a standard 7 radioactive red plate (not its official Fiesta name) will expose you to gamma radiation if youre in the same room as the plate, beta radiation if you touch the plate, and alpha radiation if you eat acidic foods off the plate. The exact radioactivity is difficult to measure since so many factors play into your exposure, but youre looking at 3-10 mR/hr. The estimated daily human limit rate is only 2 mR/hr. In case youve wondered just how much uranium that is, researchers estimate a single red plate contains approximately 4.5 grams of uranium or 20% uranium, by weight. If you eat off the radioactive dinnerware  daily, you would be looking at ingesting around  0.21 gram s of uranium per year. Using a red ceramic teacup daily would give you an estimated  annual radiation dose of 400 mrem to your lips and 1200 mrem to the fingers, not counting the radiation from ingesting uranium. Basically, youre not doing yourself any favors eating off the dishes and you certainly dont want to sleep with one under your pillow. Ingestion of uranium could increase the risk of tumors or cancer, particularly in the gastrointestinal tract. However, Fiesta and other dishes are a lot less radioactive than many other items produced during the same era. Which Fiesta Ware Is Radioactive? Fiesta commenced commercial sales of colored dinnerware in 1936.  Most colored  ceramics made prior to World War II, including Fiesta Ware, contained uranium oxide. In 1943, manufacturers stopped using the ingredient because the uranium was used for weapons.  Homer Laughlin, the maker of Fiesta, resumed using the  red glaze in the 1950s, using depleted uranium. The use of depleted uranium oxide ceased in 1972. Fiesta Ware manufactured after this date is not radioactive. Fiesta dinnerware made from 1936-1972 may be radioactive. You can buy modern Fiesta ceramic dishes in just about any color of the rainbow, though the modern colors wont match the old colors. None of the dishes contain lead or uranium. None of the modern dishes are radioactive. Sources Buckley et al. Environmental Assessment of Consumer Products Containing Radioactive Material. Nuclear Regulatory Commission. NUREG/CR-1775. 1980. Landa, E. and Councell, T. Leaching of Uranium from Glass and Ceramic Foodware and Decorative Items. Health Physics 63 (3): 343-348; 1992. National Council on Radiation Protection and Measurement.  Ã‚  Radiation Exposure of the  U.S.  Population from Consumer Products and Miscellaneous Sources.  Ã‚  NCRP Report N0. 95. 1987. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.  Ã‚  Systematic Radiological Assessment of Exemptions for Source and Byproduct Materials. NUREG 1717. June 2001 Oak Ridge Associated Universities, Fiesta Ware (ca. the 1930s). Retrieved April 23, 2014. Piesch, E, Burgkhardt, B, and Acton, R. Dose Rate Measurements in the Beta-Photon Radiation Field from UO2 Pellets and Glazed Ceramics Containing Uranium. Radiation Protection Dosimetry 14 (2): 109-112; 1986. Vaughn Aubuchon (2006).  Geiger Counter Comparison - Popular Models.  Retrieved April 23, 2014.