Attachment - Psychology Essay Example for Free

Attachment Psychology Essay Developmental Psychology Early Social Development: Attachment Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ An emotional bond between two people. It is a two-way  process that endures over time. It leads to certain  behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking and  serves the function of protecting the infant. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Primary attachment figure ï  ® The person who has formed the closest bond with a child,demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship. Usually  the biological mother, but other people can fulfil the role. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Learning theory ï  ® A group of explanations which explain behaviour in terms  of learning rather than any innate or higher order  tendencies. Mainly used by behaviourists who rather focus  their explanations purely on what behaviour they observe. Learning Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯Classical Conditioning (Pavlov) Unconditioned Stimulus (US) food ↓ Unconditioned Response (UR) pleasure ↓ Neutral Stimulus (NS) – the feeder ↓ Conditioned Stimulus (CS) – food from a feeder ↓ Conditioned Response (CR) – pleasure/attachment Learning Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Operant Conditioning ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Reinforcement ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ When doing something results in a pleasant  consequence, the behaviour is more likely to be produced. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Punishment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ When doing something results in an unpleasant  consequence, the behaviour is unlikely to be produced. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Dollard and Miller (1950) explain attachment using operant conditioning: ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ When an infant is fed it reduces discomfort and increases pleasure, this serves as a reward and is the primary reinforcer. The person supplying the food is associated  with avoiding discomfort and is the source of reward which  becomes the secondary reinforcer. Attachment occurs  because the child seeks the person who supplies the  reward. Evaluating the Learning Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Strengths It can provide adequate explanations of how attachments form. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Behaviourists argue that since we are made up of the same building blocks of stimulus/response environments experiments done on animals are safe to generalize to human behaviour. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Weakness ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ It may be attention and responsiveness from the caregiver that is the primary reinforcer, not food. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Learning theory is largely based on studies with non-human animals. Human behaviour may be similar in many ways but learning theory does not consider higher order thinking and emotions that can influence behaviour. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Harlow (1959) demonstrated that it is not food but the level of contact and comfort the infant receives that increases attachment levels. The use of young rhesus monkeys were used to demonstrate this. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ 60 babies were studied in Glasgow and found that attachment was higher to the person who was most responsive and who interacted with them more (Schaffer and Emerson,1964). ï  ® ï  ® Cant explain the importance of sensitivity in attachment. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory (1969) ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ ELEMENTS OF BOWLBY’S ATTACHMENT THEORY: ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Attachment is adaptive and innate ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Bowlby’s theory is an evolutionary theory because it sees attachment as a behaviour that adds to its survival and  ultimately its reproductive value. Having attachment  capabilities is an innate drive, similar to imprinting, that has long term benefits ensuring it stays close to its caregiver. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Background on the Theory of Evolution ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Adaptive behaviours are behaviours that increase the  likelihood of survival and reproduction. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Natural selection is the continuation of these adaptive traits within the animal to increase chances of survival. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Sexual selection is the ability to reproduce, not just survive. Adaptive genes that lead to possessing traits to assist in  reproduction increases sexual selection. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Sensitive Period ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ A biologically determined period of time during the second quarter of the first year is the most crucial period in which attachments can be made. Once missed then it is more difficult for a child to make attachments and demonstrate social difficulties. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Caregiving is adaptive ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Not only attachment but also caregiving is adaptively innate. Social releasers from the infant give signals to the caregiver (smiling, crying, etc) to take care of it. Attachment is the innate system in babies and caregiving is the innate system in adults. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Secure base ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Having a secure attachment provides a child with a secure base in which to explore the world from. It fosters independence, not dependence. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Monotropy and hierarchy ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Infants form a number of different attachments but has one particular bias towards a very special one called the primary attachment, this is called monotropy. Even with secondary attachments, this hierarchy of attachments recognizes the importance of a primary attachment figure (PAF). The PAF is one that responds most sensitively to the childs social releasers. Secondary attachments are important, without them, children tend to lack social skills. Bowlby’s Attachment Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Internal working model ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ A mental model of the world that enables individuals to predict and control their environment. The internal  working model based on attachment has several  consequences: ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ In the short-term it gives the child insight into the caregivers behaviour and enables the child to influence  the caregivers behaviour so that a true partnership can be formed. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ In the long-term it acts as a template for all future relationships because it generates expectations about  how people behave. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The continuity hypothesis ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be  emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults. Evaluating Attachment Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Strengths ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® Lorenz (1952) supports that imprinting is innate as the goslings imprinted on the first thing they saw moving, which was Lorenz. Research shows that once the sensitive period has passed and no attachments are formed, children display social difficulties with peers. If attachment and caregiving are an important biological function as Bowlby suggests then they would be found universally. Tronick et al (1992) studied an African tribe in Zaire and found despite tribal responsibility for raising kids a PAF is present. This is also evidence of monotropy. Schaffer and Emerson found that the more quickly a caregiver responded to a childs needs and the more interaction they had led to a stronger level of attachment. This interaction is important as it is not enough to have something to cuddle but to actually be cuddled back builds a stronger attachment. The Minnesota longitudinal study (2005) found that continuity between early attachment and later emotional/social behaviour. Infants classified as secure were later rated highest for social competence, less isolated, more empathetic and more popular. Evaluating Attachment Theory ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Weaknesses ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Multiple attachments, according to psychologists, are as equally important. There are no primary or secondary  attachments, all attachments are integrated into one single  working model. However, a review the research points to the  hierarchical model as being predominant (Prior and Glaser, ï  ® 2006). An alternative explanation to the continuity hypothesis exists, known as the temperament hypothesis. This is the belief that children form secure attachments simply because they have a more ‘easy’ temperament from birth, whereas more innately difficult children a more likely to form insecure attachments. The infants temperamental characteristics shapes a mothers level of responsiveness. Thomas and Chess (1977) identified infant personality types as easy, difficult and slow-to-warm-up. Belsky and Rovine (1987) found a link between physiological behaviours and later attachments types. The more calm and less anxious (aspects of temperament) an infant was the more likely they were to develop secure attachments. Types of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The Strange Situation (Ainsworth and Wittig, 1969) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsewNrHUHU Aim: to see how infants behave under situations of stress  with the introduction of a stranger and the separation of  the parent. This tests stranger anxiety and separation  anxiety and also the infants willingness to explore with its secure base. Procedure: a 99 research room marked off into 16 squares  was used. The procedure consists of 8 episodes†¦ MEMORISE THEM!!! Data is collected by a group of observers that recorded  what the infant was doing every 15 seconds. Observer  noted the type of behaviour and level of intensity on a  scale of 1-7. Types of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The Strange Situation Findings: ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Ainsworth  combined data from several studies to  make 106 middle-class infants observed. Similarities and differences were found in the way  the infants behaved. In terms of similarities, it was  noted that episode 2 onwards exploratory  behaviour decreased while crying increased. Proximity-seeking and contact-maintaining  increased during separation and when stranger  appeared. Finally, contact-resisting and proximityavoiding behaviours rarely occurred towards the caregiver prior to separation. Types of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The Strange Situation Findings: ï  ® Ainsworth found differences in three main types of children. ï  ® ï  ® Insecure-avoidant: this is a style of attachment characterising those children that tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others. ï  ® ï  ® Secure attachment: this is a strong and contented attachment of an infant to his or her caregiver which develops as a result of sensitive responding by the caregiver to the infants needs. Insecure-resistant: this is a style of ambivalent attachment characterising  children who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction. Main and Solomon (1986) re-analysed the strange situation video tapes and created a fourth attachment type: ï  ® Insecure-disorganised: these infants lack a coherent and consistent strategy for dealing with the stress of separation. Secure % of infants (Ainsworth, 1978) % of infants (Van Ijzendoorn et , 1999) Insecure avoidant Insecure resistant Insecure disorganised 66% 22% 12% XXX 62% 15% 9% 15% Evaluating Types of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Strengths ï  ® Ainsworth’s Strange Situation technique has given psychologists a means to understand and study attachment which can lead to new future findings. ï  ® Intervention strategies have been developed to strengthen caregiving behaviour and attachments types. The Circle of Security Project (Cooper et al, 2005) which teaches caregivers to recognise signs of distress showed a decrease in disordered caregiving and an increase in secure attachment types. It has proven to be experimentally valid as its construct validity has been demonstrated by other studies supporting the four types of attachments and its predictive validity has been demonstrated in correlations between early attachment types and later behaviours. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Its findings are also consistent which makes them reliable. Using interobserver reliablity methods, Ainsworth found almost perfect agreement at . 94 between the raters (1.0 is perfect). ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Weakness ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Or does it lack validity, because it is intended to measure the attachment type of an infant, BUT does it really simply measure the quality of a particular relationship? Main and Weston (1981) claim it is measuring one relationship instead of something innate within an individual. ï  ® Evaluating Types of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Effects of attachment types ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Bowlby’s continuity hypothesis would predict that a child’s behaviour later in life would be effected by specific attachment types they develop. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Prior and Glaser (2006) found that in later childhood, if as infants they developed a secure attachment type, they would  be less emotionally dependent and possess more  interpersonal harmony. Infants with the other three types  would be more aggressive, negative withdrawn in later  childhood. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ It would also effect you in your adult romantic lives as well. Hazen and Shaver (1987) conducted the ‘Love Quiz’ which  asked questions about early experiences and current love  experiences and found that there were characteristic  patterns of later romantic behaviour associated with each  early attachment type. Evaluating Types of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Factors that influence attachment type ï  ® Sensitivity ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Ainsworth developed the Maternal Sensitivity Scale to rate mothers’ behaviour such as sensitivity and insensitivity to infants signals. The scale found: Securely  attached infant Observed  Mothers bx ï  ® ï  ® Insecurely attached infant Avoidant infant Resistant infant  more sensitive,  cooperating Unresponsive to  crying less  affectionate More rejecting and  less attention  giving Preoccupied with  routine activities when  holding infant Maternal reflective functioning ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Some studies have shown low correlations between measures of sensitivity and strength of attachment. Slade et al (2005) found the ability to understand what someone else is thinking or feeling may be more important. Temperament ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ May play a role as previous research indicates, but it is unclear. Cultural Variations in Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ KNOW the definitions of culture, cultural variations and the difference between individualistic and collectivistic cultures (pg.45) ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Cross-cultural Similarities ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Ainsworth’s Uganda study (1967) ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Tronick et al (1992) study on the African tribe in Zaire ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Fox (1977) infants in Isreali kibbutz raised by  nurses when tested in the Strange Situation  appeared equally attached to both caregivers,  except in the reunion behaviour where they  showed greater attachment to their mothers. Cultural Variations in Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Cross-cultural Differences ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Grossman and Grossman (1991) found that German infants appear more insecurely attached rather than secure. This may be due to the different childrearing practices as German culture involves keeping some interpersonal distance from the parent and infant. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Takahashi (1990) used the Strange Situation on a group of 60 middle-class infants in Japan and found similar rates of secure attachment. However, the infants showed no evidence of insecure-avoidant and high rates of insecureresistance (32%). Different childrearing practices can explain the difference for in Japan the infants are rarely ever separated from their parents which is why they would be more distressed than their American counterparts. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Conclusions ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ These studies suggest that the strongest attachments are still formed with their mothers and that there are differences in attachment that can be related to differences in cultural attitudes. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Meta-analysis study by Van IJzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) examined over 2000 Strange Situation classification studies in 8 countries. They found the variation between countries and culture were small with secure attachment being the most common in all countries followed by insecure-avoidant except in Japan and Israel. Variations within cultures however were greater. In conclusion the findings appear to be similar to that found in the US and this supports the view that attachment is an innate and biological process. Also data collected on different subcultures should not be generalised to be representative of a particular culture. Criticisms of Research on Cultural Variations ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Culture bias ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® Rothbaum et al (2000) argued that attachment theory and  research is not relevant to other countries because it is rooted in American culture. For example, the sensitivity hypothesis reflects western ideas of autonomy whereas in Japan sensitivity is about promoting dependence. The continuity hypothesis states that  secure infant attachments create more competent adults, however, this ‘competence’ is defined in terms of individuation. The secure base hypothesis in the west explains secure attached infants as independent and confident exploring whereas in Japan they  promote dependence and the concept of amae and so this can  explain why insecure-resistant behaviours are more typical. Rothbaum concludes that psychologists should produce a set of indigenous theories that are explanations of attachment that are rooted in individual cultures with a small group of universal principles (infant need for protection) but mostly with childcare practices relating to cultural values. Rothbaum was challenged by Posada and Jacobs (2001) which shows that attachment theory does apply to most cultures. Criticisms of Research on Cultural Variations ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Criticisms of cross-cultural research ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Tests  of procedures used may not be equally valid  in the country and may make the culture appear  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœinferior’ or ‘abnormal’. This is an example of  imposed etic. This is when a research method is  used in one culture even thought it was designed to  be used in another (intelligence tests or observations). ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The group that was tested may not be  representative of the culture and yet researchers  might make generalisations about the whole culture  or even the whole country. Disruption of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Effects of Separation ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® Spitz and Wolf (1946) observed 100 children in an institution became severely depressed after a few months. Skeels and Dye (1939) found similar children scored lower on intelligence tests. Bifulo et al (1992) found that negative effects of deprivation may occur later in life. When 249 women who had lost their mothers before they were 17 were studied, it was found that they were twice as likely to develop depressive/anxiety disorders later in life. Robertsons (1967-73) made films observing the effects of separation in children: ï  ® ï  ® When given a high level of emotional care and similar structures to that of their home life, the children exhibited some signs of distress, however, slept well and did not reject their PAF when they were reunited. Some were even reluctant to part with the foster mother which is a sign of a good emotional bond. John, however, was in a nursery and not given such attention. He became withdrawn and gave up on proximity seeking bx. When he was reunited with his mother he rejected her for months and demonstrated outbursts of anger towards her. Disruption of Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Physical and Emotional Disruption ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ As the research evidence shows differences in the way physical and emotional attention is given can produce  negative effects in children. However, there are studies  that show these ill effects can be reversed. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Sigvardsson (1979) studied over 600 adopted children in Sweden and at the age of eleven, 26% of them were  classified as ‘problem children’. However in a follow up study, ten years later they were no worse off than the  average population. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ So when alternative emotional care is provided, ill effects of separation can be reversed. However, for some  children disruption of attachment leads to permanent  difficulties. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ To criticise the validity of the research consider that they are based on case studies. Weakness of case studies are  that they are based on generalisations and they depend on  objectivity of the observers and are prone to observer bias. Failure to Form Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Isolated children ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Privation is the lack of having any attachments due to the failure to develop such attachments early in life. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Genie ï  ® ï  ® The Czech twins ï  ® ï  ® Locked in a room by her father until she was 13. When discovered she could not stand erect or speak. She was disinterested in people and never recovered socially. Locked away by their step-mother until the age of 7. Were looked after by their sisters and by 14 had normal social and intellectual capabilities. By 20 they had above average intelligence and excellent social skills. Evaluation ï  ® Was unclear whether or not Genie was retarded at birth or if she ever formed an attachment with her mother. The Czech twins may have formed attachments to each other to compensate for complete lack of care. It is difficult to reach firm conclusions based on only these cases. Failure to Form Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Institutional Care ï  ® ï  ® Multiple studies show that the effects of institutionalisation within children is acute distress. Longitudinal studies have been conducted to see what long term effects are caused by institutionalisation. ï  ® ï  ® Hodges and Tizard (1989) followed a group of 65 British children from early life to adolescence. Children have been place in an institution from before they were 4 months old. Children have not yet formed attachments at this age. An early study found that 70% of the children were not able to care deeply for anyone. The children were assessed regularly up to the age of 16. Some children remained while most were adopted or restored with their original families. The restored children were less likely to develop an attachment with their mothers but the adopted ones were as closely attached to their adopted parents as the control group. However, both groups had problems with peers and showed signs of disinhibited attachment. These findings suggest that early privation had negative effects on the ability to form relationships even when given good subsequent emotional care. If failure to develop attachments after the sensitive period occur it can have an irreversible effect on emotional development. Failure to Form Attachment ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Effects of Privation and Institutionalisation ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Attachment disorder ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ This has been recognised as a psychiatric condition and has been included in the DSMIV. There are two kinds of attachment disorder, inhibited and disinhibited. Children with an attachment disorder have no PAF, cant interact or relate to others before the age of 5 and have experienced severe neglect or frequent changes in caregivers. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Poor parenting skills ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Harlow’s monkeys that were raised with surrogate mothers went on to become poor parents. Also, Quinton et al (1984) found similar findings when he compared 50 women who had been raised in institutions. When the women were in their 20’s the ex-institutionalised mothers were experiencing extreme difficulties acting as parents. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Deprivation dwarfism ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Physical evidence by Gardner (1972) that institutionalised children are physically underdeveloped, potentially caused by stress hormones. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Evaluation ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ In the study of Romanian children, one-third recovered well despite not establishing a PAF prior to the sensitive period. Therefore, privation alone cannot explain negative outcomes. This suggests that damage occurs when there are multiple risk factors (Turner and Lloyd, 1995). ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Not sure if the children failed to form attachments early in life. Maybe they did and the problems they experienced later were more related to rejection. Impact of Day Care ï  ® ï  ® Day Care – the form of temporary care not given by the family or someone well known to the child and usually outside of the home. Social development – the aspect of a child’s growth concerned with the development of sociability, where the child learns to relate to others and with the process of socialisation, the child learns social skills appropriate to the society. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Negative effects on social development ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Meta-analysis from findings of 88 studies supports Bowlby’s research that prolonged separation from the PAF leads to maladjustment. Violata and Russell (1994) concluded that regular day care for more than 20 hrs a week had an unmistakable negative effect on socio-emotional development, behaviour and attachment of young children. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ NICHD in USA conducted a longitudinal study of over 1000 children. Parents were interviewed regarding the effects of regular day care. The study showed  that the more time a child spent in day care, regardless of quality, the adults rated them as more disobedient and aggressive (NICHD, 2003). The children in day care were 3 times more likely to demonstrate behavioural problems than children that were cared by their mothers. Melhuish (2004) found evidence that children with high levels of day care in the first two years of development had elevated risks of developing anti-social behaviours. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ The Minnesota longitudinal study demonstrated the more securely attached infants are the more popular with peers they become. So therefore, the more insecure an infant, more peer related problems could be expected. Belsky and Rovine (1988) assessed attachment in children in day care and found that were more likely to be insecurely attached compared to children at home. Impact of Day Care ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Positive effects on social development ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® Good day care provides plenty of social stimulation, whereas, children living at home may lack social interactions. Brown and Harris (1978) found depressed mothers contributed  their low moods to being isolated at home with children. Depressed mothers are likely to form insecure attachments with their children which would have a negative effect on their children. Therefore, the independence gained with having a child in day care is a way to prevent this. Clarke-Stewart et al (1994) studied 150 children and found they were consistently more compliant and independent. The EPPE followed 3000 children in pre-schools and found increased sociability (Sylvia et al, 2003). Day care exposes children to their peers thus enabling them to develop social strategies (negotiate and make friends). Field (1991) found a positive correlation between the amount of time in day care and the number of friends children have once they enter school. Also, those that started day care before 6 months were more sociable than those that started later. Evaluating Research on Day Care ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Weaknesses of research on day care ï  ® When evaluating the research, one must consider the circumstances under which one can find positive or negative outcomes. ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® ï  ® Prodromidis (1995) found no correlation between Swedish children in day care and aggression. Freidman from NICHD explains the aggression study actually shows that day care children may be more aggressive than non-day care, but still 83% of children in day care between 10 -30 hours a week show no signs of aggression. Second important finding from the NICHD research is that the mothers sensitivity to the child, higher maternal education and income all play a more important role in decreased behavioural problems than the amount of time in day care. Finally, the findings are not causal. The data cannot show that day care caused aggression only that there is a link between the two. Therefore, the data suggests that childrens development is more strongly affected by factors at home than those in day care (Belsky et al, 2007). Evaluating Research on Day Care ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Weaknesses of Research on Day Care ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Cannot apply a cause relating to peer relations as  well, only a link. For example, shy and unsociable children have mothers that are shy and  unsociable, therefore, its possible that more  outgoing parents/children that go to day care. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ A lot of research supports the idea that day care  alone has no direct effect on development and  that there are other factors involved. Gregg et al  (2005) analysed findings from the Children of the  90’s study and concluded that for the majority of  children, maternal employment in their first 3  years of life had no adverse effects on behaviour. Evaluating Research on Day Care ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Mediating Factors ï  ® Quality of Care ï  ® ï  ® Individual Differences ï  ® ï  ® As the quality of care decreases it is expected that the attachment type will become poorer. NICHD study (1997) found that low-quality care was associated with poor social development. As parents have different interests in their child, day care staff are less invested and therefore provide a different kind of attention. This is reflected in Howes and Hamilton (1992) findings  that secure attachments  occurred in only 50% of day care staff but 70% in mothers. The NICHD study found the more secure a child’s attachment level is the better they cope with time spent in day care. However, another study showed that insecure children coped better than secure children (showed more aggressive bx) in day care. Child’s age and number of hours ï  ® ï  ® Gregg et al (2005) found that negative effects were more likely to be found in children starting day care before 18 months of age. However, the magnitude of these effects was small. Clarke-Stewart et al (1994) found no difference in attachment between spending a lot of time in day care (more than 30 hours) with those that spend a little time (less than 10 hours). Implications of Research into Attachment and Day care ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Attachment Research ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Attachment research has shown that when separation occurs, negative effects of this separation can be avoided if substitute emotional care can be provided and links to the PAF are made available. This research has changed the way hospitals handle visiting arrangements and the way institutional care is provided. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ A second implication is the way the adoptions process is managed allowing babies to be adopted earlier strengthening child/parent attachments (Singer, 1985). ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Another implication is the improvement of parenting skills, ie, Circle of Security, which improves infant/mother relationships. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Finally, attachment research has been used to improve day care quality focusing on the importance of secondary attachment figures. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Day Care Research ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ As research shows, high quality care leads to positive outcomes. What is highquality care? ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Low child-staff ratios – 3:1 is ideal for sensitive care to be given ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Minimal staff turnover – allows for consistent care and decreases anxiety ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Sensitive emotional care – only 23% of carers demonstrated highly sensitive care, 50% was moderate care and 20% were emotionally detached. ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ Qualified staff – qualified managers lead to better social development ï  ®Ã¢â‚¬ ¯ To ensure high-quality care, legal standards are implemented relating to staff ratio to age of the child, minimum qualifications of staff, Ofsted inspections and finally the sure Start programme.

Pride And Prejudice Analysis of Themes

Pride And Prejudice Analysis of Themes An artist cannot do anything slovenly, once uttered Jane Austen in articulating her perception of art and literature. Pride and Prejudice, a novel by Jane Austen, is undeniably a masterpiece that has astoundingly challenged the beliefs and virtues of its era. In the novel, Austen adeptly depicts the convictions of her class-bound society and targets those exceptionable virtues with universal themes in her piece of art. Equipped with alluring writing skills, Austen succeeded in signing off a genuine artistic piece, which, to the very least, struck the heart and soul of her society. For these reasons, Pride and Prejudice, a memorable composition of the 18th century, is indeed worth examining and studying in reference to two major aspects of the novel, characterization and themes. To begin with, characterization is one chief aspect worth stressing and studying. In the novel, Austen wittily employs characters and characterization in her composition to better convey her messages. The characters stand out stupendously as vivid, real, round, and dynamic. Furthermore, the interactions and relations between characters in the novel further add to their development and advancement in the course of the plot. Taking all aspects into consideration proves that Austen cleverly utilized characterization marking characters not only as portrays of the exceptionable society, but also as means of criticizing and perhaps altering such a society. Initially, Jane, Elizabeths eldest sister, stands out as a shy, reserved, serious, and quite gentle individual. She is friendly, pleasant, considerate, and cheerful. Likewise, Mr. Bingley is portrayed as a wealthy, rich, friendly, good-natured, amiable, sociable, and affable person. Austen depicts both characters as similar characters, sharing their goodwill and compatibility. As they were similar, both Jane and Mr. Bingley are portrayed throughout the novel as a potential couple. In the novel, their relationship can be best regarded as that of love that is unhampered by obstacles between both lovers, but rather by external factors. At the beginning, Mr. Bingley meets Jane Bennet at the public ball, where Mrs. Bennet introduces Mr. Bingley to her. There, they engage in a dance. Later, Jane visits Mr. Bingleys estate in response to Caroline Bingleys invitation. After catching a cold, Jane is looked after by Mr. Bingley for a couple of days in his estate. During this period, each develops feelings for the other, and Mr. Bingleys affection for Jane becomes notable as well obvious. Later, Carolines efforts inspired by class differences along with Darcys efforts inspired by Janes lack of affection converge in attempt this set this relation to an end. Accordingly, a letter then arrives from Caroline, Mr. Bingleys sister, mentioning that Mr. Bingley and Darcy will be leaving back to Netherfield. Hence, Jane is torn apart as she comes to rationalize that Mr. Bingley might not have had any feelings for her initially. In accordance with Elizabeths advice, Jane heads to London to seek out Mr. Bingley. As soon as her attempt to reach Mr. Bingley is proven futile, Jane heads back home and utters that she is over with her affection for Mr. Bingley. Ultimately, Mr. Bingley returns back to town due to Darcys interference, which was sparked by his confrontation with Elizabeth. Eventually, Mr. Bingley proposes to Jane, and the couple is then set for marriage. On the other hand, Darcys relation with Elizabeth is that of an utter significance as it lies in the core of the plot. In the novel, Elizabeth Bennet is depicted as the smartest and most intelligent daughter of the Bennet family. She is amiable, lovely, honest, outspoken, and clever. Elizabeth is also talented at verbal sparring and utilizes often her verbal skills to her favor. On the other hand, Fitzwilliam Darcy stands out as a rich, wealthy, intelligent, aloof, and detached individual. He is overly conscious and proud of his social status. Likewise, Austin portrays both characters as similar to some extent. For instance, both are smart and intelligent, and both tend to judge people too harshly. As they were similar, Darcy surprisingly stands out as Elizabeths male counterpart and ideal match. Most importantly, their relationship exemplifies that of sincere love that is hampered often by obstacles and predicaments between both lovers in addition to remote forces and factors. In sp ite of all predicaments, their relationship ideally thrives and survives. In the novel Pride and Prejudice, Elizabeth first confesses to her sister, Jane, at the public ball that she has no intention of ever marrying. At the public ball, she meets Darcy, which in contrast to Mr. Bingley, refuses to dance or talk with anyone other than his company. Elizabeth deliberately judges him as arrogant and unpleasant. She also overhears him saying bad remarks about her to Mr. Bingley; and thus perceives him as ill-mannered and haughty. Thereafter, Elizabeth encounters Wickham, a handsome lieutenant, who tells her about Darcys betrayal to him due to jealousy. This further exacerbates Elizabeths perception of Darcy as an individual. Then, Elizabeth attends Bingleys dance, where she engages in some verbal clash with Darcy as she dances with him. During her visit to her friend Charlotte, Elizabeth visits Lady Catherine DeBourg, who is also Darcys aunt. There, Elizabeth encounters Darcy and engages herself again in verbal sparring, so Darcy confesses that he is not that sociable and outgoing. After that, Elizabeth learns that Darcy was the one behind ruining Janes marriage from Mr. Bingley. This further exacerbates her view of Darcy. Later, Darcy meets up with Elizabeth and confesses his love and proposes to her. However, Elizabeth rejects Darcys proposal for his arrogance, and for what he has cost her sister as well as Wickham. Soon afterwards, Darcy drops by Elizabeth and leaves her a letter justifying his actions. He mentions that Wickhams greed was the reason behind his behavior with him. He also mentions that he aimed at halting Mr. Bingleys relation with Jane as he thought this was better for him since Jane seemed not to be serious. Later during her visit to her uncle, Elizabeth decides to visit Pempberley, Darcys grand estate, where she learns about Darcys kindness from his servants. Here, Elizabeth begins to realize that she might have been erroneous about Darcys perception as an individual. Afterwards, Elizabeth learns that Darcy was the one behind covering up her sisters scandal after escaping with Wickham. She also realizes that he was also the one behind getting Mr. Bingley back to town to propose to Jane. Eventually, Elizabeth recognizes that she has blindly misconstrued Darcys intentions, and consents his second proposal for marriage, yet out of her love and passion this time. In addition to characterization, the novels themes, which challenged the exceptionable convictions and beliefs of an entire era, are another aspect worth stressing. One significant theme addressed by Austen in her novel Pride and Prejudice is love. Simply, Austen conveys in her composition that true love is a titanic force that is capable of withstanding all obstacles and predicaments. Mainly, the novel deals with Elizabeths intricacies in finding and sustaining this true love. Throughout the novel, both lovers are confronted with myriad predicaments, which all fail to end their relationship. Obstacles include Darcys pride and arrogance about his social class and his prejudice against Elizabeth for her lower class. Likewise, Elizabeths excessive pride and her prejudice against Darcy as an arrogant and haughty individual also exacerbates the relation between both lovers. Still other obstacles include Carolines snobbery and arrogance, Lady Catherine DerBourgs conceit and intervention, Wickhams treacheries, in addition to her fathers detachment as well her naÃÆ'Â ¯ve mothers obsession with engaging her to whoever proposes and seems financially fit. In spite of all those predicaments, the couples love ideally thrives, burgeons, and is eventually harvested through marriage. On the other hand, marriage is another aspect Austen targets via her novels themes. During the 18th century, marriage was regarded mainly as a means of attaining financial stability. In the novel, Austen wittily employs her characters to criticize this belief chiefly via two characters, Mrs. Bennet and Charlotte. Mrs. Bennet, as a mother of five daughters, sets high priority on marriage and is overly obsessed with the idea of getting her daughters to marry. She is absolutely not concerned with her daughters desires and is literarily ready to marry them to whoever is financially fit. An instance of this is Mrs. Bennets desire to marry Elizabeth to Mr. Collins regardless of his shallow, patronizing, boring, pompous, and conceited character. Surprisingly, Charlotte is another portray of Austens viewpoint on marriage during that era. The lady accepts Mr. Collins as a husband just to lift up to societys standards and attain financial stability. She even mentions in the novel, it is bette r to know as little as possible of the defects of the person with whom you are about to pass your life. In Pride and Prejudice, the title itself stands out as another universal theme conveyed by Austen. First, pride was evident throughout the course of the plot. Darcy exhibited pride due to class and social differences. Elizabeth was also proud of her ability of perception. Hence, this pride hampers their relationship as Darcys pride blinded him from Elizabeths various charms at many instances, and Elizabeths pride made her reject Darcys first proposal. Mr. Collins in addition to Lady DeBourg also exhibited pride in the novel. Likewise, prejudice was also prevalent throughout the novel. Mainly, Darcys pride makes him misjudge Elizabeth as impolite and inferior. Correspondingly, Elizabeth misjudges Darcy as conceited, haughty, and arrogant due to his high social standing. Thereby, both Elizabeth and Darcy were pride and prejudiced. Nonetheless, Austen also criticized the influence of money and social class on the society in her composition. In the novel, social class and money play a chief role in shaping the plot. It was Darcys high social class that made others misinterpret him as arrogant and haughty. Likewise, it was Elizabeths lower social class that forced the snobbish Lady DeBourg to interfere and try to oppose Elizabeths marriage from Darcy. In short, Austen wittily ridiculed her societys regard of social class as the sole means of judging an individual. Towards the end, Pride and Prejudice is one remarkable novel signed off by Jane Austen during the 18th century. Astoundingly, the composition utterly and effectively defies the dire convictions of Austens society. For this reason, the novel is regarded as one of the most eminent compositions in English Literature. Furthermore, characterization and themes are two chief aspects utilized by Austen and worth examining. Surpassingly, Jane Austen did not only succeed in leaving behind a memorable piece of writing, but also signed off an exceptional composition that helped revolutionize the societys perceptions of marriage and social class amidst an era dominated by class and social discrimination. The End

Chinese Culture Essay -- Cultural Identity Essays

Throughout China's encased history it has developed much differently than western parts of the world. Chinese culture varies greatly compared to ours. These great differences between eastern culture and western culture make China a very interesting place. Some of the vast differences include literature, social structure, and government. The greatest difference is Chinese philosophy and way of thinking. China has developed a strict system of tradition that has given China great advantages and disadvantages. This is shown in Chinese literature. Tradition in China is a set of unwritten laws. This is why China turned its eyes from the outside world and looked in. China found everything it needed in Tradition (4). The strong traditions and customs play probably the greatest factor in the life of a Chinese person. This strict philosophy influences marriage, children, family, and duty in life. Marriage is much different and has different levels of companionship. One man may have many wives and or concubines. The status of these wives and concubines are very important. The lower you are on the husband's list the lower you were treated (1). When in a marriage if you were having children a son would be most desirable for you to have. You would be thought better of if you produced a son. This shows the male dominance in Chinese culture. Once a son was born the expectations for him were great. He was supposed to learn all great literature and be very scholarly (2). A girl, also was supp...

a 1000 mile drive in the wrong direction :: essays research papers

  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  As of late I have been feeling an immense hole in my life. My life journey feels as if it is nothing than a jumbled-up mess of confusion, heartbreak, betrayal, and lies. So with a life full of loss, like any normal college student would do, I joined the pity-party bandwagon and felt sorry for myself. In my â€Å"destined to roam the earth alone and useless† state I was positive there was nothing that would ever change my dreary outlook on life. I read a few books, prayed like crazy, talked to my parents, and even broke-down and sought advice from my crazy teenage sisters, but nothing changed. Alas a light glimmered though the dark mood I was in, and there was a sliver lining of hope on the distant horizon. That light was Waldorf’s very own Pastor Char.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  I’m not going to lie to you (and I don’t think pastor Char will be opposed to me telling the truth) -I went to her in desperation. I don’t know what it is about the â€Å"pastor† title, but I guess you just assume that they will instantly make everything better. Alas my assumptions failed me, Pastor Char did not have an answer to all the problems consuming my life or magic prayer that cured everything ailing me, but she did have a good dose of something that I think a lot of people need-honesty. I know it sounds crazy, but Pastor Char does not know everything. Fortunately she does have great insight, and I as I have found that I am not the only one in a bit of a faith struggle I have decided to share what I found with you. Bad advice is still advice, so take it for what it is and enjoy my pearls of knowledge (with a little help form Pastor Char). There are several times when the Bible talks about God sending people into the wilderness for some sort of faith journey. As I understand it, some poor lost soul wanders into the woods to find a new relationship with God, and wham bam thank you Ma'am, they’re healed. I read a bunch of these â€Å"wilderness journey† stories and, well to be honest I thought they were crap- I know I am in dangerous territory at a Christian college, but no worries my skeptic friends†¦I will vindicate my harsh accusations. My problem lies in the journey, or lack there of.

Euthanasia Essay -- Ethical Issues, Physician Assisted Suicide

It is the principle of conduct which requires us (healthcare workers) to act in a way that benefits others (patients) by preventing or removing harm, or more directly acting to produce a good Due to the nature of the job, it can be said that nurses often have to deal with the situtaion of ethical dilemas. Because we live in a culturaly diverse society, our values are not necessarily the same. This often gives the leeway for ethical dilemas such as, whether euthanasia and assisted suicide are moraly right or wrong. Euthanasia is defined as "a deliberate intervention or omission with the express intention of hastening or ending an individual's life, to relieve intractable pain or suffering" (Sanders, 2007). Assisted suicide refers to making available to an individual the means (for example, pills or a weapon) to take his or her own life† (Michele, 2004). Euthanasia and assisted suicide are argued to be done to relieve a patient from pain and suffering, however that can be countered. It is important for one to consider the reasoning behind why people ask for euthanasia or assisted suicide. In the case of Mr. Maxwell, who is diagnosed with Multiple Sclerosis for m ore than 10 years and is requesting for euthanasia. Morally, I do not support his request to remove his ventilator because it is unethical. This paper focuses on why euthanasia and assisted suicide are wrong from the perspective of autonomy, nonmaleficence and rule-utilitarianism. Very good ï Å  Autonomy Autonomy is usually used to justify the act of euthanasia and assisted suicide. Autonomy is said to be the right to self-government. "Within the contexts of moral and bioethical philosophy it is the capacity of a rational individual to make an informed, un-coerced d... ...st cases, they are not well informed about other options they might have. It is the role of the nurse to provide the patient with other alternatives other than suicide. "The autonomy of the patient is important, but not absolute.† (Quadhebeur, 2009) Realizing that the nurse's role is not to do harm is as well important, because when nurses are seen as both care givers and killers, it makes it hard for patients to put their trust on nurses. As the rule utilitarian will argue, it is important to do what is morally right. Not killing an innocent human being is right in this situation, and this theory should be adhered to. Finally, it can be argued that "euthanasia is too drastic an intervention to be used for patients at the end of their life; this is because it makes dealing correctly with death almost impossible and it is also irreversible" (Quaghebeur, 2009).

Race and Ethnicity Essay

The ongoing struggle to fight the skin color prejudice in the contemporary American society is portrayed in Michael Jackson’s song â€Å"Black or White. † Whereas the racism is defined as a superior behavior against other race-thus making it inferior, the singer refers to this term as â€Å"See, it’s not about races, just places, faces, where your blood comes from is where your space is. † Michael Jackson, one of the most influential artists in the music industry, calls for equality in how people view and behave towards each other. The question, which this master thesis investigates, does it matter if you’re black or white, is clearly answered by the singer: â€Å"It don’t matter if you’re black or white. † Jackson was trying to influence his society to act in a similar way and he calls for them to live their lives by Dr. Luther’s dream â€Å"†¦. judged not by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character. † However, almost thirty years later, it still seemed only as a dream because he sang: â€Å"I’m tired of this Devil†, where the bad is being represented by the prejudice. At the same time, he clearly states: â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color† – this is where he makes his conclusion. This can imply that even though he doesn’t discriminate and would like to see color prejudice gone, he is still being discriminated against. While being the most prominent artist in the music industry, he still calls himself â€Å"a color† and he rebuts against it and wants to be seen for the person he is and not the pigmentation of his skin. It is widely known that Michael Jackson had many facial plastic surgeries and it is controversial whether or not he altered his skin color by chemical peels or was it the disease called vitiligio that changed his face color to white. Therefore, it can be speculated that he modified skin to appear white, which ultimately is his vision. It can be further questioned – since Michael Jackon can’t win his struggle for racial equality, did he give up and go white – just to end his inner battle? Will all his suffering come to closure since now he looks white? Is this the true answer? It may be deemed as so since the skin color is the guide of one’s position in the society where being white claims supremacy-control and power. It should be noted that Michael Jackson is one of the greatest musicians of all times, having sold over 750 million records worldwide. He has accomplished so much in his life, yet still feels inferior and calls for racial equality in the world. His vision for a better world to live in, free of racism, ends on a sad note: â€Å"It’s black, it’s white†. To summarize, through decades, the blacks have fought to be equal, as the American nation shall guarantee those rights, yet, the society is still divided into the superior, the whites, and inferior- the blacks (and other people of color). Blacks have always been portrayed as the dirty, the poor, the lesser-of-a human type whereas the whites are seen as the dominant, the good type. Again, Jackson does not agree with this stereotype in saying: â€Å"I ain’t second to none. † Moreover, he claims that he will no longer be scared and mentions historical symbol of a KKK group: â€Å"I ain’t scared of your brother, I ain’t scared of no sheets. † With his passing in 2009, many of his inner struggles come to the end, but will the next generation start working on being color-free as the king of pop envisioned? America has always struggled with racial issues, especially those of black and white. Some them included racial segregation, education, workforce, banking and even seating on the bus. Black people continuously tried to â€Å"break thru† into community, but were always pushed aside as dirty, poor and unwelcome. We, in modern times, see the United States of America as a country that treats everyone equal. Americans should all be all equal, no matter what race, color, religion or any other characteristics they have. After all, we all remember year 2009, which is when Americans elected their first African American President. Question that comes to mind – why â€Å"first African American President,† not just simply their 44th President? So – the race and color of your skin does matter in modern times. My analyses of selected books, academic journals, films and music video will concentrate and argue if Americans indeed discriminate against race or if it is history and no longer exists in American life. First, I would like to take into consideration the iconic Michael Jackson, one of the greatest, perhaps the greatest singer and performer of the 21st century. Not only his songs deserve a closer look, but also his lifestyle – ideas, fears and the public opinion. â€Å"Black or White† by Michael Jackson and Bill Bottrell is a one of the greatest singles in Michael’s career. It was released on November 11, 1991. What inspired Michael to particularly select these two topics? Black or white – as implied in the song, he sings about skin color. Songs starts in Africa, possibly showing Jackson’s â€Å"beginning† – he is black. In one of the scenes, Michael sings â€Å"I ain’t scared of no sheets; I ain’t scared of nobody† – while he is walking through fire images – which is being compared to KKK and its torch ceremonies. Here, he is portraying his painful vision of KKK and its vision. Later, the performers sing â€Å"I’m not gonna spend my life being a color. † What a great statement. Michael, throughout his whole life and his career, shows us his inner and constant fight for a non-racial America. Being black himself, he had struggled and finally came to the top, but still did not achieve the level of happiness – which is â€Å"no color† in his country. Later, Jackson sings on Statue of Liberty’s torch, again possibly reminding us about the KKK, and at the same time – the Statue symbolizes liberty, which for him will be color-free, no discrimination America. We shouldn’t forget about Michael’s actions in this video. In the original version, he is smashing the car, windows and the inn exploded. However, later he had to edit this version to minimize his violent behavior, however. He altered it by adding four racial graffiti messages onto the windows that he was smashing. As I suggested earlier, Michael Jackson is portrayed as an angry black man who simply hates the discrimination against black people and shows his feelings by destroyed his surroundings, as he was being destroyed himself –just for being of black color. In is interesting to observe, the Jackson, when asked to change his destructive aggressive music video, he indeed did change it, but didn’t forget about this hostility towards discrimination. He had just portrayed it differently (graffiti). First message reads: â€Å"Hitler Lives,† then â€Å"Nigger Go Home,† â€Å"No More Wetbacks,† and finally â€Å"KKK Rules. † It can be argued if Michael Jackson is simply smashing windows with those painful ideas – is destroying them – to make a better world? Finally, the song comes from the album â€Å"Dangerous. † What did the author have in mind? Are all of those issues, painful experiences and the fight for non-colored America dangerous? It can be argued that yes. Jackson showed us the dangerous side of being black, where he was always forced to fight and that causes different sorts of trouble. In â€Å"Black or White,† Michael brilliantly portrayed two core problems people were facing daily: black or white. As we look at his lifestyle and constant metamorphoses, Michael Jackson had numerous surgeries that altered the color of his skin and make him â€Å"white. † It is very controversial as many sources quote that Jackson had a condition where one looses a pigment of his skin, called vitiligo. However, Michael Jackson public image is seen as a person who constantly tried to be white, therefore, sought surgeries to help him attain this goal. Michael Jackson shows us that it could have probably been easier to make himself white and not struggle for color-free America, where everyone is equal, no matter of who there are or what they look like. It would also be important to analyze some of the lyrics from Jackson’s music video. He sings: â€Å"I had to tell them I ain’t second to none. † It can be understood that he no longer is accepting the fact that black is â€Å"second,† which is worse, just because of the color. He continues: â€Å"And I told about equality† – he tells us he wants to be considered equal, despite his skin color. Next verse, he has really had enough of being pushed around because he is black â€Å"I am tired of this devil, I am tired of this stuff, I am tired of this business. † Finally, he talks about racism in: â€Å"See, it’s not about races, Just places, Faces, Where your blood, Comes from, Is where your space is, I’ve seen the bright, Get duller, I’m not going to spend, My life being a color. † Here Michael Jackson compares himself to simply being a â€Å"color. † He is less than a human being only because he is not white. He is â€Å"black. † Again, he accents his refusal of living his life being black. He wants to be equal, equal to white. It should be also noted that throughout video, Michael Jackson is wearing black and white clothing (white shirt, black blazer, white accents on his right arm and nails, black shoes, white socks). He seems to be a person caught in a black-and-white world and struggles to change it, showing his pain. However, at the very end, he turns into a black panther. This transformation may symbolize him as a black man who will fight for his rights, yet, still remain black. In book â€Å"The Color of Credit: Mortgage Discrimination, Research Methodology, and Fair-Lending Enforcement† Stephen L. Ross and John Yinger present racial issues and argue the importance of skin color in banking. It should be noted that this book was published in 2002, year where we all think that American people are equal, especially on racial basis. Therefore, why and how does the skin color come into play in banking? First, the American lenders take many factors into consideration when disbursing the mortgage. Such factors include many details such as the creditor’s ability to repay the loan – where the lender accesses the potential risk of losing the loan. There are many different lenders and they base their information on statistics, demographics and make final decision based on the risk factors. Research showed that mainly blacks would seek loans, which are not favorable to all lenders. Therefore such bank does take race into consideration when reviewing for application for credit. It is also shown that blacks will most likely work with subprime lenders (44%) with comparison to whites (only 4%). Blacks generally cannot use the prime mortgage market due to their poor qualifications, thus creating the black to white ratio of getting the mortgage – with figures of 2. 28 denial for prime market and 1. 27 for subprime. At the same time, limited research shows that blacks-even though have some qualifications as white – would remain in the subprime market and thus be charged higher fees. Equal Credit Opportunity Act says: It shall be unlawful for any creditor to discriminate against any applicant, with respect to any aspect of a credit transaction—on the basis of race, color, religion, national origin, sex or marital status, or age (provided the applicant has the capacity to contract). (U. S. Code Title 15, Chapter 41, Section 1691) This would mean that all people should be treated equally in banks, when doing business in banks, no discrimination in credit transaction. However, authors argue that the bank may take a different look at the person and who they are in â€Å"business necessity† can be proved. Therefore, even while it is regulated by law, certain discriminatory practices can and do exist. Later, it would be rather hard to prove that the lender discriminated based for example on race. All regulations are not very clear and courts find it hard to find such a connection of discrimination. It is implied that blacks, with poorer ability to repay, living in lower income communities, must face subprime, expensive mortgages – to possibly make as much money as possible in the shortest time-so if the black borrower defaults on his payments, the lender wouldn’t lose its investment. This is to compare with the white borrower who lives in the richer-type setting, is more likely to meet his payments, therefore, he is offered a prime mortgage rate, without the necessity to further secure the loan. It can be argued if blacks and whites are treated equally, despite many regulations. On one hand, the lender must adhere to all necessary regulations, but on the other hand, such institution can make necessary decisions to make that mortgage profitable – thus, taking all factors into consideration in the application process. We can further analyze that race and color of skin does matter when one is being evaluated for such an application. It is believed that whites pose a lower risk to a financial institution than blacks. This also means, as authors point out, that black are less likely to be approved for a higher-priced home than a white person, which causes the real estate agents to discriminate and not show the more expensive houses to blacks. Maybe they don’t discriminate, they just know that lender is not likely to approve a black person in comparison to the same application of a white person? It is particularly important to note that authors point out that ‘‘on average, black mortgage applications have higher loan-to value and debt-to-income ratios than do white applications. ’’ In closing, it should be noted that while many regulations exist, there is no proof that racial discrimination has gone away and some research suggests that blacks still have lower approval rate in comparison to the whites. It is said that race does play a key role when the lender looks at your mortgage application.

Forbiden Lies

[pic] Roxie Releasing presents the 2008 US theatrical release of FORBIDDEN LIE$ A film by Anna Broinowski Con or Artist WHO DO YOU BELIEVE? The journalist? The Chicago mobster? The murdered friend? The FBI? The violent husband? The extorted granny? The spurned lover? The outraged publisher? The embittered fan? The detective? The Muslim activist? The estranged father? The psychiatrist? The media? Yourself? A REAL LIFE THRILLER ABOUT NORMA KHOURI, THE PEOPLE SHE’S CONNED, AND HOW NOONE’S SAFE IN THE AGE OF SPIN. ? WINNER Best non-fiction Screenplay? Writer’s Guild of America (East and West) 2008 WINNER 20,000 Euro ‘Cult’ Prize ? Rome Film Festival 2007 ? WINNER Golden Gate Awards Special Jury Prize ? 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival ? WINNER Golden Award – long form documentary? 2008 Al Jazeera International Documentary Festival ? WINNER Best Film Script? 2008 NSW Premier’s Literary Awards ? WINNER 2 Australian Film Institut e Awards ? Best Documentary Feature Film 2007 Best Editing in a documentary 2007 ? WINNER 2 Film Critics’ Awards ? Best Feature Documentary – Film Ciritcs Circle of Australia Best Feature Documentary – Australian Film Critics’ Association ? Top Ten Audience Favourite ?Hotdocs, Toronto Adelaide International Film festival Melbourne International Film Festival ? Official Selection ? Sheffield International Documentary Festival Vancouver International Film Festival Rio International Film Festival Rome International Film Festival MOMA documentary fortnight, New York (USA) 2008 True/False Film Festival (USA) 2008 San Francisco International Film Festival (USA) 2008 Al Jazeera Film Festival (Qatar) 2008 Full Frame Documentary Festival (USA) 2008 Honolulu International film festival (USA) 2008 Silverdocs International Documentary festival (USA) 2008 S H O R T S Y N O P S I SIn July 2004, Norma Khouri, best-selling author of ‘Forbidden Love’, was exp osed as a fake. She’d won fame and fortune as a Jordanian virgin on the run from Islamic extremists who’d put a Fatwah on her head for her campaign against honour killings. But she was really Norma Bagain, a Chicago real-estate agent and mother of two, on the run from the FBI for one million dollars of fraud. Spinning murder, politics, greed and literary scandal into a web that ensnares us all, FORBIDDEN LIE$ is a real-life thriller about a brilliant con/artist, the people she’s duped, and why, despite everything, we still want to believe her. R E V I E W S ((( â€Å"Wildly entertaining and utterly compelling, Forbidden Lie$ is the documentary version of an airport novel – one you can’t take your eyes off†¦Riveting† Colin Fraser, Filmink _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"As compelling as any thriller†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Michael Adams, Empire ____________________________________________________________ ___ (((( â€Å"This totally fascinating documentary†¦is made with considerable skill: it’s a tantalising real-life mystery. † David Stratton, At the Movies, ABC TV _______________________________________________________________ (((( Margaret Pomeranz, At the Movies, ABC TV ______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"This superb documentary†¦ is the best Australian film of the year. † Adrian Martin, The Australian _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"This isn’t a dry documentary: rather it’s a chase movie†¦ † Rodney Chester, Courier Mail _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"This unconventional documentary will mess with your mind†¦ † â€Å"A staggering coup†¦ † â€Å"Quite unlike any documentary you have seen†¦ † Leigh Paatch, Herald Sun ___________________________________________________ ____________ (((( What a coup†¦Funny, entertaining and clever. A marvellously inventive documentary, it peels away layers of a fascinating saga one-by-one†¦With this debut feature, (Broinowski) establishes herself as a bold new voice in Australian filmmaking, unafraid to take risks and be flamboyant. † Sacha Molitorisz, Sydney Morning Herald _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"layered and visually inventive†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"riveting viewing† Rose Capp, Melbourne Times _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"Fascinating and surprisingly engaging. † Tim Hunter, SBS Radio ______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"addictive viewing†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Andiee Paviou, Who Weekly _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"engrossing†¦this is a documentary that will keep you on the edge of your seat. † â€Å"Made with a considerable degree of astonishment, unexpected affection and a large dose of humour†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Tom Ryan, Sunday Age _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"gripping†¦as compelling as any dramatic feature you’re likely to see this year†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Mark Naglazas, The West Australian _______________________________________________________________ 9/10 You’ll want it to be longer†¦Ã¢â‚¬ Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"Try to see it in a cinema as this is a group experience, where everyone gasps at the same moments. † Rob Lowing, Sun Herald _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"utterly fascinating†Ã‚  Ã¢â‚¬Å"a very slick presentation, and the story it presents has enough twists and turns to keep an audience enthralled. † Tracey Prisk, Sunday Telegraph _______________________________________________________________ ((((( â€Å"documentary gold† â€Å"a brain-twisting, humor ous journey which will leave you wide-eyed with a mix of wonder, admiration and disgust. â€Å"Like a true-life Catch Me If You Can with chicks. † Annika Priest, Melbourne Leader _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"A fascinating, clever documentary. † Sunday Mail (Adelaide) _______________________________________________________________ (((( â€Å"mesmerizing†¦hooks the viewer in†¦Ã¢â‚¬  â€Å"a gripping piece of on-the-fly filmmaking† Jeff Crawford, Messenger Newspapers (Adelaide) _______________________________________________________________ (((( SBS Movie Show _______________________________________________________________ â€Å"Fair minded and meticulously researched† Vicky Roach, Marie Claire ______________________________________________________________ â€Å"Forbidden Lie$ is a dazzling performance, both by Khouri and director Anna Broinowski†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Martyn Pedlar, Three Thousand __________ _____________________________________________________ â€Å"Shot and constructed like a courtroom drama†¦Ã¢â‚¬  Susan Skelly, The Bulletin _______________________________________________________________ â€Å"The real coup here is the unlimited access to Khouri herself, who jumps at the opportunity to tell her side of the story†¦this absorbing documentary is a thought-provoking conversation starter well worth catching. † Matt Riviera ______________________________________________________________ â€Å"A compelling yarn†¦Forbidden Lie$ looks likely to endure as its subject’s monument. † Jake Wilson, The Age Every great crime says something about the times we live in. Warren Beatty, THE HEIST [pic] S Y N O P S I S How often do you get inside the mind of a con woman – â€Å"one of the best ever†, according to the Chicago cop desperate to track her down? Norma Khouri is a thief, a saint, a seductress and a sociopath – depending on who’s talking. Men want to marry her, Islamic extremists want to kill her and the global publishing industry wishes she’d just disappear.Those she duped with her best-selling ‘true story’ about the honour killing of her best friend Dalia in Jordan, Forbidden Love, number 500,000 readers, publishers and journalists in 15 countries. But her victims don’t end there. When Norma’s book was exposed as a fake by Australian journalist Malcolm Knox in July 2004, the world learned that Norma was not, as she’d claimed on Western chatshows, a Jordanian Catholic virgin on-the-run from bloodthirsty Muslim patriarchs who’d placed a fatwah on her head for her outspoken campaign against honour crimes in the Middle East, but 34 year old Norma Bagain a. . a. Touliopoulos, a married Chicago real-estate agent and mother of two, under investigation since 1999 by the FBI for one million dollars’ of fraud. Knox’s scoop rocked the liter ary world and prompted the FBI to reopen their files on Norma. Norma took a lie detector test in self defence, sued Knox for defamation, dumped her kids with ex-heroin addict and ‘tart-with-a-heart of gold’ Rachel Richardson in Bribie Island Queensland, and fled to the U. S. A with $350,000 in advances still owing to her outraged Publishers. She’s been in hiding ever since. And now she wants to talk.Weaving between the literary salons of London, the mosque-lined vistas of Jordan, the beachside suburbs of Queensland and the seamy Chicago backstreets of Norma’s dubious past, FORBIDDEN LIE$ pits Norma’s tale against the stories of those she conned. There’s Mary Baravikas, who died in an underfunded Chicago hospital after Norma alledgedly cashed in her life savings and stole her house. There’s Rachel Richardson, $15,000 poorer thanks to Norma, who still swears her friend is a †sweet person who’d bake pies for everyone in the s treet – she’s just got dark secrets only she can answer†.And there’s Norma’s estranged husband with alledged ties to the Chicago mob, John Toliopoulos, whom Norma claims forced her to commit her crimes at gunpoint. Meanwhile, Forbidden Love has just been released in the Arab world as fiction, Middle Eastern women continue to be murdered by male relatives in ‘crimes of honour’ with apparent impunity, and Human Rights Groups have yet to receive a cent of the royalties Norma Khouri promised them.Jordanian honour crimes activist Rana Husseini, furious at the damage that Norma’s â€Å"fake book† has done to her cause, is demanding to know why the 73 factual errors in Forbidden Love slipped past publishing giants Simon & Schuster, Random House and Transworld just before the Iraq invasion, when racist potboilers about evil Muslim men with mysteriously veiled women on the covers were selling like hotcakes. So who was really cashin g in? Who is to blame?And does it matter that Norma lied? FORBIDDEN LIE$ lets you be the judge. As we follow Norma to Jordan to meet with people she says will â€Å"prove that Dalia existed, that she was murdered, and that the media has lied†, we also investigate Norma’s criminal past. Will the FBI arrest her? Is her passion to stop honour crimes genuine, or just a new con? Who do you believe, as you watch Norma’s web of stories spinning ever faster, ensnaring everyone, including the filmmaker?Is she a calculating sociopath, a damaged soul craving the limelight, a genuine martyr, or simply a monster of our age, who states that â€Å"if Bush and Blair can spin the truth about WMDs to justify bombing innocent people then why can’t I spin Dalia’s story to save women from being murdered on a daily basis? † In a spin-driven era, as the lines between truth and fiction grow increasingly blurred, FORBIDDEN LIE$ is a real-life thriller for our time. Weaving murder, deceit, greed, the East/West clash and an international literary scandal into a web that entangles us all, Norma Khouri’s real-life drama is even stranger than her fiction.We all love watching a successful con story – the more dangerous the better. But this time, it’s for real. [pic] Fiction is obliged to stick to possibilities. Truth isn’t. MARK TWAIN P R O D U C T I O N N O T E S â€Å"The marriage between con-artist and filmmaker is a match made in heaven: both use a million tiny deceits to manipulate the way we think and feel; both are in the business of making illusions real. † ANNA BROINOWSKI When director Anna Broinowski read Malcolm Knox’s Sydney Morning Herald article exposing Norma Khouri as a hoax in July 2004, she knew she’d found the subject for her next documentary. I wanted to know what kind of woman could be so brilliant that while on the run from the FBI she could reinvent herself as a Jordanian virgin with a Fatwah on her head, write a best-seller, and convince the best publishing and media minds in the world that she was telling the truth. † Teaming up with producer Sally Regan in early 2005, Anna invited Norma (then lying low in Chicago) to fly to San Fransisco to attend the premiere of her last documentary, HELEN’S WAR (about anti-nuclear activist Dr. Helen Caldicott), at the Castro Theatre.Norma liked what she saw, and agreed to tell Anna her side of the story on the condition that Anna make a film putting Honour Crimes back in the spotlight. Anna, smitten by Norma, agreed: â€Å"on the first day of the shoot I was telling the crew to hide their credit cards, that Norma was a notorious con-woman; by the third day, Norma had convinced me that her book was not a hoax, that she was utterly genuine, and that everything the media had written about her criminal past in Chicago was a lie. She promised to take us back to Jordan to prove her friend really was murdered: how could I not believe her? Anna’s journey from Norma convert to con-victim is just one of several betrayals captured in the labyrinth of Truth and Spin that is FORBIDDEN LIE$. By the time Anna and DOP Kathryn Milliss got to Jordan with Norma (and her American ‘body guard’, Jeremey Lackowski), it was obvious that Norma was taking them for a ride. Key witnesses disappeared, locations evaporated, and the actual hair salon, in which Norma had promised to introduce Dalia’s friends to the camera, fell apart when Norma’s mysterious ‘cousin’ failed to arrive with the key. I realized I could no longer make a film vindicating Norma; that this had become a portrait of a con woman whether I liked it or not†, says Anna. Yet through it all, Anna and Norma have remained friends: â€Å"there is a sense with Norma that everything is a game for her, that she relishes the challenge of having to improvise when confronted, of having to convince you to believe her all over again. I can’t help admiring her audacity†. The film’s style was designed to directly reflect the mental sleights of hand Norma plays out on her victims. Armed with a 1. million dollar budget, the filmmakers worked hard with visual effects company Resin and DOPs Kathryn Milliss and Toby Oliver to create CGI and in-camera illusions; the expense of the round-the-world shoot was offset by filming several of the Jordanian scenes in Adelaide with the imaginative help of designer Robert Webb and his team. Above all, the filmmakers were keen to create a ‘real-life thriller’ rather than a conventional documentary: FORBIDDEN LIE$ owes more to the narrative structures of con movies like CATCH ME OF YOU CAN and HOUSE OF GAMES than it does to non-fiction genres. What excites me about FORBIDDEN LIE$ is that people walk out with more questions than answers. I don’t know if we got to the bottom of who Norma is, I don’t think e ven Norma knows who she is†, says Sally Regan. â€Å"There can be no absolute conclusion with someone like Norma†, agrees Anna. â€Å"Should we judge Norma, or the spin-driven climate that allowed her to thrive? If the audience walks out less inclined to trust what they are told, by anyone, especially the filmmaker, then that’s a good thing! †With a successful Australian release through Palace in 2007, 2 AFI wins, Top Ten audience votes at Hotdocs, Melbourne and Adelaide Film Festivals, international prizes including the San Francisco Golden Gate Special jury Prize and the Rome Film Fest ‘Cult’ Award, and distribution deals in the US, Japan and the Middle East, FORBIDDEN LIE$ is satisfying people’s desires to be entertainingly deceived. Even Norma, now selling car insurance and studying human rights law at night-school in Chicago, has seen the film and enjoyed it.Of course she had an outrageous new comeback to every allegation made agai nst her†¦ but all of that is revealed in the DVD, released by Madman in April 2008! [pic] The public will believe anything, so long as it is not based on the truth. Edith Sitwell T E A M ANNA BROINOWSKI (Director/Writer/Producer) is a NIDA acting graduate who has been making award winning films for international audiences for the past ten years. Her 2004 film Helen’s War – portrait of a dissident (CBC/ZDF/FFC/SBS) won an Australian Film Institute award for Best Director (Documentary) and Best Documentary at the Sydney Film Festival Dendy Awards.It was nominated for a Canadian Gemini, an Independent Film Award and an Australian Film Critics Circle award. It sold to Sundance Channel, screened theatrically in Australia and the US and toured the UK as part of the 2005 British/Australian Film Festival. Two of Anna’s other documentaries, Hell Bento!! (SBS/AFC) and Sexing the Label (SBS/FFC), both had theatrical releases, screened at several international film fes tivals, sold widely overseas, and can still be found in the cult section of Australian video stores.Anna’s other films are Romancing the Chakra (ABC/FFC) and the shorts Tsunami (part of the Slamdance DVD 12 angry Women) and Burqa (part of the 2004 Oz feature Time to Go John. ) Anna’s past awards include Best Australian Documentary (Sydney Film Festival), 1 Bronze and 1 Silver Plaque (Columbus Film Festival), Best Documentary (Film West) and Best Documentary Director (Films des Femmes, France). SALLY REGAN (Producer) was awarded the Kenneth Myer Fellowship upon graduation from the Australian Film Television and Radio School and has produced film and television in Australia, Europe, Asia and America for the past 15 years.Her documentary, First Look, won the Fuji award, and her short film, Swerve, opened the Berlin Film Festival. In 1997 Sally won the AFC Distinctly Australian Script Editing award. From 1999 to 2003 Sally was Business Affairs Manager of Documentary Produc tion at Film Australia, Australia’s leading documentary agency. Since then, she has co-produced the international Russell Crowe-narrated series The Colour of War, and produced National Treasures, Korean Anzac, Peter Berner’s Loaded Brush and Road to Tokyo.Sally is currently developing a number of projects, including the feature film Axe Fall, a recent participant in the competitive NSWFTO Aurora script workshop (the development stomping ground of acclaimed Australian dramas SOMERSAULT and LITTLE FISH). We are never deceived: we deceive ourselves. GOETHE [pic] M A I N C A S T The ArtistNorma Khouri The PressMalcolm Knox Rana Husseini Caroline Overington Jon Yates The LawDet. Ed Torian, NYPD Frank Bochte FBI Dawn Lawkowski The FriendsRachel Richardson Kara Elliott Maree Elliott The ClanJohn ToliopoulosMajid Bagain Cousin Faris Asma Bagain The LiteratiPatrick Walsh Larry Finlay David Leser The ActivistsDr. Amal al Sabbagh Nadia Shamroukh The MuscleJeremy Lackowski John Ak dikman Anna Hermann The MedicsCharles v. Ford MD Dr. Mu’men Hadidi Dr. Hani Jahshan Dr. Nasri Khoury The ActorsDalia: Linda Mutawi Mohammed: Shahin Azimi Mahmood: Fariborz Zareei Michael: Farhad Noori Norma: Sara Azadegan M A I N C R E W Director/writerAnna Broinowski ProducersSally Regan and Anna Broinowski CinematographersKathryn Milliss and Toby Oliver ACSEditorsAlison Croft and Vanessa Milton Titles/CGIResin 35 mm Blow-up/additional CGITim Trumble Sound design and MixCraig Carter and Peter Smith Drama designerRobert Webb Covers composerMax Sharam Completed July 2007 Format 35 mm Sound6 track Dolby Duration 104 minutes FORBIDDEN LIE$ was produced by the Film Finance Corporation Australia, produced and developed in association with the New South Wales Film and Television Office, and produced in association with the South Australian Film Corporation, the Adelaide Film Festival and Palace Films.It was developed and produced with the financial assistance of  the Australian F ilm Commission and the Australian Broadcasting Corporation and developed with the financial assistance of the South Australian Film Corporation. Distributed in Australia and NZ by Palace Films. International Sales by Jonathan Page of Becker International. [email  protected] com. au US Theatrical release through Roxie Releasing, contact Bill Banning at [email  protected] com or Rick Norris at [email  protected] com and phone (415) 431 3611 [pic] A half truth is a whole lie. YIDDISH PROVERB