What is Diapsalmata - 1230 Words

Cynicism and Despair Soren Kierkegaard’s approach to writing Either/Or may be one of the most fascinating, clever, genius, and complex pieces I have ever had the pleasure of reading. The first of his many works published pseudonymously, Either/Or studies the first two of Kierkegaard’s three stages of existential living--aesthetic and ethical. By writing under four pseudonyms throughout the two volumes, Kierkegaard removes his personal beliefs and allows the reader to make their own choice on the best way to live. Throughout this essay, I will explore how Kierkegaard begins Either/Or with a chapter entitled, â€Å"Diapsalamata,† which is a collection of aphorisms and anecdotes, all with the overlaying themes of cynicism and despair. Before beginning a discussion of â€Å"Diapsalmata,† a short beginning to an 800-page philosophical giant, a background to Soren Kierkegaard and his life work is a must. Widely considered to be the â€Å"Father of Existentialism,† Soren Kierkegaard was a 19th century philosopher and social critic born in Denmark. His work resulted in a 20th century movement towards higher existential thinking, influencing many famed philosophers like Albert Camus and Franz Kafka. Kierkegaard’s beliefs were highly influenced by Greek philosophers Socrates and Plato, where he explored how individuals make personal choices and commitments, rather than society as a collective whole. His writing style was rather unusual, removing himself from authorship and often using

Substance Abuse As A Predictor Of Divorce - 1368 Words

Abstract This literature review focuses on substance abuse and how it correlates with divorce; specifically within the context of concordant and discordant substance abuse in married couples. It aims to assess how substance abuse impacts marital satisfaction, and if indeed it has an effect on subsequent separation and divorce. This paper will review previous studies that concluded that alcohol is a predictor of divorce, as well as those that have concluded that it is not necessarily the substance abuse itself but rather the discrepancy in the amount of substance abuse taking place between the spouses themselves. Substance abuse is becoming one of the biggest reasons why individuals, couples and families decide to seek mental†¦show more content†¦For the purpose of this paper I will utilize the concept of substance abuse, but I will mostly be referring to alcohol as this is what most of the research is based on. Review of Literature Relationship between alcohol and divorce Alcohol use is common in the United States, and married couples are no exception. Even though alcohol consumption tends to be lower for married couples, it is still very prevalent in our society (Ostermann et al. 2005). Substance abuse has many known negative physical and mental consequences; it is common knowledge that it contributes to overall lower marital satisfaction, and studies show that it correlates with more negative and fewer positive interactions, and that it contributes to higher rates of domestic violence (Marshal, 2003). In addition to that, there are high rates of comorbidity between substance abuse and psychiatric disorders, consequently it is almost impossible to completely isolate substance abuse from other factors which might contribute to marital dissolution (Amato and Rogers, 1997). Many researchers have studied the correlation between substance abuse and divorce and that literature suggests that substance abuse lowers marital satisfaction which consequently end s in divorce (Fu Goldman, 2000). Amato and Previtt (2003) found that

Distinguishing Bipolar and Bpd Disorders Free Essays

Distinguishing Bipolar and BPD Disorders Tonjanika Boyd North Carolina Central University Introduction Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder are mood and personality disorder respectively, that have had many challenges amongst psychiatrist in differentiation. Not only does the two disorders share several symptoms and associated impairments, there is also continuing debates in the psychiatric literature about whether the two disorders actually represent different conditions (Hatchet, 2010). The following paper compares and contrasts Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorders and discusses implications of differential diagnosis of the disorders that can lead to long-term effects for the patient due to the fundamentally different treatment each disorder needs. We will write a custom essay sample on Distinguishing Bipolar and Bpd Disorders or any similar topic only for you Order Now Comparison of Bipolar and Borderline Personality Disorder Bipolar Disorder According to the Diagnostic and Statistics Manual of Mental Disorder, 4th edition Text Revision (DSM-IV-TR), bipolar is a recurrent mood disorder featuring one or more episodes of mania or mixed episodes of mania and depression (Antai-Otong, 2008). The bipolar disorders include, bipolar I disorder, bipolar II disorder, cyclothymic, and bipolar NOS disorders. Bipolar I disorder includes one or more manic or mixed episodes, usually with a major depressive episode. Bipolar II disorder includes one or two major depressive episodes and at least one hypomanic episode. Cyclothymic disorder includes at least 2 years of hypomanic periods that do not meet the criteria for the other disorders. Bipolar NOS, does not meet any of the other bipolar criteria. The etiology of Bipolar disorder has been researched and documented for many years and has many theories and perspectives. Causative factors include psychodynamic, existential, cognitive behavioral and developmental and complex biologic and genetic factors (Antai-Otong, 2008). Signs and Symptoms (s/s) of Bipolar disorder varies from the type of episode they patient is experiencing. Major depressive episodes include a depressed mood or lose of interest for at least 2 weeks and five or more of the following: Significant weight loss or gain, insomnia or hypersomnia, psychomotor agitation or retardation, fatigue, worthless feelings or inappropriate guilt, problem concentrating or recurrent thoughts of death. Manic episodes s/s includes, persistent elevated irritable mood of more than one week, increased self-esteem, decreased sleep, increased, increase talk and pressured speech, racing thoughts and ideas, distractibility, extreme goal-directed activity, excessive buying, sex and business investments (Pederson, 2012). In order to have successful treatment of bipolar disorder, a holistic approach is the best therapy. This includes, pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions. Pharmacologic include mood stabilizers, anti-depressants, anti-psychotics and electroconvulsive therapy. There has been a controversy with the use of anti-depressants for treatment due to its effect with mood stabilizers. It is not a mainstay, but is still prescribe when they are not sure if it is unipolar or bipolar, but becomes dangerous when switching from a depressive episode to a manic or hypomanic episode (Antai-Otong, 2011). Electroconvulsive therapy is the last resort if the mood stabilizers and anti-psychotics fail or when an immediate intervention is needed. Psychotherapeutic intervention is mostly where the nursing care is used more frequently. Psychosocial and behavioral intervention, both fall under the umbrella of psychotherapeutic treatment and are important for more positive treatment outcomes. If a patient is in the acute phase, the nurses’ main focuses are safety and maintain a therapeutic milieu that facilitates resolution of symptoms and minimizes complications. The nurse also educated the client and family about medications, treatment options and other psychotherapies (Antai-Otong, 2011). Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) BPD originated in the 1930’s, when it was used to describe patients who were on the â€Å"border† between neuroses and psychosis. It is the most common complex and severely impairing personality disorders. According to DSM-IV, it is a pattern of instability in interpersonal relationships, self-image, affect and marked impulsivity (Swift, 2009). The etiology of BPD includes, genetic predisposition, family history of mood disorders and maybe related to bipolar disorder, physical and sexual abuse. About 2% of the population experiences BPD and mostly female. The symptoms of BPD are maladaptive behavior learnt to make sense of the world and to manage the persistent negative messages received (Eastwick Grant, 2005). Signs and symptoms, consists of patterns of unstable interpersonal relationships, fear of abandonment, splitting (love or hate), impulsiveness in sex, substance abuse, binge eating and reckless driving, suicidal gestures, such as self-mutilation, intense mood changes that last for hours, chronic emptiness, intense anger and transient paranoid ideation (Pedersen, 2012). Managing BPD is challenging and can be emotionally and physically draining for the nurse involved and other members of the healthcare team. The nurse-patient relationship is frequently confrontational due to the patient difficulty with interpersonal relationships and dysfunctional emotional regulation, which results in aggression towards the nurse. Evidence has shown that people experiencing BPD are more likely to harm themselves than others (Swift, 2009). Treatment of BPD requires an integrated psychobiologic approach that includes, pharmacologic and psychotherapeutic interventions. This combination is called psychopharmacologic therapy. There have been many variations of drugs used to treat BPD, due to limited success. There has been limited success in the use of psychotropic medications in clients with borderline personality disorder. Mood stabilizers, anti-depressants and anti-psychotics are only effective in providing relief in the symptoms of difficulty controlling behaviors, impulsivity, self-injurious behaviors and depression (Antai-Otong, 2011). Diagnostic Dilemma of Bipolar and BPD Disorder According to the criteria outlined in the DSM-IV-TR there is a systematic difference between patients with BPD and bipolar disorder. It was found that patients with bipolar II exhibited mood swings that varied between euthymia, elation and depression and mood swings with BPD rotated between euthymia, anger and anxiety. A diagnosis between the two boiled down to how the emotional and behavioral instability exhibited by a client is conceptualized. In other words, a counselor must decide whether the symptoms are best attributed to an acute mood disorder or they are just the latest manifestations of a more chronic problem (Hatchett, 2010). The challenge is not the case of being able to rule out acute episodes of mania, but when assessing the possibility of rapid-cycling bipolar disorder or a mixed episode. The actual definition of rapid cycling is often misunderstood in the mental health community and ruling out mixed episode is even a greater test in distinguishing between bipolar and BPD, due to many patients not having an accurate history of their symptoms. This is important because, according to DSM-IV-TR (2000) â€Å"The individual experiences rapidly alternating moods (sadness, irritability, euphoria) accompanied by symptoms of a Manic Episode†¦and a Major Depressive Episode† (p. 362). It becomes difficult and nearly impossible to distinguish a mixed episode from the chronic anger and dysphoria common to those with BPD. Repercussions for differentiating between the disorders for treatment are evident for counselors who are responsible for creating and implementing treatment plans. Accurate diagnosis is fundamental for effective treatment. A diagnosis of Bipolar disorder is treated with psychoactive medication, whereas for BPD patients, that is not effective as a mainstay of therapy. When BPD is appropriately diagnosed, it encompasses a more holistic approach of intervention strategies, such as dialectical behavior therapy (DBT). Those who consider BPD to be a variant of bipolar disorder contend that treatment should proceed with mood stabilizers and atypical anti-psychotics and those on the other side of the debate recommend an intensive psychotherapy model, such as DBT (Hatchett, 2010). Conclusion Careful consideration to distinguish more accurately the difference between an acute mood disorder and a more chronic and pervasive personality disorder through the diagnostic process is essential. A mood disorder is discerned by distinct episodes of mania, hypomania, or depression that continue for specified periods and a personality disorder is characterized by persistent and rigid patterns of maladaptive behavior and intrapersonal experience that influence areas of functioning. I feel the debate between differential diagnosis of these disorders can at least shift towards a solution by considering an overhaul in the definition and placement of mood and personality disorders in Axis I and II. Through Axis II was developed to encourage clinicians to consider more enduring personality characteristics that may impact treatment, as Fowler et al (2007) pointed out, some Axis I disorders are actually more chronic than many Axis II disorders, which are more likely to remit than is commonly believed. Also, I noticed through my research that maybe there needs to be another type of assessment tool created when assessing patients for mood or personality disorders or specific training on how to distinguish between BPD an bipolar disorder to ensure more accurate diagnosis. For the DSM-V now being drafted, proposals have been made to either eliminate personality disorders altogether or integrate theme into Axis I. In that scenario BDP might be reclassified as a mood or impulse control disorder (Hatchett, 2010). Distinguishing between Bipolar and BPD disorder is significant for the patient, treatment teams, family and mental health community, due to the major difference in the treatment plans for each disorder. Recognizing which disorder the patient has is fundamental in positive outcomes as they progress through the proper comprehensive psychopharmacologic therapy. References American Psychiatric Association. (2000). Diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders (4th ed. , text rev. ). doi:10. 1176/appi. books. 9780890423349. Antai-Otong, D. (2008). Psychiatric Nursing: Biological and Behavioral Concepts, 2nd ed. , Thomson, Delmar Learning. Hatchett, G. T. (2010). Differential Diagnosis of Borderline Personality Disorder from Bipolar Disorder: Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 32:3, 189-205. Pederson, D. D. (2012). Psych Notes: Clinical Pocket Guide, 3rd ed. , F. A. Davis Co. Philadelphia. Swift, E. (2009). Borderline personality disorder: aetiology, presentation and therapeutic relationship: Mental Health Nursing, 13:3, 22-25. How to cite Distinguishing Bipolar and Bpd Disorders, Papers

Chinese and English language Studies †MyAssignmenthelp.com

Question: Discuss about the Chinese and English language Studies. Answer: Introduction The article that has been chosen for the purpose of the critical review is Yang, H.H., Craig, R. and Farley, A., (2015). A review of Chinese and English language studies on corporate environmental reporting in China. This particular academic journal aims to review the aspect of Corporate Environmental Reporting in China and the role of the Government in the driving the alterations in the CER. They reflect the fact that the prevalent accounting theory in the Chinese corporate economy has been the Agency theory. Moreover, it has been found out that the corporate environmental reporting in China should be sensitive to a higher degree. This particular article aims to incorporate the institutional theory for the purpose of framing the analysis of the Chinese corporate environmental reporting. This particular study aims to carry out a critical review of the chosen article in terms of the determination of the research question, the outcomes of the article and the theoretical framework that underpins the research. Research Question The research problem or question that has been reflected in the selected academic journal essentially refers to the issues related to the crucial data that needs to be conveyed to the international stakeholders of business. This can be further defined by the fact that China has been long facing the issue of obtaining economic growth by incurring a gradually declining quality of the environment and increasing levels of inequity in the social strata. These issues have focused more on the framework of corporate environmental reporting that should be carried out by the business entities in China. Therefore, the particular research question that can be developed in this particular case is that the finding of the particular method in which the international stakeholders in regards to the special Corporate Environmental Reporting (CER) issues like the issues that have been raised in relation to the environmental components like carbon or water in China (Flick 2014). Moreover, the second issue in regards to which the second research question can be framed is that the credibility of the environmental reports that are prepared by the Chinese business entities need to be properly evaluated and analyzed. There is no particular framework for measuring the effectiveness of the environmental reports. Moreover, no particular guideline has been provided in regards to the amount and kind of disclosures that should be included in the environmental reports by the listed entities. Therefore, the research question can be framed as t what is the particular way in which the credibility of the environmental report can be determined (Patten 2016). Therefore, these are the research questions that can be developed from the academic journal. Interesting factor about the article This particular article aims to define the institutional transition of China from the bureaucratic secrecy to openness. The policies and the guidelines that have been guiding the politics, society and economics of China including the accounting regulations have been secretly maintained and regulated for a long time. The Governmental bodies in China or the bureaucracy had been controlling the flow of information in regards to the internal issues of the nation to the outside world. This further made it easy for the government executives and the CPC to control and maintan the political power. Moreover, the practice of maintaining secrecy helped the controlling or the governmental bodies in China to suit the needs in regards to the centrally planned economy. However, this practice was gradually changed when the transition of a market-oriented economy had started in China. This challenged the nations policy of secrecy in large because of the particular that the maintenance of institutiona lized secrecy would lead to corruption and fraud in the general structure of business (Best and Kahn 2016). Moreover, the discontent that had been growing in the population of the nation on account of environmental degradation has resulted in the increased demand for transparency in the corporate affairs related to the environment. The governmental body ruling China (CPC) and the central government in China were heavily pressurized for the purpose of promotion of the aspect of transparency and awareness of the public in regards to the environmental operations of the Chinese business entities. Are the outcomes important? The outcome of the public discontent had been that the business institutions had been more open in nature. They have been pressurizing the Chinese academics to publish the requirements. This resulted in the analysis of the Chinese academics that revealed the fact that the pressure was the highest in regards to the work related stress factor. Furthermore, the Chinese government reviewed the academic journals for the purpose of checking their political correctness. This ultimately resulted in the emergence of the research in regards to the Corporate Environmental Reporting (Bryman 2015). Research philosophy or motivation of the author The particular reason that motivated the author to conduct the required research is that the changing trend in regards to the political and economic transition had resulted in the change in the Chinese Corporate Environmental Reporting. It had been the financial years of 2006 and 2007, when the corporate entities in China had started incorporating the particular approach in regards to CER in the sustainability reports of the business entities. Furthermore, it had been mentioned in the article that the it was the year of 2008, that marked the rapid growth in the CER reporting by the Chinese business entities. Such an improvement in regards to the economy in China motivated the author to write this particular academic journal (Huertas 2016). Theory that underpins the research The theoretical framework that underpins the research is the Corporate Environmental Reporting. The aspect of corporate environmental reporting refers to the different means via which the corporate entities disclose the related information in regards to the environmental activities undertaken by the organization (Domhoff and Fox 2015). The corporate environmental reports can be categorized as a singular form of environmental reporting. It is one of a kind report that is issued by the companies publicly for letting the stakeholders and the external world know about its achievements in regards to its environmental activities. This is the primary theory that had been underpinning the research as the emergence of the corporate environmental reporting in China has been discussed in details in cit chosen article. Key motivation literature on which the study depends The key motivating pieces of literature that on which the study depends are citations from the academic journals that have been used by the authors. The academic journals that have been utilized are in the nature of citation. These key pieces of literature can be listed down as follows: Yin, YJ. A comparative study of the peer review system of academic journals between China and the West. Journal of Zhejiang University (Humanities and Social Sciences? 2012; 42 (4), 201-16 Yang XS, Zhang GF, Liu X, Yu YC, Feng CY. Analysis of the effectiveness of Chinese accounting research: A review of accounting papers published from 1980 to 2002 in Accounting Research (). Accounting Research 2005; (3), 76-84. Li X, Jiang Y, Gao H. Thirty years (19782008) of financial accounting theoretical studies in China: Review, reflection and future development. In W. Liu J.M. Liu (Eds.), Thirty Years of Chinese Accounting Reform (pp. 411423). Beijing:China Finance and Economics Publishing; 2009 Research method A variety of research methods have been utilized in conducting the research in regards to this particular case study. The different methods that have been adopted are face-to-face interviews, surveys, questionnaires, detailed analysis of the corporate sustainability reports, detailed analysis of the corporate environmental report, corporate environmental reporting disclosures that are available on the internet and the ascertainment of the quantitative features of the sustainability reports of the companies. The research studies that had been utilized for the preparation of the chosen article has been ranging between the time period of 1997 and 2005. These research papers in turn have acquired the required data or information by the particular technique of publishing of questionnaires to the management bodies like the business managers and the accountants of the organizations. Moreover, relevant data has also been obtained from the annual reports of the companies. It must be noted here that a major portion of the financial data has been obtained from the annual financial reports. Therefore, it can be evidently concluded that the nature of data that has been collected for the purpose of constructing the research has been secondary. This means that the data has been collected from already existing resources and not from any kind of direct source. Thus, it can be concluded that the source of the data has been secondary in nature (Hair 2015). Sample size The aspect of sample size refers to the most important feature of an empirical study. The primary objective of targeting a sample size is that the inferences of the research study are to be made in regards to a particular group of the population from a sample. A sample size that is used in case of a particular research study might be based upon expense in regards to the collection of data and the requirement to have statistical power. In case of the chosen article the time period that has been taken as a sample size is the time period ranging between 1992 to 2007 (Hair 2015). Validity and reliability of the paper The aspect of validity and reliability are the most important characteristics of a research study. It must be noted here that the aspect of validity refers to the presented information or analysis that is carried out in the selected study is valid. This is because a research study that is published, is often used as a secondary source by other users for the purpose of further study. Validity of a research study is one of the primary features of a research paper that is demanded by the users of these papers. The aspect of validity of a research paper depends on the validity of the resources from which the relevant data has been collected (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). Reliability, on the other hand, refers to the degree to which the findings or conclusion of the research study that have been acquired on the basis of the conducted analysis can be trusted to an optimum degree or level (Sekaran and Bougie 2016). The chosen piece of literature is featured with an optimum degree of validity and reliability. However, the only issue with the study is that the references that have been utilized are too old. This means that the data or the academic journals that has been referred to, dates back to 1997. The utilization of more current references would be proper. Analysis of the results The results obtained have been analyzed on the basis of different accounting theories like the agency theory, legitimacy theory. stakeholder theory, positive accounting theory and institutional theory. There has been no weakness in regards to the process that has been employed in analyzing the obtained results. Moreover, the utilization of the different accounting theories make the findings more relevant and applicable. It can be further concluded that has been no separate section in regards to the conclusion of the selected piece of literature. However, in the concluding remarks section of the study it can be evidently stated that the findings, the agency and positive accounting theory dominate the CER in China, has been properly concluded. References Best, J.W. and Kahn, J.V., 2016. Research in education. Pearson Education India. Braun, R., Benedict, M., Wendler, H. and Esswein, W., 2015, May. Proposal for requirements driven design science research. In International Conference on Design Science Research in Information Systems (pp. 135-151). Springer, Cham. Bryman, A., 2015. Social research methods. Oxford university press. Domhoff, G.W. and Fox, K.C., 2015. Dreaming and the default network: A review, synthesis, and counterintuitive research proposal. Consciousness and cognition, 33, pp.342-353. Flick, U., 2014. An introduction to qualitative research. Sage. Hair, J.F., 2015. Essentials of business research methods. ME Sharpe. Huertas, A., 2016. Decision support system for feeding policy selection in production settings: Research proposal. Padgett, D.K., 2016. Qualitative methods in social work research (Vol. 36). Sage Publications. Patten, M.L., 2016. Proposing empirical research: A guide to the fundamentals.Finance Taylor Francis. Sekaran, U. and Bougie, R., 2016. Research methods for business: A skill building approach. John Wiley Sons. Thomas, J.R., Silverman, S. and Nelson, J., 2015. Research methods in physical activity, 7E. Human kinetics.