Psychological Case Study Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words

Psychological Case Study - Essay Example Prior to the age of 13, her parents describe her as "well-behaved and doing well in school". Up to that time, she had no problems academically or behaviorally in school. The trouble began when Client S began eighth grade. At that time, her behavior began to change. Client S was born in Australia and her parents both work. It is not clear why the parents stated that she was born in Australia. Her mother works as a receptionist and her father is a supervisor for an electrical whole sale firm. It appears from what they have stated that they have traditional values and want her to abide by their rules. The client does not seem to think that these rules are necessary since she is now 15. Presenting Problems/Symptoms During the counseling session, the client presents as very positive and confident. She is dressed very clean. During the counseling session, she talks about her parents and feels that they are being too strict with her. She states that she hates doing chores and homework. She has been doing many things to show signs of rebellion: she snuck out of the house and stayed out late, complains about her parents to let her go out and hang with her friends. She states that her friends always get to do things that she does not. Evidence Based Theories and Models Client S does not seem to be exhibiting behavior that is inconsistent with being a teenager. In looking at theories and models, it was important to describe developmental theories and models that work well with teens. Although Sigmund Freud had many things to say about adolescence, it was Erik Erikson who took Freud's theories and advanced them. In Erikson's theory, Client S represent's Erikson's fourth developmental stage which is ego identity vs. role confusion. In this stage, the peer group is more important than family and the peer group acts as role models. During the time between ages 12 and 18, Client S will be struggling to be herself and to identify what that means to her. The psychosocial values that she will possess will be fidelity and loyalty (Boeree, 2006). In applying Erikson's theory to Client S, it becomes clearer that she is in the phase of wanting to be with her friends and they are making up a large part of her life. The challenge can be that the friends she has chosen may not be the best friends for her and they may be influencing her behavior. This would be something to explore in sessions. Piaget took a more cognitive approach in his developmental stages saying that children are able to reason in the abstract after the age of 12. Adolescents may become more self conscious about their appearance and that they are always being criticized for who they are at any given moment (Resource Center for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, 2009). Physical development is very important at this age as well. The hormones in the body are changing and the adolescent can be going through physical and emotional changes. The child is moving from being a child to maturing into adultho od. Although this happens differently for different children, all children go through this change at some time. In addition to the physical maturing of growing breasts and hair under the arms and in the pubic area, teens also experience their first menstrual periods and they begin to worry about their bodies. Emotionally, the teen may be experiencing mood swings, or pushing away from the parents in an attempt to create their own identity (U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2011). All of these changes are

Analyis of financial objectives, financials projecttions and Essay

Analyis of financial objectives, financials projecttions and investment decisions - Essay Example These objectives are designed and reviewed at fixed intervals, discrepancies are identified and finally based on reviews suggestions are employed to meet the desired gaps. In same trend management of the company in the year end 2012 called up board meeting and planned company objectives for the next three years. This report is based on the review of the planned objectives. For the purpose, this report provided critical analysis of the set forth objectives along with its comparison with competitors’ objectives. Section II of the report has developed financials (comprising of income statement and balance sheet) for the next three years i.e. 2013- 2015 and has made an attempt to review level of alignment between objectives and financials. Section III of the report provides review of investment decision that company intends to make pertaining to cost of capital and its impact on shareholders wealth. Lastly, the report provides concluding remarks based on the overall review. 1- OBJ ECTIVE EVALUATION In the board meeting held in the ending of the current year, management has highlighted corporate objectives and future direction for the next three years. These objectives have been set based on the financial position for the current year 2012. Financial objectives for the next three years are as follows: 1- To maintain the profit margin around 24% 2- To ensure the current strong financial position is maintained 3- To satisfy shareholders by maintaining the dividend payout ratio of 50% ANALYSIS OF THE FINANCIAL OBJECTIVES Apparently the objectives appear to be suitable for the overall business. However, since the case do not provide detailed financial information, therefore, it is difficult to accept these objectives in alignment with the overall objectives across departments. For instance, maintaining profit margin at 24% refers that Aztec Catering has either plans to maintain the strong control over cost or would increase its prices to maintain to meet the objec tive or increase sales. Both options have their implications mainly for following factors: 1- Level of competition 2- Inflation 3- Only in case if all other things remain same Keeping under consideration, Aztec Catering is competing with Compass group which comparatively bigger business concern. Therefore, increasing price would divert its customer to the competitor and there is ample chance for Aztec Catering to lose customer base. On contrary, reducing overall cost or developing stronger control over cost items is the other option. As stated in the given option, objective of Compass group is to provide the best services to its customers refers that Compass group would provide more value added offerings to its customer. Providing value added products would increase cost while being bigger concern it can easily attain the benefit of economies while Aztec Catering in order to remain competitive has to increase its offerings as well that resultantly would rise in cost. Hence, there ar e all chances that cost would increase in a greater proportion than sales. Therefore, cost control appears somewhat difficult option. Considering the third option of increasing sales also require increased marketing and other activities that would also increase cost. Therefore, it with the given information it is difficult to infer the ways Aztec Catering would maintain the profit margin of 24%. The given information has also not accounted the other factors that increasing cost. For instance, for the target that have been set the given informa

Respiratory System: Purpose and Physiology

Respiratory System: Purpose and Physiology The purpose of the respiratory system is to allow gas exchange throughout all body parts of most animals. The evolution of the respiratory system is responsible for different respiratory structures in diverse animals and it has allowed them to keep up with their oxygen demands. It functions by removing carbon dioxide from the lungs and replenishing it with oxygen. In this paper I will compare the respiratory system of Tursiops truncatus and Chelonia mydas. The bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus) are warm blooded mammals that live all of their life in the ocean. Tursiops truncatus are from the kingdom Animalia, class Mammalia, order Cetacea, and family Delphinidae. They belong to the genus Tursiops and species truncatus. On the other hand, the Chelonia mydas are cold blooded reptiles that live most of their life in the ocean but return to the land to lay their eggs. The Chelonia mydas are from the kingdom Animalia as well, and just like the Tursiops truncatus, they both belong to the phylum Chordata. Also, Chelonia mydas are from the class Reptilia, order Testudines, family Cheloniidae, genus Chelonia and species mydas (Lecointre, 2007). The Tursiops truncatus and Chelonia mydas spend their lives in the ocean and spend a vast amount of time submerged in water and yet the physiology of their respiratory system varies greatly, however; their lung capacity, and gas exchange methods, can be found to have certain similarities (Reynolds, et. al., 2000, Spotila, 2004). The physiology of respiratory system of the Tursiops truncatus and the Chelonia mydas are dissimilar in many aspects. To begin, Tursiops truncatus do not breathe through their mouths, instead they breathe through a blowhole which is located at the top of their head (Reynolds, et. Al., 2000). Also, Tursiops truncatus are involuntary breathers, which mean that they have to constantly remember that they have to go to the surface and breathe. If a dolphin ever goes unconscious it will suffocate and drown. The position of the blowhole allows dolphins to go to the surface and only expose a small region of the head into the air to breathe. This allows the Tursiops truncatus to swim and breathe at the same time. The blowhole is the outer component of their respiratory system and it contains muscles that surround it which allows for the skin at the top of their blowhole to open and close, it is known as the nasal plug. The nasal plug helps prevent water from coming in when the Tursiops trunca tus is underwater. Also, their respiratory system is completely separate from the digestive tract, therefore; only air gets into the lungs and it doesnt get obstructed by food or water. The lungs of dolphins are not bigger than the lungs other land mammals, which mean that their lung size doesnt play a role in how much oxygen is absorbed. On the contrary, Chelonia mydas breathe through their mouth. Their respiratory system is composed of the right and left lungs; they also contain a glottis, a bronchus, and a trachea. The glottis is positioned right after the tongue. It opens when the turtle is breathing and it closes when the turtle holds its breath. The trachea is situated after the glottis and splits into the two bronchi. The two bronchi extend to the lungs. The bronchi serve as a passage which allows for air to enter the lungs and exit the same way. The bronchi continue to split throughout the lungs giving rise to the alveoli. In the alveoli sacs is where most of the process of gas exchange takes place. Turtles dont have a diaphragm to help them with ventilation of the lungs and instead they use ventral muscles which are located at the pelvic and pectoral girdles area. The lungs of Chelonia mydas are complex since they are multi-chambered; this increases their pulmonary resistance, thus allowing them to stay subme rged under water for many hours. The pressure of being underwater helps turtles breathe out and the ventral muscles help them breathe in. Further, even though there is a difference in the physiology of the respiratory system of the Tursiops truncatus and the Chelonia mydas, their lung capacity shows some similarities. Tursiops truncatus have very efficient lungs because they have a great amount of tidal volume due to the amount of alveoli cells that they contain in their lungs. They also have very elastic tissues in their lungs, and this elasticity accounts for their great lung capacity. Tursiops truncatus can exchange more than three fourths of their air volume in a single breath. They can dive for periods of about 15 minutes at a time but their lungs cannot retain great amounts of oxygen and therefore they cannot stay underwater for prolonged periods of time. In addition, Tursiops truncatus can dive deep into the ocean for more than 150 meters. Around this depth their lungs subside causing an increase in blood pressure, which is fatal to humans, but Tursiops truncatus manage to slow the pressure before it gets to the brain. Also, after diving big depths and going to the surface to breathe immediately one would expect Tursiops truncatus to feel sick after such decrease in pressure but they experience no side effects because they hold their breath while diving. Chelonia mydas also have tidal volume which helps them breathe faster and exchange gas in a more effective manner. They can exchange about half their air volume in a single breath. Additionally, they can stay under water for many hours. This adaptation is possible due to the fact that they are cold blooded and have a slow metabolism which slows their heart rate for about seven heart beats per minute allowing them to be able to conserve more oxygen. However the lungs become compressed as they move down and as a result they also lose buoyancy. To account for this the Chelonia mydas become naturally buoyant at certain depth thus allowing the lungs to be able to retain more oxygen. As a result, the deeper that Chelonia mydas dive the more their oxygen storing capacity increases, Further, the gas exchange of the Tursiops truncatus and Chelonia mydas has some similarities and differences. First, the Tursiops truncatus have made adaptations to their circulatory system which has allowed them to store oxygen more efficiently and to use it more effectively. Tursiops truncates have lungs that contain many alveoli, which are air cells, thus making gas exchange in them occur much faster. Tursiops truncates store oxygen in their blood and muscles because during long dives the oxygen can be accessed easily. Additionally, Chelonia mydas have made adaptations to be able to withstand long periods of dives under water. The major mechanism for gas exchange in the Chelonia mydas is the lung, however; the ability of their blood to uptake large amounts of oxygen is also very important for gas exchange. Chelonia mydas can tolerate high amounts of carbon dioxide in their blood. In conclusion, Tursiops truncates and Chelonia mydas share certain characteristics and differences when it comes to their respiratory system. The physiology of their respiratory systems is very different from each other since Tursiops truncates dont breathe through their mouth and Chelonia mydas do. However, their lung capacity and gas exchange mechanisms can be said to be fairly similar. Tursiops truncates and Chelonia mydas store oxygen in their blood to use during periods of long dives. Also, they can effectively exchange more than half of their air volume in a single breath (Reynolds, et. al., 2000; Spotila, 2004). It is important to learn about the respiratory system of these animals because knowing how they live will help ensure their survival and give us a better understanding of their needs.

The Euthanasia Debate Essay -- Medical Ethics

A long, ongoing battle in the institutional review boards, ethics committee and in the United states federal court is Physician assisted suicide (PAS) and euthanasia. PAS refers to â€Å"a third part action informed by the intended objective (at the very least) to furnish a potential suicide with the lethal means necessary to end his or her bodily life† (Parteson 11). There are victims suffering in silence because of this issue and it calls for immediate action with a federal regulated law. The victims are cancer patients who want to end suffering from their illness and impending death, patients that are brain dead or on life support, and patients that have diseases that cause excruciating pain that ultimately deteriorate the quality of life until it is gone. The other victims are the families that watch their loved ones suffer, or care for the ones on life support for years without being able to aid them in their wish to die. There are also those potential victims that have a chance to fight and live, though in certain cases this fight has been taken away. There is a concern for innocent deaths such as the Jack Kevorkian case, â€Å"out of Kevorkian’s first 93 victims, only 27 were determined by autopsy to be terminal, that is, to have less than six months to live† (Olevich 21), that is why strict regulations is critical. The United States Supreme Court has left the decision to legalize and regulate assisted suicide to the states. Washington and Oregon are among the first to take the lead. Although they have taken the initiative, they are lacking fine detail and have left a few holes in the law that could create potential unnecessary deaths. Science is rapidly advancing pushing the boundaries past the national ethics committee, it is time ... ...something people often do not have â€Å"Functionally independent persons were unlikely to have a living will (5.5%)† (Hanson, Rodgman) Works Cited Fraser, Sharon I. and Walters, James W. â€Å"Death: Whose Decision? Euthanasia and the Terminally Ill.† Journal of Medical Ethics 26.2 Apr. (2000):121-125 Web. 1 May 2012 Hanson, LC and Rodgman E. â€Å"The use of living wills at the end of life. A national study.† Archive of Internal Medicine 156.9 May (1996): 1018-22. Web. 6 May 2012 Hudson, Janice. Trauma Junkie: Memoirs of an Emergency Flight Nurse. Firefly Books. New York. 2001, 2010. Print Olevitch, Barbara A. Protecting Psychiatric Patients from the Assisted-Suicide Movement : Insights and Strategies. Greenwood Press. August 2002. Print. Paterson, Craig. Assisted Suicide and Euthanasia : A Natural Law Ethics Approach. Ashgate Publishing Group. May 2008. Print.

How to Lose Weight Essay

Today I would like to give some tips about how to lose weight. Firstly, you must keep your own personal food diary and determine your weight loss goals upfront. It is important that you determine a healthy weight for you age and height. Sometimes people want to lose weight to become very thin; this is not good for your health, so before you start ensure you know what are your weight loss goals. People who keep food diaries, according to a study published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, lose an average of 2.75 kg more than people who don’t keep a record of everything that they eat. So force yourself to write down the good, the bad and the ugly. Then, you must avoid skipping meals. The same study found that people who ate at least 3 meals per day lost more weight than people who didn’t. The scientists speculate that people who skip meals either overeat at their next meals because they’re so hungry, or their bodies absorb more calories because they’re in starvation mode from skipping meals. And the last, you have learn to love fruit. Fruit helps to satisfy your sweet tooth thanks to its natural sugars. It also contains fiber to help you feel full quickly. You also must to eat vegetables for nutrition and to help you fill up more quickly. When you make your lunch or dinner plate contain at least 50 percent vegetables, you can have other richer dishes on your plate in smaller portions. That’s all I want to talk about.

Does Parole Work?

Does parole work? That is an important question as it relates to criminal justice and more specifically community corrections. How do we measure if parole is working? One way is to look at the recidivism rate of parolees. This policy paper will take an in depth look at this question. Also, this paper will study the current parole policy, my policy recommendations, and finally my conclusion of this problem. Parole is a very important tool for criminal justice in the United States of America. But does this tool work in reducing reoffending by released prisoners.Statement of the ProblemDoes parole work? One way to measure this by looking at recidivism rates by paroled prisoners who are released after serving their time. The proper question should be, does parole work in reducing recidivism rates? In the U.S. Justice System, parole is a thoughtfully used community correction option (Walker, 2015, p.288). One way to look at this is politically. The two sides are the right or Republicans and the left or Democrats. The right said that high-risk predators are let go into society and the left stated that release outcomes were based on less than scientific standards (Walker, 2015, p.288). The left's position was formed before sentencing guidelines were established (Walker, 2015, p.288). According to Samuel Walker, parole provided valuable tools to both inmates trying to get out and prison officials trying to get compliance from inmates. Parole was also a way to combat the ever-rising population in correction institutions (Walker, 2015, p.288). According to an Urban Institute study (2009) it queried, does parole work on reducing recidivism rates of released inmates? The answer after studying the statistics is it has little to no effect on re-offending or parole violations committed by former inmates (Walker, 2015, p.289). The Urban Institute study (2009) did not say the practice of releasing prisoners early or the idea of parole was a bad idea. However, they found there is no system of community corrections that performs better than another system (Walker, 2015, p.289). According to Christopher Zoukis (author and contributor for the Huffington Post), examining statistics of greater than 25,400 ex-prisoners released home-free or on community corrections during 2005 revealed 49.3% had been rearrested within eight years of release. The study included arrests for new crimes and for violating their conditions of parole. The ex-inmates that were released in 2005 included 31.7% that were convicted and 24.7% who were incarcerated again (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-zoukis/report-documents-us-recid_b_9542312.html). The re-arrest rates for released ex-inmates (52.5%) was greater than those released on probation (35.1%). According to the study, most released or paroled individuals committed new offenses within two years of their release at an average of 21 months (https://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-zoukis/report-documents-us-recid_b_9542312.html). Parole was meant to reintegrate prisoners back into society as productive members of society not as an opportunity to reoffend. This creates new victims and cost tax payers millions in the mechanizations of the criminal justice system (Zoukis, 2017).Current PolicyHere is the current United States Parole policy as follows: Federal prisoners serving a sentence of less than thirty years prior to November 1987 can apply for an initial parole hearing within 120 days of being incarcerated. This can happen through an application process for eligible prisoners (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). According United States Department of Justice, D.C. Code offenders get a parole hearing sometime in the nine months before they become eligible for parole. The date is determined by the Bureau of Prisons. Inmates who get parole are given a date of release based on the parole release guidelines. These guidelines have been developed to make release decisions fair for all inmates giving credence to the system used (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). Federal prisoners are entitled to interim hearings every eighteen to twenty-four months. The Parole Commission holds these hearings that are dependent upon the length of the prison term. During these hearings the Parole Commission must decide if there are enough positive or negative factors to legitimize changing the original release date (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). D.C. A review is done before the release date of each inmate. This is done to assess the prisoner's record while incarcerated and they have met conditions of release (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). Inmates are given a decision of their parole hearings by a Notice of Action. Federal inmates can appeal any parole decision if they feel that they have been treated unfairly by the Parole Commission. This appeal will trigger a subsequent review by the National Appeals Board (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). According to the United States Department of Justice, prisoners of the federal system let out on parole or through mandatory release must report to their parole officer upon release. Paroled inmates must follow a set of rules set-up to aid in supervision and keep the public safe. D.C. offenders let go are supervised by the Court Services and Offender Supervision Agency (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). If the parolee commits a new offense and/or violates the terms of their release, then the Parole Commission is contacted. The Parole Commission then puts out a warrant for the parolee's arrest and the parolee is picked up. Finally, a hearing is called to rule on the allegations and if the parolee is found in violation of their terms of parole, they may be returned to prison to serve out the rest of their prison sentence (https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole-works). Why is the parole policy and procedures not alleviating the recidivism rates of offenders? The main problem is that parole makes certain assumptions or predictions when releasing offenders into community corrections. When it comes to parole, the United States Justice system has been trying to predict who will be successful on parole since the 1920's. Experts have tried out many formulas that attempt to predict what individuals will have success on parole. They hope these predicting formulas show who is ready to re-enter our society. These experts have had little success in predicting who is ready for release. The fact is that they are no closer today then they were in the 1920's (Walker, 2015, p.290). According to Samuel Walker, Martinson and McKenzie stated that only particular programs work for certain inmates. Matching these inmates to the program that works best for them is a shot in the dark. Even using risk prediction instruments, like in California, is no more efficient than other programs (Walker, 2015, p.290).Policy Recommendations/Action PlanMy policy recommendations are three-pronged. First, after the offender is released, the government should aid in employment. This would allow the offender to become a productive member of society and they would be able to earn a living. This would save the taxpayers millions by not having to pay for further incarceration. The next prong would be helping with housing for the first six months after release. Although this would cost the taxpayers, it would still be cheaper than housing them in prisons and the cost of all the procedures in the criminal justice system. Finally, therapy specific to an offender's needs would be beneficial for the offender and basically everyone in our society. This would help provide mental tools to aid in rehabilitation. The biggest hurdle to implementing my recommendations would be how do you pay for it? I believe this would also cause political problems. Providing funding for government programs usually does create political push back. I believe policy makers would be on board for employment and therapy. I do not believe they would support the housing.ConclusionDoes the United States parole policy work? When we release offenders on parole, is there a big difference in the recidivism rates versus that of offenders serving out their full term in prison? The answer is sadly no. The problem with all community corrections is that it creates a prediction problem. As we all know, predicting human behavior is at best fifty/fifty. I do believe the policy recommendations I made would help, but it is not one-hundred percent fool proof. It all comes down to free will and free choice.Works CitedUnited States Department of Justice. (2015). How Parole Works. Retrieved from https://www.justice.gov/uspc/how-parole- works.Walker, S. (2015). Sense and nonsense about crime, drugs and communities. Stamford, CT: Cengage Learning.Zoukis, C. (2017, December 6). Report Documents U.S. Recidivism Rates for Federal Prisoners. Huffington Post. Retrieved from https://www.huffingtonpost.com/christopher-zoukis/report-documents-us-recid_b_9542312.html.