The Hunger Games (2012) Essay Example for Free

The Hunger Games (2012) Essay The nation of Panem, formed from a post-apocalyptic North America, is a country that consists of a wealthy Capitol region surrounded by 12 poorer districts. Early in its history, a rebellion led by a 13th district against the Capitol resulted in its destruction and the creation of an annual televised event known as the Hunger Games. In punishment, and as a reminder of the power and grace of the Capitol, each district must yield one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 through a lottery system to participate in the games. The tributes are chosen during the annual Reaping and are forced to fight to the death, leaving only one survivor to claim victory. Katniss Everdeen (Jennifer Lawrence) is a 16 year-old girl from District 12, a coal-mining region and the poorest of the districts. This year is the 74th Hunger Games and during the Reaping, Katniss younger sister, Primrose, is chosen as a tribute. Refusing to let her sister be taken, Katniss volunteers herself instead, becoming District 12s female tribute. The male tribute chosen is a bakers son named Peeta Mellark (Josh Hutcherson) who is later seen giving bread to Katniss to prevent her family from starving. Despite the threat of the games, Katniss dreams of making a new life for herself and her family outside the fence with her friend, Gale Hawthorne (Liam Hemsworth). She tells him that she never wants children. Before she leaves, Katniss comforts her mother (Paula Malcomson) and tells her to stay strong for Primrose. Katniss and Peeta are taken from their district by the gaudily dressed Effie Trinket (Elizabeth Banks) and travel to the Capitol. En route, they are fed rich food and treats but are disgusted by the amount of luxuries given to them and the occupants of the train while their families starve at home. They are introduced to their mentor and a former winner of the Hunger Games, Haymitch Abernathy (Woody Harrelson) who appears to be a pessimistic alcoholic. Haymitch grabs a drink and food before leaving their train car. Katniss and Peeta later reunite with Haymitch in another car and he tells them that the key to survival is ensuring they are well liked by the public so that they may get sponsored. By having sponsors they will have more access to survival tools such as matches, knives, or even water. When they arrive in the gleaming city of the Capitol, the train is greeted by a cheering crowd. Peeta waves to the residents but Katniss refuses to show herself. Haymitch warns her that she better hold on to her knife and that Peeta actually knows what he is doing by feeding the crowd. Katniss meets her stylist, Cinna (Lenny Kravitz), who tells her that, as tributes, they need to make an impression on the audience so theyre remembered, especially by the sponsors. Cinna proclaims that someone as brave as Katniss should have a great costume for the Gala Entry Parade in which each pair of tributes wears an outfit reflecting their districts trade. Katniss and Peeta wear black costumes with actual fire to symbolize the coal-mining district they reside from. As Cinna hoped, they make a great impression on the audience. Peeta takes Katniss hand and raises it into the air during the parade for more effect. After the parade the pair go to their penthouse. The tributes under-go basic weaponry and combat training including the use of knives, swords, and bows. In spite of this training their trainer stresses that survival skills should not be underestimated as exposure and infection can kill just as effectively as any sword. One tribute named Cato (Alexander Ludwig) is hot-headed and imposing, proving to be possibly serious threat. Later, over a meal, Haymitch tells Peeta and Katniss about the Careers district from which Cato comes from. All of the possible tributes train until theyre 18 before openly volunteering to participate in the Hunger Games. Haymitch warns them that they win almost every year due to that fact before asking about Katniss bow and arrow skills. Katniss refocuses on Peeta, describing his impressive strength, but he rebuffs her compliments and confesses that his own mother (Raiko Bowman) thought Katniss to be the superior tribute. When Peeta is bullied by the other tributes during training, Katniss suggests he show off his strength by throwing a large weight across the room. Peeta manages to perform the feat successfully and gains a small amount of respect from the tributes. Later, in succession, each tribute is instructed to show off to the game makers, including Seneca Crane (Wes Bentley). When its Katniss turn, she decides to show off her archery skills. However, she misses her first shot badly and loses what little attention she had from the game makers. Despite her perfect second shot, she doesnt regain their respect. Angered and disgusted by the game makers attitude towards her, Katniss fires an arrow straight through an apple in a roasted pigs mouth, just inside the makers room. Katniss sarcastically thanks them for their consideration and leaves. The game makers display their scores of the tributes on a television screen, ranking from 0 to 12. Many tributes achieve high scores of 9 to 10, including the Careers Cato and his partner Clove (Isabelle Fuhrman). Peeta receives an 8 while Katniss scores an 11, the highest of all the tributes. The President of the Capitol, Snow (Donald Sutherland) addresses Seneca and tells him that the Hunger Games is about giving the districts hope, but that too much hope can actually be dangerous. During another meal, Haymitch tells Katniss about Peetas decision to go without his help because of the fact that there can only be one winner. On the extravagant Hunger Games TV chat show, each tribute is introduced individually and interviewed by the flamboyant host, Caesar Flickerman (Stanley Tucci). Katniss elicits laughs from the audience during the interview and impresses them by showing off her dress which displays real fire. Ceasar gives her the nickname girl on fire. During his interview, Peeta eats the audience up, garnering some laughs himself. It is then that he announces his crush on Katniss, something which angers her intensely. Backstage Katniss pins Peeta to the wall, demanding answers for his behavior. Haymitch separates the two and explains that he could sell the pair as star-crossed lovers which might gain them sponsorship support during the games. Just before the games, Haymitch warns Katniss to avoid the bloodbath at the beginning by heading to the high ground in search of water despite having to leave her bow and arrow behind. Katniss says goodbye to Cinna who tells her if he was allowed to bet, he would bet on her winning. The tributes are all injected with a tracking device in their arms as they travel via helicopter to the outdoor arena. The tributes are deposited into a meadow containing a cornucopia of weapons and backpacks. As the horn sounds, the tributes rush for the weapons, brutally attacking and killing each other. Katniss manages to grab a pack and barely escapes Clove, who embeds a knife in her backpack. Once at a safe distance, Katniss finds a rope, an empty canteen, and a coat inside the backpack. She takes Haymitchs advice and locates water in a nearby stream before she ties herself high up in a tree for the night and attempts to get some sleep. Loud bangs from a cannon indicate the deaths of tributes and we learn that thirteen were killed within the first 8 hours. Caesar announces that an alliance has been formed during the games and Katniss sees that Peeta has formed this alliance with the Careers during the night. He appears to be trying to lead them to Katniss location. While exploring the next day, Katniss gets too close to the outer regions of the arena. The game controllers decide to start a forest fire to lure her further in to the center. She barely manages to escape but does receive a nasty burn on her thigh, causing her to limp. She is then spotted by Cato and 4 other tributes, including Clove and Glimmer (Leven Rambin) who have banded together. We learn that, apparently, the Careers come, collectively, from Districts 1, 2, and 4 who are trained illegally before volunteering to fight; this group of 4 from two districts chases Katniss who eventually escapes by climbing a tree. Cato attempts to follow her up but is unsuccessful. Peeta suggests that the group wait for Katniss to eventually come down for food and water. The group settles for the night beneath the tree and Katniss ties herself to the tree to sleep. She is woken later that night by a parachute containing much needed medicine for her leg wound, sent by Haymitch. She applies the medicine to her burns and they disappear as if nothing happened. Her attention is then caught by a young 12 year old girl named Rue (Amandla Stenberg) from District 11. Rue, however, is friendly to Katniss and points out a large trackerjacker nest just above Katniss and dangling over the Career group below. We learn that trackerjackers are genetically engineering wasps whose stings are highly venomous and can cause powerful hallucinations. With enough stings, they can even kill. Katniss climbs up the tree towards the nest and begins sawing at the branch holding it up. The trackerjackers become irritated and start stinging her but, eventually, the branch snaps and the nest falls to the ground, exploding in a wave of wasps. The Careers group flees but Glimmer is s tung too many times and succumbs to the venom. Katniss manages to climb down the tree and, despite beginning to hallucinate, grabs a bow and escapes with Peetas help. After a night of hallucinations and nightmares, some involving her father (Phillip Troy Linger), Katniss awakens beneath a tree trunk covered in stings. Unclear as to who exactly helped her, Katniss stumbles around, thinking it must have been Peeta. Rue appears and tells her that she was out cold for 2 days and that shes been the one taking care of her. The two girls decide to team up and go on the offensive. They form a plan to destroy a mountain of food and supplies located in the starting meadow that the Career group is guarding; Rue is to start off small fires to distract the remaining Careers while Katniss detonates the booby-trapped mines around the mound. They agree to use the sounds of mockingjays to signal to each other. The plan works. The Careers become distracted by the smoke of the fires while one tribute, a boy from District 3 (Ian Nelson), remains at the cornucopia, standing guard. Katniss then notices a female tribute unseen by the others. Foxface (Jacqueline Emerson) from District 5 sprints towards the pyramid of food and supplies, unnoticed by the guard, picking her way through the unexploded mines and steals a backpack before making it to the forest, showcasing her cunning. Katniss then shoots at a bag of apples on top of the pile which causes them to cascade down and detonate the mines. The pyramid explodes, sending food and supplies everywhere. Katniss watches, triumphant, as the Career group rushes back to the clearing. Infuriated, Cato demands to know how such a thing could have happened if the guard was doing his job. The tribute from District 3 is equally confused but Catos anger makes him murderous and he snaps the boys neck. Katniss leaves, disturbed by Catos ease to kill. Katniss uses the bird call system to find Rue but receives no response until she hears a scared voice calling to her. Katniss finds Rue trapped under a net and releases her just before theyre attacked by Marvel (Jack Quaid), a tribute from District 1. Marvel throws a spear but Katniss dodges the attack and shoots an arrow into his chest, killing him. However, when she turns to Rue, she sees that Marvels spear has gone through her chest. Distraught, Katniss tries to calm Rue and sings to her peacefully as Rue dies. Katniss then gathers flowers from the forest and spreads them over Rue before her body taken back to her district via hovercraft. Meanwhile, Rues father is horrified and angered by his daughters death and starts a riot against the Hunger Games. His district follows his rebellious example and they destroy the stage showing the games. As Katniss makes a peace gesture to the camera, the Peace Keepers of District 11 arrive and shoot Rues father dead. President snow is enraged by the rebellion in District 11 and wants to change the games rules and circumstances to ensure that Katniss is killed. Haymitch pleads with Seneca to keep Katniss alive, issuing a ploy of teen romance as a main reason. Seneca then announces that the rules of the game have been changed; two winners instead of just one will be allotted so long as they belong to the same district. With this knowledge, and having just overheard the remaining Careers mention leaving Peeta for dead by the river, Katniss sets out in search of him. She finds a trail of blood near the river and follows it to where Peeta has camouflaged himself in the rocks. Katniss helps move him to a nearby cave where they are well hidden. Katniss attempts to heal Peetas sword wound but realizes he has blood poisoning, something that can only be cured with a special medicine. Katniss despairs as there could be no way Haymitch could send some since it would be too expensive at this point. However, as if by magic, an announcement rings out that there will be a feast at the cornucopia for all the tributes but, instead of food, there will be something each tribute desperately needs. Peeta begs Katniss not to leave him and risk her life trying to save him. He asks her to stay and Katniss reluctantly agrees, though she knows there may very well be medicine at the cornucopia that could save his life. The two share a brief kiss, partly as a way to gain more sponsors. However, this hits a nerve with Gale watching back home who is clearly smitten with Katniss. Katniss waits until Peeta has fallen asleep before leaving for the cornucopia. When she arrives, she sees Foxface sprinting towards the supplies, surprising the other tributes with her speed and escaping without much incident. Katniss decides to mimic Foxfaces moves and sprints out to grab the medicine but is thrown off guard when she is hit with a knife launched by Clove. The two wrestle and fight before Clove manages to get the upper hand and presses a knife to Katniss throat. She teases her with bloodlust and mocks her for teaming up with the little monster from District 11; Rue. Before Clove can slit Katniss throat, she is lifted by Thresh (Dayo Okeniyi), the male tribute from District 11, and thrown against the cornucopia wall. Thresh tells Katniss that she gets this one chance since she helped Rue but, after this, everything is fair game. He proceeds to smash Clove to death against the wall as Katniss escapes. She returns to the cave with the medicine and administers it to Peeta and herself, healing their wounds. In a more genuine romantic moment, the two fall asleep in each others arms. The next day, they split up to find food. During her hunt, Katniss hears a cannon signaling another tribute death. Panicked, she runs back to where she last saw Peeta. She finds him near a berry bush, standing bewildered with a handful of berries near the corpse of Foxface, also with berries in her hand. In a mix of anger and relief, Katniss slaps Peeta, telling him that the berries are Nightlock and extremely poisonous. The pair wonder if Cato would ever fall for the same trap that Foxface did before they notice that the sun is going down at mid-day. Unsure of whats to happen, they freeze and ready themselves for an impending attack. In the distance, they hear Thresh cry out followed by the sound of the cannon, signaling his death. They pause for a moment before a giant mutated dog leaps out at them, vicious and the size of a polar bear but with much more speed and agility. Katniss and Peeta sprint through the forest as two more of the dogs begin to pursue them. They are chased to the cornucopia where Peeta helps Katniss climb on top of it, barely making it up himself. They sit back in relief thinking the dogs will kill the last survivor, Cato, and they will be crowned the victors. Cato, however, is also on top of the cornucopia and attacks Katniss, attempting to throw her to the dogs. The three fight each other and Cato grabs Katniss by the throat, holding her near the edge of the structure before Peeta manages to fight him off her. Cato gets the upper hand and gets Peeta in a choke hold to either break his neck, as seen before, or throw him to the mutant dogs. Katniss unsheathes an arrow and points it at him, uncertain whether to shoot or not. Cato, dripping blood, laughs sadistically telling her that he knows what the games are about now. The tributes arent just entertainment, theyre all weapons designed to make the spectacle of death as painful and unnecessary as possible. Peeta, who is still being choked, appears to try and tell Katniss something while Cato talks. Cato asks if she shoots him, then her lover boy goes down with him. Katniss shoots his hand, forcing him to let go of Peeta. Peeta then pushes Cato off the edge to be mauled by the dogs. Katniss and Peeta watch a moment as Cato is savagely attacked before Katniss shoots an arrow into him, ending his misery. The last cannon goes off and Katniss and Peeta realize theyve won the Hunger Games. They embrace and wait for a helicopter to come take them home. No helicopter comes. An announcement then states that the rules which allow two winners has been revoked, meaning only one shall remain. Katniss contemplates shooting Peeta, but decides against it. Peeta, however, begs her to kill him so that she may win, but she takes out her hand and holds out some Nightlock berries. She takes some for herself and gives the rest to Peeta, hinting that shed rather the Capitol have no winners instead of one. Before they can commit suicide, a speaker pleads them to stop and announces that they are both winners. They are brought back to the Capitol where Haymitch tells them how foolish they are to have defied the Capitol like that and instructs them to play up the star-crossed couple routine at their final interview. They oblige but Haymitch relents that it will never be enough for the Capitol. We see Seneca Crane being led into a finely polished room. The door is locked behind him while a goblet is set on a pedestal in front of him, containing Nightlock. Although we do not see it, we are led to believe that he sacrifices himself. Peeta and Katniss travel back to District 12 by train. Although they are met with a heros welcome, Haymitch warns Katniss that she is now a political enemy after such a public defiance against the societys leaders. They are greeted by a crowd of cheering residents including Primrose, Katniss mother and Gale. Peeta realizes that Katniss may have been playing up the star-crossed lovers theme just for the audience. He takes her hand and holds it up in the air. President Snow watches the District 12 welcome from the Capitol. Walking away, he wonders what to do about the two victors and the feelings of rebellion they may have created in the Districts. Bottom of Form In the future, the world is split into districts. Each district is responsible for something: District 12, for example, handles coal and mining. All these districts are controlled by the Capitol, where lives the president who is always very, very cruel. The Capitol, to show the Districts how weak they are and how little control they have, hosts the Hunger Games. Two tributes are selected from each district to participate in a game. An arena is set up that looks like a natural surrounding {a jungle, rain forest, desert, etc..) Here, the tributes have to try to survive and kill each other off. The one who is the last standing wins and earns food and gifts for their District, and also can never be selected for the Games. Once chosen, you cant get out of it unless someone else offers to go for you, which no one is entirely willing to do. To get chosen, your name is written on a piece of paper and put into a small bowl, and is chosen at random. Only children are put once {I believe youre safe at the age of 18}, but poorer families are forced to add their childrens name multiple times because the more you put your name in, the more grain you get for your family. Of course, this means youre even more prone to be selected. Hunger Games is about Katniss Everdeen, a young girl who lives in District 12. Her father died at a young age, and from then on she had to take care of her younger sister Prim and her shocked mother. She snuck out under the electric fence that borders the District, and hunted for food using her bow and arrow. At the Reaping, which is the time of day where they select the tributes, Katnisss sister is chosen to be in the Games. Knowing that Prim knows nothing of survival, and Katniss is more skilled in hunting, Katniss offers to take her place. The rest of the book is about Katniss preparing for the Hunger Games and the Hunger Games itself.

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Effectiveness

Evaluation of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Effectiveness Introduction The following discussion will critically evaluate the research evidence which is available regarding the efficacy and effectiveness of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). It will particularly focus upon its application to the treatment of Schizophrenia Initially, a brief explanation of what is meant by CBT will be given along with an outline of the model which underpins it. A consideration of the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia will then be made. A series of 25 studies which have been conducted to investigate the efficacy and effectiveness of the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia have been critically analysed. The results of this analysis will be presented with reference to the following key factors: the determinant and measurement of quality of life, social functioning and occupational status, hospital readmission/relapse, compliance with pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, dropping out and compliance to CBT, general impression of clinical/ professionals and others, unexpected and unwanted effects, economic outcomes and the management of change. 2.0 Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT) It has been said that the thoughts people have of a situation, and the way IN WHICH they interpret and understand it, are largely influenced by their beliefs about themselves and the world (Nelson 1997). Such a view is congruent with the underlying principles of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT). The 1980s saw pioneering work being conducted by Aaron Beck using Cognitive Therapy (Beck Rector 2000). This was later merged with the principles of Behavioural Therapy to produce what was entitled CBT. The Cognitive-Behavioural approach is fundamentally based on the three factors: Cognition, Behaviour and Emotion which are displayed in Figure 1 overleaf: In other words, this concept suggests that the way in which an individual thinks about and interprets a situation will directly influence their behaviour within the situation. This in turn will impact upon how they feel after performing the behaviour (Kinderman Cooke 2000) Thus on a very basic level, a person’s views regarding smoking will influence whether or not they are a smoker and how they feel about it. These principles provide the foundation upon which the rationale for treating an individual is built. If one wishes to change the way in which an individual is feeling, one must address the associated behaviours and underlying thoughts. CBT could therefore be used to help a person to stop smoking. An attempt would be made to change the way in which the person thought about smoking which would then, in theory, influence their behaviour in terms of whether or not they smoked and how they felt as a consequence. The same principles and procedure could be used to treat other addictions and phobias whilst also being applicable to depression and anxiety related problems. In order for this process to be most effective, CBT relies heavily on a trusting and collaborative relationship being formed between the therapist and the patient. An alliance is formed through which positive changes can be facilitated. The Therapist and the patient work together in order that any problems are identified and that an appropriate treatment programme is worked out (Beck 1995). It is important therefore that the patient is committed and willing to take part in the treatment so that the probability that the treatment is effective can be maximised. 2.1 The development of CBT CBT was originally developed and applied to the treatment of neurosis (Haddock et al 1998). It was mainly used for the treatment of people suffering from depression and anxiety. More recently, CBT has started to be applied to a wide range of other problems such as phobias and addictions. The success of such applications has led its supporters to advocate the use of CBT to the treatment of psychosis (Thornicroft Susser 2001). This incorporates illnesses such as Paranoid Schizophrenia and Bipolar Disorder. Morrison (2002) provides a wide variety of case studies in which CBT was used as a treatment method. 3.0 Research Evidence Any decision regarding the use of a given treatment must be based upon the scientific documentation which has assessed the treatment’s effectiveness and efficacy (Carpenter 2001). Thus one needs to consider the empirical research which has assessed the psychological management of psychotic symptoms. This research will now be discussed with reference to acute psychotic symptoms, long term psychotic symptoms and research which has been conducted in a clinical setting. The research which has been conducted to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia will now be critically analysed with reference to the nine different evaluation areas. 3.1 Determinant and Measurement of Quality of Life The first key issue in the debate surrounding the use of CBT in the treatment of Schizophrenia concerns how a person’s quality of life is determined and how it can best be measured. Clearly one of the central aims of medicine in general, and in mental health care in particular, is to improve the quality of life of the patient. A number of studies have attempted to investigate the quality of life of Schizophrenic patients after undergoing CBT. One of the larger studies was conducted by Lewis et al (2002) and involved a sample of 315 Schizophrenic patients being given CBT along side routine care and supportive counselling. It was reported that a significantly faster clinical improvement was made by those within the CBT condition relative to a control group. Lewis et al (2002) concluded that CBT enabled Schizophrenic patients to reach remission more quickly and that this was associated with an increase in their quality of life. This approach suggests that quality of life, therefo re, is determined by a removal of the symptoms associated with the illness. However, the conclusions made by the research have been questioned as significant improvements were made by the CBT group only in terms of a reduction in auditory hallucinations and not in terms of delusions, positive symptoms and the total Symptom Scores. Other relevant research was conducted by Jenner et al (1998) regarding the measurement of quality of life. CBT and coping skills training was given to 40 patients experiencing therapy-refractory auditory hallucinations. Significant improvements were found regarding overall symptomotology and in daily quality of life. This improvement in quality of life was said to be determined by improvements in daily functioning and social interactions. Auditory hallucinations were found to be eradicated for 20% of patients. Therefore, research in this field has suggested that CBT can improve the quality of life of Schizophrenic patients. This is determined by factors such as remission from symptoms and improvements in both daily functioning and social interactions. However, the measurement of ‘quality of life’ is a difficult concept as it is difficult to obtain relevant objective data. One must rely more on the subjective ratings of the patients, their family and the clinician involve d. Such measures need to be standardised such that the determinants and measurement of quality of life can be assessed and made based on sound empirical research evidence. 3.2 Social Functioning and Occupational Status An improvement in a patient’s quality of life is inevitably going to be linked with their social functioning and their ability to find employment. A study which focused on social functioning was conducted by Wiersma et al (2001). A sample of 40 patients received CBT and coping skills training over a period of 4 years. The therapy focussed upon addressing auditory hallucinations and on improving social functioning. The results found that there was a significant reduction in the frequency of hallucinations and their burden on the patient. It was also reported that 18% of the patients experienced a complete disappearance of their auditory hallucinations. Sixty per cent showed significant improvements in terms of anxiety, loss of control and disturbance of thought. Finally, 67% of those involved with the study showed significant improvements regarding social functioning. Having said this, there are a number of important limitations within the methodology used within this study whi ch ensure that it is difficult to confidently accept any findings. No control condition was evident, the assessors were not independent and the baseline measures used were made retrospectively. Furthermore, it was also reported that booster sessions were required to strengthened the skills and to enhance them in specific social situations. These limitations ensure that one needs to consider other research in this area in order to accurately assess the efficacy and effectiveness of using CBT for the treatment of psychosis. Barrowclough et al (2001) conducted a study which involved integrating the use of routine care with motivational interviewing, CBT and Family Therapy. Subsequent analysis revealed that this approach had facilitated significant improvements in the patients’ general functioning and abstinence from alcohol and/or substance abuse. Barrowclough et al (2001) suggest that the co-morbidity of symptoms alongside those involved with Schizophrenia can ensure that the patient finds it very difficult to find appropriate work. Thus this integrated treatment approach has been shown to increase social functioning and this could be theorised to then improve the patients’ chances of enhancing their occupational status. Such an assertion requires further empirical investigations such that the strength of this association can be determined. 3.3 Hospital Readmission and Relapse Research has been conducted which has assessed the effectiveness of using CBT for treating people who had been experiencing persistent psychotic symptoms for at least six months (Tarrier et al 1998). Participants either received CBT or supportive counselling for 20 hours over a 10 week period. The supportive counselling focussed on unconditional positive regard and developing rapport. One benefit of this research was that the assessors were both blind and independent. Those within the CBT group were found to be more likely to experience a 50% reduction in symptomotology and to spend fewer days in hospital. This study was subsequently criticised as significant differences were not found between the outcomes of those within the CBT and supportive counselling groups. However, it does provide some evidence that CBT can reduce the number of days that a Schizophrenic patient spends in hospital. This finding was supported by the results of the Bechdolf et al (2001) study which compared the benefits of CBT and Psycho-Education in the treatment of Schizophrenia. The results from the 88 participants found that those within the CBT group were significantly less likely to be re-hospitalised. In terms of relapse rates, an important study was reported by Gumley (2003). A group was identified as being at high risk from relapse. They were targeted such that their fear of relapse could be reduced, their management of the risk of relapse could be educated regarding the key warning signs and provided with booster sessions to further help prevent relapse. The targeting took place at the initial stage of the recovery process. At the 12 month follow up period, 15.3% of those within the experimental group were found to have relapsed compared to 26.4% of those who were ‘treated as usual’ Thus it was possible to significantly reduce the relapse rates of the Schizophrenic patients. Again this result was supported by the Bechdolf et al () study which reported lower relapse rates for patients given CBT relative to those who were treated as usual. In contrast, Tarrier et al (2004) found that there were no significant benefits in terms of relapse rates when CBT was given to p eople after their first psychotic episode compared to those being treated as usual. Therefore CBT does appear to help to reduce the relapse rates of those suffering with Schizophrenia but such benefits may not be significant for all forms of the illness. 3.4 Compliance With Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Treatments A key element of most medical treatments is that the patient is compliant where necessary. Clearly if they are not compliant then this has the potential to reduce the effects of the treatment. The problem of non-compliance in the treatment of psychotic symptoms has been identified within previous research. For example, Perkins and Repper (1999) suggested that non-compliance is an issue with approximately 43% of admissions to psychiatric units. One study which has investigated Schizophrenic patients and their compliance with CBT was reported by Bechdolf et al (). They compared CBT with the use of Psycho-education and found that the compliance levels were significantly higher for the CBT group. This is an encouraging finding in the light of the importance which can be placed on the patient’s compliance with treatment in terms of its effect on the overall success of CBT as a treatment option. 3.5 Dropping Out and Compliance to CBT The issue of compliance and the possibility of patients dropping out of treatment is a significant one. This is particularly the case with CBT is it relies upon a trusting relationship being formed between the therapist and the patient (Beck 1995). If the patient is not willing to be part of such a relationship then this will likely result in CBT being a less effective option than it otherwise could be. The study conducted by Jenner et al (1998) investigated this and found that 9% of their participants dropped out of the treatment programme. Although this is a relatively small number, it still represents a significant issue and one which merits consideration by both researchers and mental health professionals. 3.6 General Impression of Clinical/Professionals and Others It is important that a 360 degree perspective of the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia is gained so that a comprehensive picture of how its use is perceived can be obtained. This approach will need to take account of the views of the mental health professionals involved, the family of the patient and the patient themselves. With regards to the clinicians, the significant research findings have led many to advocate the use of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenia (Thornicroft and Susser 2001). Therefore it would appear that it is an approach which is supported by the clinicians and professionals involved. Other quantitative research conducted by Jenner et al (1998) has found that 78% of the family of patients and the patients themselves were satisfied with their experience of CBT for treating Schizophrenia. Further research has focused on the patient in particular. For example, Messari and Hallam (2003) conducted in-depth qualitative interviews with four in-patients and o ne out-patient, all of which were suffering with Schizophrenia. The patients reported that they were in favour of the educational aspect of the CBT approach. They also noted that although the therapist was trying to change their beliefs, this was because the beliefs were false and not because it was a form of coercion One participant was against the use of CBT treatment. They indicated that it was unhelpful and that they were merely passively complying to the treatment as part of the powerful medical profession. Therefore, CBT appears to be a popular treatment for Schizophrenia amongst clinicians/professionals, the families of patients and the patients themselves. However, question marks do remain over patient opinions as not all of those involved in the Messari and Hallam research reported positive opinions. Further investigations of patient views need to be conducted with larger samples in order that a more confident conclusion can be drawn regarding patient views of the use of CB T for Schizophrenia. 3.7 Unexpected or Unwanted Effects As within the evaluation of any treatment programme, one must consider the negative as well as the positive aspects and effects. Some studies within this field have demonstrated that there is no significant benefit of using CBT compared to when the patients are treated as usual. This was the case with the research reported by Haddock et al (1999). Although this was a project which used a relatively small sample, it does indicate that CBT may not be appropriate in all circumstances in the treatment of Schizophrenia. Further investigations are required in order that the most appropriate application of CBT in this field can be determined. Rather than showing negative effects, other research has served to demonstrate that CBT did not have the positive effects which were expected. For example, Lewis et al (2002) found that CBT did not lead to the expected improvement in delusions, positive symptoms or Total Symptom Scores. Such drawbacks are highlighted by Turkington and McKenna (2003) wh o argue that inappropriate conclusions have been drawn based on the research evidence in this field. The results of some of the more prominent studies in this research field are summarised in Table 1 overleaf. Table 1 Effect sizes for improvement with cognitive–behavioural therapy (CBT) in studies using blind evaluation and a control intervention Turkington and McKenna (2004) suggest that if a drug had been tested and found to have the results displayed in Table 1 then it would have been consigned to history. As the clear benefits of CBT for the treatment of Schizophrenic patients are not yet fully understood, unexpected research findings will continue to be reported. Thus, research in this field has not always revealed the findings which were anticipated by the researchers. 3.8 Economic Outcome When one is evaluating any treatment, the economics of its application must be taken into consideration. Even if a treatment is shown to be very effective, its use may not prove to be economically viable. With health care units working within strict budgets, any proposed treatments need to fit within the economic constraints which are placed upon those selecting the treatments to be used. CBT can be a costly approach. Within the Drury et al (2000) study patients were given eight sessions of CBT a week over a six month period. Although this was possible within the experimental setting, the extent to which such an intense treatment programme would be economically viable within clinical environments would be questionable. However, Bechdolf et al () does argue that the use of CBT can lead to cost savings through a reduction in the number of hospital days which are required and the probability that a patient will experience a relapse. It is unclear whether or not such cost savings exceed those involved in the cost of implementing CBT as a treatment option. 3.9 Management of Change A significant amount of research has been conducted regarding the management of the change of Schizophrenic symptoms via the use of CBT. A number of benefits have been highlighted by this research (Turkington and Kingdon 2000, Rector et al 2003). Recent research has indicated that different forms of CBT can be effective such as individual and group CBT (Warman 2005) and Functional CBT (Cater 2005). These benefits have been demonstrated with regards to acute, chronic and more specific psychotic symptoms. The management of each of these three areas will now be briefly considered. The management of acute psychotic symptoms has been achieved with CBT within research. Tarrier et al (2004) found that CBT speeded up the recovery of those who had experienced their first psychotic episode. Furthermore, Startup et al (2004) found that CBT could be used to manage Acute Schizophrenia Spectrum Disorder. The management of these acute and initial psychotic episodes has been highlighted as very important in determining the long term course of the patient’s recovery (Birchwood and Tarrier 1992). CBT has also been used in the management of more persistent psychotic symptoms (Temple and Ho 2005). Kuipers et al (1998) found that CBT could be used to significantly reduced the frequency of more persistent symptoms and delusional distress. These benefits were still found to be significant at the nine month follow-up stage. A major study in this area was conducted by Sensky et al (2000) involving participants in the post-acute stage of psychosis. Improvements were found in both negative and positive symptoms and these improvements remained at the 18 month follow-up period. This study used a relatively robust methodology which overcame many of the limitations associated with previous research. The use of blind assessors and a low intensity of treatments means that the data is more likely to be reliable and that it is likely that the findings would generalise to a clinical setting. Some research has been conducted to assess the use of CBT in the management of psychotic symptoms within a clinical setting. The Tayside-Fife clinical trial found that CBT was related to significantly more clinical improvement relative to participants who had been given supportive counselling or who had been treated as usual. Furthermore, patients given CBT were found to be more satisfied with their treatment compared to those in the other groups. Morrison (2002) also provided evidence to suggest that the benefits of CBT can be translated to a community setting. This effect was found to still be significant at a 12 month follow-up. Finally, research has also shown that CBT can be used to target specific symptoms which are associated with Schizophrenia. For example, Trower et al (2004) found that CBT can help manage ‘commanding’ hallucinations in which the patient is being instructed to perform certain behaviours by voices in their head. Halperin et al (2000) also provided evidence which suggested that CBT can be used to treat the social anxiety which can be associated with Schizophrenia. 4.0 CONCLUSIONS Throughout history a wide range of different approaches have been taken to the treatment of Schizophrenia. Medication, Electro-Convulsive Therapy and Family-Focused Therapy have all been applied to the treatment of Schizophrenia. In more recent times, researchers and therapists have been seen to advocate the use of Cognitive Behavioural Therapy as a feasible and effective treatment method. This discussion has considered the CBT approach and the theoretical model which underpins it. The development of CBT has been addressed and the research evidence which has been provided to evaluate the use of CBT in the treatment of Schizophrenia has been critically analysed. This analysis particularly focused on a set of 25 research studies and was conducted with reference to the following nine key areas: Determinants and measurement of quality of life, social functioning and occupational status, hospitalisation and relapse, compliance with pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments, drop out and compliance with CBT, general impressions of CBT, unexpected and unwanted effects, the economic outcomes of CBT and its use in the management of change. Discussions within each of these areas has demonstrated that CBT appears to have the potential to be an effective and feasible approach for the treatment of Schizophrenia. However, further research is required to help clarify the benefits of CBT and to identify the circumstances in which it is most effective and the factors which have a significant impact on this effectiveness. CBT could be used throughout the treatment programme from those who are at high risk of experiencing psychotic episodes (Morrison et al 2004) through to the treatment of Schizophrenia patients and then to help minimise the probability that they will relapse and require further time in hospital. The research evidence suggests that CBT can be effective for acute and chronic psychotic symptoms. There is also some research evidence that these benefits can be successfully transferred to clinical and community settings. CBT certainly has a role to play within the multi-disciplinary approach which is now taken to the treatment of mental illness. As part of this comprehensive treatment package the potential benefits of CBT can be realised and steps can be taken to help prevent any possible drawbacks. This will help to ensure that a Schizophrenic patient will receive a feasible, comprehensive and effective treatment package which will effectively address all of their psychotic symptoms and ultimately facilitate an improvement in their mental health. REFERENCES Barrowclough,, C., Haddock, G., Tarrier, N., Lewis, S. W., Moring, J., Schofield, N. and McGoven, J. (2001). Randomized Control Trial of Motivational Interviewing, Cognitive Behaviour Therapy, and Family Intervention for Patients with Co morbid Schizophrenia and substance Use disorders. American Journal Psychiatry. 158, 1706-1713. Bechdolf, A., Knost, B., Kuntermann, C., Schiller, S., Klosterkotter, J.(, Hambrecht, M. and Pukrop, R. 2004). A randomised comparison of group cognitive-behavioural therapy and group psycho education in patients with schizophrenia. Acta Psychiatric Scand. 110, 21-28. Beck, J. S. (1995) Cognitive Therapy: Basics and Beyond. Guildford: New York University Press Beck, A.T., Rector, N.A. (2000) Cognitive therapy of schizophrenia. American Journal of Psychotherapy, 54(3): 291-300. Birchwood, M Tarrier, N (1992) Innovations in the Psychological Management of Schizophrenia, John Wiley Sons Ltd, UK Carpenter, W.T. (2001). Evidence based treatments for first-episode schizophrenia? American Journal of Psychiatry 158(11): 1771-1773. Cater, D. (2005). A pilot study of functional Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (fCBT) for schizophrenia. Schizophrenia Research. 74, 201-209. Drury, V., Birchwood, M. and Cochrane, R. (2000). Cognitive therapy and recovery from acute psychosis: a controlled trial. 3. Five-year follow-up. British journal of psychiatry. 177, 8-14. Gumley, M. (2003). Early intervention for relapse in schizophrenia: results of a12-month randomised controlled trial of cognitive behavioural therapy. Psychological Medicine. 33, 419-431. Haddock, G., Tarrier, N., Spaulding, W., Yusupoff, L., Kinney, C. McCarthy, E. (1998) Individual cognitive-behaviour therapy in the treatment of hallucinations and delusions: A review. Clinical Psychology Review, 18(7): 821-838. Haddock, G., Tarrier, N., Morrison, A.P., Hopkins, R., Drake,R. Lewis, S. (1999). A pilot study evaluating the effectiveness of individual inpatient cognitive-behavioural therapy in early psychosis. Society for Psychiatric Epidemiology. 34, 254-258. Halperin, S., Nathan, P., Drummond, P. Castle, D. (2000). A cognitive –behavioural, group-based intervention for social anxiety in schizophrenia. Australia and New Zealand Journal of Psychiatry. 34, 809-813. Jenner, G., Willige, Van de. Wiersma, D. (1998). Effectiveness of cognitive therapy with coping training for persistent auditory hallucinations: a retrospective study of attenders of a psychiatric out-patient department. Acta Psychiatry Scand 98, 384-389. Kinderman, P Cooke, A (2000) Understanding Mental illness, Recent advances in understanding mental illness and psychotic experiences, The British Psychological Society, UK Kuipers, E. (1998). London-East Anglia randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behaviour therapy for psychosis. II: Follow-up and economic evaluation at 18 months. British journal of psychiatry. 173,61-68 Lewis, S., Tarrier, N. and Haddock, G. (2002). Randomised controlled trial cognitive-behavioural therapy in early schizophrenia: acute-phase outcomes. British Journal of Psychiatry. 181 (suppl,43), s91-s97. Messari, S Hallam, R. (2003). CBT for psychosis: A qualitative analysis of clients’ experiences. British Journal of Clinical Psychology. 42, 171-188. Morrison, A. P., Renton, J. C., Williams, S., Dunn, H., Knight, A., Krentz, M., Nothard, S., Patel, D. and Dunn, G. (2004). Delivering cognitive therapy to people with psychosis in a community mental health setting: an effectiveness study. Acta Psychiatric Scand. 110, 36-44. Morrison, A. P., Bentall, R. P., French, P. and Lewis, S. W. (2002). Randomised control trial of early detection and cognitive therapy for preventing transition to psychosis in high-risk individuals. British journal of psychiatry. 181, s78-s84. Morrison, A. P. (2002) A Casebook of Cognitive Therapy for Psychosis. Hove: Brunner Routledge Nelson H (1997) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy with Schizophrenia, Stanely Thornes, UK Perkins, R.E. Repper, J.M. (1999) Compliance or informed choice. Journal of Mental Health, 8(2): 117-129. Rector, N. A., Seeman, M. V. Segal Z. V. (2003). Cognitive therapy for schizophrenia: a preliminary randomised controlled trial. Schizophrenia Research. 63,1-11. Robert, R., Durham, R. C., Guthrie, M., Morton, V., Reid, D. A. and Treliving, L. R. (2002). Tayside-Fife clinical trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy for medication-resistant psychotic symptoms. British journal of psychiatry. 182, 303-311. Sensky, T., Turkington, D., Kingdon, D., Scott, J. L., Scott, J., Siddle, R., OCarroll, M. Barnes, T. (2000) A randomised controlled trial of cognitive-behavioural therapy for persistent symptoms in schizophrenia resistant to medication. Archives of General Psychiatry, 57: 165-172. Startup M., Jackson M. C. Bendix S. (2004). North Wales randomised controlled trial of cognitive behaviour therapy for acute schizophrenia spectrum disorders: outcome at 6 and 12 months. Psychological Medicine. 34, 413-422. Tarrier, N. Bentall, R., Drake, R. Kindermann,

Gender and Sexuality in The Piano Essay -- Piano Essays

Gender and Sexuality in The Piano "THERE IS A SILENCE WHERE HATH BEEN NO SOUND THERE IS A SILENCE WHERE NO SOUND MAY BE IN THE COLD GRAVE, UNDER THE DEEP DEEP SEA." With these words, The Piano ends and leaves me in a state of confusion about what point the film was trying to express. The film by Jane Campion has been compared to the likes of Wuthering Heights and has been highly lauded for championing freedom of women’s sexuality and identity. Many critics, though, have debated on the final meanings of the film. This is possible because the film has such complicated characters, such as the main character Ada, who have intricate reasons for carrying out their actions. Campion created a film with a complex storyline that has no clear, easily extracted meaning. I believe that most critics have missed the film’s point when they try to argue what Ada’s expression of her gender and sexuality means. I would like to argue that while Ada does find a solution to the question of her identity and sexuality, this solution is not the feminist ideal of overcoming the status of Other and becoming a fully liberated woman that some reviewers claim it is. Nor is her solution an acceptance of the gender ideology prescribed by patriarchal society. Instead, Ada assumes a complex identity that falls somewhere in between these two extremes. The Piano demonstrates that although gender identity theories are complex themselves and help provide understanding, they fail to accurately and completely describe a particular person’s gender identity and sexuality because these can be combinations of many, perhaps even contradictory, factors. So, the movie’s representation of gender and sexuality is more Foucauldian, though some characters may still see thems... ...Winter 1998): 227-244.    Foucault, Michel. The History of Sexuality. New York: Vintage Books, 1990.    Gillett, Sue. "Lips and fingers: Jane Campion’s The Piano." Screen 36 (Autumn 1995):277-287.    Hardy, Ann. "The Last Patriarch." Jane Campion’s The Piano. Ed. Harriet Margolis. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000. 59-85.    Hoeveler, Diane Long. "Silence, Sex, and Feminism: An Examination of The Piano’s    Unacknowledged Sources." Literature Film Quarterly, 1998, Vol. 26 Issue 2, 109 116. Academic Search Elite. EBSCO Publishing. March 23, 2001 http://ehostvgw16.epnet.com    Margolis, Harriet, ed. Jane Campion’s The Piano. Cambridge: Cambridge UP, 2000.    Sawicki, Jana. "Feminism, Foucault, and ‘Subjects’ of Power and Freedom." Feminist Interpretations of Michel Foucault. Ed. Susan J. Hekman. University Park, Pennsylvania: Pennsylvania State UP, 1996. 159-178.

Creative Story: Deadlock :: essays research papers

Creative Story: Deadlock "Bzzz! Bzzz!" The alarm went off, and Susan Calvin rolled over. It was 6:30 in the morning, and RoboTimerâ„ ¢ had done its job admirably, waking her up to the second of the time that it had been factory-programmed. Unfortunately, it hadn't been set to the correct date, and when it announced "Saturday, December 14th! Good morning!" in a load cheery tone, she groaned out load with the realization that it was Saturday, and after that affair with the hyperdrive motor, she wanted to sleep in, since it she had just come back to earth. "I hate this stupid robot!" she yelled out loud, then suddenly closed her mouth. For Susan Calvin had just remembered that her pact with the satans, as she thought of them, known to the robotics world as the team of Powell and Donovan. She stretched, rolled out of bed, and went downstairs, wrapping a robe around her as she went, to get some coffee. "Well, since I'm already up, I might as well take a look at the rest of those Rasssjemani-Quazaric-Smith Equations and see why they were causing all those robots to go psycho," she thought. "Good thing that U.S. Robots and Mechanical Men hushed up that little incident, I'd be out of a job if the whole world, the xenophobic and primally-fearful lot of them, knew about that!" As she got out and buttered her toast, she mulled the day ahead of her in her mind. Weekends were never truly weekends for Susan Calvin, as she was forced to work for most of the weekend, with her only respite being Sunday, which she was allowed to come in an hour late for. However, she usually found herself working late into the night on Sundays, out of an artificially induced guilt that she knew was not real, but could do nothing to correct. After being driven to work (working for the company that produced every MechTaxiâ„ ¢ in existence did have some perks after all), greeting the doorman, and going up to her office, Susan Calvin was ready to look at those equations! She only needed a small period of time to warm up, and the wakeup-breakfast-come to work routine sufficed. Almost as soon as she had sat down to work, the Founder of U.S. Robots came in and said, "I need to speak with you, Calvin. There's been more reports in across the nation of those psycho robots, all of them with positronic brains built using the Rasssjemani-Quazaric-Smith Equations. We will be ruined, and drawn and quartered by the masses if we don't start hushing this up again and

Willy Russells Educating Rita Essay -- English Literature

From your study of Willy Russell's Educating Rita, describe which character in the play changes the most Explain:  · How the characters change  · The characters role in the play  · How the playwright uses dramatic devices  · How the use of language shows these changes  · How these changes reflect the social, historical and cultural background. The play 'Educating Rita' was written by Willy Russell in 1985, for all the 'Rita's' and all the 'Frank's' in the audience. The play is based on Willy Russell's life so it could be interpreted as an autobiographical play. Like Rita, Russell did not study at school so he did not have any O levels, so he wanted an education to get away from Hairdressing like Rita wanted an education to see what she could become. At this point in the play Frank can tell Rita anything and she will listen and believe all of it. As time goes on she looses this hunger for knowledge because of summer school and her flatmate Trish that dramatically changes Rita. At the end of the play the two characters seem to have changed roles, Rita comes back from summer school and knows more then she ever thought she could and discovers that the 'proper students' are not as good and intelligent as she thought. Franks relationship with Julia is breaking down and the banishment to Australia seems more and more imminent. The two seem to swap roles because Frank used to tell Rita things and she would try and understand it, but the return from summer school shows that she has memorised Blake poetry and has significantly changed. Rita is driven by the need for education, having realised that life has more to offer then her ordinary existence in the hairdressing salon. Rita says to Frank that b... ...that there is only one thing for her to do to thank him so he sits down and the audience gets the impression of something sexual about to happen but Rita gets a pair of scissors and begins to cut Franks hair. In this scene the dramatic device used is one for humour. Educating Rita is mainly about a character trying to find the right words to express herself, and as she becomes more educated Rita learns to adapt her language to different audiences. Rita's increasing mastery of the language helps her to grow more confident. In the character of Rita, Willy Russell was reaching out to an audience whose daily language was not of the theatre or the university but to all the Franks and Rita's in the audience. Rita attempts to change her language to the proper use of words, because of what Trish said: 'you can't discuss beautiful literature with an ugly voice.'

Graded Assignment Essay

1. Three hypotheses—ecocide, rat outbreak, and climate change—are candidates as explanations of why the society of Easter Island collapsed. Explain each hypothesis, present at least one piece of evidence for each one, and state a lesson that each hypothesis contains for the world today. For each hypothesis, write one paragraph of at least four lines Answer: Ecocide Hypothesis: Humans used the resources irresponsibly and caused deforestation. Humans used the logs from the trees to transport the big statues. People also used the trees to build shelter. The resources were used irresponsibly when they should have been used graciously. Rat Outbreak: Rats were introduced to the environment and fed on the trees. The trees had bite marks on the bottom of the tree. Rats were brought over by ships. It wasn’t an intentional introduction. Climate Change: As the climate changed the Lakes were separated from the main body of water. (8 points) 2. In a paragraph, describe the seven steps of the scientific method. Answer: You must make an observation and ask a question or identify and define a problem about that observation. Then you make your hypothesis which is an if-then statement and then test the hypothesis by performing experiments or making observations. Then you have to organize and analyze your data. Finally you draw your conclusions and communicate your results. (7 points) 3. Error in data analysis often occurs because the researcher has chosen an inappropriate sample for study—a sample that does not correctly reflect the characteristics of the population or phenomenon as a whole. Name at least three different causes of sampling error and state why each of them can produce invalid data. Answer: Size: your sample must include enough size or amount of people or organisms. If you don’t have enough samples then your data will be concluded with an insufficient amount of data. Bias: If someone has a strong bias towards something then they may only use the data that supports their views. Location of Sample: If someone takes a sample in a location and then doesn’t go to another location to take a sample then the data may be insufficient.

Griswold’s concept of “Culture” from a sociological viewpoint Essay

Griswold explored the concept of â€Å"culture† through two different perspectives, namely through the humanities and anthropology’s viewpoint. With reference to different philosopher’s interpretation of â€Å"culture†, Griswold defines culture broadly as â€Å"a complex whole†, including everything in a social world. Since culture and social world are related; to achieve a fuller understanding of â€Å"culture†, we have to examine the connection between them, and how the two come together. The conceptual tool she uses to investigate the connections between cultures and societies are the â€Å"cultural object†, and the â€Å"cultural diamond†. Cultural objects are given meanings shared by members of the culture, and it is through those meanings that those objects are linked to the social worlds. Therefore, we need to decipher how the meanings came by- Griswold introduces and compares different versions of reflection theory in fu nctionalism, Marxism and Weberian Sociology, whereby culture is seen as a reflection of social life, or vice versa. The mirror theory is based on the assumption that culture is the mirror of social reality, reflecting the social world. This is an idea central to the functionalist and Marxist reflective theory; however, she points out that while they share the same reflection model, the essence of the two is opposites. Under Marx’s view, everything, even human consciousness, starts from and has the history as a product of human labor (homo faber). Culture is a concept largely based on the material forces of production and economic foundation of a society. This â€Å"historical materialism† , and the production relations of society is the true root of culture, therefore , it is the social being that determines men’s existence. However, for Functionalism, culture is based on mutual interdependence of one another to meet the needs of a society. Every component in a society is reflective of others. There are no class struggles, as opposed to Marxist theory. As for Weber’s view of the mirror theory, Weber takes into account that the culture and society relationship is two- way: social actions reflects cultural meanings. He argues that while material interests are still being pursued, the way men pursued their interests shows cultural causes in his famous â€Å"switchman metaphor†. The above modern sociological theories illustrates now culture is related, in many different ways, to the social world. Modern music is an example illustrating how societal actions reflects our changing culture- music has always been a vehicle by which we express our values. In recent years, lyrics containing profanity or vulgar language are so common and are very popular among youngsters. It reflects that our culture has became more outspoken and less censorious. Conservatism is no longer something valued. Take another example- women these days are obsessed with slimming as thin is now commonly regarded as beautiful. Women would go at great lengths to achieve their ideal body shape, just to conform to social pressures. This is an example showing how social phenomena can reflect culture, even though this culture is not necessarily beneficial to the society. Bibliography: Griswold, Wendy. 2004. Cultures and Societies in a CHanging World. CA: Pine Froge Press. Selections.