Interpersonal Communication Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

Interpersonal Communication - Essay Example I have been a very active sportsman throughout my academic career, back in Hong Kong I used to be the captain of my school’s badminton team and our team had won many inter-school tournaments and thus got many laurels for our school. After leaving Hong Kong for the States I had never realized that it would be so difficult to adjust in the new country. Apart from studies, I knew that sports and badminton in particular would be a regular activity for me, since I considered myself very good at it. However, when I came, I had to give the trials like everyone else for the selection of the team. I was selected in the playing eleven, but the positions of the team players were to be decided in the practice sessions. During our practice, I must admit I realized that the standard of the players selected for the team was excellent; however I was hopeful about getting the position of the central mid-fielder. That was the position I had played for years and was very good at. I was also expecting to be the captain of the team, which comprised mainly of Americans, I was the only Chinese and there were two Asians in the team. I believe that amongst the major factors that I found different from China was the culture shock in terms of individualism and collectivism. I come from a culture where families live together and decisions are taken after a consensus of the family but in the States, the independence the children have to live their life and make their decisions baffled me a little. I also missed my family quite a bit due to which I had become despondent, that is why I feel that I blamed everything on my nationality. That I think is quite a contributing factor to this conflict. A relief however is the fact that because of the empowerment and independence that students have in the States, I could at least talk the matter out with my coach. Had I been stuck in the same situation in China I would not have had the leverage to discuss this with my coach. This lack of freedom, I feel has hampered my ability to communicate. Since I have never had to argue with my seniors, to be able to convey my opinion I feel that I was at a disadvantage and my negotiation skills were not very apt for a discussion with the coach, which is why the clarification which I tried to seek turned more or less into an argument. I also felt that since m y coach is such a senior person and at a position of authority, he expected the team players to accept his decisions as right and trust them, therefore I feel my seeking clarification might have angered him a little, as he might have seen it as an insult to his credibility. Evolution and Characteristics of the Relationship My interpersonal communication problem is between me and the coach of our team. I feel that part of the problem existed with my pre-decided notion that I might not get adequate representation in the new college because of being a Chinese. For this reason, if ever I was denied a chance at anything I used to blame it on my nationality. Therefore, when I was not given the position of the central midfielder, I thought the coach was biased because mostly the central midfielder becomes the captain of the team and thus, I was sure that the central midfielder would be given to an America national and so was the case, which served to substantiate my doubts. The

The Functions of Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the Essay

The Functions of Article 267 of the Treaty on the Functioning of the European Union - Essay Example he ECJ. Article 267 of TFEU provides that when there is a question concerning the interpretation and application of EU law: When such a question is raised before any court or tribunal of a Member State, that court may, if it considers that a decision on the question is necessary to enable it to give judgment, require the Court of Justice to give a ruling thereon. 6 It therefore follows that the word â€Å"may† as it appears in Article 267 of the TFEU does not impose upon national courts a compulsory duty to refer a question of EU law to the ECJ for determination.7 The obligation to refer a preliminary question of EU law to the ECJ is only mandatory when the matter is before the court of final appeal and no further national remedies are available to the litigants.8 With lower national courts relieved of the compulsory obligation to refer a question of EU law to the ECJ when the interpretation and application of EU law is in doubt can be counterproductive to the goal of achievin g consistency in the interpretation and application of EU law when a national court comes to the decision that not to refer a question to the ECJ for interpretation. Nyikos explains how the discretion to submit a preliminary reference to the EU on a point of EU law can compromise integration of national legal systems with the EU’s legal system and consistency in the interpretation and application of EU laws. According to Nyikos, the decision to refer a preliminary question of EU law depends on a number of variables that are difficult to predict. To begin with, the decision to submit a preliminary question of EU law largely depends on the national courts’ â€Å"acceptance† of intervention by the ECJ.9 A court’s decision to refer a preliminary question of EU law also depends on the â€Å"national judicial procedure†, the â€Å"complexity of the issue† and â€Å"individual court experience.†10 The ECJ however, has established a significa nt safeguard against the risk of inconsistency in the application and interpretation of Community law in cases where the national court is of the opinion that a particular EU law is not valid. In such a case, a referral is mandatory regardless of whether the court seized of the matter is a court of first or last instance. This is because it would be entirely inconsistent with the supremacy of EU law and the goals of consistency among EU states for a national court to render an EU law invalid and another state to uphold the same EU law.11 Ideally, perfect and seamless integration of national legal systems with the EU legal system and consistency of EU law within and among the Member States should be accomplished by Article 267

Teenage Mother Case Study

Teenage Mother Case Study Introduction This essay deals with the circumstances and challenges faced by 22 year old Betty, who became pregnant when she was 15, and now lives with Candy, her six year old daughter. Betty has been referred to the social services cell of the local authority for appropriate social work intervention. She has been engaging in bouts of bingeing and has in the recent past been suffering from vomiting, weight loss and amenorrhoea. A brief case overview is provided below, followed by its analysis and its various implications for social work intervention. Case Overview and Analysis Bettys mother left her father and her sisters when they were very young because of problems in dealing consumption of alcohol. The child and her sisters were thereafter sent to a home for children, where they lived for many years. Whilst the children did not have any further contact with their mother, they would occasionally receive visits from their father, who worked in a brewery and also suffered from alcohol related problems. Betty and her sisters spent their childhood in the childrens home, from where they first attended the childrens village school and thereafter went to a comprehensive secondary school near the residence of her father. Betty began to develop truancy tendencies in her early teens and became pregnant from her relationship with an African Caribbean person, when they were both 14. She decided to keep her child who was named Candy, rather than give her up for adoption, and was placed in a foster home situated at a distance from where she had lived for many years. With the childrens home closing down, Bettys sisters, followed by Betty and Candy, came to live with their father. All the children, including Betty and Candy, lived with their father for the next 6 years. Betty first met a social worker when she was 22. She thereafter moved with her daughter to a small flat, which she liked and made efforts to make nice and homely. Whilst shifting to her new home proved to be beneficial for both Betty and candy, the death of her father, which occurred soon after she moved out of his home, traumatised her severely. She suffers from bouts of speaking difficulties, weight loss and vomiting and amenorrhoea. Her social service records reveal that she suffered from speech disorder episodes in her childhood as well. Betty has also spoken to her social worker about her difficult relationship with her daughter Candy. Whilst the child is doing well in school and is liked by people, she behaves very badly with her mother. An investigation of Bettys history reveals that she may well have been neglected during her childhood. Both her father and mother had alcohol related problems. Her mother left home when Betty and her sisters were very young, following which she was placed in a home for children. Child neglect can be defined to be a condition, wherein individuals responsible for taking care of children permit them, either deliberately or because of inattentiveness, (a) to experience suffering that is avoidable, and (b) otherwise fail to provide the environment required for the development of their physical, emotional and mental capabilities. Neglect can be physical, emotional or educational (Butler Gwenda, 2004, p 76). Betty and her sisters were taken in the care of social services when they were young and placed in a childrens home. Whilst their physical needs were met adequately and they were sent first to the village and later to secondary school, it is very possible that they suffered from educat ional and emotional neglect (Grinnell Yvonne, 2008, p 46). They certainly did not have anybody to provide them with emotional or psychological support or to help them with their school work. Educational neglect includes the failure of care takers to acknowledge and correct acts of truancy by children, even as emotional neglect can arise from inattention to the requirement of children for emotional support and sustenance (Ghate Ramella, 2002, p 66). It is evident that conditions in homes for children are unlikely to have emotionally or educationally enriching environments (Ghate Ramella, 2002, p 66). Neglect during childhood can have adverse effects on the physical, social, intellectual and psychological development of young people (Ghate Ramella, 2002, p 68). Studies reveal that neglected children are prone to development of insecure, anxious or disoriented attachments with their care givers (Howe, 2009, p 37). Such lack of security in attachment can lead to hyperactivity, lack of attention and involvement in class and lack of initiative and confidence to work on their own (Howe, 2009, p 37). Child neglect is also associated with greater incidence of substance abuse, delinquent behaviour, and early pregnancy (Howe, 2009, p 37). Betty developed tendencies for truancy, both in her school and in her childrens home, and became pregnant when she was 14 from her relationship with a boy of her age. Teenage pregnancy is widely prevalent in UK, with the country having a highest rate for such pregnancies in all of Europe. Studies reveal that girls from social class V are at greatest risk of becoming teenage mothers. Research evidence also reveals higher incidence of teenage pregnancy in (a) young people in care, (b) young people leaving care, (c) homeless young people, (d) truants and (e) young people involved in crime. Whilst parenthood can certainly be a positive and enriching experience for normal people, it can also bring about many negative consequences for teenage mothers (Duncan, 2007, p 307). Such problems include (a) adverse physical and mental health outcomes, (b) lesser chances of completing education, (c) greater likelihood of living in the households of others, and (d) greater probability of being lone parent (Duncan, 2007, p 307). Teenagers who become parents are known to suffer from greater socio-economic deprivation, low self esteem and greater incidence of sexual abuse (Duncan, 2007, p 307). The children of such parents tend to have lower birth weights, lesser likelihood of being breast fed, greater chances of growing up in lone parent families, and greater probabilities of experiencing poverty, poor quality housing and poor nutrition. Such people also show greater tendencies for smoking and alcohol abuse (Duncan, 2007, p 307). Common problems amongst teenage mothers include depression and anxiety during pregnancy, financial, social and partnership problems and more negative life events (relationship break-ups, parental separation and lack of community and family support). Teenage mothers are more likely to diet or to smoke during pregnancy. The high smoking prevalence amongst people facing social and economic deprivation suggests that smoking may be used as a stress coping mechanism. However, there is a close association between smoking during pregnancy and adverse outcomes such as low birth weight, infant mortality and delays in child development. (DHSSPS, 2004, p 1) Betty, whilst she has lived in a designated childrens home, and has been educated in standard schools, may have suffered from neglect during her childhood and has experienced pregnancy in her early teens. Both these experiences can result in adverse physical, emotional and psychological outcomes. A social work report reveals that she was prone to suffer from speaking difficulties in her childhood, which could well be the outcome of an emotional and mental distress at being separated from her parents. This speech disorder surfaced again when she was 22, very possibly on account of her emotional traumatisation at the death of her father, who had provided her with shelter for 6 years after the closure of her childrens home. Her other ailments namely bingeing, vomiting and amenorrhoea could also be related to her disturbed upbringing and her psychologically disturbed state, which appears to have been aggravated by the death of her father. Methods of Intervention Betty is emotionally and mentally disturbed because of the death of her father and the behaviour of her child, Candy, towards her. Such emotional disturbances appear to have resulted in eating disorders, vomiting and weight loss. Apart from these ailments, Betty is also suffering from amenorrhoea. She needs medical and possibly psychiatric help and should be referred to mental health professionals and the local GP for appropriate support. Bettys basic vulnerability arises from her status as a single parent, her past of a teen mother, her lack of earning capacity and her difficult relationship with her daughter. Such problems could lead to reduction of self esteem, depression and consequent mental and physical ailments. Social work practice in such circumstances should first focus on understanding her case and her background and thereafter formulate appropriate intervention strategies. Social workers must in the first case adopt appropriate anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive and person centred approaches in dealing with her case (Nash, et al, 2005, p 23).Thompson, (2001, p 7), advances the theory that anti-discriminatory approaches essentially arise from personal, cultural and social (infrastructural) influences that are experienced by individuals over the course of their lives. These influences affect the socialisation of individuals and result in deeply entrenched attitudes that surface unconsciously and influence their actions and behaviour (Thompson, 2001, p 11). Social workers, many of whom come from affluent and educated backgrounds, are very likely to have developed entrenched discriminatory attitudes towards disadvantaged segments of society and could well approach the problems of service users, from different racial, ethnic, social and income backgrounds, with preconceived notions and attitudes (Butler Gwenda, 2004, p 83). Dominelli (2005, p 41) has also time and again emphasised that discrimination is pervasive in UK society and its social work infrastructure. Modern social work theory and practice also recommends the adoption of person centred approaches towards service users. Service users, it is now widely accepted, should be placed at the centre of the social work process; with due regard given to their need for dignity, independence and self determination (Howe, 2009, p 48). Social workers, whilst dealing with Betty, with her history of living in a childrens home, teenage truancy, and teenage pregnancy, can very likely (a) have preconceived notions about her background, upbringing, education and attitudes, (b) take little cognisance of her helpful nature, her love for her father and her affection for her child, and (c) adopt attitudes of I know best condescension in their assessment and intervention practice. It is thus imperative for the social worker dealing with her case to consciously overcome discriminatory attitudes, adopt a person centred approach, communicate with understanding and empathy and involve Betty in all intervention suggestions. The social worker should in these circumstances engage Betty with open ended questions about her problems and difficulties. Betty should be allowed to express herself as completely as possible without interruption in order to obtain a more complete realisation of her physical, emotional and mental strength (Brachmann, 2010, p 1). She should be asked to explain the ways and means in which she has coped with the various crises in her life and asked to explore and discuss her various strengths and weaknesses (Brachmann, 2010, p 1). Such discussions can well help in alleviating her feelings about the difficulties and hopelessness of her situation, enable her to think about positive lines of action and formulate suitable exit strategies (Grinnell Yvonne, 2008, p 55). Betty should be asked to choose the different reasons for her crises, focus on one issue at a time, and thereafter sequentially explore and analyse the different challenges confronting her. Such a strategy will help her to address the different crisis factors and find effective ways to address the diverse challenges (Adams, et al, 2009, p 107). It would thus be possible for her to individually focus on her physical and emotional difficulties, her problems with bringing up her child, and her financial challenges. The social worker should lead Betty in conversations that emphasise non-directive exploration of the various crisis issues (Adams, et al, 2009, p 107). Encouraging her to open up by asking different types of open-ended questions may help in obtaining revelations or in greater realisation of the various issues, which in turn can help her and the social worker in the making of informed choices (Brachmann, 2010, p 1). The social worker, once she expresses something specific or s omething that she would wish to alter, can become more direct in asking her to implement such changes (Howe, 2009, p 53). Betty is now 22 and has brought up her child for 6 years as a teen parent, doing her best at the same time to help as a non earning member in her fathers family. Whilst Betty can no longer be technically classified as a teen parent, she continues to suffer from the vulnerabilities of such people, who are considered to be among the most vulnerable members of British society. Studies consistently reveal that children born to teenage mothers are more likely to have comparatively worse outcomes in terms of physical and mental health and education. Adolescent births are also related to higher levels of mental health difficulties, violence with partners and social exclusion (Coley Chase-Landsdale, 1998, p 152). Contemporary teenage mothers have lesser likelihoods of competing in the job market. With teenage child bearing being automatically disruptive for secondary education, it is far more difficult for such people to complete their education in the more expensive contemporary day enviro nment (Clemmens, 2003, p 94). The children of teenage parents are thus more likely to be economically deprived and socially excluded. When adolescents become parents, their education is likely to be delayed and even discontinued. Their employment opportunities are lesser, their incomes are likely to be low and they are less likely to develop long lasting relationships. Such people often require welfare support for prolonged periods (Duncan, 2007, p 307). Betty, it is evident, suffers from physical and emotional problems. Adequate medical attention needs to be provided to her physical and mental condition in order to ensure that she recovers from the traumatic experience of her fathers death, is able to overcome her eating disorders and develops a stable, enriching and rewarding relationship with her daughter. The UK governments social work policies and infrastructure for teenage mothers provide for a number of intervention programmes (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 2). Social workers provide case management support by visiting teen mothers and members of their families in their homes. Such visits help in promoting problem solving behaviours, identifying personal difficulties and challenges and in finding ways and means for overcoming them (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 2). They encourage mothers to find jobs and pursue their education further. Case managers also plan and hold meetings with such mothers and their family members, wherein all participants work towards developing appropriate support plans (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 2). Social workers help teen mothers by the development of mutual assistance groups, where such people can receive and give assistance between each other. Young mothers like Betty can also be appropriately educated and trained in developing and managing small businesses (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 2). They are, after the completion of such training makes them ready to run their businesses, assisted to develop and formulate business plans for their projects. The funding for start up costs for such project is provided after project plans are approved by trainers (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 2). Social work programmes also provide education in life skills, which is delivered over 8 weeks in group formats (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 7). Such sessions promote the enhancement of knowledge and skills in various areas associated with parenting, social understanding and behaviour management. Leadership development amongst such mothers is promoted by giving them various responsibilities and roles in different types of group activities like planning of social events and development of committees (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 9). Studies on these various projects reveal that their use leads to increase in the educational achievements of mothers and lessens the chances of repeat pregnancies. It also enhances their sense of well being and reduces utilisation of illegal substances. Studies on these programmes are however yet to reveal their impact upon child outcomes (Asmussen Weizel, 2010, p 9) The various techniques that can be used by the social worker to make Betty open up and focus on her various challenges have already been discussed before in the course of this essay. The social worker should, in line with such techniques, encourage Betty to think and discuss about her specific challenges, namely (a) overcoming her present physical and mental difficulties, (b) establishing a stable and rewarding relationship with her daughter, (c) furthering her education, (d) increasing her earning capacity and (e) leading a more enriching and socially inclusive life. Open ended questions and discussions over different sessions on each of these issues can help Betty in becoming emotionally more positive and in finding appropriate exit strategies for her different challenges (Butler Gwenda, 2004, p 92). The social worker can help her in discussing various alternatives like (a) medical and psychological health, (b) counselling sessions with her daughter, (c) formulation of programmes for completion of education and / or increase of earning capacity and (d) greater inclusion in social and community life. Appropriate intervention plans can be made after obtaining taking Bettys active agreement on specific action plans. Conclusion This essay concerns the social and economic and challenges faced by 22 year old Betty, who became pregnant at 15 and now lives alone with her six year old daughter. Betty has been engaging in bingeing bouts and is suffering from vomiting, weight loss and amenorrhoea. Bettys mother left the family when the children were very young because of alcohol related problems. She and her sisters were sent to a home for children, where they would occasionally receive visits from their father. Betty and her sisters first attended the childrens village school and thereafter went to a comprehensive secondary school. Betty began to develop truant in her early teens and became pregnant from a relationship with a boy when both of them were 14. Deciding to keep her child, Betty, her child, Candy, and her sisters spent the last 6 years with their father, following which she moved out with her child to their own small home. She was severely traumatised by the death of her father and is concerned about the negative attitude of her child towards her. She now suffers from eating and speech disorders, is losing weight and experiences episodes of amenorrhoea. An analysis of Bettys history reveals that she may well have been neglected during her childhood. Childhood neglect can adversely affect the physical, social, intellectual and psychological development of young people. Early parenthood can also bring negative consequences like adverse physical and mental health outcomes, lesser chances of completing education, greater probability of living in the households of others, and more chances of being lone parents. Such people suffer from greater socio-economic deprivation, low self esteem and greater incidence of sexual abuse. Social work practice, in such circumstances, should first focus on understanding her case and thereafter formulate suitable intervention strategies. Social workers must adopt appropriate anti-discriminatory, anti-oppressive and person centred approaches in dealing with her case. It is imperative for the social worker to deliberately prevail over discriminatory attitudes, adopt a person centred approach, communicate with understanding and empathy and involve Betty in all suggestions. The UK government has a number of social work policies and intervention programmes for young mothers. The social worker should engage Betty with open ended questions about her challenges and difficulties. She should be allowed to express herself freely in order to obtain a fuller understanding of her challenges as well as her physical, emotional and mental strengths. The social worker should discuss different options like (a) her medical and emotional status, (b) engaging in counselling sessions with her daughter, (c) formulation of programmes for completion of her education and / or increase of her earning abilities and (d) ways and means for increasing her inclusion in social and community life. Appropriate intervention plans should be made after obtaining Bettys active agreement on specific intervention programmes.

Modernism and New Criticism Essay -- Modernism New Criticism Literatur

Modernism and New Criticism The ways in which we define the importance of texts is constantly changing. We can look back and see critical theories used, such as Historical Criticism, Reader-Response Criticism and Psychoanalytic Criticism. Each of these theories offers a different way to interpret a text. However, when looking back over the texts of a specific era, shouldn’t the type of criticism we used for a book be based on that time period? Defining the Modernist Era of literature seems almost impossible, since the definition of modernism often seems to constitute anything from being â€Å"new and common† to â€Å"new and uncommon† (Barzun). This term seems to be able to stretch from the 1500’s to present; but for the sake of this essay the Modernist Era in question is that from the early twentieth century (circa 1910-1940’s). Out of, and during, this era the critical theory named New Criticism came into play. Although, nowadays, the use of New Criticism is unpopular, it is essential to use when defining the Modernist Era. Even though New Criticism isn’t used anymore, many of its basic constructs are. For example, the idea of close reading and using textual evidence (as will be done in this essay) are characteristics that were important to New Criticism. Now it is practically impossible to be in an English class, be it high school or college, and not have to use these skills when talking about a text. New Criticism basically theorized that the text itself was the most important aspect of writing; therefore, to understand the meaning of a piece of literature one must look to, and in, the text, rather than trying to define it by outside components, such as those used in Historical and Biographical Criti... ...120). The text itself is one we can always count on and find meaning in, since it always there, unchanging. Work Cited Barzun, Jacques. â€Å"The Artist as Prophet and Jester†. The American Scholar. 69.1 (Winter 2000): 15-33. Bressler, Charles E. Literary Criticism. New Jersey: Pearson Education Inc., 2003. Eliot, TS. â€Å"The Waste Land†. The Norton Anthology of Modern and Contemporary Poetry. Ed. Jahan Ramazani. New York: Norton, 2003. 472-487. Eliot, TS. â€Å"Tradition and the Individual Talent†. The Sacred Wood. London: Methune, 1920. http://www.bartleby.com/200/sw4.html Faulkner, William. Light in August. New York: Vintage Books, 1932. Thody, Philip. Twentieth-Century Literature: Critical Issues and Themes. New York: St. Martin’s Press, 1996. Tyson, Lois. Critical Theory Today. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1999. 117-152.

How to become an effective member in an Interprofessional Team Essay

Using Gibb’s reflective cycle and the Inter professional Capability Framework explain how your knowledge, skills and attitudes considered on this module will enable you to become an effective member of an inter professional team in your working environment The National Health Service (NHS) employs more than a million employees; therefore, a system that allows the services to run in sync with the skilled and responsive workforce cannot be denied (Daly, 2004). However, does it give us the privilege to say we have overcome the barriers to collaboration and communication within NHS? Certainly not otherwise, cases like the death of Victoria Climbe and Baby Peter would have been avoided, whereby consistent failing in communication and collaborative working among various concerned professionals and agencies was unearthed (Jelphs & Dickinson, 2008). Because of the word limitation for the essay, the essay will only seek to explore the interprofessional capabilities (i.e. knowledge, skills and attitudes) about collaborative working and communication that can enable me becoming an effective team member of an inter professional team in the future. To achieve this, I am going to exploit the first domain of the interprofessional capability (IPC) framework namely collaborative working using Gibb’s reflective cycle. The first stage of Gibb’s (1988) reflective cycle requires the description of the events (Jasper, 2003); Approximately 800 students undertook the Interprofessional education (IPE) module from various disciplines of health and social care courses. IPE can be defined as â€Å"education that occurs when students from two or more professions learn about, from and with each other to enable effective collaboration and improve health outcomes† (WHO, 2010 pp-7). The interprofessional group I was allocated to comprise of a mental health nurse, a midwife, two adult nurses, a physiotherapist and myself, a diagnostic radiographer. It was within the group; we had to undertake various facilitated activities as well as independent group works. The module was to offer awareness and learning about the issues of collaborative working, communication and many other topics; collaterally, it was also about demonstrating my knowledge, skills and attitudes towards these problems according to my experience as well aslearn from other   team members. By the end of the event, I was not only exposed to the notions of collaborative working and effective communication, but also to the barriers that can stop us from achieving them. The second stage of Gibb’s (1988) reflective cycle is about expression of the feelings about the event (Jasper, 2003). Initially, I was unsure about the benefits of ‘common learning’ however, it became clear as we progressed through the module (Barr, 2003). Everyone was friendly, showed respect and trusted other people’s knowledge. Moreover, a group work approach was apparent rather than an individual approach to the problems we encountered. I felt valued within the team because I could share my perception about the problems and discuss them effectively with other team members. I also observed that although some cases were not directly related to my profession, however, the team members ensured that I was on board with what they were proposing, hence maintaining a supportive and collaborative learning environment. There was a sense of all team members wanting to work collaboratively and effectively to perform well. Nevertheless, I was little annoyed when two of the nursing students were not engaging fully with the group work. However, it was interesting to note that as soon as they apologised about their inappropriate behaviour, justified why it happened (stress about doing another essay) and agreed not to repeat it; it had a really positive effect on me, and I was easily able to let off their behaviour. Although with hindsight, I think this may have a negative effect on the group if they had carried on repeating such behaviour (Jelphs & Dickinson, 2008). Furthermore, there was one of team members who did not attend any group works sessions in the second week, and even did not communicate with the team about her non attendance, which I thought was an unprofessional behaviour at this level. Nevertheless, the support given by the teaching team during facilitated sessions was commendable. Overall, my feeling about the whole event was quite positive. The third stage of Gibb’s (1988) reflective cycle involves evaluation of my experiences encountered during the event (Jasper, 2003). Gorman (1998) suggests that considerate amount of attention should be given to the structure of the team, the culture (interprofessional relationships) and processes as they can influence the behaviour of the team i.e. leading to collaborative working or hindrance. This was well recognised by all members at the beginning itself and therefore time was spent on discussion about it, as a result of which  the team was found to have congruity about shared commitment throughout the module. All the team members became clear about the roles of the professionals involved and their interaction with the patient-care pathway. Thus, it provided a good outline about role clarity, which was maintained throughout without any conflict (West & Markiewicz, 2006). Any challenges encountered within the group were well focused to the relevant question or working practice. Thereby, better understanding and sharing of accountability were seen. All these helped reduce the hindrance to effective collaboration. Also shared was information about the problems experienced at the clinical placement namely incorrect filing, assumption made about illegible handwriting, acronyms and short abbreviations, etc. that can often risk the patients care and can be seen as potential source for errors. The team leader maintained a well balance about the time that was to be spent for each activity. Therefore, we were all able to share successfully our values and perceptions about the issues relating to communication and collaboration. No personality issues were encountered (Jelphs & Dickinson, 2008). There were some brilliance movement of innovation and creativity seen, e.g. during poster creating activities and rich picture activity and each member participated in one way or the other e.g. I and a physiotherapist student put forward to present it to the other groups. Thus, overall I felt there was a good positive attitude maintained by all the team members as everyone was willing to collaborate and communicate effectively. I felt that synergy produced by contribution from everyone through interprofessional group works had far exceeded the potential of what I could have contributed individually (Jelphs & Dickinson, 2008). Although there was no absence of trust and fear of conflict among the group members however, lack of commitment was present as consistent non attendance was an issue for one of the team member, and it was felt that there was avoidance of accountability as that person did not feel it important to inform the team (Lencione, 2002). Another issue about inattention from two of the team members was resolved effectively by the team leader through good communication skills he possessed and it was a good learning example for me. Therefore, team leaders are required to facilitate the group to stay focused and help stop getting fragmented (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, 2006). I also learned about other factors that may contribute as  barriers to effective collaboration which included social conformity, risk shift, group think and diffusion of responsibility (West & Markiewicz, 2006). The stage four of the Gibb’s (1988) reflective cycle includes analysis of the event. The fact that in the UK, communication is still one of the commonest roots of problems described in complaints against the professionals should make us realise that communication should not take for granted (Health and social care information services, 2006 cited from Jelphs and Dickinson, 2008). The Oxford dictionary (2010) defines communication as â€Å"the imparting or exchanging of information by speaking, writing, or using some other medium.† And Mehrabian (1972) suggests that non-verbal communication (body language) can contribute around 70%, when interacting. Therefore, it is vital that the healthcare professionals are not only effective in communicating verbally but also non-verbally. We all agreed and aware that every one of us had in their codes of professional conduct about clearly documenting any intervention offered or given to the patient (HPC, 2009; The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy, 2005; NMC, 2009). As a result, I felt that the team were unified on decisions made about poor documentation that were noted within the examples/cases given and videos shown. As a group we all agreed that clear documentation can help reduce the risk of breakdown in communication and increase the likelihood of adequate sharing of information and hence quality of care. As whenever any critical information is transmitted through any medium there is always a risk of miscommunication attached to it and that is why effective communication is much more difficult to achieve in practice (O’Daniel & Rosenstein, 2006). Although this was conflicted with what the Nursing students (mental nurse and adult nurse), and physiotherapy student mentioned during the debate as they felt that there was the surplus amount of paper work to be done, which was affecting the quality of care provided to the patients, especially during handovers. Unlike in radiography, this is not the case as we often x-ray the patients without any notes, but a request form (legal document) is required indicating the type of examination required. Nevertheless, every patient needs to be registered on the system before we can do x-rays, which can take a while. However, we have to schedule the in-patients needed to be done out of ours and therefore, have to communicate with the ward nursing staff and porters. Furthermore, during any emergency situation requiring  mobile x-rays or Computerised Tomography examination effective communication with the accident and emergency (A&E) is necessary as otherwise it can delay the treatment and jeopardise patient’s well-being. Besides, I observed that the ‘nurses’ role was quiet at the core when it came about caring patients in the hospital. Therefore, I felt that it was necessary to work collaboratively and maintain good communication with the nurses in practice as they can help me by providing crucial information about patient’s physical and psychological status that I may need to consider when taking the x-ray’s requiring some adaption of techniques (Burzotta & Noble, 2011). The group did well to work in collaboration maybe because good communication was maintained all the time between the members. Mead and Ashcroft (2005) suggest that working in collaboration is vital as it helps to avoid any misunderstandings and hence keeping it immune from barriers of interprofessional collaboration. Nevertheless, an interprofessional team can comprise of individuals from different professional background and have a possibility of sharing same skills and knowledge, in which case clarity about their role and scope of responsibilities should get agreed as otherwise it can easily become a potential source of conflict for the teams (Thompson, Melia & Boyd, 2000). Care priorities can be affected by the codes of conduct, e.g. the main focus of doctor will be on patient’s medical condition, a physiotherapist will mainly remain concerned about the mobility issues; a social worker priority will be making available required care and support at home, nurses’ priorities to coordinate patients discharge, transport and medications to take home. Therefore, although we see everyone wanting to work collaboratively their priorities can differ (Thompson et al, 2000). I felt there was a positive feeling until the last day between the team members, and everyone felt proud about this opportunity through which we all mutually enjoyed. I am convinced that the experience gained will certainly enhance my practice as well as attitude towards other professionals with whom I will come in contact. Overall, I have gained a profound understanding and knowledge about how individuals’ responses and behaviour can influence others and the events, the need for good communication not only with service users and their family members, but also with other team members through this experience. I had become self-aware about my interprofessional skills and factors that contribute to  communication; and feel that this experience will be a very useful to support my understanding of how to be an effective member of an interprofessional team in the future. Also, as a healthcare professional I should always try to act responsibly and try to develop stronger relationships with other team members, therefore, allowing every chance of working collaboratively and communicating adequately, which could result into better health and well-being of patients and reduce the risk of failures (Jelphs & Dickinson, 2008; DOH, 2000). The next stage of Gibb’s (1988) reflective cycle includes discussion about the action plans. Therefore, if faced with similar scenarios or situations experienced while undertaking this module, I will ensure that the knowledge and skills acquire are well implemented to the situations and seek help from other interprofessional team members without any prejudice, but with pride (Daly, 2004). I also feel that to become more effective as a team member, continuous interprofessional development and active participation in these areas should not be neglected. Reading and reflecting through IPC framework domains can help me identify my progress as well as help me to engage and assimilate more within the interprofessional team (Interprofessional Capability framework, 2010). To conclude, this module has really helped me get myself out of my normal area of practice and to reach out for other disciplines; learn and relate positive and negative outcomes about working in collaboration and communication. In hindsight, the module was an eye-opener for me as, despite being aware about the need for collaborative working and importance of communicating appropriately; consistency of its application in practice was seen to be lacking. Nevertheless, it will be unfair to say that we have completely failed in these areas. I am quite convinced that although the ethos of working in collaboration can arguably be seen as a challenging aspect, however, the truth is real-life problems are always more complicated to be dealt single-handedly. Therefore, fostering of collaborative working culture through Interprofessional education can revolutionise the thinking of students as it has done mine too, thereby helping me prepare to become an effective member of future interprofessional teams, who will have collaboration and communication as one of their core parts of their practice. REFERENCES: Barr, H. (2003). Undergraduate interprofessional education: Education Committee Discussion Document. Retrieved December 10,2011, from http://www.gmc-uk.org/Undergraduate_interprofessional_education.pdf_25397207.pdf Burzotta, L. & Noble, H. (2011). The dimensions of interprofessional practice. British Journal of Nursing, 20(5),310-315. Daly, G. (2004). Understanding the barriers to multiprofessional collaboration. Nursingtimes.net. 100(09) 78. Retrieved December 22, 2011, from http://www.nursingtimes.net/nursing-practice/clinical-specialisms/management/understanding-the-barriers-to-multiprofessional-collaboration/204513.article. Gorman, P. (1998). Managing multidisciplinary teams in the NHS. London: Kogan Page. Health Professional Council (2009). Standard of proficiency. Retrieved January 01,2012, from http://www.hpc-uk.org/assets/documents/10000DBDStandards_of_Proficiency_Radiographers. Interprofessional Capability Framework (2010) Mini-guide. Interprofessional Education Team, Facult y of Health and Wellbeing, Sheffield Hallam University. Higher Education Academy. Jasper, M. (2003). Beginning Reflective Practice: Foundations in Nursing and Health Care. London: Nelson Thornes. Jelphs, J. & Dickinson, H. (2008). Working in teams. Bristol: The Policy Press. Lencioni, P. (2002). The five dysfunction of a team. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass. Meads, G. & Ashcroft, J. (2005). The Case for Interprofessional Collaboration – In Health and Social Care. Oxford: Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Mehrabain, A. (1972). Nonverbal communication. Chicago: Aldine Atherton. Nursing and Midwifery Council. (2009). The Code. Retrieved January 2,2012, from http://tinyurl.com/6kdup6. O’Daniel, M. & Rosenstein, A. H. (2006). Professional communication and team collaboration. Patient Safety and Quality: An Evidence-Based Handbook for Nurses. ‘Retrieved December 19,2011’, from http://www.ahrq.gov/qual/nurseshdbk/docs/O’DanielM_TWC.pdf Oxford Dictionaries (2010). Oxford University Press. Retrieved January 01,2012, from http://oxforddictionaries.com/definition/communication. The Chartered Society of Physiotherapy. (2005). Rules and standards. Retrieved January 2 ,2012, from http://tinyurl.com/6aptc99 Thompson I.E., Melia, K & Boyd, K. (2000). Nursing ethics. (4th ed.). London: Churchill Livingstone. World Health Organisation.(2010). Framework for Action on Interprofessional Education & Collaborative Practice. Retrieved December 22,2011, from http://www.who.int/hrh/resources/framework_action/en/. West, M. & Markiewicz,L. (2006). The effective partnership working inventory. Working Paper. Birmingham: Aston Business School. Department of Health (2000) A Health Service for All the Talents: Developing the NHS Workforce. London: Department of Health

Maturity in the Catcher in the Rye

Maturity in the Catcher in the Rye Maturity is a process in life that usually no one can run away from. The novel the Catcher in the Rye, by J. D Salinger, tries to disprove that lesson through its protagonist. Holden often behaves like a prophet or a saint, pointing out the â€Å"phonies† around him because he believes they are not as mature as he is, but as the novel progresses, Holden makes choices that prevents him from maturing rather than enabling him to mature. Holden’s mail goal is to resist the process of growing up. Holden also mocks the adults around him to make him feel better.To cope with society, Holden alienates himself from the people he considers â€Å"phonies†. Usually, novels such as The Catcher in the Rye tell the story of a young protagonist’s growth to maturity; ironically, Holden’s main goal is to resist the process of maturity. Holden does not want to mature because he fears change and is overwhelmed by complexity. On page 20 1 of the novel, Holden says â€Å"Somebody’d written ‘fuck you’ on the wall. It drove me damn near crazy. I thought how Phoebe and all the other little kids would see it, and finally some dirty kid would tell them†.This quotation shows that Holden is scared and worried about Phoebe growing up. Eventually, Phoebe will learn what the word means just like Holden did. There is no stopping the process but Holden erases the sign anyways to symbolize his determination. He does eventually realize that he cannot stop the process when he tries to erase another sign that does not come off. Not only is Holden afraid of change, but he refuses to acknowledge this fear so whenever he is forced to, he invents a fantasy that adulthood is a world of â€Å"phonies†. Holden shows this when he says â€Å"Sex is something I just don’t understand.I swear to God I don’t† on page 93. Instead of acknowledging that having sex scares and mystifies him, Hol den invents a fantasy that adulthood is a world of superficiality and hypocrisy by telling the readers horrible things about sex. The first step to solving a problem is admitting that there is one. Holden does not even know he has a problem let alone admitting it. At the end of the novel, Holden does however find out that he has a problem but he still does not want to admit it which suggests that he is still trying to achieve is goal and believes that one day he will achieve it.Holden’s view of society shows that Holden only points out the phonies around him to make him feel better, yet he does not realize that he is flawed. Through out the novel, Holden criticize adults behind his smiles because it makes him feel superior without having the sense of guilt since the adults does not know. This is shown when Holden vents his feelings about Spencer’s advice. On page 8 he says â€Å"Game, my ass. Some game. If you get on the side where all the hot-shots are, then itâ€⠄¢s a game, all right—I’ll admit that. But if you get on the other side, where there aren’t any hot-shots, then what’s a game about it?Nothing. No game.. †. Hiding behind Holden’s nodding and smiling is himself cursing and mocking Spencer. While Spencer is trying to tell Holden the importance of playing by the rules, Holden mocks his analogy instead of looking at the main point which shows that he doesn’t really care about what Spencer has to say even though it has been established that Holden thinks about Spencer quite a lot. Every time Holden criticises the â€Å"phonies† around him, he criticises them in a way that convinces the reader that he is right to build up his self esteem.This is shown when Holden says â€Å"Then I tried to get them in a little intelligent conversation, but it was practically impossible. You had to twist their arms. You could hardly tell which one was the stupidest of the three of them. Then the thre e of them of them kept looking all around the goddam room, like as if they expect a flock of goddam movie stars to come in any minute. † On page 73. Holden believes that the three women were looking around the room because they are stupid, but he does not consider the fact that the three women were looking around the room because they were bored of him and wanted him to go away.Holden makes a statement that can be easily argued into a true fact that is written in stone and cannot be erased by using slang and the unique tone of voice he has. It makes everything he criticises seem true which makes himself feel better. Holden needs to realize that his view of society is wrong and that children will have to grow up and that there is no way to stop it. Holden says on page 119 â€Å"God, I love it when a kid's nice and polite when you tighten their skate for them or something. Most kids are. They really are† because he loves children. Throughout the novel, Holden has never cr iticised, offend or cursed at children.He always says nice things about them. This is because he likes children and he does not want children to mature into young adults. On the contrary, Holden’s view of a perfect childhood is as incorrect as his view of the adult world as entirely â€Å"phoney,† and just helps Holden hide from the fact that the complex issues he will have to face in growing up terrify him. This form of delusional craziness can only last so long. Holden will eventually grow up, whether he likes it or not. Mr. Antolini and Phoebe both make it clear that unless he learns to accept the complexities of adulthood, he will end up, at best, bitter and alone.To cope with society and the adult world, Holden alienates himself from the people he considers â€Å"phonies† so that he will be able to resist growing up. Throughout the novel it is seen that Holden’s alienation is the cause of most of his pain but it is also a source of Holden’s st rength. This is shown when His loneliness gets him into his date with Sally Hayes, but his need for isolation causes him to insult her and drive her away. As the novel progresses it shows that Holden desperately needs human contact but his protective wall of bitterness prevents him from having interactions with other humans for too long.He wants to have a relationship but he does not want to commit to it because he knows that when he does commit to a relationship, he will turn into an adult and live an adult life. That is why he tells Sally Hayes to run away with him. Holden does not want to deal with the complexities of the world around him so he tries to escape it to resist the process of growing up. Holden tries to escape the adult world by not thinking about it and dreaming of a world where nothing changes.But when Holden goes to the Museum of Natural History, it gives him something to think about. He says â€Å"The best thing, though, in that museum was that everything always stayed right where it was. Nobody’d move. . . . Nobody’d be different. The only thing that would be different would be you. † (page212) The Eskimos are silent, and always the same. Holden can think about and judge the Eskimo in the display case, but the Eskimo will never judge him back. It troubles him that he has changed each time he returns, while the museum’s displays never changes.They represent the simple and manageable vision of the perfect life that Holden wishes he could live and stay in forever. After reading the novel, readers learn that although Holden goal is crazy, in the end he has great determination. Readers notice that at the end of the novel, Holden has not changed. He still tries to resist growing up, he still mocks the people he considers phonies, and he still alienates himself from the people he considers â€Å"phonies†. Holden’s character is very unusual but it teaches readers about maturity and how hard it is to not gro w up.