Management and Hr Essay Example for Free

Management and Hr Essay The CIPD introduced the HR Professional Map in 2009, which set out the new foundations for professional competency in HR and the criteria for new and revised CIPD qualifications. The map highlights 10 professional areas at four different levels and the eight key behaviours HR professionals need to operate. The HR Profession Map sets out the following eight behaviours: 1. Decisive thinker. Able to analyse information quickly and use it to make robust decisions. 2. Skilled influencer. Able to gain commitment from different quarters in order to benefit the organisation. 3. Personally credible. Expert in both HR and commercial issues, and takes a professional approach. 4. Collaborative. Able to work well with a range of people both within and outside of the organisation. 5. Driven to deliver. Focused on delivering best possible results for the organisation, and shows determination, resourcefulness and a sense of purpose in achieving this. 6. Courage and challenge. Has the courage and confidence to speak up and will challenge others even when met with resistance or unfamiliar circumstances. 7. Role model. Leads by example. 8. Curious. An inquisitive, open-minded type, who seeks out new ways to support the development of the organisation. The HR Profession Map identifies ten professional areas: 1) Insight Strategy Solutions (the ‘core’ of the Map) : understanding the company ethos activities, responsible for HR plans of action, is aware of the obstacles that block the path of being able to provide an effective HR function, provides solutions. Designs good rewards and benefits package, making the Company an attractive place to work, helping with retention of staff and attracting quality new staff members, central to the organisation. 2) Leading Human Resources : operational excellence understanding the requirements of the organisation. Will to be able to guide direct a fit for purpose HR function, responsible for staffing 3) Service delivery and  information. Managing HR information professionally. 4) Organisation design. Managing structural change and ensuring the organisation is appropriately designed. 5) Organisation development. Ensuring the organisation’s workforce, culture, values and environment will enable it to meet goals and perform well in the future. 6) Resourcing and talent planning. Making sure the organisation attracts people who will give it an edge. Managing a workforce with the balance of skills needed to meet short and long-term ambitions. 7) Learning and talent development. Making sure that people at all levels of the organisation have the skills needed to contribute to the organisation’s success, and that they are motivated to grow and learn. 8) Performance and reward. Making sure that reward systems – principally pay and benefits – are fair and cost-effective. Ensuring critical skills, experience and performances are rewarded. 9) Employee engagement. Supporting employees in maintaining a positive connection with their work, colleagues and the broader organisation, with a particular focus on good relationships between staff and their line managers. 10) Employee relations. Ensure that the relationship between the organisation and staff is managed within a clear and appropriate framework. â€Å"Orme added: The map will allow us to maintain rigour while improving flexibility: the flexibility to meet the needs of generalists and specialists and to support professionals at all levels, and the rigour to ensure HR professionals and employees alike can be confident that a CIPD qualification delivers not just the capabilities needed for today, but the capacity to adapt to the growing demands that will be placed on the profession in the future. (http://www.hrmagazine.co.uk/hro/news/1017104/hrd-2009-cipd-introduce-hr-professional-map-equip-practitioners-tougher-future-role#sthash.ks3fgXhT.dpuf- 10.03.2014) Bands of Professional Competence: Band 1 – Entry stage into the HR profession and supports colleagues, manages data and information, broadly considered as being customer orientated. Band 2 – Advises and in some instances manages HR issues. An individual at this level will understand evaluation processes and be able to assist with known solutions. Band 3 – Defined as a leader of a professional HR area. An individual at this level will be have the ability to address major HR issues, generally at an organisational level and will be involved with  medium to long term HR planning. Band 4 – Manages and leads a professional HR area / division. Working at senior organisational level and will have responsibility for the development and implementation of HR strategies. There are standard definitions within each of the four bands which advise of the following 3 areas: 1) What you need to do within each band (activities covering 9 specific points) 2) What you need to know within each band covering 12 specific points 3) How you need to do it i.e. the prevalent behaviours that are essential for each professional area. The behaviour definitions are defined as: Driven to deliver Collaborative Personally credible Decisive thinker Skilled influencer For example an HR professional working competently at band 4 will be expected to be a decisive thinker, will be driven to deliver and will also need to be a skilled influencer. The point of the HR profession Map is that individuals either considering a career in HR, or who are currently working at any given level within HR, will understand the skills, requirements, knowledge and personal attributes required at each level therefor creating a clear progressive guide for their career path. My own experiences as a admin assistant has made me realise I am a generalist at present within HR, my limited experience is gradually developing and I am becoming a more confident person within the HR world, now being able to advise senior management without also reaffirming my thought with our HR director, I aspire to gain further knowledge and become a confident HR professional with this in mind it is not always advisable just to look at my own career and development but to that of others and whils t I don’t have the experience I do have the knowledge and the enthusiasm to help develop individual personal aspirations that need to be closely managed in consideration of an individual’s personal aspirations of how far i can progress my career. For example, a person with strong ability currently working at band 2 may well aspire to eventually be capable of working to the prescribed band 4 level but in reality, and despite whatever development takes place, they may well be unlikely to be able to progress to band 4. This may well be a  personality issue or that some people are just not leaders but not everyone will be able to develop themselves as decisive thinker and a skilled influencer, two of the most difficult requirements of any senior management. Looking at the overall Map and considering my current role within our organisation, I am confident that I am currently working within the band 2/3 area of Human Resources. It is clear that I have extensive work to do within my career path and feel that following onto further studies, whilst gaining the experiential knowledge will give me a sound grounding to a positive and progressive career. After assesing the the map I would consider that I am currently working between band 2 3. In my role as Admin Assistant I have responsibiity for ensuring that all HR related activities are managed effectivly and correctly under the supervision of the HR director. My customer base is predoninantly our management team but also our employees, union representatives and our clients senior managment teams. The conflicting needs of each group can be difficult at time to prioritise, not only do I have to answer to three sites managers who all require assistance in there own ways, I have the directors and the employees, as well as the employees of Youngs who are our client and at the end of the day (pay the bills). Within my own organisation we have a service level agreement with Youngs our client,this enable us to provide and maintain the service required, it clearly defines what is expected, when and how, it also states what we expect from the client to enable us to provide an effective service. Providing an effective service,with good communication in a timely manner builds customer confidence, but from a buisness point of view we also need to come in on budget, sometimes the clients expectations can be unreasonable, so as a service provider we have to sometimes negotiate and balance between our customers wants and needs to the needs and demands of the buisness, also balancing the needs of our employees needs to be apart of our management. â€Å"If you not serving the customer, you’d better be serving someone who isâ€Å" – Karl Albrecht – Developing Yourself as an effective learning and development practioner Whilst carry out the assignement and after discussing it with our HR Director  he brought to my attention a perfect example. â€Å"As an example, in a redundancy situation the needs of the union will be to ensure that as few employees as possible are made redundant however quite often in my experience a number of employees will activly want to be made redundantâ€Å" Director of HR Partners In Hygiene Whatever the situation, in my role I have to ensure that the needs of the business come are met first, then to time manage and balance the requirement of In terms of my own developemnt I am comfortably working within Band 2 for area such as insight, strategy, and solutions, leading HR and organisational design as well as performance and reward and feel with only 2 years experience I have progressed positivly, though am very aware I still need assistance coaching/ mentoring to develope my career path to continue and sustain the progression at the same pace. In order to ensure that I deliver to all my customers (internal external) I must ensure that I have maintain effective communication. The four main communication tools that I employ are: 1) Verbal – Face to face conversations with individuals or groups 2) Written – letters of communication, formal and informal 3) E-mail 4) Telephone conversations Each of the above have both advantages and disadvantages e.g. verbal communication is an effective tool for maintaining close contact and relationships with people but can be time consuming and generall leaves no trail i.e. evidence that a particular conversation has ever occurred. E-mail is an efficient and fast method of written communication but as there is no face to face contact emotions within an e-mail can be misinterpreted leading to misunderstanding. The sheer volume of e-mail can be a problem and in my experience almost everyone is guilty of using e-mail as mean to cover themselves. Written letters are a good record of communication but can be perceived as being too formal and again can be time consuming to compose, print, mail etc. As with any business attempting to be efficient in terms of effective communication, we use all of the above comminication methods at various times. Personally I do prefer oral communication whenever possible wven if this is via telephone rather than face to face.

Genes And Other Factors Of Happiness Psychology Essay

Genes And Other Factors Of Happiness Psychology Essay Genes and circumstances contribute equally to human happiness in the short term, but genes and neurotransmitters cause  80% of the range of happiness people feel in the long term, according to recent research in behavioral genetics and neurochemistry (Sharpe and Bryant 2008:1-9) 1. Genetic information derived from scientific explorations of genetic traits may have important links to understanding the basis for feelings of well-being and potentially the phenomena associated with human happiness. While non-genetic oriented research of social, political, public policy, theology and economic studies have addressed the impact of social and institutional environments on mass political attitudes and behaviors, there is a paucity of solid research on the interrelation and influence of genetic and environmental factors on these parameters. The neuroscience and genes experiments have entailed basic propositions of well being and happiness into human brain which has made science unique. On th e other hands, Social Sciences especially economics, political science, theology or public policy has endeavored different aspects and corners of happiness research which made the issue not much different from what gene, neuroscience and psychology researchers have got. This paper would discuss the inevitability of the Science -Social Science Nexus in Happiness research and the findings. Keywords: Happiness, Genes, Science Social Science Nexus, Factors of Happiness. Introduction: Across culture, people rate subjective well being as most important elements of their life and more important than material success (Diener, 2000)2. Subjective well being is equally treated here as Happiness. In this paper we explore neurogenetics determination and its relationships with social science research on happiness throughout our lives. The abovementioned classical saying from Diener has got great value in Happiness Research. Despite the fact, the invention of Genetics Research during late 1800s flames the fire on Nature versus Nurture debate which has caused a rift within the scientific community, with researchers and theorists passionately defending both sides of the argument. Furthermore the Social science Researchers on Happiness has raised more issues which has become complicated to the neurogenetics researchers and by thus the inevitability of Social science and science nexus in happiness research has become more realistic. This holds especially true in the discourse of the determination of ones happiness.Resaerchers debate Human biological make up, i.e., the happiness is determined by configuration of human genetics. Even happiness is known to be related to personality traits. However, to date, nobody has examined whether personality and subjective well-being share a common genetic structure (Weiss, Bates and Luciano, 2008)3. Its novel approach to scientific analysis fusing biology, psychology and sociology was convincing to some researchers, but also thought of as unsubstantiated and too restrictive by others. The divisive line between those that supported the study of genetics within human behavioral research and those that simply dismissed its findings only grew with time, as more controversial theories and concepts began to emerge. A result of this conflict between nature and nurture is a lack of communication between both sides of the argument. Researchers tend to view genetics and life events as separate entities working to determine which one has greater power over the other in shaping emotional status. Genetics theorists such as David Lykken and Auke Tellegen4 focus most of their experiments on data analysis and genetics testing, while proponents of life events research such as Richard Lucas and Sonja Lyubomirsky use more of the qualitative methods, surveying specific individuals, as was familiar to sociologists. Though the differences between the two sides are stark, the two arguments can work together. Through the revelation of behavioral genetics research it is undeniable that new, significant findings in the realm of sociology will emerge. It cannot be counted out as a major force within the development of human emotion. Nevertheless, the inability of the two sides of this conflict to work together has led to numerous holes in research and conclusions by both points of view. In this paper we intend to prove that behavioral genetics greatly influences human behavior and emotion and should be taken into account in all social science research on individual happiness levels. We will first outline the research on genetics with respect to happiness and how it has evolved. Then we will look at the response to the genetic research by those who argue that happiness is determined by life-events. The final part of the literature will be a discussion of the integration of genetics and life-events, which will include the research which as been completed and that which we believe will further the field. We will then conclude the paper with a summary of the arguments and which side our study has led us to. Methodology: The methodology adopted here is Content Analysis, historical data analysis and analysis of case studies. We have consulted data and analysis of previous reports by scientific and social science experts on happiness research. The methodology is completely based on secondary data analysis and interpretation. In analyzing those data, we have carefully selected data which are related to our themes. We have also used those data and figures to show the science-social sciences nexus of happiness research. Characteristics of Happy People: In her recent study, Lyubomirsky suggests that happiness is determined by three influences: 50% set point or genetic make-up; 40% intentional activity; 10% circumstance (Lyubomirsky 2007).5 In 1996, University of Minnesota researcher David Lykken studied 4,000 sets of twins born in Minnesota from 1936-1955.   After comparing data on identical vs. fraternal twins, he came to the conclusion that 50% of ones satisfaction from life comes from genes. (Lykken, D.   Happiness is a Stochastic Phenomenon.  Ã‚  Minn Psychological Science  7(3), 1996)6 Martin Seligman, PhD, at the University of Pennsylvania taught a single happiness-enhancing strategy to a group of severely depressed people.   These individuals had difficulty staying out of bed.   They were encouraged to log onto a Web site and engage in a simple exercise.   The exercise involved recalling and writing down three good things that happened every day.   Within 15 days, their depression lifted from severe to moderate to mild.   Ninety-four percent reported relief (Authentic Happiness2002).7 Richard Davidson, known by colleagues as the king of happiness research, has been studying the link between prefrontal lobe activity and the sort of deep bliss that people who meditate experience. According to Davidson (2001)8, happiness isnt just a vague, ineffable feeling; its a physical state of the brain-one that you can induce deliberately. As researchers have gained an understanding of the physical characteristics of a happy brain, they have come to see that those traits have a powerful influence on the rest of the body. Numerous studies (Kubzansky, Sparrow, Vokonas, Kawachi, 2001)9 have discovered that happiness or related mental states like hopefulness, optimism, and contentment appear to reduce the risk or limit the severity of cardiovascular disease, pulmonary disease, diabetes, hypertension, colds, and upper respiratory infections as well. The benefits of being happy go beyond the temporary phase of feeling good. Happy people exhibit a high level of energy and can do attitude. They are emotionally intelligent and show more poise and grace in a crisis. Their immune systems are stronger, and they live longer and have more fruitful lives as a result. Over many decades, psychological researchers have begun to place more and more emphasis on understanding influences upon mental and emotional health and well-being. Some of Seligmans own research, for instance, had focused on optimism, a trait shown to be associated with good physical health, less depression and mental illness, longer life, and, yes, greater happiness. Perhaps the most eager explorer of this terrain was University of Illinois psychologist Edward Diener, a.k.a. Dr. Happiness. For more than two decades, Diener had been examining what does and does not make people feel satisfied with life. Seligmans goal was to shine a light on such work and encourage much, much more of it. A recent survey by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention found that people ages 20 to 24 are sad for an average of 3.4 days a month, as opposed to just 2.3 days for people ages 65 to 74. The earlier notion where you live makes you happy, has recently been challenged by the work of North and others (North  et al. 2008)10.  They suggest that  happiness can change and underscore the importance of exploring more deeply the role that family relationships play in facilitating such change and this is not related to economic status (Wenz, 1977)11. Similarly, the idea that  marriage increases happiness has been challenged by the evidence that married people may have been happier than single people because the former were happier to begin with. Scientific Research on Happiness: Genes and Happiness: Genes carry the instructions for the construction of neurotransmitters, their receptor and re-absorption portals. They also impart information on such things as their storage and release rates. Hence, genes can influence the prevalence, scarcity, and activity of serotonin and dopamine, and, in turn, whatever behaviors and feelings these neurotransmitters induce. For each of us, our happiness fluctuates within a small range that our genes largely determine. So concludes Dean Hamer in his review of studies on the role of genes in happiness or misery. Hamer12 directs our attention to two of the more than  300  known neurotransmitters, dopamine (the brains chemical for pleasure) and serotonin, the petrochemical for misery. Neurotransmitters pass information from the synapse or junction between a nerve cell and another nerve cell or a muscle. The nerve cells bulbous end releases them from storage when an electrical impulse moving along the nerve reaches it. Then they cross the junction to dock at the other nerve cells receptor, and either prompt or inhibit the impulses along the second cell. The first nerve cell reabsorbs excess neurotransmitters, but not necessarily all of them. Those that remain free-floating help create our happy or miserable states of being. How you feel right now is about equally genetic and circumstantial, says Hamer. But how you will feel on average over the next ten years is fully  80% because of your genes (Hamer  1996:  125).13 Further evidence for a physical/biochemical basis of happiness comes from neuroanatomy.  Richard Lane  and his colleagues preliminary research indicate that feelings of happiness, sadness, and disgust all co-occur with increased brain activity in the thalamus and medial prefrontal cortex. Greater activity near the ventral medial frontal cortex distinguishes happiness from sadness, whilst happiness correlates with significant increases in bilateral activity near the middle and posterior temporal cortex and hypothalamus. Lane concludes that, spatially distributed brain regions participate in each emotion (Lane, et al.  1997:930)14. Identical twins (those with the same genetic makeup) attain the same level of happiness  44  percent of the time. In comparison, fraternal twins, those who share genes as do ordinary siblings, reach the same level only eight percent of the time. Hamer adds: These data show that the broad heritability of well-being is  40  to  50% (Hamer  1996:  125)15. Studies by David Lykken and Auke Tellegen assess the happiness of twins over five to ten years, and show the slight impact of sex, age, race, and marital status, and the short-term influence of job loss or lottery winning. A recent report by psychologists Christopher Lewis and Stephen Joseph16 suggests that the Depression-Happiness Scale (which psychologists use to calculate happiness) measures happiness as a trait rather than a state, with subjects scores on the scale remaining relatively stable over a two-year period. Other studies show that a persons level of happiness remains stable over many years. Inherited genes account for the majority of this level. Figure- 1:  Happiness genes GENE ASSOCIATIONS DRD2 Alcoholism, Substance abuse, craving behavior, cocaine dependence, smoking, ADHD, parenting, Obesity, video gaming, sexual activity, posttraumatic stress disorder schizophrenia, Parkinsons, brain metabolism, BMI, executive functioning, love styles (EROS) pathological gambling. Pathological aggression, schizoid/avoidant behavior, criminal activity, politics party attachment. Energy, hypertension. Hyperphagia, growth, sexual maturation, brain development, depression, anorexia, bulimia, fibromyalgia, pain sensitivity, hunger, novelty seeking, extraversion, early onset sexual intercourse, defense style (lying), oppositional defiant disorder, panic disorder, developmental personality, Tourette Syndrome, Parkinsons, executive dysfunctioning, pleasure buzz ANNKI Smoking dependence, parental rule-setting, Schizophrenia, cognition deficit, alcohol and opiate dependence, pleasurable buzz, 5HT2A Eating disorders, obesity, Insulin resistance, love styles (romantic), suicide, ADHD, Panic disorders, impulsive aggression, cognitive impulsivity, anger, sweet tooth, antidepressant treatment outcomes, fibromyalgia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality, smoking behavior, cocaine dependence, BMI. OPRK1 (kappa -opioid receptor) Alcohol and heroin dependence. Pain mechanisms and tolerance. OPRM1 (mu opioid   receptorreceptor) Pleasure buzz, smoking addiction, heroin addiction, alcoholism, pain sensitivity, BMI, type 2 diabetes mellitus. COMT Psychiatric and affective disorders, alcoholism, substance use disorder, smoking, post-surgical pain, fibromyalgia, Parkinsons disease, ADHD. SLC6A3 Post-surgical pain, cocaine abuse, alcohol dependence, smoking behavior, juvenile delinquency, pathological aggression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, impulsive aggression, cognitive impulsivity. HTR3B Heroin addiction, migraine, impulsive behavioral aggression, cognitive -impulsivity, ADHD, alcoholism. NOS3 Pain mechanism, healing mechanisms, circulation, hypertension, cardiovascular. PPARG Type 2 diabetes, Obesity, Insulin sensitivity, Body composition, eating disorders, BMI, physical exercise, common metabolic disorders, body mass, waist circumference, inflammatory response, immune system. CHREBP Plasma triglycerides, triglyceridemia, obesity ,,improves plasma glucose, FTO Severe obesity, food intake, adiposity, body mass, energy intake, BMI, fat mass, pleasurable buzz. TNFalpha Inflammation, mortality, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, BMI, Immune response. PEMT Proinflamamtory, immunoregulation, apotosis, substance use disorder. MANEA Substance dependence LEPTIN-OB BMI, Schizophrenia, stress, obesity risk, food intake, craving behavior, diabetes, insulin sensitivity, adiposity, body composition, linear growth, metabolic factors, hyperphagia, cocaine dependence, lipogenesis, modulation of sweet substances, anorexia, bulimia, cardiovascular effects, fertility, sexual maturation, brain development, depression, fatty acid metabolism, hunger, MAO-A Pain sensitivity, bipolar affective disorder, ADHD, alcoholism, Substance Use Disorder, violent behavior, juvenile delinquency, smoking, child abuse, suicide, criminal activity, posttraumatic stress disorder, anti-depressant treatment response, alcoholism, panic disorder, schizophrenia, pathological gambling. ADIPOQ Metabolic syndrome, adiposity, fat mass, energy intake, obesity, lipogenesis, type 2 diabetes, BMI. STS ADHD VDR Obesity, BMI, overeating, metabolic syndrome, anthropometric measures, schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy, immune system, type 2 diabetes, physical activity, BONE DENSITY (OSTEOPOROSIS). DBI ANXIETY DISORDERS GABRA6 Autism, alcoholism, stresses response. GABRB3 Autism, alcoholism, stress. MTHFR   Cardiovascular disease, Homocysteine levels, obesity, fat mass, Schizophrenia. MLXIPL (CARBOHYDRATE BINDING ELEMENT) Plasma triglycerides, glucose craving behavior, obesity. VEGF Angiogenesis factor, cognition, tissue healing, pain sensitivity, oxidative stress. DRD4 Financial risk taking, nicotine withdrawal, ADHD, novelty seeking, Alcoholism, aggression, impulsivity, delinquency, memory deficits, anger, temperament, schizophrenia, sexual intercourse, drug abuse, extraversion, obesity, stress, emotional reactivity, infant attachment, oppositional defiant disorder, fibromyalgia, hyperphagia, alcohol craving, pathological gambling, panic disorder, developmental personality, Tourette Syndrome, Parkinsons. VMAT2 Antidepressant treatment outcome, Parkinsons, ADHD, cocaine and methamphetamine dependence, spirituality GOD Gene. CLOCK Circadian system, mood, bipolar, endocrine and metabolic rhythms, stress, reproduction, morphine dependence MELETONIN Sleep anxiety, alcoholism OREXIN Hyperphagis and energy regulation Source: Blum, K et.al. (2009)17 The abovementioned Table showed the genes and its associations with different Situations. Genetic factors may also contribute to the drug abuse-derived pleasure form; in one genomic study on rats exposed to chronic methamphetamine abuse, the SLC6A gene and its variants were shown to be altered upon exposure to methamphetamine (Kobeissy, et al., 2008)(Gold, et al., 2009).18 This disorder is due to genetic defects in the dopamine reward pathways. As a result of such defects the natural rewards are no longer sufficient to improve mood and provide pleasure, and affected individuals pursue an excessive amount of unnatural rewards such as from alcohol, nicotine, drugs, gambling, sex and risk taking in the form of dangerous sports, such bungie and base jumping, sky diving, extreme skiing, race car driving, video gaming and others to stimulate their reward pathways. The SLC6A gene is involved in cocaine abuse, alcohol dependence, smoking behavior, juvenile delinquency, pathological aggression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, impulsive aggression, cognitive impulsity and is a major component in the happiness gene map (see  Figure 1  and  Table 1). In 1995 Kenneth Blum coined the term RDS (Blum et al. 1996; Comings et al 2000; Blum et al. 2000).19 The fact that drugs of abuse such as alcohol, cocaine, speed and nicotine stimulate the release of dopamine explains part of the question of why humans become addicted to things; this does not explain why some people have serious problems with addictions. While environmental factors play a role, there is a significant variation in addictive potential among individuals exposed to the same environment or even substances ( Hoebel, Avena, Borcarsly, Rada, 2009,  Comings and Blum 2000).20  Ã‚   Another facet of certain environmental elements that may affect ones happiness and ultimately longevity is being in control. Langer (1989)21 carried out a landmark study that suggested that being in control resulted in greater longevity. In his study performed in a nursing home for the elderly, one group of subjects was given a plant and told to look after it, they were responsible for the plants health. Another group was also given a plant but told that the staff would look over the plant. Over the next 18 months twice as many of those who were not in control of their plants died compared to those in control of their plants. A test of this hypothesis has been successfully carried out by others in two strains of rodents. One strain liked drinking alcohol more than drinking water; the other strain did not. If the preference for alcohol was due to a defect in the dopamine D2 receptor, then increasing the level of D2 receptor in the reward pathways should eliminate the alcohol preference. This was accomplished by injecting copies of the D2 receptor gene directly in the nucleus accumbens. This resulted in a temporary over expression of the D2 receptors that lasted several days. The over expression of the D2 receptor gene reduces alcohol intake demonstrating that high levels of the D2 receptor gene are protective against alcohol abuse (Thanos et al 2001).22 Post (2005)23 suggests that altruism and volunteerism are associated with happiness, improved mood, enhanced self-esteem, and better mental and physical health; and that helping others, per se, may be a major part of the increased longevity seen in religious versus non-religious individuals. However others have rejected the idea that religion was a key factor. They concluded in their studies of over 8,832 subjects that volunteering, rather than its religious context, explained the beneficial effects and happiness (Musick  et al. 1999)24.  These findings are not so simple and cannot be taken without understanding that  we really cannot determine whether a confound drives an observed correlation. That is, that correlational data is always vulnerable to potential third-variable confounds. As we stated earlier, wealth does not necessarily correlate with happiness. In fact, as pointed out in Comings25 book  Did Man Create God,  a major reason for the lack of correlation between Gross National Product (GNP) and happiness is that people quickly adapt to a wide range of circumstances. He stated, Someone inheriting or winning a great deal of money may be temporarily be happier, but they soon settle back to their previous innate level of happiness. The same holds for those with progressively increasing yearly incomes. In support of this notion  Allen Parducci  (1995)26 suggested that after each raise, people adapt and return to a previous level of happiness (a set point genetically programmed), a phenomena he termed  hedonic treadmill. Figure-2 Source: Ibid, 2009 27 Psychology and Happiness: For most of its history, psychology has concerned itself with all that ails the human mind: anxiety, depression, neurosis, obsessions, paranoia, delusions, etc., and the behaviors they produce. The goal of practitioners has been to bring patients from a negative ailing state to a neutral normal state. Or, as University of Pennsylvania psychologist Martin Seligman puts it, from a minus five to a zero (Seligman 2002)28. In the tabe-1, we could see that DRD2 genes has associations with the psychological functions like Alcoholism, Substance abuse, craving behavior, cocaine dependence, smoking, ADHD, parenting, Obesity, video gaming, sexual activity, posttraumatic stress disorder schizophrenia, Parkinsons, brain metabolism, BMI, executive functioning, love styles (EROS) pathological gambling. Pathological aggression, schizoid/avoidant behavior, criminal activity, politics party attachment. Energy, hypertension. Hyperphagia, growth, sexual maturation, brain development, depression, anorexia, bulimia, fibromyalgia, pain sensitivity, hunger, novelty seeking, extraversion, early onset sexual intercourse, defense style (lying), oppositional defiant disorder, panic disorder, developmental personality, Tourette Syndrome, Parkinsons, executive dysfunctioning, pleasure buzz etc. At the same time, the gene like ANNKI has the effects on Smoking dependence, parental rule-setting, Schizophrenia, cognition deficit, alcohol and opiate dependence, pleasurable buzz. The gene 5HT2A has got associations with Eating disorders, obesity, Insulin resistance, love styles (romantic), suicide, ADHD, Panic disorders, impulsive aggression, cognitive impulsivity, anger, sweet tooth, antidepressant treatment outcomes, fibromyalgia, obsessive-compulsive disorder, borderline personality, smoking behavior, cocaine dependence, BMI. Genes like OPRK1 (kappa -opioid receptor) has associations with the Alcohol and heroin dependence. Pain mechanisms and tolerance. OPRM1 (mu opioid   Receptor) has associations with Pleasure buzz, smoking addiction, heroin addiction, alcoholism, pain sensitivity, BMI, type 2 diabetes mellitus. COMT has associations with Psychiatric and affective disorders, alcoholism, substance use disorder, smoking, post-surgical pain, fibromyalgia, Parkinsons disease, ADHD. SLC6A3 genes are associated with Post-surgical pain, cocaine abuse, alcohol dependence, smoking behavior, juvenile delinquency, pathological aggression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, ADHD, impulsive aggression, cognitive impulsivity. Heroin addiction, migraine, impulsive behavioral aggression, cognitive -impulsivity, ADHD, alcoholism is attached with the gene HTR3B. Pain mechanism, healing mechanisms, circulation, hypertension, cardiovascular are associated with the genes NOS3. Type 2 diabetes, Obesity, Insulin sensitivity, Body composition, eating disorders, BMI, physical exercise, common metabolic disorders, body mass, waist circumference, inflammatory response, immune system are affected with the genes PPARG. Plasma triglycerides, triglyceridemia, obesity ,,improves plasma glucose are asssociated iwth the genes CHREBP. Severe obesity, food intake, adiposity, body mass, energy intake, BMI, fat mass, pleasurable buzz are associated with the genes FTO. Inflammations, mortality, schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, BMI, Immune response are associated with the gene TNFalpha. Proinflamamtory, immunoregulation, apotosis, substance use disorder are associated with the gene PEMT. Substance dependence is also associated with the gene MANEA. BMI, Schizophrenia, stress, obesity risk, food intake, craving behavior, diabetes, insulin sensitivity, adiposity, body composition, linear growth, metabolic factors, hyperphagia, cocaine dependence, lipogenesis, modulation of sweet substances, anorexia, bulimia, cardiovascular effects, fertility, sexual maturation, brain development, depression, fatty acid metabolism, hunger have great effects of the gene LEPTIN-OB. Pain sensitivity, bipolar affective disorder, ADHD, alcoholism, Substance Use Disorder, violent behavior, juvenile delinquency, smoking, child abuse, suicide, criminal activity, posttraumatic stress disorder, anti-depressant treatment response, alcoholism, panic disorder, schizophrenia, pathol ogical gambling are also affected by the gene MAO-A. Metabolic syndrome, adiposity, fat mass, energy intake, obesity, lipogenesis, type 2 diabetes, BMI has the same associations with the gene ADIPOQ. ADHD has the associations with the gene STS. Obesity, BMI, overeating, metabolic syndrome, anthropometric measures, schizophrenia, temporal lobe epilepsy, immune system, type 2 diabetes, physical activity, BONE DENSITY (OSTEOPOROSIS) has associations with the gene VDR. Anxiety Disorders has associations with the gene DBI. Autism, alcoholism, stress response has association with the gene GABRA6. Autism, alcoholism, stress has strongest associations with the gene GABRB3. Cardiovascular disease, Homocysteine levels, obesity, fat mass, Schizophrenia has associations with the gene MTHFR. Plasma triglycerides, glucose craving behavior, obesity has associations with the gene MLXIPL (CARBOHYDRATE BINDING ELEMENT). Angiogenesis factor, cognition, tissue healing, pain sensitivity, oxidative stress has associations with the gene VEGF. Financial risk taking, nicotine withdrawal, ADHD, novelty seeking, Alcoholism, aggression, impulsivity, delinquency, memory deficits, anger, temperament, schizophrenia, sexual intercourse, drug abuse, extrav ersion, obesity, stress, emotional reactivity, infant attachment, oppositional defiant disorder, fibromyalgia, hyperphagia, alcohol craving, pathological gambling, panic disorder, developmental personality, Tourette Syndrome, Parkinsons has association with the gene DRD4. Antidepressant treatment outcome, Parkinsons, ADHD, cocaine and methamphetamine dependence, spirituality GOD Gene has association with the gene VMAT2. CLOCK gene is associated with Circadian system, mood, bipolar, endocrine and metabolic rhythms, stress, reproduction, morphine dependence. Sleep anxiety, alcoholism is associated with the gene MELETONIN. OREXIN gene has associations with Hyperphagis and energy regulation. So from the above analysis what we could see is that several genes have had associations with the psychological orders and disorders of human body and mind. Genes like DRD2 and DRD4, ANNKI, COMT, SLC6A3, TNFalpha, PEMT, LEPTIN-OB, MAO-A, ADIPOQ, STS, VDR, DBI, GABRA6, GABRA3, MTHFR, VEGF, VMAT2, CLOCK, MELETONIN, OREXIN has associations with the Psychological disorders like Sleep anxiety, mood, bipolar, endocrine and metabolic rhythms, stress, reproduction, morphine dependence, cocaine and methamphetamine dependence, spirituality GOD Gene, Financial risk taking, nicotine withdrawal, ADHD, novelty seeking, Alcoholism, aggression, impulsivity, delinquency, memory deficits, anger, temperament, schizophrenia, sexual intercourse, drug abuse, extraversion, obesity, stress, emotional reactivity, infant attachment, oppositional defiant disorder, fibromyalgia, hyperphagia, alcohol craving, pathological gambling, panic disorder, developmental personality, Tourette Syndrome, Angiogenesis factor , cognition, pain sensitivity, oxidative stress, obesity, obesity, Schizophrenia, alcoholism, stress response, Anxiety disorders, bipolar affective disorder, ADHD, alcoholism, Substance Use Disorder, violent behavior, juvenile delinquency, smoking, child abuse, suicide, criminal activity, posttraumatic stress disorder, anti-depressant treatment response, alcoholism, panic disorder. But the most interesting thing is that not all the genes have the same disorders, rather each of the different genes has different syndroms which affects happiness of human being. But most interesting things is that more genes has associations with the same disorders like Schizophrenia of human being which seriously affects happiness. As well as more genes has the same affects like panic disorders which also affected happiness. In one hand, this is the genes associations with Psychology and happiness and on the other hands, there are more factors involved in the Psychology and happiness. James Montier29, a global equity strategist, has concluded with the almost same view of happiness where genes have the greatest associations with human happiness. About 50% of individual happiness comes from a  genetic set point.  That is, were each predisposed to a certain level of happiness. Some of us are just naturally more inclined to be cheery than others. About 10% of our happiness is due to our  circumstances.  Our age, race, gender, personal history, and, yes, wealth, only make up about one-tenth of our happiness. The remaining  40% of an individuals happiness seems to be derived from  intentional activity, from discrete actions or practices that people can choose to do. Economist Richard A. Easterlin30 at the University  was among the first to notice the paradoxical disconnection between a nations economic growth and the growth of its happiness. The Easterlin Paradox was once thought to be limited to rich

The Second Amendment - The Right To Bear Arms Essay -- Gun Bear Arms C

The Second Amendment And The Right To Bear Arms Throughout the years there has been an ongoing debate over the Second Amendment and how it should be interpreted. The issue that is being debated is whether our government has the right to regulate guns. The answer of who has which rights lies within how one interprets the Second Amendment. With this being the case, one must also think about what circumstances the Framers were under when this Amendment was written. There are two major sides to this debate, one being the collective side, which feels that the right was given for collective purposes only. This side is in favor of having stricter gun control laws, as they feel that by having stricter laws the number of crimes that are being committed with guns will be reduced and thus save lives. However while gun control laws may decrease criminals’ access to guns, the same laws restricts gun owning citizens who abide by the law; these citizens make up a great majority of the opposing side of this argument. These people argue tha t the law was made with the individual citizens in mind. This group believes that the Amendment should be interpreted to guarantee citizens free access to firearms. One major group that is in strong opposition of stricter gun control laws is the National Rifle Association (NRA). The NRA argues that having stricter gun control laws will only hinder law-abiding citizens. The final outcome on this debate will mainly depend on how this Amendment is going to be interpreted.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The Second Amendment of the Bill of Rights states: A well-regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. (Amendment II 1791) This debate has produced two familiar interpretations of the Second Amendment. Advocates of stricter gun control laws have tended to stress that the amendment’s militia clause guarantees nothing to the individual and that it only protects the states’ rights to be able to maintain organized military units. These people argue that the Second Amendment was merely used to place the states’ organized military forces beyond the federal government’s power to be able to disarm them. This would guarantee that the states would always have sufficient force at their command to abolish federal restraints on their rights and to resist by arms if necessary. T... ... stricter gun control, the states are moving in a different direction. The reason behind this action is that the constitutionality of tighter gun control laws is becoming a question. Once the Supreme Court of the United States answers this question on the legality of infringing on the right to bear arms we will know what our exact right is. Works Cited [1] Cottrol, Robert, ed. Gun Control and the Constitution: Sources and Explorations on the Second Amendment. New York: Garland Publishing Inc., 1994 [2] Dowlut, Robert. The Right to Keep and Bear Arms in State Bills of Rights and Judicial Interpretation. SAF 1993 [3] Freedman, Warren. The Privilege to Keep and Bear Arms. Connecticut: Quorum Books, 1989 [4] Hickok, Eugene Jr., ed. The Bill of Rights: Original Meaning and Current Understanding. Virginia: University Press of Virginia, 1991 [5] Kruschke, Earl PHD. Gun Control: A Reference Handbook. California: ABC-CLIO Inc., 1995 [6] Image on the cover page taken from TIME. Photographer unknown. [7] Prune Yard Shopping Center v. Robins, 447 U.S. 74, 81 (1980) [8] Zimring, Franklin E., Gun Control. Encyclopedia Encarta: 1993-1997 Microsoft Corporation.

Depictions of Beauty in the Victorian Era :: British History Essays

Depictions of Beauty in the Victorian Era Missing Works Cited       "What is beauty anyway? There's no such thing." (Pablo Picasso) The Victorians' obsession with physical appearance has been well documented by scholars. This was a society in which one's clothing was an immediate indication of what one did for a living (and by extension, one's station in life). It was a world, as John Reed puts it, "where things were as they seemed" (312). So it is not surprising to find that the Victorians also placed great faith in bodily appearance. To the Victorians, a face and figure could reveal the inner thoughts and emotions of the individual as reliably as clothing indicated his occupation. There is abundant evidence of the pervasiveness of this belief in the literature of the period. According to Reed, "Victorian literature abounds with expressions of faith in physiognomy" (336). He quotes a passage from Charlotte Bronte's Jane Eyre to prove the point: "Jane Eyre, for example, trusts her initial perception of Rochester, whose brow 'showed a solid enough mass of intellectual organs, but an abrupt deficiency where the suave sign of benevolence should have risen'" (146; ch. 14, Reed 336). In the Victorian novel, physical appearance was a primary means of characterization (Lefkovitz 1). A hero or heroine's beauty (or lack thereof) was probably the most important aspect of his or character. As Lefkovitz points out, beauty is always culturally defined. How then, did the Victorians define it? For women, that definition is a strange mixture of ideals. The Victorians admired both the strong, hearty, statuesque lady (modeled on Queen Victoria herself) and the weak, fainting beauty, who Lefkovitz uses the French word mourante to define: "dying, languishing, expiring, fainting, fading" (36). The former type was most popular in the first half of the century, according to Federico: A woman's body in the first decade of the century was . . . under considerable scrutiny, and the ideal against which she was measured was tall and statuesque, stately, elegant, refined . . . nothing is considered so outre [excessive] as a slender waist, while the en bon point is the ne plus ultra [utmost point; meaning a towering, powerful-looking woman] of feminine proportions. (30) Many writers embraced this strong, sculpted, large-bodied female type, if only to use her as a comparison to the more delicate beauty that became popular later. According to Lefkovitz, the two conventions meet (and clash) in George Eliot's Adam Bede: "Bessy Cranage .

Joseph Stalin :: essays research papers

Joseph Stalin’s official reign of terror ended with his death in 1953, but the effects of his autocratic rule continued for many years to follow. His lasting hold on the people of the former Soviet Union still lingers in a few brainwashed minds. In the article "Stalin’s Afterlife" and the movie "Russia’s War - Blood Upon the Snow", Stalin is portrayed as the monster really was and should be remembered as. It said in "Stalin’s Afterlife" that "Stalin’s policies created a holocaust greater than Hitler’s.", which unbelievably is true. The horror of the crimes Joseph Stalin committed against his own people is appalling. For example, Stalin’s plan for collectivization resulted in the death of twenty million people. The great five-year plan to turn the peasant farmers into one, huge farming community brought on famine, starvation and eventually death to twenty million peasant farmers. Another atrocity that Stalin was responsible for was the forced labor camps known as Gulags. "...the murderous forced labor camps of the Gulag archipelago - victimized tens of millions of innocent men, women, and children for more than 20 years." Millions of people were sent to the Gulag camps from 1939 through 1953, for the crime of doing absolutely nothing. There were "...eight million souls (a conservative estimate) who languished in Soviet concentration camps every year between 1939 and 1953." under the horrible conditions at the Gulags. Every year Stalin, in his paranoia sent millions of people off to their deaths. "Russia’s War - Blood Upon the Snow" brought into view a more detailed, personal account of Stalin’s atrocities. People recalling memories they had of what it was like to live under Stalin’s paranoid rule. During his five-year plans to become a more industrialized nation, Stalin had thousands of people forced into building the White Sea Canal. They were made to continue working until they dropped from exhaustion. When it was completed in 1933 the workers who were still left were drowned in the canal. Another paranoid act Stalin ordered to be carried out was the murder of over a thousand members of the seventeenth congress. When Stalin held a vote to elect who the general secretary would be, three hundred votes were against him. He feared that he would be overthrown by Sergei Kirov, who only received three votes against him. Joseph Stalin, over a short period had Kirov murdered as well as one thousand out of nineteen hundred sixty-six committee membe rs and ninety-eight out of one hundred and thirty-nine central committee members.

Horus Research Paper

Horus is one of the oldest and most important deities in the Ancient Egyptian religion. He was worshipped from at least the late Pre-dynastic period through Greco-Roman times. (Remler) Different forms of Horus are recorded in history and these are treated as different gods by some Egyptologists. However these different forms may possibly be different perceptions of the same god who served many different functions. (Remler) The earliest recorded form, dating around the 25th century B. C. , is Horus the Falcon who was the patron god of Nekhen in Upper Egypt and who is the first known national god. Meltzer)However the most widespread and popular story, and the one that I will focus on, describe Horus as the son of Isis and Osiris. (Meltzer) Isis was said to be the daughter of the gods Geb and Nut. She was thought of as the perfect example of the Egyptian mother and wife. She was therefore considered the symbolic mother of all the Pharaohs. (Shaw)Osiris was one of the oldest and most wor shipped gods in ancient Egypt. He was generally referred to as the god of the Afterlife. This would make him one of the most revered gods because the ancient Egyptians felt that the Afterlife was more important than actual life. They often referred to their dead as the â€Å"living ones†. (Meltzer)Horus served many functions in Egyptian mythology, but mostly he was known as either the god of the Sky or the god of both War and Protection. He was also considered the role model for all of the Pharaohs. Each ruler was looked upon as a living Horus. His other roles will be mentioned later. Horus in Egyptian is pronounced Haru, meaning Falcon. Horus has also been translated to mean â€Å"He who is above, over†. Horus also appears as the Egyptian name Har-Si-Ese which means â€Å"Horus, son of Isis†. Horus was also sometimes known as Nekheny, meaning â€Å"Falcon†. Meltzer) In the majority of Egyptian hieroglyphics the Pharaoh is often portrayed as Horus. Countless depictions of the Pharaoh almost always featured him wearing the Eye of Horus and with Isis as his mother. As mentioned before, Pharaoh was looked at as the living version Horus in life so when he went to the Afterlife he woul d be greeted by Osiris as a son. The idea of a Pharaoh as being the son of Osiris seems to have changed to Pharaoh as the son of Ra during the Fifth Dynasty of Egypt but the ruler while alive was always considered as the living Horus. (Meltzer) Horus was the son of the goddess Isis. He was formed from all the dismembered body parts of her murdered husband Osiris. She then used her magic powers to conceive her son. Once Isis knew she was pregnant with Horus, she ran away to the Nile Delta to hide from her brother Seth, who had killed Osiris and knew he would want to kill their son. Since Horus was said to be the sky, he was considered to also contain the sun and moon. It was said that the sun was his right eye and the moon was his left eye, and that they traveled across the sky when he flew over as a falcon. This is why he is sometimes referred to as Harmerty – Horus of two eyes. Later, the reason that the moon was not as bright as the sun was explained by a tale, known as the Contesting’s of Horus and Seth. (Remler) In this story Seth, sometimes referred to as Typhon,(Shaw) the patron of Upper Egypt, and Horus, the patron of Lower Egypt, had a bloody battle for Egypt. They had always each other since Seth had killed Horus’ father, Osiris, and tried many times to kill Horus as a child. Neither was the clear winner but in the end the rest of the gods took Horus’ side. In the battle two important things happened. Seth lost a testicle which explains why the desert which he ruled over was in fertile. Then Horus had his left eye gouged out which explained why the moon was so much weaker than the sun. They would go on to have many more battles. The Eye of Horus is an ancient Egyptian symbol of protection and royal power. The symbol is seen on images of Horus' mother, Isis, and on other gods associated with her. Horus was also said to be a god of war and hunting. After the death of his father Horus took it upon himself to wage war against Seth and his forces. In one story Osiris appears to Horus from the underworld and asks him â€Å"And what is the most glorious deed a man can do? Horus was said to have repliedâ€Å"To avenge the injuries done to his father and mother. † (Shaw) The Horus falcon often appears is hieroglyphs which shows a lion hunting. This made him a symbol of majesty and power as well as the model for the Pharaohs. (http://en. wikipedia. org/wiki/Horus-15) Other gods would later be referred to as gods of war Isis told Horus to protect the people of Egypt fr om Seth, the god of the desert. As mentioned before, Horus had many battles with Seth. These battles were not only to avenge Osiris but also to figure out who the rightful ruler of Egypt was. In these battles, Horus came to be associated with Lower Egypt (where Horus was worshipped), and became its patron. One story shows how Horus was on the verge of killing Seth but Isis, who was Seth’s sister, stopped him. Isis injured Horus, but eventually healed him. They both went to appeal to the various other gods to have them proclaim who was the winner once and for all and they eventually sided with Horus. Seth refused to give in, and the other gods were getting tired of the fighting that had continued for 80 years. Horus and Seth then challenged each other to a boat race, where they each raced in a boat made of stone. Horus and Seth agreed, and the race started. Horus had tricked Seth however. Horus’ boat was made of wood but painted to look like stone. Seth's boat sank, but Horus's did not. Horus then won the race, and Seth stepped down and officially gave Horus the throne of Egypt. But after the New Kingdom, Seth still was considered Lord of the desert and its oases which were greatly inferior to the fertile delta of Lower Egypt which Horus ruled over. While researching Horus it was important to understand just what his significance was in the lives of Ancient Egyptians. Was he just another one of their many gods or was he placed on a higher level than most? There are many heroic stories about Horus. The fact that the Egyptian people considered Pharaoh, their all-powerful rulers as living version of Horus tells us something. This is proof that he was one of the most important gods in the ancient Egyptian religion. It shows that Horus was the role model for all Egyptians. They were always hoping to conduct themselves in a manner that was Horus-like. Not surprisingly there have actually been many comparisons between the roles of Jesus in Christian religions and Horus in the religion of ancient Egypt. (Meltzer)

Ethnocentrism Definition Essay

What is ethnocentrism? Are ethnocentric values reflected in mass media? If so, provide examples. If not, why not? Ethnocentrism is when one places a culture, values, and views over that of another culture. This can be associated with American popular culture as the message with any popular trend tends to be a popularity contest. Quite often products are sold based off the insinuation that it is better than any other product out there. For instance, a popular recurring fad is the Michael Jordan shoe, Air Jordans. These shoes have been around for years and have earned its popularity through many communities. The shoe is so popular and exclusive that older shoes from the past are re-launched for those that were unable to get them on the original launch date. The message that is present within the advertisement is that wearing Air Jordans makes you ‘cooler’ than anyone else not wearing them. This can too be applied to any other name brand item such as cereal. General Mills has a message out there that you get more nutrients from their cereal over any brand. This may also be associated with religious and different ethnic groups when one believes that their religion is better than the other based off of their own values and beliefs. Being ethnocentric can definitely drive a wedge between relationships as it is a form of prejudice. One should practice being more receptive of other cultures and beliefs to help avoid conflict and form personal connections with individuals within another culture.