Hope Focused Marriage Counseling Essay

Unlike other explorations insinuated in the context of research, marriage counseling has been one of the unspecialized fields emerged with theoretical assumptions and practice (Stuckert, 2003). This however, has been the challenge to psychologists and practitioners in defying the thought that marriage cannot be taken into research since its hypotheses and results of practice have been acclimated, nevertheless the volume available for study is accumulated. Everett L. Worthington Jr. , a psychology professor and the proponent of over 150 articles tackling issues on marriage, forgiveness and reconciliation was able to find standard procedures on how to keep marriages anchored on Christianity based marital therapy. More specifically, through the light of his year 1999 published book, Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling, couples are to be taken to a self rehabilitation which will give hope to individuals who are living in a room full of skeptic viewpoints about marriage and eventually open a realization that his substantial research shall lead them to a path where â€Å"miracles do happen in the real world. † (Worthington, 1999) Overview Marriage is a shadow of the relationship that we are expected to have with Jesus—permanent, loving, committed. (Eph 5:32) Everett L. Worthington begins his book with a verse in the bible which depicts the meaning of marriage in the most moral and Christian way thus giving a connotation that helping troubled couples is not an easy task. However, she points out the fact that the extent of healing relationships is through developing a character of Christ embodied in every individual’s personality and manifest such with one’s relationships to his or her social network as well (Worthington, 1999). Further, he stresses that when a relationship has Christ as vanguard, life will be inhabited with the verity of love, faith and hope and that then is the start of a bright thing. Strengths What makes his book amazing falls on the grounds of analytic and realistic situations as the core of the gist of the whole scenario. Initially introducing theories then later putting the theories into practice makes readers able to divulge their selves in the dimension that the author intends them to live with. His strategies (advices, so to speak) draws out a hysteria which will make readers know their respective state in life at first, hence, for having been given the momentum to realize what is happening in their lives, they will seek for answers on how to save them from their presumed agony. Further, his approaches through exercises which are efficient to exhibit (Worthington, 1999)—drawing fundamental values, the promotion of confession and forgiveness, communication intensification, aiding conflict resolution, alterations of the pattern of thinking, intimacy development, and the cementing of commitment—gives grandeur to the book as readers can implement these exercises with their partners or core groups. Realistically crafted, he gives marriage counseling a twist by inculcating his own experiences which gives conviction to the statements and recommendations written in his book. One fascinating fact on the book is its distinctiveness in course, since unlike other books on marriage counseling, typically establishing manuals which synonymously suggest divorce or annulment so as not to complicate the situation, this book thinks otherwise. Though the author admitted that is hard and rarely possible in the contemporary society—divorce is legal and other forms of law that allow couples to â€Å"live† without the need of marital rites—still, he fervently believes that the sacred matrimony must be preserved even if others no longer accept as true the tradition and the essence of spiritual intimacy. These ideas represented in the book will coin back the integrity, accountability, prudence and proper teaching among couples. Weaknesses â€Å"Hope-focused rather than problem-focused† (Worthington, 1999) this is the toweringly hopeful campaign of the author. Thus, because of globalization, cultural diversity and the differences of every individual, there may be some who may not appreciate the book for reasons that inhibit the issue on dissimilarity of character, viewpoint in life, tradition and environmental influences. It is evident that the target audiences of the book are Christians—although optimistic individuals would also be interested in reading the book—hence this leads us to a remorseful realization that it will not drive â€Å"naysayer† or a pessimist to read it. Still, fingers are crossed on the intent of the book, and that is to spread the thought that â€Å"change is possible† and in the long run, every couple will be given a new outlook on their marriage for the benefit of their family. Conclusions and further remarks The functions of the husband and the wife bear a multifaceted blueprint of expectations of the responses which are to come from one another. Hence as humans, challenges and trials are inevitable aspects in life and must therefore be taken with full accountability after having vowed under the sacred matrimony and under the blessing of the church. However, in the present era, where several factors influence every person’s character and personality, asking for help and intervention from one who truly understands the quintessence of love and marriage is a an ideal act to do (Stuckert, 2003). Communication mostly is the main problem of couples and Worthington is able to help by producing a masterpiece which, with confidence, he believes will save troubled marriages. Forgive. Reconcile. Change can happen if one will listen while the other speaks. References Stuckert, R. P. (2003). Role Perception and Marital Satisfaction. A Configurational Approach. Marriage and Family Living, 25(4), 415-419. Worthington, E. L. (1999). Hope-Focused Marriage Counseling: A Guide to Brief Therapy. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.

A Comparison of Four Literary Works Essay

Great writing does not necessarily make a great work of literature. More often than not, there has to be something special about a writer’s work of art. This could be also considered their trademarks, signatures that had set them on canonical status. Shakespeare has his soliloquies, Hawthorne attacks the Puritans, Hemmingway uses symbols, Borges possesses fondness for infinity, and the list goes on. However, there could be some similarities between these literary signatures of writers. It is important to take note that having similarities does not render a writer less special than others. What is remarkable about the works sharing similarities in their trademarks is that they all express a common concern—concerns that could be considered as major issues in the society. The selected works had all talked about women and social status.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The literary works that this paper would feature are Nathaniel Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark†, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Goodman Is Hard To Find†, William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose For Emily†, and James Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead.†   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne’s â€Å"The Birthmark† had shown us how the male-dominated society perceives women. In the narrative, there was a beautiful woman named Georgiana. She was almost perfect, however, her most visible flaw was her hand-shaped birthmark on her cheek—thus the title. She was married to a scientist named Aylmer who is not pleased with Georgiana’s birthmark. Since he was a scientist, Aylmer conducted a procedure to supposedly fix his wife’s face. As a consequence of the Aylmer’s discontent, Georgiana died while under operation.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Hawthorne story tells us that women are commonly judged according to their physical appearance and not according to the beauty of their intellect and character. Moreover, the story suggested to us that the pride of the male specie is on of the main reason for the oppression of women in the society. It is very likely that Aylmer had treated his beautiful wife as a mere accessory to display to the public. As we could observe in the history of societies, husbands are judged according to their wives, and vice-versa.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   In William Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose For Emily†, women are presented in a rather disturbing manner. The story is basically about a former aristocrat woman who had kept the corpse of her beloved in her bedroom. That is not to mention that she is the one who killed her beloved and she had slept with the dead corpse—â€Å"slept†, with all the connotations of the word.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Faulkner has this talent to disturb people with seemingly harmless countryside scenarios. But what is remarkable about this particular work is the depiction of how a woman could love a man. A woman’s version of love is a topic that is rarely touched throughout the long history of literature. â€Å"A Rose For Emily† tells us that a woman could love unconditionally even if their love is unrequited. Moreover, â€Å"A Rose For Emily† touches the topic of social status. In the story, Emily came from a family of aristocrat status. The object of her affection, Homer Barron, came from a common family. The difference in their social status had somehow prevented them from getting married. In addition to that, it is Emily’s social status that had made the townspeople treat her differently. On a different tone, Flannery O’Connor’s â€Å"A Goodman Is Hard To Find† had depicted women and social status on a less favorable stance. The protagonist of the story was an annoying grandmother. The family in the story wanted to go to Florida, but the grandmother insisted that they go to Tennessee. The grandmother cited the news that there was a roaming criminal along the way to Florida just to scare off the family. On their way to Florida, the grandmother’s words became true that she and the family had actually encountered the criminal. As a ploy to save herself, the grandmother constantly tells the criminal sarcastic remarks like â€Å"you are a nice person.† With regards to social status, the criminal was aware that the grandmother was just pretending to treat him as a nice person. The criminal already knows what to expect from the society with regards to place of criminals within the social thread. The criminal knows that people like him would always be discriminated by people.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   It is almost the same case for James Joyce’s â€Å"The Dead.† The author had reiterated the notion that women are good at telling lies. The disturbing ending of the narrative tells the readers that Gretta, the wife of the protagonist (Gabriel), was deeply in love with someone who already died. The conflict was she was already married with an insecure man. The ending of the story shows us how Gretta’s action of not telling her husband her past had such a tragic impact on his insecurities. On the note of social status, Gabriel’s insecurities were highlighted during the gathering, where most of the plot had developed. His insecurities were most rooted from his social status. When he was interacting with people of higher social status, he would be insecure of his intellect, language, and physical appearance. There is a subtle hint in the story that social status has some effects on a person’s confidence.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   All in all, the recurring themes of women and social status could be roughly considered as clichà ©s. However, it is important to take into consideration that these issues should not be forgotten. It is just remarkable for these great writers to reiterate these issues that the society is seemingly eluding. Moreover, the recurrence of these themes tells us that the issues of women and social status are still unresolved by the society. Perhaps if people would read these stories, the society could come up with solutions to the problems at hand.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   If I were made to choose a favorite among the feature stories, I would have to choose Faulkner’s â€Å"A Rose For Emily.† Aside from its innovative use of point of view through the townspeople, the story touches themes that are both close to heart, like love, and socially relevant like social status. Works Cited Faulkner, William. A Rose for Emily. An Introduction to Literature. Ed. Joseph Terry. New York: Longman, 2001 Hawthorne, Nathaniel. â€Å"The Birthmark†. Demas, C. Various, Mjf. Great American Short Stories: From Hawthorne to Hemingway.   Spark Educational Publishing: USA, 2004 Joyce, James.   Dubliners. Penguin Books: England, 1993 O’Connor, Flannery. A Good Man is Hard to Find. NJ:   Rutgers University Press, 1993

Economic Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 16

Economic - Essay Example The HS2 railway would be a great investment for the United Kingdom (Cowen, 2011). Since the railway line will run from London to Leeds and then Manchester, it would ease congestion on Britain’s railway line. However, critics of the projects argue that high-speed railway would not benefit the country accordingly because of the price tag. Despite the opposition, it is rational to argue that the HS2 project is a necessity in Britain. Given enormous growth in freight and passengers, the new line would help ease these problems. Having high-speed railway line in Britain would mean expansion and growth of areas outside London. As discussed in the paper, the HS2 railway line would contribute a lot to the economy of Britain. The benefits of the projects justify the revised costs given its long-term investment (Nash, 2010). The high-speed railway line in Britain will open up the region and in turn encourage trade among European nations. This project means that Britain has embarked on expanding its international trade, taking advantage of the newly competitive exchange rate to penetrate new markets. It will encourage new foreign investments, expand and ameliorate its tourism industry and improve the education and skills base to continue providing a platform for new employment. In addition, under the Economic Recovery Plan of Britain, the government with the new project will appreciate the role of the public sector in economic growth. The project has also mobilized a variety of cross-public activities, which are aimed at supporting the Scottish economy through the effects of the global recession (Nash, 201). With the aim of escalating economic recovery in the Northeast England, the approval of the High-speed railway will encourage competition among firms in Northeast England. The project will aim at making the Northeast region a more cohesive, ambitious, and attractive for investment and working based on

Contemporary Issues in American Society Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Contemporary Issues in American Society - Essay Example If Americanization really is a feature of the new global community, what are the ramifications of the Americanization of the world? From a historical standpoint, what explains the Americanization of the world and is this beneficial to the global community? Accordingly, what are the benefits to the United States of a globalized world in which US cultural hegemony reigns supreme? Aiming to address these questions and many more as they relate to the globalization phenomenon in the 21st century, the following will explore how globalization affects the United States of America. According to scholars Kelly and Prokhovnik, globalization is a complex phenomenon which is difficult to understand. Accordingly, â€Å"although the globalization of culture seems in some ways obvious in our daily lives, it is not an entirely straightforward matter. Culture is a complicated and pervasive phenomenon, taking many forms.† (48) Seeking to address the issues surrounding the Americanization of the world and the role of the United States has played in creating a mass market â€Å"world culture†, the following aims to provide a concise overview the charges leveled against the United States as an cultural, economic and political hegemon. This exploration will seek to explore American culture on a global scale while looking at such issues as the spread of American youth culture, globalization as an American-inspired economic force and the global spread of American democratic governance. In the post-World War Two period, the globalization of American values began in earnest following the near total physical, economic and social devastation of the European continent. Post WW-II, a social revolution paved the way for the international export of American values and ideas throughout the globe. For the United States, the social revolution of the nineteen-sixties was importantly also a cultural revolution. In fact, the â€Å"rise of a specific, and extraordinarily

Workplace Spirituality Thesis Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 4500 words

Workplace Spirituality - Thesis Example The findings of the study showed that the main challenge of adopting spirituality is that employees are not aware of the difference between spirituality and religion. In addition, expression of spirituality can only be achieved through the management's intervention. It is the most important factor because without the management's initiative to set clear guidelines on how employees can express their belief and promote spirituality; employees would continue to function as they do. With the adoption of spirituality, each employee would be recognized and diversity would be accepted, thus increasing job satisfaction and productivity. Interest in the concept of workplace spirituality continues to gain traction, as spirituality is taken into the context of connecting with one's inner self and the other people around him (Ashmost & Duchon, 2000). The conquest towards spirituality is not tied to incorporating religion onto the workplace or enforcing individuals to adopt a religious mindset. I n workplace spirituality, the concept of spirituality focuses on creating meaning out of work and finding the underlying purpose that forms the bond between the company and its employees (Ashforth & Pratt, 2010). Workplace Spirituality is referred to a culture in an organization wherein individuals are encouraged and empowered to search for purpose and meaning in the work they perform in light with one's physical and mental presence. It is in line with an employees' interest in connecting with each other and form a bond as a community (Besk & Jessup, 2004). Workplace spirituality is geared towards a harmonious environment in an organization, of people working together towards a common goal. It is important to note that the concept of workplace spirituality does not specifically cater to traditions or practices that have been organized. It is beyond the context of theology, wherein one leads as a spiritual guide among individuals. In truth, workplace spirituality focuses on the recog nition of each individual in a community under an organization (Cragg, 2000). The challenge in tapping spirituality in organizations is that it didn't used to exist in work management. Productivity models that are adapted in the workplace are directed towards efficiency without the necessity to be concerned of other people's welfare. In that regard, most organizations do not pay heed to an individual's inner life as common conception dictates that personal beliefs are to be separated from work (Besk & Jessup, 2004). However, it is important to note that studying human emotions help in expanding our knowledge and comprehension of the reason behind people's actions and the manner in which they act. In essence, tapping one's inner spirituality helps an individual understand others better in terms of behavior, thus leading to greater productivity and efficiency (Ashmost & Duchon, 2000). Research Problem The researcher intends to determine how the adoption of spirituality affects the wor kplace. Research Questions 1. What are the benefits of adopting spirituality in the workplace? 2. What are the challenges in adopting workplace spirituality? 3. How does workplace spirituality influence employee performance? Significance of the Study The present study is being conducted to identify the challenges and benefits of adopting spirituality in a work place setting. The researcher chose Convergys (a call center) in the United States to assess in terms of the impact of workplace spirituality is because this organization functions on a collective effort to attain the organization's goals. In addition, the type of job of most

How can website design be improved by the study of ergonomics Essay

How can website design be improved by the study of ergonomics - Essay Example This design of human-machine interface is based on the basic instincts and psychology of human like clicking an icon on a touchpad to initiate an application. Bob Boie developed the first touch screen pad at Bell Labs in 1984 that allowed the users to manipulate the graphics with their fingers. However, it is recently that electronic device manufacturers have started exploiting this technology for consumers like using finger touch to open a book and turn pages that give a feel similar to real world. In this research, three websites categories from Webby Award’s website; Charitable Organizations/Non-profit, Social Networking and e-Commerce focusing different area were evaluated for ergonomics on a number of factors including navigation, search, layout of information, quality of text and others by users of hand held devices using a 15 points questionnaire. The results indicated that websites were ratings were dissimilar for navigation and usefulness by experienced and inexperien ced users; however, ergonomics quality of the website needed improvements. For this developers, need to concentrate on web layout, structure and improvements in navigation. This would improve not only the ergonomics of the website but also the website overall impression resulting in increased frequency of website visitors. Table of Contents ABSTRACT 1 1.1 Introduction 6 1.2 Rationale and Theoretical Framework 2 2. Literature Review 5 2.1 Human Factors and Ergonomics 5 2.2 The Expansion of Internet 6 2.3 Human Computer Interaction 7 2.4 Major Web Design Mistakes 8 2.4.1 Bad Search 8 2.4.2 Online Reading of PDF Files 9 2.4.3 Colours of Visited Links Remain Unchanged 9 2.4.4 Non Scannable Test 10 2.4.5 Fixed Font Size 10 2.4.6 Pages Titles with Low Search Engine Visibility 11 2.4.7 Any Thing That Looks Like an Advertisement 11 2.4.8 Violating Design Conventions 12 2.4.9 Opening New Browser Windows 12 2.4.10 Not Answering User’s Questions 12 2.5 Web Interface Design 12 2.5.1 Plan Structure 13 2.5.2 Content Design 13 2.5.3 Consistency 13 2.5.4 Make Web Interface Accessible 14 2.5.5 Solid Navigational Base 14 2.5.6 Put User Input into Perspective 14 2.6 Ergonomics Method for Website Design 15 2.6.1 Planning of Design 15 2.6.2 Content Analysis 16 2.6.3 Organizing Information 16 2.6.4 Process Analysis 16 2.6.5 Design and Development 16 2.6.6 Designing for Global Users 17 2.6.7 Usability Testing 17 2.6.8 Conducting Usability Testing and Evaluation 17 2.6.9 Offline Usability Testing 18 2.6.10 Maintenance 18 2.6.11 Checking Website Integrity 18 2.7 Hand Held Devices and Web Interaction 19 3. Research Methodology 20 3.1 Research Design 20 3.1.1 Exploratory Research 20 3.1.2 Conclusive Research 20 3.1.3 Descriptive Research 21 3.1.4 Casual Research 21 3.2 Quantitative and Qualitative Research 22 3.3 Data Collection Methodology 22 3.3.1 Structured Interviews 22 3.3.2 Survey Questionnaire 23 3.4 Design of Questionnaire 23 3.4.1 Structure of Questionnaire 23 3.4.2 Ques tion Types 23 3.5 Sampling 25 4. Findings and Discussions 26 4.1 Respondent’s Profile 26 4.2 e-Commerce Websites 30 4.2.1 Navigation 31 4.2.2 User Considerations 32 4.2.3 Website Usefulness 32 4.3 Charitable Organizations / Non-profit 34 4.3.1 Navigation 35 4.3.2 User Considerations 35 4.3.3 Website Usefuln

What Changes Have Taken Place during the 20th CenturyThe impact of Essay

What Changes Have Taken Place during the 20th CenturyThe impact of historical developments to culture - Essay Example The affluent families have larger homes now, and each member of the family has their own room, keeping them more cut off from each other. The interchanging roles of women in the society could also be seen as a culture change. The traditional role of women was challenged in the mid 20s, as women became members of the working force, thereby changing the culture of matriarchal society. During the turn of the 20th century that is, from 1900 to 1990, remarkable things were invented that changed the lives of the American people, and eventually the world (American History Timeline). This era brought inventions such as light bulb, the telephone, the photograph, the automobile and in later years, the airliners, motorways, supertankers, radio, television, antibiotics, frozen food, computers, the Internet, and mobile telephones. All of these developments have greatly affected the people and its culture. Also at the beginning of the 20th century, the feeling of discrimination based on race and sex was still rife. Although slave trade has ended by the end of the 19th century, the pressure for equality rights for Africans in the white society of America still persisted. At the end of this era, women won equal rights and have the same rights as men anywhere. The time line for the start of cultural change starts in 1900 to 1990.(American Cultural History). In 1910, the way people moved from a place to another was dictated by 8000 automobiles that travelled in a 10 miles of paved road. In 1920, it will take 13 days from California to reach New York in the paved road of 387,000 miles. This time also marked the beginning wherein Americans started to become interested in arts and paintings. Europe has a big influence on American artists as this is the place where they went to learn how to paint. Realism and Impressions were the designs popularized by American Artists like Sergeant, Winslow Homer, Charles Rusell and Frederick Hamilton. Their paintings depicted self-portrait, American lifestyles and landscapes which were framed and were hung onto the American homes(ACH). Kodak invented by George Eastman made the greatest impact in the 20th century because it was able to record important events in their lives. Photography was used to document l ives of important people, places of interests, and personalities. During the 19th century, photography was started as a trade and was left in the hands of professionals. This trade did not require any license and all that is needed to begin the trade is buy the equipment, follow the procedural instructions, and then proceed. The openness of the trade changed the culture of painting tradition into the more sophisticated art of photography(Gartner, Gretchen) Beautiful straight and low designed homes

Low risk3 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Low risk3 - Essay Example way by different people belonging to the same religion and the religion was not considered as popular until philosophy became a part of it and the understanding of the religion became clearer. The second reason he provided in support of Christians being tolerant towards other religion was that the early Christians were Jewish and Jewish religion is a heavy supporter of tolerance and Jesus himself was a Jewish follower. He even states that earlier Christians were divided into two groups and they were tolerant against each other and same practices should still be followed if the world has to live in harmony. The third reason supporting Christian tolerance is that the religion’s key figure was a strong promoter of tolerance; the key figure is Jesus himself. He even stated that there were differences among people who followed Christianity and they had to tolerate each other, so the Christian religion now needs to tolerate other religion as human error and difference of opinion exi sts. Voltaire: A Treatise on Toleration." Washington State University - Pullman, Washington . N.p., n.d. Web. 12 Feb. 2013.

Population and Migration Escalating Fertility Levels in Australia Essay

Population and Migration Escalating Fertility Levels in Australia - Essay Example This is one of the reasons that the lump sum maternity payment was devised, at least it is one of the reasons many females perceive it for coming into existence (Bittman 1997). Although there are many Australian women who find the baby bonus appealing and think it is fair there are just as many who believe it to be unfair. Those who do not see it as a positive influence do not believe that it will make that much of a difference in the swell of childbirths taking place within the country. Further, there are some mothers who believe that this type of aid from the Australian government is questionable and don't really see any true and long-lasting benefits stemming from it. These women claim that because of their doubts the bonus will not encourage them to have any more children than what they had previously planned on having to begin with (Hinman 1998). Many sociologists who have studied the changes that this bonus and other welfare assistance programs have brought depict an analysis of it that shows it as being unfair and seriously flawed, and not wholly beneficial to all women, especially those who need it the most (Hinman 1998). Yet unfortunately, many of the mentioned strategies were adopted in England and not Australia. However, there are Migrant Resource Centre's (MRC) located in Victoria which provide 'information and support to migrants and refugees in many community languages, they also provide contact with other organizations and services in the area' (Chadwick 1994). The MRC also help community groups apply for funding and grants, therefore providing the possibility for those out in the community who wish to create a strategy, such as the English language course, to help create that equality in the maternity and post-natal health care system.   When all of these resources come together than it can more feasibly be said to be contributing to the growing baby boom in the country.   Still, this is more focused on the young people rather than older women who still remain questions about how well the government programs actually work to assist women of childbearing ages.