Introduction To Human Development Sociology Essay

Introduction To Human Development Sociology Essay Human development describes the growth of humans throughout the life span, from birth to death. The scientific study of human development seeks to understand and explain how and why people change throughout life. What are the factors impacting on the wellbeing of the human? This includes all aspects of human growth, including physical, emotional, intellectual, social and personal development. Gowning up in environmental that is not safe, it is hard to survive. In this essay I will identify and discuss my own life experience and refer it to two theories of human development. Before concluding I will also discuss how these theories can be applied to social service practice. My own life experience I was born in Mogadishu the capital of Somalia. I have 5 sisters, I am in the middle three are older than and two is younger than me. I was born and grew up in an extended family including parents, grandparent, unties, uncles, cousins. We were lived in a villa house that was a family house. We were a middle class family where my father was the oldest among his brothers and sisters, his was a hardworking man and had very good job. My grandfather was working, and he was a mechanic he had his own garage. Some of uncles were working too and others were students. My mother was very nice person and she used to be home at all times to feed and take care of the children. We were a very happy family where my parents and grandparents worked together to bring the children up with love and affection. When the civil war broke out in Somalia 1991 and the central military government collapsed while the country became a field for the rebels who overthrow the military government to fight each other for power. Many families started leaving the country to save their lives leaving their house and other belongings behind. My family were not the first the people left the country, we remained inside our house because we thought that things will change and settle down would and the country will be a safe place to live. Unfortunately it kept getting worst, it was difficult for my family to be safe and survive because people were getting killed by rebels and due hunger because there was very little food and water. In 1994 my father was killed in the war and my grandfather decided to flee the country for the sake of our safety; we bagged up and left for the neighbouring Kenya. While we were on the way to Kenya there were a lot of strangers, who were caring guns, knives, and some other weapons. On the way to Kenya I witnessed dead bodies on the side of the road. At that time I was only 7 years old and I saw this massacre and I witnessed the people dying of hunger since I was 4 years old. When we arrived to Kenya, we met some our relatives that left the civil war who were already there. They helped us in finding the accommodation. I went to a school for first time in Kenya where I learnt mainly Islam Religion education, Somalia, Mathematics, and English. While staying in Kenya my uncles did not find work there was no work to survive and the living conditions were not good. In 2000 we moved to Ethiopia in search of better life and work during time many of my extended family members died. In 200 I came to New Zealand with my sisters and other family members including my grandfather, we arrived in Lower Hutt, Wellington and I enrolled High School. Theories Abraham Maslows theory Abraham Maslow developed the Hierarchy of Needs model in 1940-50s USA, and the Hierarchy of Needs theory remains valid today for understanding human motivation, management training, and personal development. Each of us is motivated by needs. Our most basic needs are inborn, having evolved over tens of thousands of years. Abraham Maslows Hierarchy of Needs helps to explain how these needs motivate us all. Maslows Hierarchy of Needs states that we must satisfy each need in turn, starting with the first, which deals with the most obvious needs for survival itself. Only when the lower order needs of physical and emotional well-being are satisfied we are concerned with the higher order needs of influence and personal development. Maslows hierarchy of needs 1. Biological and Physiological needs air, food, drink, shelter, warmth, sex, sleep, etc. 2. Safety needs protection from elements, security, order, law, limits, stability, etc. 3. Belongingness and Love needs work group, family, affection, relationships, etc. 4. Esteem needs self-esteem, achievement, mastery, independence, status, dominance, prestige, managerial responsibility, etc. 5. Self-Actualization needs realising personal potential, self-fulfillment, seeking personal growth and peak experiences. Relevance to my life experience Accordingly to Abraham Maslows theory the first need is food, water and shelter, after the civil was broke, family started form the first step of the triangle by searching Biological and Physiological needs. The second need was to be safe form difficult situation and survive. My father died in the war which was a huge impact on the safety of the whole family. We had to look for a safe place when the civil war broke out in Somalia and everything was destroyed. We have been to different countries to search better life for example we have been to Kenya, Ethiopia and finally New Zealand to live. My family settled in New Zealand because our two initial needs were met and we started working towards the third need. My sisters got married in here except two who has not got married and our family started growing. The fourth need was met by getting in to job and managing our day to day needs and work at home. Last year my grandfather passed away, he was 72. He reached at the fifth and last step of the triangle by actualizing his own self, he has been to Haj and became a spiritual leader in the community and he worked for the betterment of the community. Bronferbrenners Theory of Ecology Urie Bronferbrenners presented the theory of ecology on human development. This theory be made up of five systems, Microsystem, Mesosystem, Exosystem, Macrosystem and Chronosystem. These five systems influence the individuals growth and personality. Microsystem is where an individual lives; it includes parents, family and Whanau, peers, school and neighbourhood. Mesosystem explains about the relationship between Microsystem and the wider community, such as relation between family experience and school experience or church experience.  Ã‚  Exosystem explains about the influence of work and social environment and its impact on the family and personal values. Macrosystem is about the culture in which an individual lives and the choronosystem is about the patterning of events and transition over the life course and sociohistorical circumstances. Relevance to my life experience If I put myself in the centre of  a series of concentric circles of influence,  I can link the  theory of ecology to my growth and development. I  had my parents, my extended family and friends in my Microsystem circle where I learned to socialise. The structures of Somalian families are based on tradition values and beliefs where children are cared by the extended family and the eldest male is the head of the family. The influence of my Microsystem on my growth laid the foundation of my personality and behaviour. Mesosystem helped me to develop the sense of belongingness with the community and my culture, where I learned how to be culturally appropriate and respectful to the others in the community. Micro and Mesosystems are significant in the development of a child. During my childhood and growth the Choronsytem which overlapped the inner circles of influence, was very complex due to the struggle for the power and control. There was not government to keep people safe, the s urvival was the first priority for us. The sociohistorical circumstances of Somalia did not impact on me because I migrated to New Zealand and after my father passed away my grandfather continued passing on his beliefs in equality and human values in to my family and Somalian community. During my growth and development I internalised with my family and community and learned culturally appropriate activities and respectful relationship. This helped me to construct my personality and behaviour. How the theories may be applied and integrated into social service practice. Abraham Maslows five hierarchies need theories. Maslows best known influence to Humanistic psychology is his Hierarchy of Needs. Maslows Needs Hierarchy is often used to sum up the humanistic psychology faith system. The fundamental idea of his hierarchy is that everyone is born with specific essentials. If we do not meet those base needs, we are unable to survive and attention upward inside the hierarchy. In our social system and social services we need to identify the basic needs of the clients and once their initial needs are met than only it will be possible for a client to move to next step of the triangle. Once the need of shelter and food is met than a client can think of getting in to work-force or in relationship and care for his/her family and the children. We push further and further to excel in our careers, to expand our knowledge, and to constantly increase our self-esteem. After meeting all the needs we can be in a situation where we can help others to over-come their problems and feel satisfied by helping others. Bronferbrenners Theory of Ecology While working with client a social worker need to measure microsystem that including individuals family, peers, school and neighbourhood It is in the microsystem that the most direct interactions with social agents take place. . . (45, Santrock). It is important to assess the social system of a client while assessing clients situation. The circles of the ecology system impacts and influence the client and the client does not have any control over it. For example impact of a hard day at work place will impact on the home situation of a client. A child who did not have a good sleep last night due the party at home will be tired and behaving difficult at school. Therefore Bronferbrenners Theory of Ecology is used and integrated in social work practice to assess clients situation and particular behaviours. Conclusion In this essay I have written about my own life experience, which I really had a lot of challenging, moving out my own country to find better life and secure. It took while I and my family to recovered the problems that we have witnessed happening to our own families. There are many theories of human development that explains how the growth of a child is impacted by their environment and circumstances. I have linked two Human Development theories Bronferbrenners Theory of Ecology and Abraham Maslows theory of hierarchy of needs. Every human is shaped by his/her circumstances and situation. It is important to use and implement theories of human development to assess the clients situation by making sure their basic needs are met and how the overlapping circles of the ecology are impacting on the situation of the client.

Comparing Judaism and Islam Essay

Judaism and Islam are two of the world’s oldest, and largest monotheistic religions. These religions share a variety of customs, beliefs, and even practices. But at the same time, there are enough differences to make the two religions and cultures oppose each other greatly. Even some similarities between the two have been the source of conflict for thousands of years. Both the Jewish and Muslim faith believe in one God. Being monotheistic means just that, the belief in one God. This is the most obvious similarity between the two religions. In fact a Muslim is defined as anyone who says â€Å"There is no God but God, and Mohammed is the messenger of God.† and the basic creed of Judaism says â€Å"Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one.† Judaism and Islam both have Holy Books from which religious teachings are taken. The Muslim Holy Book is called the Quran, it is spelled in English in many different ways Koran, Kuran, this is because Arabic is hard to translate. The Quran is the word of God as reveled by the prophet Mohammed. The Jewish Holy Book is referred to as the Hebrew Bible. The first five books of the Hebrew Bible is called the Torah. This is the part of the bible lays out a system of moral and religious conduct. The Hebrew Bible was put together in the 1st century A.D. by rabbis and teachers of the Jewish text. The Hebrew Bible and the Quran both set up a system of law for the followers of the Jewish and Muslim faiths. The Hebrew Bible, the book of the Jewish faith sets up more of a code of conduct, a system of moral and religious conduct that is called the halavhah. This addresses how families should be run, personal ethics and manners, social responsibilities, and what people of the Jewish faith should and should not eat. Dietary guidelines are very important in the Jewish religion, everything that is eaten must be Kosher, meaning it is prepared a certain way. The Quran goes one step farther in setting boundaries for it’s believers. This book of the Muslim faith sets the rules for an Islamic state. Also there are strict rules on women, families, and daily life that are addressed in deep detail in the Quran. Polygamy is accepted in the Quran, a man may have no more that four wives. And women are actually supposed to be mostly equal to men, yet modest.  Equality of women is not always practiced in some Middle Eastern and Islamic countries. As with most religions Islam and Judaism have a variety of holidays. Some are to commemorate an event of the the past, some to celebrate a new year, or maybe the passing of a certain number of years. Ramadan, a holiday celebrated mostly by Sunni Muslims, happens during the ninth month of the Muslim year. This was the month when the Quran was reveled for the guidance of mankind. During this holy month Muslims fast and abstain from sex during the daylight hours. It is a very holy time and is taken very seriously. In the Jewish faith there is a similar holiday called Passover. This holiday lasts for seven days and commerates the deliverance of Israel from slavery. Passover more specifically refers to the evening when the angel of death passed over the houses of all in Egypt killing the first born of each home that did not have lambs’s blood around the door. During this holiday Jews are permitted only to ear unleavened bread called matzo during the daylight hours, much like the Ramadan fasting. Jews also hold feasts during the first two nights of this holiday. A house of worship is an important component of most religions in our world today. Islam has the Mosque, a place of prayer and teaching. Judaism has the Synagogue, also a place of prayer and teaching. In both these places people gather to perform the customs that are laid out in their religious scriptures. Unlike some religions in the world today both Judaism and Islam require their believers to pray multiple times a day. Jews pray three times a day, once in the morning, once in the noontime and once in the evening. Though this practice is more of a personal choice than the strict guidelines of prayer set in the Muslim religion. In the Quran there are five pillars of the Muslim faith: The first is profession of faith which basically means a Muslims must constantly and openly profess their faith. The second is prayer, which happens five times a day. The third is giving alms to the needy. The fourth is fasting during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. And the fifth is the pilgrimage to Mecca. The second pillar of faith is the  practice similar to the Jewish practice. Five times a day Muslims must pray facing the holy city of Mecca. This however is a very strict prayer, maybe a bit different from the Jewish tradition, but still the same basic concept. Judaism is the oldest of the three major monotheistic religions. The religion began in the time of Abraham which would have been about 1900 B.C, over 3,000 years ago. In many ways this has made the Jewish religion and it’s followers very strong in their beliefs. Islam, on the other hand, was not founded until 570 A.D., some 2,000 years after the beginning of Judaism. Many Jewish believers will use this difference as an argument. They are the older of the two religions, and so they were the first people in the Holy Land (Israel/Palestine) and so they should be entitled to it and no one else. However, Abraham had two sons, Issac the leader of the Hebrew people and Ishmael, the leader of the Arab people. Though not all Muslims are Arab, the majority of the Muslims in Israel are Arab. So Muslims will use this argument by saying that Ishmael was the first son of Abraham and God told Abraham that He would take care of his first born, so the Muslims have just as much right to the area as the Jews, no matter who was there first. Though there are many similarities between Islam and Judaism, the few differences however large or small seem to greatly outweigh the amazing likenesses for the thousands of followers of both beliefs. These differences as well as the continuing argument over the promised land of Israel/Palestine continue today to escalate the war in the sacred area and drive a wedge even further between the two groups. The truly frightening part of all this is that Holy Wars are extremely hard to resolve. When two groups are fighting over land that was promised to them by a divine entity that’s existence can’t even be proven, there aren’t a whole lot of options for peace. All the world can do is educate themselves and try to accept the different religions and continue to look for some sort of compromise.

Authentic Leadership Essay

Thus, one of the most important lessons on how to become an authentic leader is to be able to be one’s true self. It is about being uniquely yourself and being comfortable in your own skin. The fastest way to reach a point where one is comfortable in their own skin, is by searching deeply to understand and know who you truly are. Once you have discovered who you truly are, in order to be an authentic leader, you must endeavour to be that person who you know you have always been destined to be (Spence 2008). In order to give an understanding of how one becomes an authentic business leader, I have broken down the suggestions into ten components that authentic leaders must accomplish on a regular basis. This was the same approach taken by Spence (2008), and support of these action items is given from other articles. Always speak the truth An authentic leader must consistently speak the truth and this entails being clear, honest and authentic. This also means that you must have the strength of character to respond transparently to moral dilemmas because authentic leaders become ethical role models for their teams (Gardner and Schermerhorn 2004). A poll taken by Time/CNN some years ago reported that 71% of those polled felt that the typical CEO was less honest and ethical than the average person. A young leader must behave in a manner that makes them worthy of trust, reliance and belief in order to be deemed authentic. The leader must also be of the highest integrity and committed to building enduring organisations. A deep sense of purpose must guide their actions and they must always be true to their core values (George 2007). Integrity, stewardship and sound governance are essential. Human Resources Management BUSA 5059 (J. Ruwodo) Authentic Leadership Page 3 Author: Joy Ruwodo Date: Monday, May 25, 2009 Lead from the heart It is crucial that all leaders understand that they cannot run a business or organization on their own. People within the organisation are largely responsible for making the organisational clock tick. Thus, leadership is about people. In order to be an authentic leader, a leader needs to be able to make a difference to the lives of the people he serves and in so doing, make a difference to the world. You must be more interested in empowering the people you lead to make a difference than in money, power or prestige for yourself. You must be guided by qualities of the heart, passion and compassion, as well as by qualities of the mind (George 2007). A trait associated to compassion that a leader must have is empathy – the ability to relate and to connect with people for the purpose of inspiring and empowering their lives (Winfrey 2007). It is also vital to be willing to show vulnerability and to be open to corrective feedback which you can use to ensure continuous improvement for yourself (Geller 2007). Have a rich moral fibre Strength of character gives a leader a positive edge which can be recognised by anyone they interact with. A leader must be willing to work on their character and â€Å"walk the talk†. Such a solid character is more important than charisma. The leader’s public persona and private core must not be at odds, they must be aligned. Follow through is important. What is said in the public eye and what your corporate does must always tie up. Be courageous In order to become an authentic leader, one must be willing to do what is right always; even if it means going against the crowd.

Schizophrenia The Challenging Mental Illness Essay

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder characterized by the breakdown of the thought processes, of emotional responsiveness and of contact with reality. The term schizophrenia itself means â€Å"fragmented mind.† A person with this disorder has trouble with deciphering between what is â€Å"real† and what is â€Å"unreal†. (Gur Johnson, 2006) Symptoms of schizophrenia can be divided into five categories: psychotic symptoms, negative symptoms, cognitive impairment, mood problems, and behavioral disturbances. No two people with schizophrenia have the same symptoms; each person is unique. Symptoms can vary in intensity and alter over time. (Mueser Gingerich, 2006) Psychotic symptoms also known as positive symptoms include perceptions†¦show more content†¦(Mueser Gingerich, 2006) Mood problems both temporary and long-standing are common in schizophrenia. There are five types of mood problems, anxiety, depression and suicidal, anger and suspicion, inappropriate or incongruous effect and labile mood. Delusions and hallucinations leave the person feeling anxious and in turn make them uncomfortable and they try to avoid certain situations. This can also make them angry and hostile towards the people around them, making a person that has this illness very difficult to get along with. Some people with schizophrenia begin to feel hopeless, worthless and helplessness causing depression and suicidal. About 5 percent of people with this disorder die from suicide. (Mueser Gingerich, 2006) Roughly 1 in 100 people develop schizophrenia and it usually develops in late adolescence or early adult-hood, often between the ages of 16-30. It seldom develops after the age of 35. The development may take place over months or even years. 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