Treatment of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Essay example

Obsessive Compulsive disorder (OCD) has been in existence for many years. Debilitating it’s sufferers from partaking in activities they may enjoy because of both the sufferers obsessions and compulsions causing them to feel somewhat outcast from their fellow members of society. In this essay symptoms of OCD will be outlined; also the most empirically researched method of treatment Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), along with the process involved in treating a patient with this kind of therapy. The mistakes made by practitioners in the implementation of this treatment will be addressed. Also, pharmacotherapy will be briefly analysed as a means of improving efficacy. It will be concluded that Exposure Response Prevention treatment in†¦show more content†¦As stated, there are numerous empirical studies that state that ERP tends to be the most effective form of treatment for OCD sufferers. Another study which proves the efficacy of ERP treatment is that of O’Connor and his colleagues. The objective of the study was to compare two forms of ERP treatment- in this case overt (behavioural) and covert (mental). The symptoms of the fifty recorded participants, thirty-seven of which completed the treatment were measured pre and post study. It was found that participants in both categories improved markedly, according to the YBOCS (Yale- Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale) which is the golden standard of measuring the severity of OCD sufferers (OConnor et al., 2012) (Himle, and Franklin, 2009). However, as effective ERP is for OCD sufferers, it does have both its pitfalls some due to the practitioners methods, which will be addressed below. ERP is an effective and seemingly easy to implement. However effective ERP is, it relies heavily on the how effectively the therapist delivers the treatment (Fisher Wells, 2005). Despite its seeming simplicity, some practitioners struggle to carry out the treatment properly (Gillihan, Williams, Malcoun, Yadin, Foa, 2012). The first mistake which can inhibit progress of treatment, which therapists make is not pushing their patient far enough into exposure. Generally, after a certain period of time patients are supposed to be encouraged inShow MoreRelated The Diagnosis and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder1281 Words   |  6 PagesDiagnosis and Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder There are many factors to consider in the evaluation and treatment of Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). This paper will discuss the strategies that have proven most effective in treating the disorder, including: drug therapy, cognitive therapy, and family-based therapy. It will focus on the benefits of flexibility, emphasizing combination therapy, especially with cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT).   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)Read MoreFull Exposure: The Sickening Treatment for Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder779 Words   |  4 PagesObsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be distressing and can cause dysfunction in people’s everyday lives. People all around the world suffer from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder no matter their gender, race, or culture. Children, teens, and adults could potentially gain OCD depending on the stressful situations that occur in their lives. People who suffer from this disorder often have uncontrollable thoughts of worry and anxiety that lead to actions and behaviors that become repetitive habits. 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Background A. 1 out of every 100 adults suffers from Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, and even more are affected by its symptoms. B. Living with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder can be so severe and time-consuming that it literally becomes â€Å"uncontrollable and disabling to your life and canRead MoreObsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Essay1627 Words   |  7 PagesSeveral mental health disorders are brought on due to both psychological and biological problems. Many of these are anxiety or behavioral disorders. Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) is one of these disorders that is an issue in both anxiety and behavioral issues. Its causes may be psychological, biological, or, in most cases, both. Many studies have been conducted on OCD and show that it is a complex disorder with many different symptoms. There have been treatments and medications to helpRead MoreObsessive Compulsive Disorder ( Ocd )1717 Words   |  7 PagesObsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is defined as a â€Å"disorder in which intruding, recurring thoughts or obsessions create anxiety that is relieved by performing a repetitive, rit ualistic behavior or mental act (compulsion)† (Ciccarelli White, 2012, p.543). OCD is a neuropsychiatric disorder that once was considered to be rare (Stein, 2002). Today it affects two to three percent of people across the globe (Treating obsessive-compulsive, 2009). It is a disorder that is â€Å"equally common in males andRead MoreEmily Clunan. Mrs. Bell. Annotated Bibliography. General951 Words   |  4 PagesEmily Clunan Mrs. Bell Annotated Bibliography General Psychology/ Spring 2017 3 April, 2017 Obsessive Compulsive Disorder For this paper I have chosen obsessive compulsive disorder. According to psychologytoday.com, (2017), â€Å"Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is an anxiety disorder in which people have unwanted and repeated thoughts, feelings, images, and sensations (obsessions) and engage in behaviors or mental acts in response to these thoughts or obsessions.† This topic is one that I find veryRead MoreObsessive Compulsive Disorder 806 Words   |  3 PagesIntroduction Obsessive Compulsive Disorder Begin your paper with the introduction. The active voice, rather than passive voice, should be used in your writing. First discovered in the 19th Century, the neurosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder is a complex disorder consisting of obsessive thoughts often accompanied by compulsive behaviors that sufferers repeat in order to alleviate the anxiety caused by these thoughts. Discovery Prior to being seen as a legitimate mental health issue, OCD was originallyRead MoreObsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder907 Words   |  4 PagesObsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder (OCPD) is a personality disorder which is characterized by a pervasive pattern of preoccupation with orderliness, perfectionism, and mental and interpersonal control at the expense of flexibility, openness, and efficiency (Taber, 1968). This pattern begins by early adulthood and is present in a variety of contexts. Individuals with Obsessive-Compulsive Personality Disorder attempt to maintain a sense of controlRead MoreEssay on Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD)875 Words   |  4 Pagessevere Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. Obsessive-compulsive disorder is an anxiety disorder that triggers people to have unwanted fixations and to repeat certain activities again and again. Everyone has habits or certain ways of doing something with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder these habits severely interrupt the way they live their lives (Familydoctor.org Editorial Staff). About one in 40 people suffer from some form of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (ABRAMOWITZ). Obsessive Compulsive Disorder often

Alaska Shocking By Earthquake - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 2 Words: 689 Downloads: 7 Date added: 2019/08/06 Category Science Essay Level High school Tags: Earthquake Essay Did you like this example? On Friday, November 30, a magnitude 7.0 earthquake hit Anchorage, Alaska shocking many individuals and causing panic for them and their families. The shaking started with a sharp jolt and continued for one minute. The earthquake happened around 8:30 am, and although no deaths were reported, some individuals are being treated for lacerations due to broken glass. Since this natural disaster, Alaska has encountered up to 1,400 anti shocks or smaller earthquakes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   The Alaskan Governor has issued a declaration of disaster while many others are sharing their videos and photos of the experience to social media. And although the total amount of damage isnt yet clear, according to many reports, the earthquake tore apart roads, ruined stores, and led students to have to evacuate their schools. One student named Josh Bierma uploaded a photo to his Twitter account along with the caption The earthquake straight cracked my school in half. Vine Road, just outside of Anchorage, was extremely demolished along with many others. Even Anchorage Airport was affected due to flooding. Many videos have been uploaded of items flying off of shelves in local grocery stores and Starbucks Coffee. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Alaska Shocking By Earthquake" essay for you Create order   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Many photos that have been posted are what geologists refer to as slope failure. Slope failure is when portions of solid hills cave in, or are let loose due to gravity. It basically causes the ground to rip in half, which results in whatever may be on top of the ground, for example a building or road, to crumble along with it. Slopes like these arent necessarily caused by earthquakes, rain or other harsh weather may also result in them, but an earthquake speeds up the process or can create new failures that wouldnt originally have happened.The location of the earthquake was a depth of 25 miles beneath the earths surface, raising a threshold for what is felt at the surface.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Typically, Alaska reports an average of 40,000 quakes every year. And even though the most recent 7.0 caused no deaths and minimal injuries, U.S. federal officials chose to declare it a public health emergency. This declaration was made by Health and Human Services Secretary Alex Azar to make sure Medicaid funds will continue to be issued to those affected even with the temporary closure of these offices. They are also providing federal mental health assistance for those anxious about the earthquake. A hotline opened at 8am on Tuesday, December 4 for anyone who needs help rebuilding after this disaster.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Despite the extremely damaged roads and freezing temperatures, roads are being repaired rapidly. Just four days after the incident, a freeway ramp at International Airport Road is already being opened up to some traffic. Many of the collapsed roads cracked just as a car was driving over. This caused the car to drop along with the road, frightening the driver, and leaving their car stuck on the piece of sunken road. They were forced to abandon their car until emergency officials could retrieve it at a later time.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Two days after the 7.0 magnitude earthquake, Alaska is still in shock and still shaking. Many aftershocks have been reported, with at least 1,400 a 1.0 magnitude. Aftershocks will be less frequent with time but there is an 88 percent chance of a magnitude of 5.0 or even higher. Having an aftershock that is stronger than the original is very unlikely, however there is a possibility of an earthquake with a magnitude of 7.0 or higher before December 8, although the chances are only 3 percent.  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚     Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Although some structures experienced damage, others didnt. In places where roads cross over wetlands, shaking liquefies the soil underneath, thus causing failure. Different soils underneath may cause a different reaction to the structures when an earthquake hits. With softer soil causing a collapse, firm soil can hold place better keeping the building upright and protecting it. The earthquake also needs to last long enough to liquify the soil, so in dryer climates, destruction was not as typical.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   This earthquake continues to be an issue and heartache for families trying to rebuild so close to the holidays. Luckily no one lost their lives due to this natural disaster and the help everyone needs is the help they are going to recieve.

African American Female Rappers History Free Essays

string(67) " in her contribution to the development of black female rap music\." American culture, being traditionally perceived as quite liberal and democratic, is in fact paralyzed by the overwhelming power of stereotypes which shape the current image of culture at large and its industries, including music, in particular. Even the most innovative and advanced movement’s turn to be submitted to the canons of the ideology that dominates in American culture.Unfortunately, such a situation does not contribute to the development of really free, liberal and focused on spiritual, moral and intellectual progress of the consumers of the culture. We will write a custom essay sample on African American Female Rappers History or any similar topic only for you Order Now Probably one of the most interesting, new and, unfortunately, typical example of the domination of stereotypes in American culture is the development of female black rap music, which has become particularly intensive in 1980s and is still quite dynamically developing.At first glance black female rap music should be free from traditional stereotypes, it should be innovative and contributing to black female emancipation and increasing the role of black females in the society at large but, in actuality, the situation is absolutely different. Despite the fact that many female rappers pretend to be unique at developing the new image of a free and independent black female, it turns to be that practically all of them, or at least the most popular of them, are ideologically dependent on the male dominance in proper and figurative sense of this word.It means that as a rule black female rappers tend to create an image which can be well accepted by the wide audience and which is created on the basis of the dominating ideology in American culture, notably in American rap music that is characterized by the male dominance and the role of a black female is so to say secondary or subordinated to a male.As a result, instead of a new image of a black female that could be independent and free of male dominance, rap music industry and the audience have got a negative image of a black female, or an image of a black female that tends to underline her sexuality. The role and images of black female rappers in American rap music industry Speaking about black female rappers, it should be pointed out that their role and the impact on the development of the culture of African Americans and American culture at large should not be underestimated.Regardless the fact that many of black female rappers were created due to the male rappers they still contributed to the progress of rap music industry and introduced something new and founded a basis for further development of rap music among black females on the professional level. The development of black female rappers as a strong power in rap music and culture has started in 1980s and nowadays it is still popular and interesting.Black female rappers may be viewed differently but their importance for music and culture cannot be denied. At this respect it should be pointed out that many cultural and music critics â€Å"praise rap’s role as an educational tool, point out that black women rappers are examples of aggressive pro-women lyricists in popular music, and defend rap’s ghetto stories as real life reflections that should draw attention to the burning of racism and economic oppression, rather than to question of obscenity† (Rose 1994, 1).At the same time, on analyzing the development of black female rappers, it should be said there could be clearly defined two main trends, which have been typical for black female rappers since 1980s. Initially, black female rappers had to â€Å"wear the same clothes as men, curse with the same intonation, and adopt a harsh mentality that didn’t place much value on feminine instincts† (Nelson 1998, 188) that was actually a natural consequence of male domination in rap music and culture at large. On the other hand, later a new trend has become popular. Black females broke ground using sex or feminine image which was deliberately underlined. As Nelson George points out, â€Å"most commercially successful female group (and one of rap’s bestselling act of any gender) began as slightly chubby B-girls who have evolved into glamour girls, and have been talking about sex since 1986† (1998, 185). Quite noteworthy is the fact that many female rappers used similar themes in their songs.Nonetheless, it is impossible to objectively evaluate the role of black female rappers without analysis of the work of the most outstanding black female rappers. One of the most popular and well known black female rappers, whose contribution in the development of rap music is undoubted, is Dana Owens, better known as Queen Latifah. By the way her adapted Arabic name Latifah is quite symbolic and means ‘beautiful’, ‘sensitive’, ‘kind’. She became popular in 1989 with her hit single â€Å"Ladies First†.According to Monica Lynch, the Tommy Boy executive who put Latifah on, the song â€Å"signaled the empowerment of a new breed of female MC’s† (Hip Hop Divas 2001, 52). In fact this song arrived quite in time because it came at a period in rap when many female rappers were just dissing one another but not doing the same to their sexist male counterparts. In such a situation her album â€Å"All Hail† was not a sort of an album traditional for black female rappers of that time but it was an album of a woman who was not afraid to confront sexist and disrespectful behavior.As the matter of fact, Queen Latifah has managed to put the right messages at the right time for, as many critics underlined, â€Å"the topic of empowerment for the ladies made a big impact on many socially, including capturing the attention of hip-hop journalists debating and documenting the female perspective† (Hip H op Divas 2001, 53). Moreover, her trend to underline female independence and equality often provoked discussions about her heterosexuality and often she was asked whether she was a gay or not.However, Queen Latifah was not very successful from commercial point of view for she has got only one gold record but financial side of the business was obviously not the most important in her contribution to the development of black female rap music. You read "African American Female Rappers History" in category "Papers" In fact she is an excellent example of positive female representation in rap music since her image is traditionally perceived as positive. As Treach said â€Å"she represents black women power. That’s why all the ladies were behind her whether they were rap fans or not† (Hip Hop Ladies 2001, 56).Unfortunately, Queen Latifah is a rare exception with her social and spiritual aims superior to financial ones which were basic for the vast majority of black female rappers later. Another significant personality among black female rappers is Sister Souljah. In fact she is a very gifted person who managed to apply her talent and knowledge in different fields though she is traditionally thought of as â€Å"a controversial American hip-hop generation author, activist, recording artist, and film producer† (Collins 2000, 221).Obviously her talent as a rapper was probably the most significant in her life. It was she who was the female voice of hip-hop formation Public Enemy and her first solo album 360 Degrees of Power was released in 1992. At the same time, it should be pointed out that she was really quite a controversial person, for instance, on commenting the Los Angeles riots, she said quite a provoking phrase: â€Å"If black people kill black people every day, why not have a week and kill white people? † (Collins 2000, 222).This statement, being severely criticized by the President Bill Clinton, inspired the creation of the first Sister Souljah moment. However, in late 1990s she basically focused on her literary career and published her autobiography â€Å"No Disrespect† (1995) and the novel â€Å"The Coldest Winter Ever† (1999). Nonetheless, in her work both as a rapper and as a writer she raised disturbing problems of racial inequality, which sometimes simply overshadow another problem the problem of equality and ruin of stereotypes concerning black femal es.Nonetheless, Sister Souljah represents relatively new generation of black female rappers while there is a very important figure in the black female movement, which produced a very serious impact on the development of rap music at large and its female branch in particular, and she is MC Lyte. Actually she is one of the major black female rappers. Moreover, she was the first who received the gold album. She started her music career very early when she was only 12 and soon after that she signed a contract with First Priority that was obviously a great success for a young African American girl.Naturally she continued her career and she released her debut album Lyte as a Rock in 1988 when she was 17 only. It was really a great success but what was really important for her and for black female rappers was the fact that it was a good example for other black female rappers to follow. At the same time, there was also a great danger in it because in such an age she could hardly realise the importance of the message she gave to the audience while her commercial success was not less significant than her success as a rapper.The years to follow she managed to make a guest appearance on a remix of Sinead O’Connor’s â€Å"I wants your hands on me†, which became a dance hit. In 1990s she continued to release her albums. It is quite noteworthy that she collaborated with other black female rappers such as Missy Elliott â€Å"Cold Rock a Party†. Naturally, her work and her success could not remain unmarked and in December 2004 she was inducted as an honorary member into Sigma Gamma Rho Sorority Inc. In such a way, MC Lyte contributed greatly to the development of black female rappers and achieved great results at the very young age.As for her collaborator, Missy Elliott, she was also a very significant personality in the black female rapper music. Actually, she is one of the first female hip hop superstars. Among her hits may be named â€Å"The Rain (Supa Dupa Fly)†, â€Å"She’s a Bitch†, â€Å"Get UR Freak On†, â€Å"Lose Control†, and â€Å"Work It†. Quite remarkably she started as a singer and songwriter in an Ramp;B group called Sista though it should be emphasized that her friend Timothy â€Å"DJ Timmy Tim†, the producer of her group produce d a significant impact on her creative work and her image. Then she continued her career cooperating with Swing Mob, and later Timbaland.Elliot and Timbaland crafted hit singles for a number of artists between 1995-1997. As a solo rapper, Elliott began her career as a featured vocalist on Gina Thompson’s â€Å"The Things You Do† and MC Lyte’s 1996 single â€Å"Cold Rock a Party†. Her debut album was released in 1997, was Supa Dupa Fly, a blockbuster hit that established Missy Ellitott as a major force in popular music. It is very important that Supa Dupa Fly was accepted positively by critics though some critics commented that â€Å"the album tracks, some of which sampled Missy/Mosley hits such as â€Å"Can We† and â€Å"One in a Million†, were far inferior to the singles† (Sexton 1995, 257). 997 was marked by Elliott perform on Lil Kim’s girl-power anthem, a hit remix of her song, â€Å"Not Tonight† that obviously underlined her music work as a black female rapper. The next yea r, she continued her successful music career by writing and producing Total’s single â€Å"Trippin†. Missy Elliott’s second album, Da Real World (1999) was just as successful as the first as well as Miss E†¦ So Addictive in 2001.In fact she is very productive and among the albums which were successful may be also named Under Construction (2002), This Is Not a Test (2003), The Cookbook (2005) and she still remains to be popular so that â€Å"Missy Elliott is still as widely recognized and respected by her peers, mainstream, and underground as ever† (Cheney 2005, 410). Moreover, her achievements and success were rewarded and in November 2005, Missy Elliott won Best Female Hip Hop Artist at the 2005 American Music Awards, defeating, by the way, Lil Kim, another famous black female rapper.However, her success was great, but the quality of her work was probably sacrificed for the sake of commercial success. In such a way commerce has started to prevail over the message the black female rapper, namely Missy Elliott, conveyed to the audience. This trend has become even more obvious in the creative work of Lil Kim who was probably the most commercially successful of all females in the rap industry. On the other hand, Lil Kim was the best at selling the sex image. It is very important to underline that she was introduced to the hip-hop community via the all-male crew Junior Mafia and â€Å"with a successful introduction in place and her mentor/lover The Notorious B. I. G. right behind her, Kim locked down the rap world from many (female) competitors for a very long time† (Evans 1994, 216). On analyzing her work, it is easy to realize that Lil Kim exploited sexuality to create an image of sweetheart that was to a significant extent the result of her personal need to be loved. It is a well-known fact that Kim left home too soon and this is why she had to hustle men in order to support herself. ’At that time I always had a man to take care of me’ she remembers. ‘Sometimes, if I thought I could get some money out of a guy, I’d sleep with. And I got kinda caught in that mentality’† (Hip Hop Divas 2001, 133). Soon she starts â€Å"transporting drugs lives to boyfriend to boyfriend, learning hard lessons, getting betrayed† (Hip Hop Divas 2001, 133). Naturally all these facts from her biography reflected in her creative work and her image where sexuality was particularly significant, while morality obviously played a secondary role after commercial success.Despite this fact, she was very popular and her debut on Junior Mafia’s â€Å"Player’s Anthem† left many rap fans captivated with her raw style and lyrical abilities. When her first album was released she was characterised as â€Å"the dopest female MC that’s coming out ever† (Hip Hop Divas 2001, 134). It is very important that, being an outstanding black female rapper, Lil Kim was supported by her boyfriend and male rapper B iggie who gave her a lot of help, though mainly at the beginning of her career. But even though his role has started to decline, when the real success has come, the death of Biggie produced a very serious impact on her creative work and she delayed the release of her second album The Notorious for three years. These facts underline the role of male in the progress of black female rappers career and the emphasis on sexuality in Lil Kim’s career and her image are extremely contrasting to what Queen Latifah’s promotion of black female independence and freedom from stereotypes.Nonetheless, Lil Kim is unique and there has been no female solo artists before as successful as Kim in being raw and doing exactly what male rappers have done to be successful. At the same time, she revealed that black female rappers tend to give the audience the image which is to a significant extent stereotyped and black female independence promoted in 1980s is gradually replaced by striving for commercial success by all means.In such a way, black female rappers being signific antly similar to each other possess their unique characteristics and in general they played an important role in the development of rap music though their image as well as the message they convey to the audience were and remain to be quite controversial. Feminist’s discourse in rap music To fully realise the controversial character of black female rappers it is necessary to analyse in details their messages and their feminist’s discourse, which they represent in their creative work.In fact there may be singled out two main trends in the image and style of black female rappers. On the one hand, there are female rappers which attempt to imitate their male counterparts they just tend to be like male rappers, wearing similar clothes, using similar language and style. On the other hand, there are black female rappers which are sometimes defined as a ‘fly-girl’ leading a very sexually active lifestyle and promoting this image, which becomes their second nature, to the audience. Among such black female rappers may be named MC Lyte and Lil Kim.It should be underlined that often, especially in 1980s, black female rappers were playing in the sexist arena but the promotion of a black female as an independent female who can live her own way without male’s influence and support was quite rare and sometimes resulted in discussions concerning sexual orientation of a rapper as it was in the case of Queen Latifah described above. In contrast, many black female rappers were often harsher to one another than to male rappers that naturally did not contrib uted to the promotion of a positive image of black female rappers at large.Furthermore, an important role for black female rappers played the female audience because, as one of the rappers singled out â€Å"women will be your worst critics, but also your biggest fans. The first group of people you gotta get are the women. You can’t do that by dissing’em, and you can’t do it by threatening them† (Hip Hop Divas 2001, 34). In such a situation, it was strategically important to gain respect and popularity among female audience first that cannot be fully done by black female rappers through dissing one another.These were the trends that were typical for 1980s though present in 1990s but what has really become the main trend during 1990s was the increased role of commercial success, which overshadowed all other aspects of black female rappers creative work. In such a situation â€Å"’get rich’ mentality that has begun to dominate rap music, many artists lose consciousness of the art and will sell garbage in exchange for money† (Collins 2000, 348). Unfortunately, many black female rappers simply forgot what their life was like before success had come.As a result the negative image of black female image was promoted by black female rappers and the situation has hardly changed since 1980s when the black female rappers movement got started to be particularly significant. Moreover, in 1990s the situation became even worse. The primary concern they were contributing to and continue to do so is making money regardless moral aspects, ideas and messages they convey to their audience through their work and their image.Such a situation is particularly dramatic because many black female rappers exploit sexuality and sexual image and often these females â€Å"possess good rhyming skills that were hidden behind pornographic talk because this is what their mentors were producing† (Evans 1994, 303). Furthermore, the negative image that is promoted is not the only drawback of black female rappers concerning feminism and emancipation of black female in American society and culture.The fact, which has already been underlined above, that many of them started at a very young age resulted in the lack of consciousness of their mission as representatives of pop music, of art and primarily as representatives of probably the most deprived part of American society black females which, in order to be really independe nt and equal to other members of society, have to use all opportunities to promote their positive image, not negative one.Naturally as teenagers, these young black female rappers were mainly concerned with the money they were making than with the image they were portraying and they could hardly be aware of black feminist movement or womanist ideology. At the same time it was quite natural that their discourse and the message they send to their audience was significantly influenced by surrounding reality and mass culture, which, as it has been already emphasized, were full of stereotypes and there were a lot of prejudices concerning black female and their image.Moreover,, being too young, they could not think absolutely independently. This is why they tended to create the image the audience traditionally expected from them such as exaggerated sexuality and basically negative image. In such a situation there remained little or even no room for feminist ideology and wider representation of real black female image, which was significantly different from stereotyped view on them.In other words, they did not fully realise the opportunity to change public opinion in relation to black females, on the contrary they only reinforced the negative image mistakenly perceived by the vast majority of the audience as traditional and typical for black females. Probably because of their age they could not act otherwise but at the same time it is necessary to realise that such a situation has not gone to the past.Moreover, now the black female rappers’ discourse tends to be far from what may be treated as really feminist discourse oriented on the protection and promotion of rights of black females, in contrast sexuality and servile emphasis on the audience’s stereotypes are promoted and what is even worse new black female rappers choose such an image and use similar discourse over and over again. As a result portraying controlling images, being ruinous for black female rappers as representatives of black feminist movement, are getting to be more and more popular and widely spread nowadays.The dominant sexual and racial ideologies in American culture A logical question that arises, when the situation with black female rappers is analyzed, is the question concerning the reasons of such a discourse which obviously lacks feminists promotion and is rather subordinated to stereotypes. In addition to the reasons mentioned in previous chapter, it should be said that black female rappers willingly or not are a part of American culture and consequently they are subordinated to the dominant ideologies which are accepted by the vast majority of American society and which, in fact, they should change but currently they fail to.It is an undeniable fact that the dominant sexual and racial ideologies in American culture are very discriminating in relation to black females and consequently black female rappers had to obey to these ideologies in order to gain popularity of the possibly wider audience but, on the other hand, it is necessary to realize that by doing so they can hardly gain real respect neither the audience at large nor black females in particular.Speaking about the dominant ideologies it is necessary to clearly realize that they are developed and belong to white males and the changes that got started in American society are too slow to change the dominant ideo logy somehow. Naturally, in such a situation, black female rappers has a little choice to do and their choice in favor of popularity, even though it weakens dramatically black female movement, is quite pragmatic and natural.It is noteworthy to refer to George Nelson who estimated that â€Å"for much of hip-hop’s history, it has been a truism that the male rap consumer, white and black, simply won’t accept females† (1998, 185). In fact rap has always been considered a private and male dominant space. This is why at the beginning it was extremely difficult for black female rappers to gain success and the breakthrough made in mid-1980s was particularly significant. Remarkably, this breakthrough coincided with the work of such a black female rapper as Queen Latifah who was probably the most eager rapper who strived for promotion of an image of a black female different from standardized and this image was obviously very successful for her as an artist but not in commercial aspect. However, such a position of Queen Latifah and to a certain extent similar to her MC Lyte led to their severe critique and â€Å"it is significant that the females who get the most respect in hip-hop’s primarily male domain – Queen Latifah and MC Lyte – are relentlessly dogged by rumors that they are lesbians.Whether these rumors are true or not, the message is evident: a female can’t be tough or strong or clear or exceptionally skillful at hip-hop unless she has sacrificed the thing that makes her a ‘real girl’† (Smith 1995, 127). Furthermore, as Tricia Rose estimates, such female rappers often â€Å"felt that they were b eing used as a political baton to beat male rappers over the head, rather than being affirmed as women who could open up public dialogue to interrogate sexism and its effect on young black women† (1994, 150).Naturally, it is impossible to speak about equality and independence of black female rappers and their creative work since, being few compared to the mass of male rappers, they could hardly change stereotypes and dominant ideologies in a day, a year or even a decade because as a rule they have been viewed as â€Å"interlopers – either butchy anomalies or cute novelties who by some fluke infiltrated a boy’s game† (Light 1999, 177).On facing such a resistance, from the part of the mass audience influenced by the dominant sexual and racial ideologies in American culture black female rappers, as one of them Kid-N-Play said, â€Å"have to work twice as hard [as males] to get half the credit† (Rose 1994, 146). As a result, it is not surprising that ma ny black female rappers are harsher to one another than to male rappers that may be also explained by low number of black female rappers compared to males and by their intention to please the predominantly male audience for the sake of commercial success. This often led to limiting female rap songs to verbal ‘catfights’ and the typical ‘battle of the sexes’, especially in 1980s. Furthermore, it should be pointed out that since 1980s there have been two main ways on which black female rappers could achieve success. On the one hand, there is the ‘I am as tough and as good just as the next ‘man’ role but very few black female rappers have chosen this way to success, though those who have chosen it are the most respected.On the other hand, there is an alternative that the majority of black female rappers have chosen and nowadays it gets to be more and more popular, is simply to sell sexual images that is not surprising because it is acceptable by the dominating male ideology in the industry for â€Å"that sex sells is the first axiom of advertising, and sexual ads are everywhere. And in order to titillate a sexually jaded society, you have to push the boundaries. You have to be a bit more braz en than the last hot little number, a little more ‘edgy’† (Burford et al. 999, 72) and this is exactly what many of black female rappers are currently doing to be successful. Unfortunately, the dominant sexual and racial ideologies in American culture result in the situation when â€Å"portraying African-American women as stereotypical mummies, matriarchs, welfare recipients, and hot mommas helps justify US black women’s oppression†¦ These controlling images are designed to make racism, sexism, poverty, and other forms of social injustice appear to be natural, normal, and inevitable parts of everyday life† (Collins 2000, 70).Moreover, often black female rappers are portrayed as ‘hootchies’ since men allowed many of them to rap. ‘Hootchies’ is a term used by Joan Morgan in her book â€Å"When Chickenheads Come Home to Roost† (2000) and it signifies women who use sex to get what they want from men. An example of such a type of black female rappers is Lil Kim.Consequently, the controlling image of black females becomes more and more widely spread and in general it is influenced by the dominant sexual and r acial ideologies in which males play the main role and the desire to achieve commercial success force black females to create images the most attractive for the wide audience but unfortunately it results in the creation of an extremely negative image of black female that is very dangerous for the progress of black feminist movement.Conclusion: the future of black females in American rap music Thus, taking into considerations all above mentioned, it is possible to presuppose the future of black females in American culture at large and rap music in particular. The recent trends in the development of black female rap are quite disturbing, particularly an unparalleled commercialization of the industry, but it is necessary to point out that the similar trends are typical not only for females but for males as well as for other industries of pop culture. Nonetheless, this trend is basically the result of male dominated ideology that makes the progress of black female rappers not as effective as it could be. Furthermore, the perspective development of black female rap music would probably enhance this trend that would naturally lead to further exploitation of sexual images that would not improve the general image of black females which is now rather negative, according to the current images of black female rappers.On the other hand, there is still some room for hope to change the negative image of black females would eventually vanish due to the creation of new image of a real black female which has nothing in common that conservative and stereotypical dominant male ideologies tend to promote. Fortunately, this presupposition is not purely hypothetical but, on the contrary, it is quite realizable and the growing number of black female rappers is significant evidence in favor of such a perspective.It is quite logical to presuppose that eventually quantity will be transformed into quantity and instead of the current discourse; black female will focus on such things as morality, females’ rights, freedom of standardized stereotypes and real independence. How to cite African American Female Rappers History, Papers

Impact of Text Messaging Language Shortcuts in Formal Writing By Sophomore Students free essay sample

INTRODUCTION Electronic gadgets are having a profound effect on all aspects of life, especially to children and young people, and language is no exemption. These electronic gadgets has become an increasingly famous means of communication. However, there are distress that this trend is having a harmful effect on the writing skills of students. Communication technology is composed of many forms of electronic communication. Those associated with the internet, now accessible through both computers and mobile phones; include e-mail, instant messaging services, chat rooms, forums, social networking sites, interactive online gaming networks, and Web-logs (blogs). In addition, mobile phones enable their users to make telephone calls and send text messages. This electronic communication has changed the composing process and participation in writing activities; and we all know that a good writing skill is very vital in gaining a job and advancing in one’s place of employment in the near future. Writing is a complex process that involves many skills, processes, and strategies. It requires a codifiable medium to convey meaning and uses a vocabulary, based on known conventions and rules of usage, to create new ideas. Can we acquire these good writing skill that we need to master to be successful throughout our education if these trends are having harmful effects on the writing skills of students? Critics have noticed that this increasing trend in communication technologies has however led to a new variety of the written language, which seems to be deviant from the traditional norms. One example of this is that email communication is more informal in comparison to traditional norms governing the form of official letters. Since the language of e-mail and SMS messages is associated with acronyms and changes in spelling norms; it is an inherently informal communication system. Standard spelling, punctuation, and capitalization, which are some of the characteristics of the normal written language, is not present in the use of electronic communication. The explosion of social media has completely changed the way we communicate with each other. Whether via laptop, computers or advanced mobile devices. Students are using texting as a major method of their day to day communications, and because they are writing on compact and small keyboards they invented these acronyms to get their ideas across with the least typing time possible. There is nothing wrong with this except when it spells over into the formal writing territory then it becomes a problem. Texting and the slang that goes with it have crept into students more formal writing. The implications of modern technologies to writing practices especially among teens is examined in this study and solutions proposed in order to ensure effective writing and literacy development. STATEMENT OF THE PROBLEM The research question sought to determine if language shortcuts have an impact on sophomore’s formal writing skills. In addition, the question also sought to find out if these language shortcuts affect the students’ spelling skills. In an attempt to answer this question, five focus questions were derived to address the contributing factors. Specifically, it sought to answer the following research questions: 1. What is the demographic profile of the Sophomores in relation to: 1. 1 Age 1. 2 Sex 1. 3 Spoken Language 2. How students use language shortcuts in their academic writing in terms of: 2. 1 Grammatical Syntactic Rules 2. 2 Acronyms 3. How language shortcuts influence student’s spelling and grammar skills? 4. How well atudents are able to differentiate between casual writing and academic writing in terms of: 4. 1 Punctuation 4. 2 Capitalization 5. How the use of language shortcuts influence the amount of writing students do. 5. 1 Number of characters 5. 2 Syntactical and lexical reductions 5. 3 Semantics HYPOTHESIS It is hypothesized that students may carry over the writing habits they pick up through text messaging into assignments. One way that text messaging affects writing skills is that it encourages people spell words the wrong way into their writing projects. Texting may also make people dislike traditional writing. They get used to the shorthand way of texting and do not want to put the effort into writing a letter or paper. ASSUMPTIONS There is an assumption that student’s written language skills are deteriorating because of increase use in electronic communication. This research was based on the Constructivist theory, which rationalizes that students use what they are most familiar with as they acquire new knowledge. Like in all things, there is a golden rule that governs technologys impact on education -Moderation in Everything. Text messaging language shortcuts can easily be overused within the community, and this can cause negative effects on the entire learning experience. Some of these effects are already seen from student’s formal writing, and an overall lack of respect for correct language usage within essays. It was assumed that the participants in this study were representative of mostly lower section sophomore students. There is the assumption that lower section students have less-than-average academic writing and spelling skills. In addition, there is the assumption that the majority of the research participants used the text messaging feature on their cellular phones and the language shortcuts commonly used with the method of communication. SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY Today’s students are a generation of learners who want things instantly, as exhibited by the use of text messages and the language shortcuts that are commonly used within the messages. Teachers also must have an understanding of how these students perceive their own academic writing skills. The researchers believed that, in giving this study a great importance, this will be of great significance to the whole community. This research aims to discuss the impact of electronic communication gadgets to determine the possible effects of text messaging so that remedial measures may be instituted. It also aims to determine the hazards and influence of language shortcuts in their academic writing. The following are the list of persons that are to be benefitted in this study, and how they are going to be benefitted. The Teacher After teachers know to what degree text messaging language shortcuts influence students’ writing skills, adjustments can be made to the curriculum to factor in the technological changes that may improve their deficient writing skills. Teachers in developmental courses must find other ways, more relevant ways, to connect with those students. The use of text messaging language shortcuts in the writing process may be that connection. The Students As the text messaging shortcuts contributed in the academic writing skills of the students, they will be able to lessen their exposure in using too much shortcuts. Avoiding grmmatical and lexical errors for them to follow the formal writing. Students must find some ways to develop it that they are not violate the rules of academic formal writing. These text messaging shortcuts will help the students to identify what they need to be improved in their academic formal writing. To the Body of Knowledge This study contributes to the body of knowledge needed to address this problem by examining the impact, if any, that the language shortcuts have on the students’ formal writing skills. This study presents current literature as it relates to the prevalence with which students use common methods of technology, the role developmental courses play in bolstering students’ writing skills, and the constructivist theory of learning, which contends that students relate their existing knowledge to what they are learning. SCOPE AND DELIMITATIONS As much as it is a relevance to bring forth this study to completion, this study must be completed during the entire semester. Due to population acquired at Muntinlupa National High School, specifically the sophomores of the said institution. The study would be conducting interviews, focus groups, observations and group discussions. The number of participants for the focus group was based on information from Hatch (2002), who wrote that most authors of qualitative research recommend that the size of focus groups be kept to about 6 to 12 participants to allow enough participants for discussion, but not such a large number that everyone does not get to speak. The six participants will discuss their use of text messaging language shortcuts in a small-group setting with the researcher serving as facilitator. The same six randomly selected students were observed in classroom settings during a writing assignment. The use of the focus group and observations served as methods to triangulate the data obtained from the individual interview sessions. In addition, previous writing assignments were analyzed to establish an idea of the students’ writing styles, grammatical skills, and command of the language. The number of sections that were involved in the study were the lower sections of the said institution to visibly determine the impact of text messaging language shortcuts in the formal writing of students. LIMITATIONS The findings of this qualitative research could be subject to other interpretations due to the participants’ proficiency of text messaging language shortcuts as well as the participants’ varied levels of academic writing skills. Also, the study was limited to sophomore students. As such, the findings may not be applicable to the general population of students at the school. Furthermore, some of the potential participants were selected randomly. DEFINITION OF TERMS Technology is continually advancing. As it becomes more personal and commonplace, some terms have become quite familiar. However, there are other terms that may not be as well known. This section provides a list of terms relevant to this study. Language shortcuts: Abbreviations, shortened words or codes used to communicate short messages with other cellular phone users (Schaller, 2007, p. 7). Text messaging: A feature on cellular telephones that allows users to receive and send short messages (maximum of 160 characters) using the telephone’s alphanumeric keypad (Harley, Winn, Pemberton, Wilcox, 2007, p. 1). Formal Writing Skills: CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK The conceptual framework for this study was taken from research that addressed students’ use of text messaging and its relationship on students’ writing skills. Research revealed there was limited statistical information regarding the use of text messaging and its influence on students’ academic writing. This study also demonstrated how the students use the language shortcuts by abbreviating or using codes for words. Figure 1: Paradigm for getting the impact of text messaging language shortcuts in formal writing skills. RELATED LITERATURE AND STUDIES Writing teachers have encountered new challenges as text messaging language shortcuts have made their way into the academic writing classroom. The literature reviewed within this section explores how the constructivist theory supports the notion of connecting what students know about text messaging with what they do in their assignments. Specifically, the research looks at how and why some students are using text messaging language in their academic compositions. This section also looks at the function of developmental writing courses and the role they play in honing students’ writing skills and the knowledge base of teachers regarding this form of technology. Overall, the relevant literature sought to address the research question about how text message language shortcuts influence developmental students’ writing skills. This literature review begins with an exploration of the role the constructivist theory plays in the implementation of technology in the writing classroom. This section also reviews the various research methods used in the scholarly studies. Applying B. F. Skinner’s theory of behaviorism, the writing teacher would provide instruction and model the compositions the students were to produce, and the practice would be repeated until the expected outcome was achieved (Irvin, 2001, p. 8). Students would rely on their memories and routine practices to complete writing assignments, and they possibly had no connection between how they were learning and what or how they were writing. Skinner’s concept of operant conditioning stressed the reinforcement of responses to attain learning. Basically, the behaviorist theory allowed the learner to react to what was going on in the environment around him instead of allowing the learner to be actively involved in the environment itself. But questions arose as to whether the drills and repetition actually helped students learn to write well. Graham and Perin (2007) suggested that one way to combat the rigidity and repetitiveness of writing instruction is for teachers to focus more on students’ expressions instead of their grammar and spelling during the early stages of the writing process. The Constructivist Theory As education continually evolved, teachers moved beyond the routine type of instruction to allow the students to be more involved in their learning process. The constructivist theory permitted students to be more in charge of their own educational processes and development. Constructivism was created based upon John Dewey’s belief that students increase their knowledge as a result of their experiences and social activities. Lev Vygotsky’s theory of cognitive development expanded the idea of constructivism into the sociocultural realm, which stressed social interaction as a means of acquiring knowledge. The theorist suggested that learners must be exposed to those with more experience in order to promote advanced levels of learning. In that regard, students and teachers play an active role in how knowledge is obtained and the tools used to gather that knowledge. The constructivist theory is applied to the writing curriculum by having the teacher present composition topics that are relevant to the students and through which the students can write details based upon their prior knowledge, beliefs, and experiences. That writing instruction should also focus on stretching students’ minds and honing their awareness and creative thinking capabilities to produce compositions that demonstrate their understanding of what they know (The National Commission on Writing in American’s Schools and Colleges, 2003, p. 13). Students’ use of text messaging language shortcuts to prepare their writing assignments is an example of social constructivism. It allows students to gain meaningful knowledge using cultural items, such as the cellular phone, to create a common understanding with other students. Constructive learning allows students to use their existing knowledge to grasp and retain the new knowledge. When students are able to process information internally they are then able to produce assigned writing assignments with greater ease. They are able to use what they have been taught through instruction and blend it with their preferred method of self-expression, which may be text messaging. Teachers need to embrace innovative ideas that may be outside of the traditional style of teaching to allow the students to be more involved in their educational development. Text messaging can be used as a learning tool if students are taught how to make the connection between its form of writing and the formal, academic writing. A study of the instructional use of text-messaging practices by DeArment (2002) found that when pedagogical practices were based on cognitive-constructivist theory, the students were believed to be actively involved in the lesson. They were able to â€Å"cognitively manipulate the course content† and transform their thinking in order to gain more meaning from the instruction. Those students who were introduced to texting after gaining a strong knowledge of basic writing skills had an easier time switching between the informal text-speak and formal English.