Empathy

With 95% of the population in Thailand being followers of Theravada Buddhism, influencing the support for local and global environmental concerns is quite possible. Donald K. Swearer in the article “The Hermeneutic of Buddhist Ecology in Contemporary Thailand: Buddhadasa and Dhammapitaka” states that the Buddhist lifestyle and the early sangha are contributions to aid in living in a constantly dangerously changing world. Swearer believes that there are distinct ecological lessons that can be drawn from the texts and traditions in Thai Buddhism.

In this chapter he shows how Buddhadasa Bhikkhu and Phra Prayudh both represent two very distinctive but complementary views to the environment issues within Theravada Buddhism. Buddhadasa’s ontologically oriented view of nature as dhamma and the ethic of caring for nature correlates with the idea of EcoBuddhism, while Phra Prayudh is an approach, which is grounded in the reasoning of texts and the historical traditions of ancient Buddhism. Buddhadasa infers that the destruction of nature implies the destruction of dhamma.

Swearer explains that to care for nature in linked to a pervasive feeling of human empathy (Pali, anukampa) for all surroundings, therefore caring is considered the active expression of empathy. Believing that to care for nature derives from a selfless, empathetic response in an ethical perspective. Swearer further explains the empathetic concerns for caring for things in at the core of one’s being. The care for all needs to be done in their natural conditions, that is to care for things as they really are rather than as one may see fit or as one would like them to be.

Phra Prayudh blames the destruction of the environment on a Western world that is flawed by three main beliefs: wrongful idea of nature, bad attitude towards other humans, and the drive for material goods as stated by Swearer. He also states that Phra believes the bases of environmental values are in katannu (gratitude), metta (loving-kindness), and sukha (happiness). This basically translates that being happy and grateful will fill us with compassion and permeate to the environment around. This concept is dealing with an understanding of how our consequences affect the world around us.

Phra tells of how monks use forests for their monasteries and are the ideal place to overcome the difficulties in life. He believes that his ecological hermeneutic is based on the early life of Buddha the early sangha in the Pali scriptures. The main problem with the monks delivering their message and ideas to layman is the local government. Sponsel and Natadecha-Sponsel in the next chapter, ” The Monastic Community in Thailand” states that even the sangha and the state are subject to corruption and abuse.

It is the politics within the sangha can cause problems and inhibit the ability for everyone to realize the potential it can have within Buddhism and the environment. The basis of the sangha is stated as being hierarchical and with its upper levels are conservative the attitude and position on women is not favorable. But even with these issues and problems Buddhism has survived for over 2500 years and is gaining strength. With further understanding in new perspectives Buddhism will eventually become a momentous force in society.

Group Paper Analysis: Group #3 The Effects of Culture in Patient-Provider Interaction and Means for Dealing With It Shawn Burke, Shin-Hyung Lee, Siamak Mahdavi, Thuan Nguyen, Brittany Oswald, Teasha Walters As a culturally diverse country discrepancies in health care have been documented and continue to serve as a threat to satisfactory patient care. Data has shown that minority groups suffer more greatly from cardiovascular disease, diabetes, and cancer, amid other ailments.

In 1998, the Health Resource and Services Administration Health Disparities Collaboratives was designed to provide proper care and treatment for citizens that are uninsured and/or medically vulnerable, such as certain racial groups. This organization is aimed at lessening racial and ethnic disparities presented in health care and improving the quality of care for this population (Grossman et al. (2008). Although this progressive system aids in eliminating health care disparities, there is still an evident effect of culture on patient-provider interactions.

With an increasing change in the demographics of our country, it is imperative to improve patient-provider interactions among various races and ensure proper treatment for all. In order to counteract these disparities and promote appropriate care for all races, health care systems formed the subject of cultural competence. According to Betancourt et al (2003), in a culturally competent health care system, the significance of culture and implementation of services to properly meet culturally necessity needs are integrated within and focuses on the health beliefs for different cultures and specific treatment for different patient populations.

In order to function properly as a culturally competent health care system, specific requirements are mandated. The health care system needs a diverse staff reflective of the community surrounding the institution, translators to communicate with patients, specific training for health care providers, and valuable signs and information available in different languages (Betancourt et al. 2003, Anderson et al. 2003). Implementation of a culturally competent health care system increases the potential for improving patient care and efficacy and helps to eliminate health care disparities among culturally diverse ndividuals. It is very important to understand cultural values in order to improve patient-provider interactions. Many foreigners face difficulties when they are faced with seeking medical attention mainly due to only having limited vocabulary skills as well as not being familiar with medical terms commonly used in the United States. These main cultural differences lead to many people having great difficulty when trying to communicate their symptoms to a medical professional. It is comprehensible that health care providers have a hard time giving a diagnosis if a patient cannot correctly describe their symptoms.

However, this can be improved by respecting cultural values such as courtesy, empathy, and harmony. According to the study “Patient satisfaction in Japan” written by Elluch, the author states that health care providers should emphasize cultural values such as courtesy, empathy and harmony to improve foreign patient satisfaction when delivering medical services. This is because satisfied customers are an important asset for the healthcare provider as satisfied customers tend to reuse the service and recommend it to their families and friends.

In order to reduce the threats which are the discrepancies in health care, respecting and considering cultural values and differences will be useful to improve patient-provider interactions among various races. Moreover,by emphasizing those cultural values it will help to maintain long-term relationships between patient and providers. There are numerous documentations describing the consciousness of physicians towards health beliefs and values of their patients.

As previously mentioned, barriers in communication between physicians and their patients due to differences in cultural stance can lead to interruptions in care and undesirable patient outcomes. Research by Street and Haidet (2010) states “current evidence indicates that physicians often have a poor understanding of their patients’ perspectives with respect to patients’ preferences for involvement in decision-making, desire for information…beliefs about treatment effectiveness and prognosis…and emotional states” (Street & Haidet, 2010).

It is imperative for physicians to understand patients’ cultural perspective because treatment care plans are based off the communication that doctors have with their patients. Street and Haidet conducted a cross-sectional observational study that used the CONNECT instrument to asses the “6 domains of an individual’s perceptions about a particular health condition…”(Street & Haidet, 2010) within a “convenience sample of 207 patients and 29 primary care physicians from 10 outpatient clinics” (Street & Haidet, 2010). The key results indicates “Physicians’ perceptions of their patients’ health beliefs differed significantly (P

If you ask one of your key employees how you’re doing as a leader, chances are that you aren’t going to get a 100 percent honest answer. The employee probably isn’t going to tell you your faults, when you have the power to destroy his or her employment.

Related:

You may be asking why you should even ask such a question of your employees. After all, you’re the boss. But it’s simple, really. Research shows that more than 70 percent of the workforce is disengaged. Much of the cause of that disengagement oftem stems from the active dislike the employee has for his or her leader, often described as “the manager from hell.”

But none of these employees are going to risk their jobs to tell you that. And because of their reluctance, you may need to take a long, hard look at your behavior and be brave enough to recognize the signs that you aren’t doing as good of a job as a leader as you would like.

Here are 10 signs that you may, well, suck as a leader:

1. Your attitude is “This is how we do things around here, and you can like it or leave.”

Great leaders are in a constant state of growth and adaptability. They would never approach employees with this attitude.

2. You are busy being nice.

Great leaders know what truly matters. Leaders know their purpose — their why. Running a business is not a popularity contest that leaders need to try to win. If you spend all your time trying to be nice to people, you aren’t leading.

3. You micro-manage.

Great leaders are collaborative, not micro-managers. Leaders don’t feel that they have to do everything themselves. They trust their team members to do it and know they will do it right.

Related:

4. You are all about the numbers.

Great leaders are, first and foremost, CROs. You know — chief relationship officers. Leaders cannot always focus on the bottom line. Remember that the number one character trait of great leaders is that they highly value the people they lead.

5. You secretly, or not so secretly, dislike people.

Great leaders are genuinely into their work relationships. They like people and love seeing them grow. You have no business being a leader if you don’t like people.

6. You steal the light.

Great leaders give the spotlight to others. Bad leaders take credit for what’s not theirs, and justify their behavior based on some “rational-lies” that they tell themselves. But it is not, despite anything you have ever been told, all about you.

7. You lack empathy and compassion.

Great leaders have a highly developed level of emotional intelligence. Don’t try to lead if you can’t grasp this concept.

8. You lack self-knowledge.

Great leaders are continually developing deeper self-knowledge, because they understand that self-knowledge lies at the root of genuine empathy and compassion. In order to lead effectively, you have to know who you are below the surface.

9. Your people don’t trust you.

Great leaders are highly integral. They don’t say one thing and do another. If this is you, you’ll lose ground every quickly with your staff.

10. You keep your personal life a secret.

Great leaders are bonded to their people, and their people are bonded to them. Great leaders know and care about who their people are. Great leaders let their people see who they authentically are beyond their role as leader. Let people in, proving that you have learned the power of vulnerability.

If you read this, and you find yourself saying, “Yeah, but you don’t understand,” what you are actually saying is that you are committed to sucking at your role as you are at leading. If that’s the case, no one can help you until you decide it’s too painful to stay the same.

Related:

So, what’s it going to be?

Report title: Contagious yawning Introduction Yawning in general Yawning is a common act in all humans from birth and is one of the best examples of a fixed action pattern; once a yawn begins it becomes unstoppable. It also occurs in the same way each time. Several theories have been proposed to explain its existence in everyday life. There has been no definitive way of explaining why yawning occurs. Communication, physiology and arousal will be discussed. Firstly, communication is proposed as a primary reason for yawning, by Guggisberg, Mathis, Herrmann & Hess (2007).

They attribute yawning to vigilance and suggest that unconscious communication occurs to synchronise a group and show vigilance. Baenninger (1987) also suggest that yawning helps to maintain attention levels and it may have evolved to promote vigilance and further suggest that it could communicate drowsiness or illness to a group. Another theory suggests a physiological link, whereby the yawn maintains mental efficiency by regulating the brain temperature through a cooling mechanism (Palagi, Leone, Mancici & Ferarri, 2009).

However, a study by Gallup & Gallup jr. (2008) has shown inconclusive results for this theory. Another theory suggests that yawning is due to arousal. Matikainen and Elo (2007) report that yawning increases arousal and helps the individual to waken up. They suggest that it is due to connections between the mouth and the neck which when stretched stimulates the carotid body responsible for oxygen homeostasis. However, research by Guiggisberg et al (2007) found opposing research and their results showed that arousal levels decreased after yawns.

It is clear that further research needs to be conducted to find the causes of yawns, and it has been shown that there is possibly more than one answer for this problem. However conclusive evidence for any theory is yet to be found. Contagious yawning Seeing, hearing or even thinking about another person yawning can trigger a yawn, contagious yawns occur in 40-60% of human adults but its primary reason and function is still unknown. Some advancement nevertheless, has been made to explain its cause. The advance in research into contagious yawning has come from the discovery of mirror neurons (Arnott, Singhal & Goodale, 2009).

These are cells which are located in the posterior inferior frontal gyrus (pIGF) and are active when an individual sees another perform and action. They activate in the same was as they do when an individual performs the task themselves. It is proposed that mirror neurons enable individuals to understand others experiences and emotional states. This research therefore suggests that seeing or hearing a yawn activates this area of the brain and so initiates a yawning action. It has also been proposed that as mirror neurons help to understand emotional states, it is closely linked with empathy.

This means that contagious yawning could be linked to empathy too. Contagious yawning and empathy This study has been conducted to assess the relationship between contagious yawning and empathy. Previous research highlights a strong relationship. Arnott et al (2009) investigated empathy and auditory contagious yawning and their results show a positive correlation between the two with more yawns elicited by those who scored higher on the empathy scale given. The relationship was modest but still significant below . 05.

Also Periol & Monaca (2006) point out that contagious yawning doesn’t occur in species that cant recognise themselves in the mirror, nor can infants under two, suggesting that sense of self is required which is a key element to understanding others. Other research has shown that those with autistic spectrum disorder, and schizophrenia are unable to yawn contagiously as much as controls and that this is due to lack of empathy (Haker & Rossler, 2008). The premise of this study is to add to current research by expanding on Arnott et al’s research, by using visual stimuli.

This study will test further the relationship between empathy and contagious yawning as this seems to be the area with most evidence. If the pilot data suggests a trend consistent with the current data then it will suggest further research and a full study should be conducted, however if the results gained show little evidence for a relationship then it will be suggested that other areas of contagious yawning should be looked into in more depth to find its possible cause. Hypotheses 1a) Contagious yawning is elicited from visual stimuli a) Higher amounts of contagious yawning will be present in those with higher levels of empathy. Null hypotheses 1b) Visual stimuli does not elicit contagious yawning 2b) There is no difference in amount of contagious yawning and level of empathy. Method 30 Stirling University students took part. This experiment was a between participants design. Independent variable is number of yawns produced in each condition. Dependant variable is empathy score The experiment consisted of two parts. To begin, each participant was required to complete the interpersonal reactivity index questionnaire to determine empathy levels.

From this the participants were classified as empathetic or non empathetic and form the two experimental groups (mean was calculated and sample split above and below the mean). After the empathy questionnaire was completed, the experimental phase began which contained two conditions, firstly a yawning condition (test phase) whereby participants were shown a slide show of 15 yawning faces each slide lasting 10seconds. Within the time period the participant was required to focus on each face and rate how many times the face made them feel like yawning or actually yawn.

Secondly, participants were given a neutral condition whereby a similar slide show was given but with 15 neutral expressions. This was given as a control for the test phase so that condition effects could be tested for. If a similar frequency of yawn was observed in both phases then the yawns wouldn’t be classed as contagious, and attributed to boredom rather than condition. The two phases were reversed for half the participants for counterbalancing and also to aid understanding of when contagious yawning had occurred- neutral phase was not always last which may have indicated boredom, so results are more reliable.

The analysis was in two parts firstly, the frequency of yawning was compared in each condition to determine if visual stimuli induced contagious yawning in the test phase compared to the neutral. Secondly, the analyses compared empathetic participants with non empathetic participants to test if empathy was related to contagious yawning. Examples of stimuli: Neutral phase Yawning phase [pic] [pic] All images contained a full face and expressions were face on to the participant in attempt to maintain validity for each phase. Results | Hypothesis 1 Contagious yawning is elicited from visual stimuli Tests of normality showed that there was significance for yawning and so parametric tests were conducted. Graph 1 shows that there was a higher amount of yawns produced in the yawning condition than the neutral condition and the Wilcoxon test shows there was significantly different result. Z= -2. 722, p. 006 Graph 1 Total amount of yawing produced in each condition [pic]

The significant difference found between yawning in the yawn condition and the neutral condition shows that contagious yawning occurred to visual stimuli, and the null hypothesis can be rejected. Therefore further analyses can be conducted into empathy and contagious yawning. Hypothesis 2 Higher amounts of contagious yawning will be present in those with higher levels of empathy. Graph 2 shows the relationship between the amount of yawns produced and empathy scores. Those with high empathy scores (62+) yawned more in the yawning condition compared to those with low empathy scores.

However, the graph also shows similar amounts of yawning between empathy groups in the neutral condition. Graph 2 Total amount of yawning produced in each condition, split by empathy score. [pic] Due to small sample size and the data having an abnormal distribution a spearman’s rho test for correlation was conducted. It showed no significant relationship between empathy score and number of yawns produced in each condition, p= . 27 with a correlation of . 259, in neutral condition and p=. 686, with a correlation of . 96 in the yawn condition. Therefore the null hypothesis has to be accepted. Discussion

Previous research has suggested that contagious yawning is due to empathy and a higher level of empathy suggests the individual is more likely to contagiously yawn. This study aimed to determine if this was found with visual stimuli in the form of consecutive images of individuals yawning on a screen. The study tested to see if contagious yawning could be induced by images and compared the results to number of yawns produced by images of neural expressions in the same format. The study also aimed to contribute to the existing knowledge on the relationship between empathy and contagious yawning.

Due to the small sample size and the test for normality showing that there wasn’t a normal distribution of the data, the statistics performed were limited, and are not generalisable to the overall population. The results show that there was a significant difference between the two conditions and more yawns were produced in the yawning condition compared to the neutral. The study was conducted in a way that yawns produced by boredom could be controlled for. If it was the case that yawns were produced due to boredom then a similar frequency would be observed in both conditions especially as the conditions were counterbalanced.

The results were highly significant (p=. 006) showing that yawns can be attributed to contagious yawning and not boredom, therefore the null hypothesis could be rejected and the hypothesis that yawning stimuli induces contagious yawning can be accepted. This contributes to the body of research on contagious yawning especially as Arnott et al (2009) has already shown contagious yawning can be elicited to auditory stimuli. This study, compared empathy scores with frequency of yawns in each condition to determine a relationship between the two as proposed by Haker & Rossler (2008), as well as in the study by Arnott et al.

This study used the interpersonal reactivity index questionnaire to determine levels of empathy and the mean score was calculated in order to form two experimental groups of high and low empathy. This was only to test for a trend and is understood that due to the abnormal distribution of scores in the data, any results cannot be generalised, as the two experimental groups for empathy are not normally distributed. The results shown in graph 2, clearly show no difference between frequency of yawns and level of empathy especially in the neutral condition where the frequency of yawns for each empathy group are virtually the same.

A slight difference is seen in the yawning condition and at a glance looks to suggest that higher empathy scores result in more yawns produced however with a closer look at the frequencies, it is clear that there is only a difference of one or two yawns and the statistical analysis shows no significant difference between empathy and yawns in both conditions. However it should be noted that the correlation conducted cannot be relied on too heavily due to the small sample size and so it can still be concluded that the graph shows a possible trend that for high empathy individuals, contagious yawning is more common.

Especially as the graph shows a difference in similarity of empathy group based on condition (neutral shows no difference at all whereas yawn condition shows slight difference) Even though significance is not met and for this study the null hypothesis has to be accepted, the nature of the data and tests performed show that the results are not conclusive and trends can still be relied upon. There are however many limitations to this study.

Clearly, with the study being a pilot for future research, the sample size was low and so generalisable results could not be hoped for however methodological improvements could be made to make trends found more reliable. Firstly, only one measure of empathy was used and so empathy scores were only based on specific answers to questions. Arnott et al used several in their study giving a better indication of empathy however due to the small scale of the study and limitations on resources meant only one could be found.

The power point slides contained many faces and it was difficult to find yawning faces which looked like yawns and not open mouthed expressions, conveying a yawn through an image was much more complex than anticipated. Another point to consider was the nature of how the study was portrayed, the emphasis on yawning was placed from the beginning and so as one participant remarked he knew it was about yawning so he was thinking about it a lot in the first condition so even thought he was looking at neutral faces, he yawned as he was thinking about it. This shows how contagious yawning can be and how our results can be skewed.

For further research, better conditions must be met and participants told of the premise of the study after two conditions had been undertaken. The self report table given to the participants during the study whereby they noted how many times they yawned or felt like yawning may need to include other contagious acts like laughing, to avoid yawns being induced by thinking. This would mean that further studies into contagious yawning would require more expressions to test the participant and so they don’t constantly think about how much they are yawning.

Either that or possibly use a camera to record yawns so the participants focus is consistently on the stimuli. Conclusion The results show that visual stimuli can induce contagious yawning and so can aid further research when creating a method of testing yawning. The results obtained from empathy and contagious yawning although in significant, still suggest a trend and so could be further studied if more participant were used and a better methodology was introduced. The pilot study has shown the possibility of a link between contagious yawning and empathy and so needs to be further investigated.

Bibliography Arnott, S. R. , Singhal, A. , Goodale, M. A. (2009), An investigation of auditory contagious yawning, Cognitive, Affective & Behavioural Neuroscience 9 (3) 335-342 Baenninger, R. (1987). Some comparative aspects of yawning in Betta splendens, Homo sapiens, Panthera leo, and Papio sphinx. Journal of Comparative Psychology, 101, 349-354. Gallup, A. C. , Gallup, G. G, Jr (2008) Yawning and thermoregulation. Physiology and Behaviour 95 10-16. Guggisberg, A. G. ,Mathis, J. , Herrmann, U. S. , Hess, C. W (2007). The functional relationship between yawning and vigilance.

Behavioural brain research 179 (1) 159-66. Haker, H. & Rossler, W. (2009) Empathy in schizophrenia: impaired resonance. European Archive of Psychiatry and Clinical Neuroscience, 259, 352-361. Palagi, E. , Leone, A. , Mancini, G. , Ferrari, P. F. , (2009). Contagious yawning in gelada baboons as a possible expression of empathy. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 106 (46) 19262-7. Perriol, M. P. & Monaca, C. (2006) One person yawning sets off everyone else. Journal of Neurological Neurosurgical Psychiatry. 77) 3 3 Matikainen, J. , Elo, H (2008). Does yawning increase arousal through mechanical stimulation of the carotid body? Medical Hypotheses 70 488–492 | | |[pic] | | | | | Top of Form ———————– Condition Mean number of yawns Mean number of yawns

About a month ago, my girlfriend (whom I will refer to as “Kelly”) and I were not getting along very well, and I attributed our difficulties to a mounting mess of unresolved disputes from our past. So I invited Kelly to sit down and talk about our problems. Kelly happily accepted. We agreed to take one resentment at a time, and talk each one through before moving the next. We ate dinner together, sat down on her couch and faced each other. I encouraged Kelly to have this talk between us, so I respectfully let her pick an issue hat is bothering her to talk about.

It was difficult to hear about a problem that she has used against me many times already and I had hoped that she Just forgot about it… But I sucked it up and listened anyway. The festering resentment that Kelly had been lugging around every day for over 3 years started when she had discovered explicit text messages on my phone between me and another woman. I tried to Justify my “dirty-talk” with this woman by blaming Kelly for rejecting me in the worst way imaginable. I had witnessed Kelly having sex tit another man Just after we had started dating.

Kelly knew I was there, but she was so caught up in her own pleasure and enjoyment that my existence was no more significant than a fly on the wall. Kelly ignored everything I did and said as I attempted to get her stop what she was doing, and continued having sex with him until she became satisfied. I was completely devastated and overwhelmed with rejection. I could have left Kelly after what she had done. But I felt that if I can forgive her for this then I will hold all of controlling cards in our relationship.

So I chose to stay with her, and see how things go… I expected Kelly to suck up to me, kiss my ass, and make up for her actions in every way she possibly could… But that never happened. Kelly ignored it and never even gave me the chance to express my feelings of betrayal and devastation to her about it. Consequently, I let the resentment build up in me over time, mainly because I lacked assertiveness, so I buried my feelings to avoid conflict and reliving that dreadful event. So when Kelly initially confronted me about my text messages with this other woman,

I responded to it by becoming defensive, trying to Justify my actions by blaming her for betraying me with another man. I tried to make her believe that my behavior was the result of her actions. I tried to make her believe that my interest in another woman was all her fault and that my dirty little secret was only talk and not sex, and against me. Ultimately, I felt entitled to do whatever I wanted because she had cheated with another man and she did it right in front of me. Since then, I have tried to figure out what it is that I had done prior to Kelly’s actions hat may have influenced her choice to reject me that way.

I started to realize allot of things about myself while progressing through psychological treatment, and through this process I have practiced expressing empathy, sharpening my listening skills and I have been doing much better with each new skill that I have learned. But as I continued to use each new skill in my daily life, I could not avoid feeling somewhat coercive when I used empathy and assertiveness at times with Kelly. I had been purposely thinking out how to use the right tone if voice, overlapping ententes and using memorized feeling words Just to show empathy… Inconsequently, my new communication style started to feel somewhat rehearsed, fake and coercive to me… I knew I was saying the right things, but I started to feel that sometimes my words were liking real meaning and sincerity… Speaking to people as if I were following directions from a book about how to communicate. But this particular sit-down talk with Kelly turned out to be more positively significant than any other talk that we have ever had. Everything that I have learned in therapy has been a benefit to my relationship with Kelly , and everyone else in my life for that matter..

But reflecting back a few months, before having this conversation with her, I realized that I still hadn’t been able to sort of tie it all together and use everything that I have learned so far without thinking too much about communication styles and details. I have been using listening skills, expressing empathy, taking accountability, and modifying my behavior more and more each week, and I have taken every opportunity to use each new skill as much as possible. But I have recently realized hat I was only getting better at using each skill independent from the others.

Toward the end of our “conflict resolution talk”, I felt the greatest sense of relief in our relationship to see how happy Kelly was becoming as our conversation progressed. I had not realized how powerful of an impact that genuine empathy and listening to her every word would have on both of us. I believe that I actually felt the same pain that she had felt when she read those words on my phone. It was overwhelming!.. I felt a brick in my stomach made of betrayal and devastation s Kelly expressed the embarrassing details of my dirty text messages.

She had said these same words to me before, describing her heartache over it, but I must have Just blocked her words out or I interrupted her in selfness and denial each time . The feelings inside of me made the event seem much more significant than I had realized. I could see it the way that she had experienced it but this time, the event upon me was very profound and I was taken over by guilt and shame. Truly understanding and experiencing Kelly’s feelings caused emotions inside of me that kook control of my body language.

I forgotten about my own resentments. I tried to hide my emotions, because I felt that have no right to cry over the pain that I had inflicted on her, but I couldn’t stop the tears.. Kelly, moved to my side, laid her head on my shoulder and wrapped her arms me. This was the first time that I had ever been successful in expressing pure empathy. This one particular dispute was resolved, but the scar will last forever. But Kelly and I now share this scar and we view our remaining unresolved disputes as teammates from the opposing dugout.

UNIT 2 (COVER SHEET 3) MAKING AN ETHICAL REFERRAL 2. 1 Quite often, a counsellor’s role is to assess and refer clients on to more appropriate help. Sometimes a client needs specialist counselling or a different approach and it is up to the counsellor to make this transition as smooth as possible for the client and to manage the process as sensitively as possible. The counsellor needs to take responsibility for making all arrangements but the client should also be empowered. SOURCES FOR REFERRAL

Its good practice for a counsellor to keep an up to date file of local and national agencies. A network of personal links is also important as it can help to instil a more human/caring element within a potentially anxiety provoking situation. PROCEDURE: The procedure for referrals differs from agency to agency but possible ways of managing this are: * Contact the agency concerned and find out about referral and appointment procedures. Be clear in your own mind, possibly after conferring with the help-seeker, what information you will pass to the agency in any discussion that arises during a telephone call. Contact the agency by telephone whilst the help-seeker is with you so that you can hand over to him to make the appointment after you have made the initial enquiry. * Write a referral letter to the agency. You could send a copy to the client so that he knows the letter has been sent to the agency. You might consider drafting the referral letter with the client so that he/she agrees the content Whatever the process of referral it is a time of contemplation and reflection for all involved.

Confidentiality, boundary issues, supervision and adherence to laws/codes of practice need to be taken into account. 2. 3 When you suggest referral the help-seeker needs to understand that this is not a rejection. Many help-seekers have been passed from pillar to post and despair of genuine help being available, so they may feel cynical and/or rejected. It’s also possible that, having shown considerable courage to get this far, they feel daunted by approaching someone else and starting all over again.

It is important to explain the reason why the referral is necessary and assure the client that their personal information will be help in confidence. The client also needs to be assured that the referral agency are the best placed to further their progress and ultimately that the referral is valid and necessary. 2. 4 When you engage with a client for a number of sessions you have a choice between an immediate (date/time defined) ending and a phased ending. A phased ending can take different forms: * A planned ‘weaning off’ (longer intervals between sessions) * An open door policy Endings with a follow up some weeks/months later Difficulties that clients may have with endings are: * Client is emotionally upset * Client is reluctant to end the sessions * If the ending is abrupt or unexpected * Client breaks the contract and sessions are ended Within the endings process you need to draw upon what you know about his/her attitude and experience of endings. For many people it’s a relatively small issue – if they are fairly self-supporting and motivated they probably move on with little regret.

For others it’s a much bigger event. A Counsellor needs to ensure to flag that the end is drawing close and to give an opportunity for the client to comment on how he feels about the end. The longer the contact you’ve had, the more time you want to allow for this discussion and the earlier it needs to happen. Although you need to make the time limit clear in the initial contract, both counsellor and client are sure to have feelings about the ending of even short-term work.

The extent of feelings probably relate to the intensity of the work and the investment in it by each party. Preparation for the ending should include: * Recognition of where the client is now (positive and negative) * A decision about the reason for the ending (planned or immediate) * Goodbyes 2. 5 Supervision is an important part of the referral process and should be used to facilitate and explore how the process should be managed, how the client will react and how the counsellor will feel about the ending.

I think as a counsellor you should have a prior understanding of how you feel the client will/is reacting to the ending of the helping relationship and the supervisor can draw upon his/her experience as to how the process should be best managed. I think as a counsellor, particularly when the ending has been abrupt or ‘premature’ may experience feelings of inadequacy or failure for not helping the client to overcome their presenting issues. I think a supervisor will be able to empathise and advise on the situation and how to frame it within your mind.

The supervisor will advise how to end the relationship in a systematic way as positive as possible. 2. 6 Reasons for referral may be: Because the counsellor: * Has a personality clash with the client * Is out of their depth in terms of professional limits * Lacks experience to help the client further * There are boundary issues with knowing the client/friends of client on a personal basis * The clients issue is triggering issues within the counsellor * There is a clash of beliefs/values/culture that cannot be overlooked in terms of empathy Because the agency: Has time limits/limited sessions * Has a policy complication relating to clients issues * Does not deal with certain areas of counselling Because the client: * Needs/wants a different type of counsellor or other type of care * Has issues around availability/accessibility * Needs/wants a different package of care 2. 7 The BACP guidance relating to ethical referrals are that: * All referrals should be discussed with the client in advance and the client’s consent obtained both to making the referral and also to disclosing information to accompany the referral.

The referral should benefit the client, all confidential information should be protected during referral and the service/counsellor must be capable. * Prior to accepting a referral a practitioner should ensure that the referral is appropriate, will benefit the client and that the client is consenting. If the referrer is ultimately responsible for the client then they can receive update reports providing the client is consenting

Song lyrics: looking through the window of cultural texts… If you took the time to listen to the lyrics of a song instead of mumbling uselessly to the catchy melody, you’d notice that some bands and musical artists are informing their audience of present-time themes and issues. In today’s society, song lyrics can be used effectively to find fault with many dominant values and attitudes, somewhat protesting against social issues and the preconceived ideas that stand tall on the stage of democracy.

This is why song lyrics should be considered one of the most important cultural texts of the modern age. The songs Sunday Bloody Sunday by the band U2 and Hurricane by artist Bob Dylan substantiate ideas of equality and “justice for all”, encouraging the listener to take a look at their own values and attitudes surrounding the issues presented… would the listener react differently if it were their life or integrity at stake? The song Sunday Bloody Sunday is one of U2’s most political songs.

It describes the terror experienced by an observer of the conflicts in Northern Ireland, particularly the Bloody Sunday incident in Derry where British soldiers shot and killed unarmed civil rights protestor in 1972, presenting themes of unity, ignorance and indifference. Meanwhile, Bob Dylan’s protest song Hurricane tells the story of the imprisonment of celebrated boxer Rubin “Hurricane” Carter, who was falsely accused of a triple murder in New Jersey, America during the mid 1960s.

The song lyric explores themes of injustice, racism and discrimination, enlightening listeners about the corruption that swarmed the democratic American legal system at the time. You know, without realising it, the song you downloaded from iTunes the other day could quite possibly be criticising certain values and attitudes in society. The song Sunday Bloody Sunday by U2 supports the argument that song lyrics should be considered one of the most important cultural texts of the modern age.

Throughout the song lyric, the theme of unity blossoms and grows, travelling deeper into the abyss of society’s struggle to stand together. This is seen at the beginning of the song in the first verse “‘cause tonight… we can be as one” accompanied by a military style drumbeat. Here, the chance to join together as “one” and make a difference is being offered to the listener, while the choice of instruments is symbolic to a “call to arms”.

We’re asked to open our eyes and witness the struggle and pain that the people of Northern Ireland experienced during the early seventies, when their lives were torn apart by the bullets of British soldiers, “Broken bottles under children’s feet” and “Bodies strewn across the dead end street”. The repetition of “cause tonight… we can be as one” is successful in evoking a defiant and hopeful response from the listener. I also feel that the imagery created by “Broken bottles…bodies strewn…dead end…” plants a seed of lifelessness and futility in the listener’s mind.

The listener is therefore encouraged to rise up and fight against the hopeless situation described in the song. Meanwhile, the song lyric Hurricane by Bob Dylan investigates the injustice that surrounded Rubin Carter and 1960s America. Being trapped in a nightmare of injustice is a very dark place to be. Loneliness and helplessness are your only friends when everyone remains blind to the truth. Bob Dylan’s Hurricane is a song lyric that explores this theme of injustice in 1960s New Jersey, where a common scenario was put to the ultimate test: the word of a white man against the word of a black man.

The song is informing us of Rubin Carter’s false murder conviction, told in a somewhat story-like fashion. Bob Dylan presents the entire American legal system as corrupt and unethical, displayed in the ninth verse “All of Rubin’s cards were marked in advance” and “The trial was a pig-circus he never had a chance”. As well as creating emphasis through rhyme, these two lines are highly emotive, and encourage the listener to feel pity and empathy for Rubin Carter and others that may have been a victim of corruption.

As a listener who lives in the twenty-first century, where cases of legal dishonesty and fraud are quite rare, I find myself sympathising with Rubin Carter and resenting the heartless and ignorant attitude possessed by 1960s America and society. In retrospect, I am extremely grateful that a fair and just trial is now available to everyone, regardless of skin colour. When the song comes to an end, the image painted in the listener’s mind is that of injustice and tyranny, encouraging social change in the area of legality. Nonetheless, U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday presents the ignorance and indifference of society in times of great need.

It seems that a sad face served with “what a tragedy” and seasoned with taste of genuine sincerity is our best response when the TV screen shows an image of dead bodies strewn across a dead end street… U2’s Sunday Bloody Sunday is a protest song that provides a dominant reading, investigating the ignorant and indifferent attitude exhibited by society towards the Bloody Sunday incident in Northern Ireland. A quote from the text highlights the 1970s unawareness of this event, and other acts of conflict across the world, “And today the millions cry, We eat and drink while tomorrow they die”.

As well as making use of a hyperbole, these two lines are very effective in criticising the lack of care that society has for anyone but themselves, and as a result, depicts us as arrogant and self-righteous. Because we can’t empathise with the people of Derry who experienced a freakish nightmare unknown to us, all we can do is store it at the back of our minds and wait in anticipation for the next episode of Home and Away… From my point of view, there is little we can do when events such as this arise and take us by surprise.

But, if society joins together in unity instead of finding refuge in the popular TV station of ignorance, then hearing those cries and feeding those mouths will become a reality. However, if we’re going to join together as one, then racism and discrimination need to be a thing of the past, as explored in Bob Dylan’s Hurricane. Racism and discrimination are two themes that refuse to leave the realms of today’s society. Their defiant and unfaltering attitude must be commended, but not encouraged, as displayed in Bob Dylan’s Hurricane.

The song lyric is successful in condemning the negative, judicious and cultured beliefs possessed by society that all black men are criminals and murderers. These motifs must be stopped in their tracks, and banished from society… The song lyric enlightens the listener of the racism and discrimination that occurred in New Jersey at the time, and reminds us that we have only taken a few steps along the path of equality since then.

Within Hurricane, the extreme inequity displayed by the American police during the sixties is being crudely criticised, displayed in the seventh verse “We want to put his arse in stir, We want to pin this triple murder on him”. Here, the listener receives the impression that the police (“we”) are hiding something, and regardless of who committed the crime, are determined to see Carter behind bars. Based on my morals, I believe that every person, male or female, black or white, should be treated fairly and qually. Unfortunately, I wasn’t the judge at Rubin Carter’s trial. The atmosphere created in the text is that of corrupt defiance and mere narrow-mindedness, and the effect is overwhelming: I have the urge to stand up and say “Hey! What you’re doing is wrong…! ” If only I had the power to change the path of history… For all those out there who believe that song lyrics are just another form of entertainment, think again. Should song lyrics be considered one of the most important cultural texts of all time?

The way in which they approach certain themes and issues as well as investigate society’s values, beliefs and attitudes is incredible – therefore the answer is yes. When you look at U2’s protest song Sunday Bloody Sunday, a range of themes including unity, ignorance and indifference are presented. Throughout the song, the image of helplessness is promoted, encouraging the listener to fight for unity. Also, the song criticises society for being ignorant to the death and heartache that was rife in 1970s Ireland at the time of the Bloody Sunday incident.

It highlights our failure to empathise, and are portrayed as uncaring and therefore urged to put a stop to world conflict. Meanwhile, themes of injustice, racism and discrimination are explored in Bob Dylan’s song Hurricane. The corruption of the American legal system is the motif in this song, presenting the police, judges and jury as dishonest and unethical. The listener is positioned to respond in a sympathetic way towards Rubin Carter, and feel resentment in regard to the so-called democratic legal system.

Overall, we are encouraged to accept our differences and stand together as one, moving in the direction of social change in the courts. Finally, songs are extremely successful in exploring themes and issues that are relevant to today’s society, as they provide the chance to criticise and/or encourage social change regarding our values, beliefs and attitudes. “Democracy doesn’t rule the world. You’d better get that in your head; this world is ruled by violence, but I guess that’s better left unsaid. ” Bob Dylan