Current theory, concepts and principles of the family in context of today's society

Introduction

 The emergence of theories of family played a significant role in family and marriage and which provides a wide approach of understanding the major aspects of family membership, quality of life and even sense of competence in an individual. The General System Theory, Psychodynamic theory, Trans-generational theories and structural theory and other theories established various principles and concepts on the family as a unity and within the community.  These aspects are important in looking into Monica’s case and understanding the challenges she and her family are experiencing.

General System Theory

The General System Theory holds that some social problems and human experiences could be perceived as systems, and looked into how the entire societies were functioned and organized as more than just a total of different human parts. The theory does not involve perceiving individuals as larger structures’ members such as couples, parents and children as aspects of a wider dynamic order but as a way of avoiding perceiving people as just a sum of different impulses like desire, thirst and hunger. Every person can be seen as a personality system that is active (Walsh et al.2017).

Family System Theory

Family system theory argues that it is not possible to understand people separate from one another, but instead as part of their own family which is usually an emotional unit. The family systems involve interdependent and interconnected individuals who cannot be understood while isolated from such a system. The family system involves every member having their roles and respects certain rules, and its expected that all members will respond to one another in a particular way depending on their role as established in relationship agreement. There is a particular behavior of family member with the system , which results from and lead to behavior of other members of the family and may result to a balanced system or a dysfunctional one (Walsh et al.2017).  There are various concepts that characterize the Family System Theory by Bowen and which involves emotional system knowledge and how relations are defined. In these concepts, biological, emotional and environmental impacts are taken into account as a person adapt within the unit over different generations. Differentiation of self is a concept that indicates how individuals cope with various demands in life, and pursue goals ranging from most adaptive to the least adaptive. The variations in such level of adaption is determined by various related factors including the degree of solid self and potion of self that cannot be negotiated in relationships.  The differentiation level means the degree to which an individual may think and even act for self while encountered with issues that are emotionally charged. It also means the extent to which an individual can descent between feelings and thoughts (Walsh et al.2017).

“Triangles” is a concept that forms the basis element in systems of human relationships, where a dyad with two people becomes unstable with increase in anxiety. One or both dyad members bring in a third person for some of the pressure to be released. When anxiety cannot be contained by a system of three people, more people are involved which results to various interlocking triangles (Goldenberg, 2007).  Negative or positive outcomes may result from this depending on reactivity and anxiety are handled by members , where if a person remains calms while in contact emotionally with the others  the systems calms down. With much stress and reactivity, the persons form a triangular position and symptoms are developed. Increased sum of triangles leads to a lead to stabilization of spreading tension. In family therapy, the triangle is used in introduction of a third party, who is neutral and who handle the conflicting sides well (Goldenberg, 2007).

 The concept of nuclear family involves various relationship patterns through which marital conflict, anxiety, one spouse dysfunctional, emotional distance, child impairment and emotional distance  are managed and the source of family problems are governed.  The principle of Family Projection Process highlights how emotional burdens are transmitted to children by a parent, so that such parents may have considerable trouble when a child is separated from them (Goldenberg,2007) .The parent tries to have the child change or ask the expert to fix him or her. Most of the relationship problems that majorly affect the life of a child negatively are increased by the need for approval and attention, difficulty while dealing with ones expectations, blaming others or one and impulsive actions aimed at relieving the present anxiety instead of acting a thoughtful manner and tolerating such anxiety (Goldenberg, 2007). When parents are able to manage their own anxiety and deal with relationship issues, there is an automatic improvement of a child’s functioning. Emotional Cutoff concept holds that people at times deal with unresolved emotional issues with siblings, parents and other members of the family through the reduction or completely removing emotional contact (Goldenberg, 2007). Such a behavior does not resolve anything and there are risks of a new relationship being made too important.  The Societal Emotional Process concept shows how behavior is governed by emotional system at a society level, and in a family and this leads to regressive and progressive periods with a given society (Goldenberg, 2007).

Human Ecology Theory

It views interactions and development as happening in environment system that is nested and which ranges from immediate micro-system such as a parent or child to exo-system that comprises of natural, cultural, global and environment influences on a person and relationships. The basic principle is that change must consider many levels, and will depend on available resources in societal expectations, community, climate and media influence. This is in addition to individual desires and even skills (Peterson & Bush, n.d.).

 Exchange Theory

It involves economic system theories and the basis assumption is that people’s decisions are made on cost-benefit basis perceived from the decision. Individuals attempt to emulate and be close to people with positive attributes or who obtains reward from their dealings. In application to relationships, the theory predicts that peoples commitment to an individual increases once they feel that more benefits are gotten that costs (Peterson & Bush, n.d.).

Family development Theory

The basic principle of this theory is that the ways in which families develop are predictable and the developmental stages experienced can be identified in the process. Even though particular stags are different, it is assumed that majority of families at a specific stage are likely to be similar to others at the phase. The life events of a family are accompanied by some psychological, social and biological influences and which create phases that assist in understating and offering interventions for families (Peterson & Bush, n.d.).

Cognitive-Behavioral Theories

The major concern is on how people perceive issues, including their expectations and attitudes which are connected to behaviors. New actions and skills are taught. Change in behavior is assumed to involve a conscious decision, and which is being controlled by the mind. Attitude change is not sufficient and education process forms part of practicing skills (Peterson & Bush, n.d.).

 Practitioners can utilize these theories, concepts and principles to support families, dealing with mental health issues and behavioral outcomes. The education practitioners have to form partnership with families especially with parents in order to assist them child’s development and learning process. The most important people in early lives of children are parents, given that children come learn about the real world through play activities, routines, conversations with families and parents (Fargion, 2014). Children can also be supported by their parents in home settings, and hence, working in collaboration with parents, practitioners can improve the development and learning of children.  The education and care of a child has conventionally been viewed as a separate entity rather than as an inseparable unit. From the time of birth to reaching adolescence, children require various positive learning experiences that are offered in an environment that loves and secure if their full potential is to be achieved.  Practitioners have to recognize that parents form the family environment in which children get educated and learn to develop long-term relationships (Fargion, 2014).  The practitioner has to have a better understanding of the family setting in which children are brought up and utilize such information to improve the learning experience and reward for the children.  

The partnership with families can assist the child in developing a sense of belonging and identity in such a setting through active engagement with parents and looking into family beliefs, traditions and values and building on them when necessary (Featherstone, Morris, White & White, 2014). In the case of Monica, the practitioner has to work with her so as to provider a positive environment for Kaitlyn her daughter.  The constant fight that Kaitlyn has had with other children and subsequent suspension from school can be attributed to the family setting within which she is brought up.  The partnership with Monica will make her feel respected and valued and this will translate into more involvement in the development and learning of her children.  She will also be comfortable sharing and planning with the practitioner on the learning and development of children.  The knowledge about experience of Kaitlyn outside the home setting will enable her to use the knowledge in supporting her development and learning process.  Such a parent will be able to understand why the involvement in early childhood development, care and education is very important. If children are to obtain optimum emotional, cognitive and social learning, should be involved in a childcare setting, which can best be provided in a family setting (Featherstone, Morris, White & White, 2014). Practitioners will find significant help if the parents are present and while their relationship is good.  This will ensure that a good environment is created even in families since each will bring their competence for child care and education. There is a need for understanding and mutual respect if this is to happen. The best family setting is where the children are provided the opportunity and means to grow psychologically and emotionally strong so that they can handle the life demands including in a learning environment. A social gathering comprising of patents, management and staff, and which allows for trust to be built between practitioners, children and parents will provide the best support to the family (Featherstone, Morris, White & White, 2014).

Research has shown that a public policy of a given nation that relates to children and families welfare and education is connected to its politics, economics and cultural discourse.  The government agenda that is aimed on supporting child development and family wellbeing involves development of policies that affect how public services are provided (Fargion, 2014). This involves issues relating to children care and protection and providing an opportunity for parents to provide the best family settings and care for the children. When the government policies are aimed at highlighting family values mantle and the importance of family, it has to recognize the needs of families in terms of resources and access to quality public services (Fargion, 2014).  As such, government policies that improve the financial security and resources will lead to strong families, while financial stress or inadequate resources can lead to family instability and conflict. The feeling among parents that they cannot fully cater for the needs of their families leads to emotional distress and psychological challenges that will affect the family environment under which children grow.

 Family strengths can be attributed to stable and regular employment and increased income and even fringe benefits that arise from union memberships. The stability is important to provide a family setting in which parents are at ease and can manage to deal with life demands and pressure. The government’s agenda had to provide a way of working with families in the communities to ensure that the services provided are accessible, sustainable and effective. This will lead to creation of a participative environment that is healthy for parents, young people and children. The parents will actively participate in the learning and development of their children if they are relieved of the social and economic anxieties (Featherstone, Morris, White & White, 2014). The provision of social services in way that the families can relate to is important in improving the relationship among family members. The issue of Monica can be addressed through various policies that are aimed at addressing the cause of depression.

 The increased responsibility involved in caring and educating her children on her own could be the source the dissatisfaction with life. An agenda that provides social support for her will go a long way in improving her condition.  The improvement of her social wellbeing will have a bearing on the welfare of her children and especially the behavior of Kaitlyn. To accomplish this, government agenda has to involve the creation of healthy communities and families, which will enhance status and improve the children wellbeing (Cohen & Pulkingham, 2009).  In this case, the public services including health promotion will have to be focused on the needed outcomes. The establishment of a link between policy, services and outcomes is necessary especially at the local level. By establishing policies and social supports that will promote the entire family system approach, improved outcomes for children, parents and even practitioners will be achieved (Cohen & Pulkingham, 2009). The families have to expect that the focus of the services provided will ensure benefits are experienced by the entire family.

References

Peterson, G. W., & Bush, K. R. (n.d.). Handbook of Marriage and the Family [recurso electrónico]. 301-311

Walsh, B. A., Deflorio, L., Burnham, M. M., & Weiser, D. A. (2017). Introduction to Human Development and Family Studies. Psychology Press.   90-99

Goldenberg, H. (2007). Family therapy: An Overview. Belmont, CA: Brooks/Cole. 178-180

Fargion, S. (2014). Synergies and tensions in child protection and parent support: Policy lines and practitioners cultures. Child & Family Social Work, 19(1), 24-33.

Featherstone, B., Morris, K., White, S., & White, S. (2014). Re-imagining child protection: Towards humane social work with families. Policy Press.

Cohen, M. G., & Pulkingham, J. (2009). Public policy for women: The state, income security, and labour market issues. Toronto: University of Toronto Press.  70-72

DB WK 4- SOC-12

            Marriage is quite an important institution in life and is far much more important than ever before especially in the minority societies. This is due to the fact that there are increased cases of decline in the nuclear families and ultimately the decline in the local communities. The world is globalizing and family setups are changing hence changing the institution of marriage. However, in the midst of all these changes, American people maintain a positive attitude about the future of families as well as marriage institution. Contemporary marriage couples strongly believe that their marriages compares positively with that of their parents. They thus believe that marriage makes life easier and happy in so many different ways. Married people are able to be financially and sexually fulfilled and they also have a social status which makes it easier for them to find happiness in life. Privileges of marriage are currently being extended to a range of alternatives and thus people are starting to appreciate marriage more than a benefits gain. Thus, it is hard to complain about retreating rates of marriage as marriages are gaining more meaning in the 21^st century (Hirschfield 2011). People are taking marriages so seriously in the 21^st century and due to this high regard for marriage, they have refused to marry and to get married unless it is going to be successful. Best marriages today are far much better than best marriages in the other generations. This is because contemporary marriages utilize diverse set of things. Marriages are currently viewed as a journey of self discovery where partners are determined in understanding and discovering what their partners are trying to achieve in life and as they do so, they help each other to realize the best versions of themselves (Hirschfield 2011).

             Part B: violence in families

            Family violence is not a new observable fact in our societies as it has existed over the past years. However, the only difference is that the contemporary world has begun to realize violence against family members and they regard it as a social problem. Violence in families occurs when a member of the family uses abusive behavior to have power over and harm other members of the family. There are numerous types of family violence which ranges from physical, emotional abuse to neglect. A family that experiences violence is not habitable for growth and development vas it destroys family relationships and thus makes the family to have weak ties (Zinn et al 2015). Over the years, family violence has been an issue related to men against women since we are living in societies where men are physically strong as compared to the women. Children who are exposed to violence in their families are left powerless and hopeless. Statistically, the rate of children being raised in families that experience is at 3.3 million annually in the US. Children that grow up in violent families become strongly impacted by violence. However, it is important to note that violence in families are often hidden as many women and their children are usually afraid to speak out while their perpetrators control their conduct in front of other people thus resulting to covering up of these violence acts (Zinn et al 2015). The effects of family violence are not only limited to family members but they are extensive to the wider community.

References

Differential treatment

Systematic differential treatment of minority group offenders who include Hispanic Americans, African American and other s starts at the initial phase of criminal justice system and continues in the entire system. The various ways in which such treatment is manifested includes investigation, police arrest and trials at the courts.  The racial profiling in police arrest is manifested in various ways. Research has shown that minority groups are likely to be arrested by law enforcement officers on the basis of their race which leads to more of them being detained than their white counterparts. The various stops by officers lead to humiliation, inconvenience and even loss of one’s privacy which is heightened when police embrace color as their rationale for action (Griffin, Sloan & Eldred, 2014). Secondly, the differential treatment can be seen when police are carrying out some interrogations and investigation where they may employ some harsh tactics while dealing with minority offenders. The use of methods such as Stop and Frisk have worsened the situation , where in their investigations the law enforcement officers will stop the ethnic minority pedestrians or motorist on the basis of their color in order to perform a search, while leaving out their white counterparts(Griffin, Sloan & Eldred, 2014). The third way in which differential treatment is seen is in the trial stage of criminal justice system. In this case, there is disparate implementation of justice during the trial, deliberation by a jury and even sentencing.  This means that minority offenders are more likely to be incarcerated and the sentences imposed on them are likely to longer. In fact, research has shown that Latino and Black offenders are at greater odds of being imprisoned than white offenders in various jurisdictions (Griffin, Sloan & Eldred, 2014).

There are various impacts of such differential treatments on the offenders and the chief among them involve income and employment. A criminal record considerably reduces the chances that the offender will be retained by an employer and this impact is more common for the people from the minority groups. This means that these individuals are likely to remain unemployed since their prospects are reduced by the criminal record. In addition, the impacts of imprisonment are magnified more among the vulnerable groups since they place limitations on their wage-earning capacity which makes collateral damage even higher (Schuck, Martin, & Glaser, 2012).  The effects on the juvenile offenders are also pronounced since failure to separated children offenders from the adult offenders is likely to lead to incubation of another generation of minority ethnic group offenders. Moreover, the feeling among these offenders that they are being targeted and discriminated against can lead to anger and aggressiveness especially towards the criminal justice system and eventually leading to more offenses as individuals react to the system (Schuck, Martin, & Glaser, 2012).

The impacts of differential treatment of minority ethnic group offenders go beyond the person who is punished or imprisoned. Various formidable costs that families of the offenders will have to bare can be huge. There is loss of income and other benefits related to employment, increased strain on parenting and even emotional toll in the family due to the member who is absent. The differential can also lead to social stigma towards the offenders and their family. Evidence in research has also shown that paternal imprisonment presents a great risk to children in terms of mental health and behavioral problems (Schuck, Martin, & Glaser, 2012).

References

Griffin Jr, C. L., Sloan, F. A., & Eldred, L. M. (2014). Corrections for racial disparities in law enforcement. William and Mary law review, 55(4), 1365.

Schuck, P. H., Martin, K. D., & Glaser, J. (2012). POINT: Profiling is a legitimate practice if used correctly. It can be an effective and necessary tool for law enforcement.

Racial & Ethnic profiling

The Hispanic and African American minority groups have been the subject of law enforcement profiling. Research evidence has strongly showed that these groups are involved in crime beyond their population size, with data showing disparities in offending and which have been related to differential treatment in the justice system.

Racial profiling of Hispanic and African American groups affects the whole of the Criminal Justice System by tainting public image. More specifically, racial profiling leaves the affected group with the perception that they are being targeted especially by the law enforcement officers. Whether a perception or practice, the beliefs on racial profiling lead to mistrust and cynicism by the minority towards the system of criminal justice (Hurwitz &Peffley, 2010). Due to this, individuals fail to cooperate with officers in the system due to mistrust and respond in the wrong way towards them because they fear being harmed. Some of the officers may have a perception that such groups are innately more likely to offend and hence are inclined to employ more force while responding to situation and hence escalating the situation (Hurwitz &Peffley,2010).

Racial profiling cannot be justified in Criminal Justice System since it adds up to stereotyping. Law enforcement officers should ensure that the information they are working in is trustworthy which prevents acting upon general assumptions regarding a person of particular races.  However, it is not possible to ignore various commonalities or features in terms of appearance of a potential criminal but in such a case it requires the officer to use specific information (Smith & Mason, 2016).  This does not mean that an officer should rely on some generalized stereotypes but use race only when pursuing a specific lead.

References

Smith, A. L., & Mason, S. E. (2016). The Age of Racial Profiling in the Context of Terrorism. Modern Psychological Studies, 21(2).

Hurwitz, J., &Peffley, M. (2010). And justice for some: Race, crime, and punishment in the US criminal justice system. Canadian Journal of Political Science, 43, 457–479

 Family Stability and Emotional Development of Young Children

Project Topic Selection and Rationale

PART ONE (Length: 2 pages)

            The research will focus on the stability of families in the midst of various challenges that they are exposed to in the society affect the emotional development of young children. Specifically the paper discusses children between 7 and 15 years of age, both male and female especially in families that have been formed within the first 5 years and involving the female and male relationship whose aim is to sustain the family in the long-run family. Young families provide a conducive environment necessary for nurturing children and where such children can socialize.  The couples in the family view the institution as being core to child-bearing throughout the world, and play an important role in the development of individuals who are healthy in all aspects including mental, physical and social welfare. The young couple has barely understood each other and this presents challenges as they try to adjust to the new life and as the family institution is undergoing various challenges.  These challenges are informed by changes in the economic and social factors that may threaten the stability of a young family to the point of disintegration.

             While the structure, processes and functioning of families have undergone various changes with time, a young family may face the risk of not surviving as a fundamental nurturing unit. For a child to develop in a healthy manner, it is important for a family environment to be harmonious and for the young parents to be healthy mentally (Perrin,  2014).  The instability in a young family can be brought about by deep relationship problems such as unfaithfulness, trauma, modern diseases and even environmental influences (Dowling, 2014). This can be more pronounced in case there were no sufficient early interventions for marriage preparation, lack of a social policy on family that would encourage a young family to grow, inadequate support for families where a partner in careers such as military. Given that the family should provide an favorable environment for  emotional development of children , unstable families fall short of this and this lead to lack of proper early development for toddlers and infants (Crosnoe, Prickett,  Smith  & Cavanagh, 2014).

            Young families also come with psychological and money related stress due to higher demands for raising children and educating them. It is when the family is young that psychological and financial pressures increase and become more acute due to the profound change in lifestyle or increase demand at work. In such a case, one parent will have to work for few hours than normal which means that there is a reduction in income. For instance, the commitment needed in some occupations like military mean that a partner will have to be absent for longer time, and this can affect the family (Kochanska & Kim, 2014). In addition, lack of a social policy that will support the families while they are undergoing social stress means that there are no programs that they can turn to for help. In case of young step families, there are unique challenges and even compounded stresses that they experience and this can increase instability and hence, more marital dissolution risk.  “At risk” means that there is a chance of the young family being unstable so that even the children being raised by the young family do not grow health especially emotionally (Lee & McLanahan, 2015)).  This shows the need for young family’s members to be inspired to value their family life by engaging them in a quest to discover strengths that may keep the institution stable.

Scholarly Research Log

PART TWO (Reaserch Log)

Critique of Research Methodology and Recommendations

PART THREE(Length: 5 pages)

• Identify what you see as strengths and weaknesses of the research methodology and research designs in the studies you used to inform and support your critical analysis.

            The study from which information in this research is derived utilizes various research methods and research designs in collection of data and analyzing them. The research methods in the studies include the qualitative, quantitative and even descriptive methods that the authors used to put forward theories and arguments. This method shows various strengths and weaknesses. The quantitative methods involve a general issue of study and require the researcher to narrow down to a particular research question and then measuring some factors and use of various techniques like questionnaires for data collection (Choy, 2014). In the studies used in this research the quantitative method has shown the presence of various important advantages. The collected numerical data has enabled the authors to   compare between various strengths and to determine the extent to which various respondents agree. The quantitative method allows for easy administration and evaluation of data and the tabulation of responses can be tabulated within the given time.  This makes the quantitative data collected to be legitimate. The reliability of quantitative data that has collected using the right methods and undergone critical analysis makes it legitimate (Hussein, 2015). The use of qualitative methods has also allowed the authors in these studies to explore the perceptions of diverse groups and homogenous groups of people and hence assisting in differentiating the different views of people in the society. In qualitative methods, asking groups of people to give their response to various questions and even hypothetical situations can result to information that in more legitimate. The major strength of a qualitative method involves the ability to look into the underlying issues like values and beliefs (McCusker  & Gunaydin, 2015). In this case, the studies that have used such methods have helped in relating the issue of child emotional development and instability especially in young families. The qualitative research have also helped the authors to obtained details relating to human behavior in a family setting including emotions, personal traits and the resulting family environment in which children are born and brought up. Where trends cannot be subjected to statistical analysis cannot be validated through calculation like in quantitative data, the qualitative analysis or research program. Moreover, the use of descriptive methods in some of the studies enabled the researchers to observe subjects in a natural environment which increases the reliability of data collected.

            There are also weaknesses in research methodologies in the studies used in this research. In case of the quantitative research, various significant characteristics including their perceptions and identities cannot be reduced to numbers in a meaningful way which makes in difficult to understand without referring to local context in which families live. The collected data also fails to offer a complete description of the issues that are affecting the selected population.  The other limitation involves the use of qualitative methods where the interpretation by the researchers are limited since the family experience, positioned subject and even knowledge affects the authors observations and eventually their conclusions. In some of the cases, especially where the descriptive methods have been used knowing the reliability of information is not guaranteed since participants may behave unnaturally after realizing they are being observed.  In addition, the researcher may have taken a subjective selection on which information to use and put emphasis on in the findings which may reduce the reliability of the information.

            The strengths of the research design stems from the structure and organization of the review of the various studies, and the integration of different elements of research in a logical and coherent manner. The case study, action research, causal and cross-sectional designs have been used in the various studies that have been utilized in this research. The research designs are collaborative and adaptive and using them in family situations possible. The focus on research outcomes that are solution driven and pragmatic instead of just testing theories improves the understanding of family issues especially that affect the emotional development of children. The use of case studies assists in understanding the complex factors through contextual analysis that is detailed, and involving events and their relationships (Von Elm et al., 2014). This also allows the use of various methodologies and depend on a range of sources investigate the specific issue being researched.

            In addition, the studies that have used empirical association have been able to achieve valid conclusions. Valid conclusion involves finding a relationship between the various depended variable and independent variables. The weaknesses associated with such designs seem to lower the reliability of the research analysis. Where case studies are used, the application of one or few cases provides little basis on which reliability is established or on which findings are generalized to a broader population (Vannest, & Ninci, 2015). Measuring of change and creation of differences is not possible in designs such as cross-sectional since they focus on drawing inferences from observable differences among phenomena. Moreover, establishment of cause –effect relationships is not easy while using these research designs.

• Identify what the authors report as limitations of their research.

            In the article by Duncan, Childs & Larson (2010), the authors gives various limitations to their study.  The Relate sample used can be viewed as self-directed participants that are already motivated relationally which mean that there may be a pre-disposure to assigning them more positive ratings to different interventions. This can lead to more percentages that favor self-directed means to preparation of marriage than may be real in a population that is selected randomly. The authors Fomby & Cherlin (2007) highlights the limitation of the study as being the restriction of mothers’ age at 14-21 and this limits children representativeness in the study. In the study by Brophy‐Herb et al., (2009), the major limitations includes the inability to generalize the focus-group to a bigger population beyond the one represented. In addition, the participating parents may be functioning more highly than those who did not participate. The limitations highlighted in the article by Gelatt, Adler‐Baeder, Seeley (2010), includes the fact that the representatives of the study cannot be a representatives of the entire population but are just a convince sample for those interested. In addition, the participants are not a representative of people’s experience in cohabiting stepfamilies and households. In the study by Fomby & Cherlin (2007) various limitations are indicated which includes the indicators of children well-being being restricted by their economic status, other elements of child adjustment could not be examined and public assistance eligibility was confounded with a give family structure.

• Review and discuss the recommendations made for future research and make additional recommendations for future research to expand upon or develop new theories or models for understanding the phenomena you are investigating.

            These includes the kind of couples that more or less intervention before marriage including the need for personal change and what kind of marriage preparation that can offer the best positive outcomes. In addition, the research should also be specifically child-centered so as to measure and conceptualize the living arrangements of children. The researchers in family should also widen their focus on family composition of a child in order to obtain an understanding of child-wellbeing variation that is more nuanced. The future studies may also focus on practices and beliefs of a parent’s emotional socialization especially in populations that are low-income and at risk.  Such research should also focus on examining how effective the marriage intervention models, the best interventions and situations under which the effectiveness is highest.

• Also, review and discuss any recommendations regarding approaches to working with families from a prevention, psycho-educational, or advocacy perspective, adding additional recommendations of your own for working with or on behalf of families, based on your critical analysis.

            The research may also look into the synergistic approach potential for integrating professionals such as early childhood and mental health professionals who integrate with mothers from low-income populations. This will help in encouraging and empowering parents of small children. In addition, the research should also focus on how the important interventions that should be embraced by professionals to assist parents in creating favorable environment for bring up children that are emotionally health (Duncan, Childs & Larson, 2010). The focus should also be on the various family structures that can help in reducing rate of transition which affect the development of a child. In case of young parents, it is necessary to focus on what issues are likely to bring about instability and what programs should assist in solving issues that cause stability.

Critical Analysis: Research on a Current Family Issue

PART FOUR:

            Research has indicated that young children who undergo many transitions in a given family structure are likely to encounter worse developmental outcomes than those bought up in stable families, whether two-parent or single-parent families. The many transitions and undesirable child outcomes can be related due to common factors like antecedent attitudes and behaviors of parents (Gelatt Adler‐Baeder & Seeley, 2010). The instability of such a family institution has continued to be a salient part of the lives of young children over the past century and in current times. In addition, marriage and inhabitation seems to be more unstable in developed countries like US than other developing countries. In this case, a higher number of American young children in United States experience transitions from two-parent families to step-families and single-families (Fomby & Cherlin, 2007). 

            An expanding body of literature seems to suggest that such children undergoing the transition can fare worse in terms of development than those whose families are stable. The idea of an instability impact  is based on the proposition that every transition the partners, parents and stepparents undergoes requires a stressful adjustment at the beginning for children and biological parent and the overall effect on the well-being of a child can be significant. The kind of transition in regard to alteration of household composition is not as relevant as the stress resulting from movement from one to the other (Fomby & Cherlin, 2007). Such transitions can greatly affect the emotional development of the child and more importantly their behavior. Children whose parents have remarried have similar behavior levels to the children from families with single parents and even higher than children from families with both biological parents. These issues affect the young families, where partners are more comfortable remarrying than remain a single parent. The inclusion of a step-parent is also likely to increase stress among children as they try to adjust to new structures and as biological parents’ attempts to concentrate on the new relationship (Karberg, 2015).

            An important aspect in a child’s emotional development involves the attitude and behavior of caregivers so that depressed parents especially mothers. Mothers suffering from depression usually have maladaptive thoughts, behaviors and attitudes and when a young person is in an environment that similarly stressful, they are faced with emotional development problem. Instability in a family is a source of stress for the mother; she is likely to act indifferent towards her child (Karberg, 2015). This puts the child in situations that are less social and also, the child is exposed to stimulation so that he or she is disadvantaged in the achievement of normal development in terms of emotion. A major factor in the health emotional development for children involves self-emotional control. A child sees how his or her parent is interacting with other people and displaying emotions and seems to emulate how the parent regulates their emotions (Karberg, 2015). Moreover, young children need to be able to not only express their emotions but recognize and deal with emotions of other people in a given social situation. The contact between the child and his parents also has an effect on social and emotional development and instability brought about by issues like marital conflict leads to troubles in such areas. “Background anger” arising from conflict among the parents and which a child may be exposed to even if it is does not involve them can lead to emotional regulation and security problems (Karberg, 2015).

Scholarly Review and Critical Analysis

            The emotional competences of a child are determined by the environment which parenting quality creates. The maternal behaviors that inform interactions with infants at about 18 months can predict the emotional competences of child even as a preschooler. The sensitivity and warmth of a parent are associated with to the desirable social development of a child and his or her ability to control their behavior (Brophy‐Herb et al. 2009). Therefore, emotional security formed in the relationship between a child and the parent, which are shown by sensitivity and mutual warmth while interacting plays a big role in a young child’s ability to control their emotions and even engage in behaviors that are socially desirable. However, insensitivity and negative responsiveness from a parent have also been associated with emotional outcomes and poor social relations, which include some antisocial behavior (Fomby & Cherlin, 2007). This also leads to poor skills in regulating emotions especially for young children who are economically at risk. 

            The structure of a family is also an important ingredient in determining whether the children will develop in the right manner especially in relation to emotional aspects.  Patents forms a very critical feature that informs family environment, since they channel resources including money and time that help in shaping children’s well-being and development. However, in case of step-families, parents tend to direct more resources to children who are related to them biologically. The presence of other children in the family is also a determining factor in the emotional development of a child especially if the children’s parents are different (Mooney, Oliver &Smith, 2009). Majority of children who lives in step-families undergo the experience of family complexity, and such step –families mostly result from increased rates of divorce and even re-partnering of single mothers (Brown, Manning & Stykes, 2015).

References

Brophy‐Herb, H. E., Horodynski, M., Dupuis, S. B., London Bocknek, E., Schiffman, R., Onaga,             E., ... & Adkins, M. (2009). Early emotional development in infants and toddlers:           Perspectives of Early Head Start staff and parents. Infant Mental Health Journal, 30(3),            203-222.

Duncan, S. F., Childs, G. R., & Larson, J. H. (2010). Perceived helpfulness of four different         types of marriage preparation interventions. Family Relations, 59(5), 623-636.

Gelatt, V. A., Adler‐Baeder, F., & Seeley, J. R. (2010). An Interactive Web‐Based Program for             Stepfamilies: Development and Evaluation of Efficacy. Family Relations, 59(5), 572-       586.

Fomby, P., & Cherlin, A. J. (2007). Family instability and child well-being. American      sociological review, 72(2), 181-204.

Brown, S. L., Manning, W. D., & Stykes, J. B. (2015). Family structure and child well‐being:      Integrating family complexity. Journal of Marriage and Family, 77(1), 177-190.

Karberg, E. F. (2015). Children's adjustment to parents' break up: The family system        mechanisms (Doctoral dissertation, University of Maryland, College Park).

Mooney,A.,  Oliver,C.,  and Smith, M.,( 2009). Impact of Family Breakdown on Children’s         Well-Being Evidence Review. University of London.

Dowling, M. (2014). Young children's personal, social and emotional development.90-107

Kochanska, G., & Kim, S. (2014). A complex interplay among the parent–child relationship,        effortful control, and internalized, rule-compatible conduct in young children: Evidence      from two studies. Developmental psychology, 50(1), 8.

Choy, L. T. (2014). The strengths and weaknesses of research methodology: Comparison and             complimentary between qualitative and quantitative approaches. IOSR Journal of Humanities and Social Science, 19(4), 99-104.

Hussein, A. (2015). The use of triangulation in social sciences research: Can qualitative and         quantitative methods be combined?. Journal of Comparative Social Work, 4(1).

McCusker, K., & Gunaydin, S. (2015). Research using qualitative, quantitative or mixed methods and choice based on the research. Perfusion, 30(7), 537-542.

Von Elm, E., Altman, D. G., Egger, M., Pocock, S. J., Gøtzsche, P. C., Vandenbroucke, J. P., &   Strobe Initiative. (2014). The Strengthening the Reporting of Observational Studies in      Epidemiology (STROBE) Statement: guidelines for reporting observational studies.    International Journal of Surgery, 12(12), 1495-1499.

Vannest, K. J., & Ninci, J. (2015). Evaluating intervention effects in single‐case research designs. Journal of Counseling & Development, 93(4), 403-411.

Crosnoe, R., Prickett, K. C., Smith, C., & Cavanagh, S. (2014). Changes in young children’s family structures and child care arrangements. Demography, 51(2), 459-483.

Lee, D., & McLanahan, S. (2015). Family structure transitions and child development: Instability, selection, and population heterogeneity. American sociological review, 80(4), 738-763.

Perrin, E. C., Sheldrick, R. C., McMenamy, J. M., Henson, B. S., & Carter, A. S. (2014). Improving parenting skills for families of young children in pediatric settings: A randomized clinical trial. JAMA pediatrics, 168(1), 16-24.

‘The lovings’ case study

How primary group shapes the social nature of the lovings

A primary group refers to a collection of people who share close personal relations between each other. The Lovings were an interracial couple in Virginia in the late 1960s.The state had outlawed such marriages but the couple proceeded with their relationship. Richard and Mildred had supportive friends and family members .They had to adjust their social character based on how people perceived them. The couple was very tolerant toward their primary groups. They had face to face social interactions with Mildred’s family members and Richard’s mother as well who had rejected the couple. (SOC -502)

The couple was very caring towards their family members .Every time they were arrested, Richard’s father bailed them out of prison with his own finances. This evidently proves that they were a caring couple and in turn, their families reciprocated by caring for them. In addition to this, a lawyer volunteered to defend their plea deal in court. Such a gesture from a stranger shows the manner in which Richard and Jetter presented themselves. Primary group modelled them into becoming and thoughtful people. (SOC -502)

When the couple moved to the District of Columbia, their neighbors and friends their coworkers and friends were not bothered by their interracial marriage. The couple became more open and interacted with people at all levels. In the District of Columbia they were not shy and fearful but free and open. (SOC -502)

When they returned back to Virginia and their marriage was protected by the state, they lived their lives quietly and peacefully. They also returned back to Virginia because they missed their families. (SOC -502)

How primary group influenced the lives of the Lovings and their behavior

Their families and friends were very supportive of their interracial marriage. This molded their behavior and influenced their personality and personal beliefs .Their families supported the marriage which led to openness and transparent behavior towards supportive and friendly friends. Also, their relationship did not bring conflict among the relationship they had with their primary groups. Some of the friendships they had strengthened and they were able to build an active and interactive social network with their family and friends. In the situation of Mildred and Richard, it was very difficult to separate family and friend influence as they needed each and everyone’s support. This influenced them to have a more understanding personality towards their primary groups as they had to be more considerate. (Wallenstein, 2014).

They were also very communicative and stayed in touch with their primary groups. For instance, Richards’s father knew their whereabouts and used his own finances to bail the couple away from prison. The couple also responded accordingly when it came to what people thought about their marriage. Due to their effective communication they had mutual respect for their primary groups. (Wallenstein, 2014).

How people were expected to behave during 1950s and 1960s towards marriages. And how it influenced the Lovings.

In the rural south people were expected to behave in a mature and civilized manner .They were very conservative people with a unique culture. The marriage was a union between a man and woman of the same race and cultural background. Women were expected to be keepers of the house and men were the providers in the marriage. But when Richard and Mildred who had grown up in Virginia where it was normal for blacks and whites to mix, they disrupted the society’s expectations. (Alko, & Qualls, 2015). After getting married they were arrested on that very night. .Black and whites were not allowed to intermarry .They went to different schools and they did not mix as a society .The white Americans were more privileged than the black Americans and they attended better schools. The lovings went against these expectations when they got married in spite of being an interracial couple. The Lovings were well aware that their interracial marriage did not conform to the society hence they expected to be persecuted by the state of Virginia .Although they avoided persecution by marrying in a different state. When they stood trial, the judge gave them a choice to either annul the marriage or leave Virginia for more than twenty five years. The couple was also imprisoned from time to time due to their interracial relationship. (Alko, & Qualls, 2015).

Organizations and bureaucracies that were involved in the Mildred and Richard’s trial

Mildred wrote a letter to an attorney who instructed her to seek consult from American Civil movements. American Civil Union through their lawyer, Cohen Bernard decided to battle out their case at the Supreme Court. The media was also involved in the coverage of the interracial couple’s case until it was eventually overturned. (Newbeck, 2008).  The American Civil Liberties Union is a nonprofit entity that usually defends the rights and freedoms of each and every individual in the United States according to the constitution. It intervenes when requested or by coming before the court (legislation). The bureaucracies and organization affected the Loving’s case in terms of their personal interest. The American civil liberties union saw it as an opportunity to fight for the rights of the blacks ad also used the chance to drive their personal agenda .They also revealed to the public  it was wrong for the court to prohibit interracial marriages .The brought to light what was wrong and influenced what was right and just. The Supreme Court eventually legalized marriage between different races. Hence interracial marriages were secured by the American constitution. (Wallenstein, 2014).

How family enabled the Loving to withstand persecution by the society

Richard loving and Mildred Jtter were loved by their families. This gave them the strength to withstand criticism they came across in the society they lived in .Their decisions also considered the plights of their families. For instance this is demonstrated when they returned from the District of Columbia for the sake of their families (Alko, & Qualls, 2015). Their families provided a platform through which they could air out their grievances and stresses. This enabled them to get all the emotional support and assistance they needed from them. Sharing their challenges with their families strengthened the bond between them and their families and enabled them to love them in their troubling times. The challenges they faced were lessen as their families contributed financially to help them move through every challenge. Their families were able to generate an intimate relationship with them at all fundamental levels regardless of the distance between them. Their families played a noticeable role in ensuring that there is unity between them and that their interracial marriage did not bring with it disunity amongst them. Therefore, despite the married the Loving retain their identity and place within their familiars. (Gold, 2007).

References

Alko, S. & Qualls, S. (2015). The Case for Loving. New York: Arthur A. Levine Books, an imprint of Scholastic Inc.

Gold, S. D. (2007). Loving v. Virginia: Lifting the ban against interracial marriage.

Newbeck, P. (2008). Virginia hasn't always been for lovers: Interracial marriage bans and the case of Richard and Mildred Loving. Carbondale: Southern Illinois University

SOC -502:The3 Loving Family Case Study.

Wallenstein, P. (2014). Race, sex, and the freedom to marry: Loving v. Virginia.

Interracial and Interethnic Conflict

Conflict is an unavoidable part with respect to human experience and individuals find themselves in conflict where working or social relationships are involved on a constant basis (Jordan et al, 2009). It has been decades of struggles amongst Americans based on the need of attaining peaceful coexistence and equality among persons of different ethnicities and races. Despite the fact that the number of Ethnic minorities’ in the criminal justice profession is on the rise, there is still a need for the system to maintain mechanisms that seek to ensure minorities representation within the system (Thompson, 2006). This is because ethnic minorities are not fully represented in the justice system and if the measures are abandoned the progress which has been achieved in the recent will fade thus creating wider gaps and conflict. In that, the ethnic minority populace is rising in the country and based on the existing sensitivity the measures are useful in creating an inclusive sense to all persons (Thompson, 2006). It is through such measures that the domination of certain races has been decreased thus giving opportunities for growth to others.

In dealing with interracial and interethnic issues effective measures are a necessity in order to act as a guidance as well as a foundation for transformation. It is on the basis of these measures that efforts of inclusiveness are being made a change that cannot be ignored in bring peace. These conflicts can best be resolved by the criminal justice system by creating equal professional opportunities amid minority and majority ethnic and racial groups (Jordan et al, 2009). This can be integrated with awareness creation that mainly seeks to ensure that perceptions among staffs are changed. With equal opportunities then this will ultimately create a more inclusive feeling among individuals thus leading to peaceful and equal existence (Jordan et al, 2009).

References

Jordan, W. T., Fridell, L., Faggiani, D., & Kubu, B. (2009). Attracting females and racial/ethnic minorities to law enforcement. Journal of Criminal Justice, 37(4), 333–341.

Thompson, R. A. (2006). Black skin—Brass shields: Assessing the presumed marginalization of black law enforcement executives. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 30(2), 163–177. 

Assimilation refers to the progressive process through which an individual or group of people that are attached to a specific culture absorb the activities and practices of another culture hence they become part of the culture. Sociologists often contrasts between compulsory and voluntary assimilation. In compulsory assimilation an individual or group of pe3ople is forced to adapt to the cultures of another group of people namely: language and religious beliefs. In voluntary assimilation, an individual agrees to take the customs and practices of another culture. They do so without being compelled or coerced .Sociologists use the theoretical perspective of assimilation to elaborate and describe a particular way an individual or group of people of a specific culture e.g. immigrants can react to or mix with another civilizations culture. Or how an outnumbered cultural body might have the ability to relate to another majority and dominant cultural group of people (Barth, 2010).

On the other hand the opposite of assimilation is pluralism which comes into existence when an individual or group of people retain their original identity. In plural community groups usually retain the original culture in terms of identity and rituals. This essay will discuss assimilation and its advantages and the disadvantages that come along with it (Ellinghaus, 2006).

Assimilation is differentiated from adaptation to different situations .It is usually characterized by a stable, steady and continues procedure. It is usually slow and takes time before it finally materializes. For a person or group of people who were once not alike to become alike or similar it takes time. That is, become recognized due to their interests and point of view. Hence assimilation is the period within which a particular cultural group which is in association with another different cultural group borrows from that group certain specific cultural components and include them into their very own culture hence adjusting it (Barth, 2010).

Although it is good to note that contact between two cultural groups, usually affects both of the groups naturally. But it is a natural phenomenon for the weaker group to borrow and adapt more of the concepts of the stronger cultural group. The majority group would in turn have very little to borrow from the minority cultural group. For example the indigenous Indians from America had to embrace some of the essential cultural aspects of the white Europeans amongst whom they came into contact with. The white Europeans also embraced some of the cultural component from the indigenous Indians. Thus assimilation consists of two levels or stages. One of the stages is the source of culture and the other stage is acquiring of the new cultural practices and ways such as language, culture and among other rituals. The two stages may lie over each other at a particular point in time (Barth, 2010).

Embracing some of the elements of the majority culture by the minority culture initiates and commences the absorption of the other smaller cultural group of people by the larger culture. Some characteristics are embraced more directly and with ease even if the various groups met only briefly. For example the red indigenous Indians quickly acquired the utilization of modern weapons such as guns from the Europeans and the Europeans learn to use traditional toxicants from the red Indians. Another example is that of the ancient American dwellers immigrants were readily to embrace without any hesitation the various foods the Indians ate such as potatoes, millets, rice and bananas. The Indians embraced European fashion of coats and trousers as soon as the Europeans immigrants landed in America (Barth, 2010).

Social interactions therefore sets the pace and establishes a platform that facilitates assimilation. The pace with which the entire assimilation process proceeds with depends entirely on typical nature of the communication and influence that will emerge from the social interactions and connections that will be established thereafter. If the connections are primary, assimilation will take a very natural and swift route. On the other hand if the connection form that result from the social interactions are secondary in nature that is very superficial and unintended, the outcome will be that of accommodating and not actual assimilation (Ellinghaus, 2006).

Assimilation is a complex procedure and it is not simple as it is made to look at face value perspective. There are a lot of factors that may hinder or distort this assimilation. The speed with which a small cultural group embraces another cultural group entirely depends on whether factors that facilitating are more or factors that disorient assimilation are less. Factors that are favorable to assimilation are usually permissiveness, equitable and favorable economic circumstances; a concerned feeling on the side of the majority cultural group directed towards the minority cultural group; disclosure and openness by the minority toward the dominant; shared observable similarities between the two groups and finally mixed marriage (Ellinghaus, 2006).

On the other hand factors that deter or cripple assimilation are situations that insulate and separate a certain group from another; negative reactions and attitudes by the exclusive culture group; major differences in terms of social, physical and cultural between the two group entities; discrimination of the minority cultural group by the exclusive cultural category .These are some of the factors that can impede assimilation in its entirety (Ellinghaus, 2006).

The kind of reception that the immigrants will get from the host group will go a long way in determining if assimilation will take place. For example immigrants got a warm welcome in the united states in the years before 1880.After this period  when variety of various skills were required in various parts of this country. But those who came in years like 1933 were viewed as threats to the locals (Léticée, 2009).

It is very essential for humans to assimilate. Humans are social beings and in order to gain crucial information on various things, it is only necessary that people need to assimilate. Without assimilation there would be a lot of assumption in the entire world that would lead to disunity. If a condition requires one to assimilate so that one can survive, why not assimilate? Assimilation is solely the way one can benefit and gain mileage into facts and insight that belong to another group of people, in my own researched opinion (Ellinghaus, 2006).

By assimilation, to an object or culture that is common to an individual or group of individuals, it can help to improve and enhance skills that go a long way to help a group of people. For example, Africans gained a lot by embracing European education and skills, it helped them to become modern and manage their resources in a better way. Africans were altered by the European education and it assisted them to advance their economy in the changing world (Léticée, 2009).

Persons who become assimilated from their own culture and into a new one have an easier time maneuvering the society and elements that come with it .Contrast brought about by  different rituals often bring hate and lack of trust among the dominant community (Ellinghaus, 2006).

In today’s society assimilation can occur in health, educational and other sectors of the community. It can take a linear approach which will requires adjusting and upgrading to a society one finds him or herself in (Léticée, 2009).

Assimilations strengthens various relationship due to the unity that comes as a result of similarities and bonds that are fostered during social interactions .This boosts human resource that will in turn  offer their skills and labor in different areas. A more united society with a single identity gives purpose to people and can boost the economy (Barth, 2010).

In today’s society assimilation can range from citizens nationality, property, possession of property and post status. While there are a lot of basic things that can be assimilated namely: good standards and values, it is very hard for a government to single out one ethical cultural principle because a lot of cultural based values and beliefs are very general and should not be favored against other cultural practices of outsiders .Assimilations naturally carries with it the risk of improper interference from the superior culture (Léticée, 2009).

            Some cultures should not always be permitted due to their faiths and rituals, some of which practice female genital mutilation which is very harmful to the female body. Other cultures are cannibalistic in nature. This are some of the barbaric acts and cultures that should be prevented and should not be given any chance. Therefore barbaric cultures should not be given the same rights as cultures that are similar to the dominant culture’s law (Léticée, 2009).

One of the common argument against assimilation is that it focuses on discriminating other cultures and beliefs through incrimination. For example some people belief that Muslim veils that women wear are meant to signify that men can physically abuse them and no one will notice as the veil will cover all the body part. This accusation ignores the simple fact that most women wear hijabs and veil voluntarily. (Ellinghaus, 2006).

Should a minority cultural group be forced to assimilate to another culture? Some people may think it wise and essential to assimilate and integrate with a new culture. In my own perspective I think it wise too. Sharing ideologies and concepts is very important as it brings about unity and peace in the society .Integrating most of the times usually results to a richer cultural diversity in which all people have an identity.

References

Barth, K. (2010). Assimilation. Detroit: Green haven.

Ellinghaus, K. (2006). Taking assimilation to heart: Marriages of white women and indigenous men in the United States and Australia, 1887-1937. Lincoln: University of Nebraska.

Léticée, M. (2009). Education, assimilation and identity: The literary journey of the French Caribbean. Coconut Creek, FL: Caribbean Studies

Counseling

Counseling is a necessity to humanity. Peter Drucker one of the most influential and greatest management intellectuals of this day and age once said that in a few years, hundred or so, when the history of the 21^st century will be written from a long duration point of view, it is likely that the most vital happenings the historians will record is not technology nor the ever-expansive commerce .It is the   exceptional change of the humans’ conditions. For the first time, a large number of the human population are independent and make their own choices. For the first time, they have the ability to manage their lives .The society at large is not prepared. This independence has created the need for counseling at workplaces, in homes, marriages and other social settings. (Heppner & Wampold, 2010 p56).

Counseling normally puts its focus on assisting patients or clients to find a particular problem in their own personal lives and come up with skills that will assist to overcome the challenge identified. Counsellors manage clients by helping them to adapt new ways of dealing with their problems in their surroundings. This adaptation is what facilitates change. In any standard health setting, a counsellor is supposed to corporate and work on a one on one basis with their client to facilitate improvement in the daily lives of the client and they surroundings societies’. Counsellors concentrate on how one can manage stress and emotions efficiently and how to sustain healthy relations with other people. Other than developing an individual personality traits, counselors come up with supportive agendas and pinpointing areas which have society’s resources that can also support the client adherence to the advice of a counselor. For example if a client comes for counseling because they have been fired, a counselor will assist the client pinpoint to emotions he often experiences because of being fired. The counsellor will then help her to cultivate various alternative ways of coping with the emotions .The counselor can also recommend modifications that can be made to the environment to help the client to cope better with the situation (Heppner & Wampold, 2010 p 78).

Counselling is one of the best ways through which people can learn how to manage themselves and help to cope with different issues in their life. From the cradle of mankind different people e.g. friends, families and teachers used counselling in one form or another. The family doctor was one of the source that people seek counselling services from. Nowadays, it is a very specialized service and an occupation in itself. Due to the current independence in today’s society, pressure can emerge from different places such as the workplace or even at home. Lack of a proper support system is what has led to disunity among marriages. Failing to meet ones expectations has also contributed to alienation in the society. (Heppner & Wampold, 2010 p 90).

Psychodynamic is a one of the best known approaches to counseling .It is based on the ideology that individuals’ challenges can be truly understood by studying concepts behind the human mind namely: Alert mind and the innermost though. The alert brain is based on matters that humans normally aware of whereas such as emotions .Innermost thought is not easily noted but can influence choices and emotion patterns .The other method of counseling is the through human approach. This is the exact opposite of the psychodynamic method .This approach approves that everyone is different and unique which makes them different from one another hence everyone has the potential to progress positively  in emotions and in their psychology which then leads to fulfilment .When humanistic method is used during counseling ,the counselor takes the perspective that  human challenges are not caused by life’s situations but the manner in which the person experiences the situation .This will in turn change the way an individual emotions operate. The experiences will also determine the manner in which one’s emotions are interpreted. The third approach is the client based approach. This approach elaborates the fact that everyone has the solutions to their own problems. The solutions are found in humanity’s ability to be able to look deep into themselves and evaluate their own problems. The counselor will use the client’s data to urge him or her to find a solution (Mcleod .J. (2010 p52).

Tata consultancy services (TCS) launched an organization network ‘maitree’ in the year 2005 to provide counselling services to mainly employees although other people can be involved in .It has specialized in employees because most people spend much of their time in the work place. Under this initiative, 90%of most offices organize family gatherings or get together. Activities they engage in include ball dancing. Yoga, theater workshops and assisting employees who work for long durations to keep healthy (Mcleod, 2010 p 69).

They also offer in house services that aims to reduce stress among people who work for very long hours. This is done by training other employees so that they can easily reach out to other colleagues. This is one of the many dimensions that they have taken to have an extensive outreach. Other techniques that have been added are: training managers to equip them with basic counselling skills, growing and developing workshops to conduct emotional intelligence, transaction analysis and other areas can also get a chance to conducted by  counselor’s counsellor in a working environment can work with a designated group to help in solving issues. The group will help in setting the pace on issues that need immediate attention. A counselor can assist to influence the main abilities of employees. Many employers know that many problems usually stem from the workplace and spill to other areas of people’s lives (Mcleod, 2010 p 73)

The person who is in charge of counselling in Tata consultancy is usually a psychiatrist or a psychologist. The functions of counselling can be taken by anyone who has been train in the field such as a social worker or any other individual familiar with the field .Counsellor should be very discrete with their clients and keep the affair of people very private. They should assure their clients of total confidentiality. Apart from being discrete it is the responsibility of a counsellor to establish the boundaries during the therapy sessions. This may involve an environment that promotes a warm and caring atmosphere. It is also important for the therapist to define his or her role and the administrative duties that he or she is supposed to take part in. This enables stipulate what to do and what not to do. Any medication or expense that may arise from a counselling session can be settled privately (Mcleod, 2010 p 103).

The unique bound created between the worker and the counsellor or therapist can be used to channel inquiry and progress in terms of growth. The counsellor has the responsibility of building and maturing these relationships. This can only be done if he listens, cares and he is friendly to the workers. The success of any counselling work can be judged by consistent relationship that emerges between the workers and the psychotherapist.as trust continues to build between the therapist and the workers, so does insight and knowledge of oneself. . (Perry, 2008 p 101).

Counselling at the workplace is meant to form a relationship between the therapist and the employee. The relationship is supposed to change both of them through the process of social interaction with each other during therapy sessions. The relationship is asymmetrical in that, the employee is supposed to change more than the specialist offering therapy. . (Perry, 2008 p 221).

The goal of therapy is not just to assist workers at Tata consultancy but to maintain the relationship they have during therapy sessions. Factors that can hinder the relationship to prosper can be rectified by identifying this factors and working towards eliminating them. Typically the factors that can affect the relationship between a therapist and the worker are normally the same that hinder other relationship in different area of life .Authenticity, genuineness and transparency are some of the factors that can lead to a storing relationship. As the relationship improves between the therapist and the employee it reflects in other relationships outside therapy situations. . (Perry, 2008 p 100).

TSC usually ensures the security and safety of its employee’s .Providing personal counseling and growth activities. The utilization of brief mediation and brief counselling procedures has become a major part in dealing with social issues in the workplace. Brief mediation provides the chance for therapists to increase their effectiveness and positive outcomes with employees who have any mental instability .Brief intervention can help change behavior and reduce stress levels among workers. There are concerns that can be handle and monitored by brief interventions .For example attendance of group sessions or efficiency while handling work. (Perry, 2008 p 42).

At the work place of or any  organization , counsellors are there to provide the much needed supportive system for anyone who has stress related to his or her occupation or any other addictions that might be affecting the life of the individual at that particular time. (Perry, 2008 33).

The setting up of a therapeutic friendly association between the counselor and the patients is very important. The choice to seek assistance for any problem is not always easy and more if you seek to confide your problems to someone else. A high level of trust is needed between any person and the counselors. Counselors should ensure that that an alliance is formed between them and their patients. This enable their clients to trust them more and therefore they will not feel any vulnerability when the counsellors are solving their challenges .Trust will create a platform where the best interests of the workers are safeguarded from any form of intrusion .Trust has a way of making people work effectively together even when they are faced either challenges. Trust keeps a lot of things intact when it is maintained. Although it takes time to develop and nurture trust between a counsellor and their patient, patients should feel free to talk openly and relief their burdens during the session with the counsellor. (Perry, 2008 26).

In today’s world, a lot challenges can be solved by a simple word: counselling .The current world has a lot of challenges ranging from illnesses such as cancer and natural calamities such as the elnino .The mind of a human needs to ease off the pressure brought about by stress and dynamics of the world. The only way of dealing with external problems is through one entry point: the mind. It has already been proven that the mind is an organ that if controlled, can cause calm in an ever changing violent world. Counselling has a lot of benefits than the eye can see or a crowd can discuss (Perry, 2008 134).

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References

Heppner.p. & Wampold .E. (2010). Research design in couselling. Cengage Learning.

Mcleod .J. (2010) Case Study .Research in Couseling and Psychotherapy.Bacp.

Perry.p. (2008).Basic counselling techniques. Author house.

Victim selection

Question 1

It concentrates on the day-to-day activities and patterns of a particular victim. It focuses on the places they were and their residential areas, sex age and race. (CRJ3024 W3reading.docx).

‘Demographics of victimization’ simply means that there are certain factors that contribute to crime. Crime is very incidental but there are certain factors that can put an individual at more risk of becoming a victim of a certain crime. One of these factors is life choices or the manner in which a person decides to behave. For example, an individual who is at low risk will be very keen on their environment. Among adolescents and the youths demographic of victimization is much higher. Day to day patterns can put anyone at risk of becoming a victim of crime. An area can be linked to demographics of victimization in terms of frequency or amount of crimes carried out in that particular area .Although some crimes are committed in all places, there are some locations that have a higher level of crime than the rest (CRJ3024 W3reading.docx).

Question 2

Serial killers with various typologies can make use of a variety of methods to select a victim. Serial killers have a tendency of focusing on a certain kind of victim. Evaluating and the understanding the traits of a serial killers victim will pave the way of knowing the typology of actual killer. Lot of professional experts believe that serial killers usually know the type of people they are after. This individual is ideal due to a variety of reasons. It can be height, body traits or even the gender or an additional rare quality. It is impossible to get one individual who fits all the ideal details at once. This is the main reason why serial killers seem to be very random before they narrow down to a particular pattern. If they never find an individual with the specifics they require, they will isolate each victim on what only them can recognize as fitting into their category .The first victims are chosen very carefully. Victims such as prostitutes and homeless people give the serial killer a hundred percent certainty and these type of victims do not attract a lot of attention. Some serial killers choose their victims solely on vulnerability and locations that favors there surroundings. Therefore it is not likely that a serial killer will wait for a perfect victim so that he attacks but will wait for a perfect chance (Holmes, & Holmes, 2010).

            Organized serial killers selects their victims by luring them in using tricks and they dispose off bodies of the victims in selected places. They are very hard to catch. On the other hand disorganized serial killers are not very meticulous planners and they do put an effort to conceal their acts. Their victims fall prey due to being in the wrong place at the wrong time. They are also not intelligent. Some serial killers can be both organized and disorganized in some of their killings (CRJ3024 W3reading.docx).

Question 3

            The ways used by a serial killer to choose a victim are somehow similar to how a mass murder selects his victims and they also vary in some ways. One of the similarities between a mass murderer’s selection and a serial killers victim’s selection method is that they both choose their victims carefully and they ensure a high level of success in executing their targets. They use their comfort zones to their advantage. A serial killer will ensure that the area will assist to execute crime; this is similar to a mass murderer. (Holmes, & Holmes, 2010).

 Mass murderers will select a group of many individuals at once whereas a serial killer only select a particular person at a time. A mass murder does not narrow down to very specific detail unlike a serial killer who will ensure that he does no kill unless a victim  is a perfect fit (Holmes, & Holmes, 2010).

Question 3

Ted Bundy was a very clever man who was well educated. But at early age he had already shown signs that would later materialize and make him a serial killer. His typology describes Ted Bundy as antisocial and would spy on vulnerable women. He also had juvenile record that were waved off when he reached 18.Ted Bundy had traits of a narcissist and therefore was not insane. Due to this his victims were mainly young beautiful women. Bundy would pretend to be disable and walked on crutches as he targeted his victims .He would then use his charisma and ‘disability’ to influence  and lure the unaware victim into a car. He impersonated administrative figures such policemen to easily gain trust from the victims (CRJ3024 W3reading.docx).

A victim’s character can assist in investigation as it gives details into the victim’s behaviors and daily routines. It also gives clues on what the serial killer might be looking for. The victim gives insight on what made them a target of the serial killer. The character of a victim gives information and the manner in which the murder was committed by the serial killer. Details retrieved from a victim can build the profile of a killer (CRJ3024 W3reading.docx).

References

Holmes, R. M., & Holmes, S. T. (2010). Serial murder. Los Angeles: SAGE.

CRJ3024 W3reading.docx.

Question 1. A

 The social construction of gender is well elaborated by Barker and Feiner in Liberating Economics. It elaborates the perspective of women on various issues that enables it to bring out how gender is constructed. The modern woman has space within the society to contribute and influence her position. In today’s society equity is required for the progress of the economy. But this is not the reality on the ground. The reality on the ground actually states that women are oppressed and taken advantage of. In spite of proving that they can do whatever a man can do, women are still looked down upon and underpaid. Most devalued work still belongs to women. In most developing countries, gender is constructed mainly on social and cultural customs. In these countries women suffer from lack of food and diseases. Even in the most developed countries women still encounter challenges due to the manner in which the society has constructed its walls around their gender. Therefore no matter the place, the gender construction around women is inclined toward oppressing women (Barker& Feiner, p 1).

Domestic work which most women undertake is now considered as part of the economy yet, most domestic workers are unpaid. Women  engage in gainful employment .This has not yet given them an edge above their counterpart men  as they still have the responsibility of catering and caring for their children. Women earn income from domestic work for the first time in a long time. But the amount of time committed to domestic work is more than the work men engage in. Although women are taking rapid strides in their careers and education, the corresponding number of underprivileged women caring for babies of more privileged people and working as domestic workers is increasing daily (Barker& Feiner, p 2).

Universally women have made strides in the business world which was once dominated by the men only. Female business persons are however rare to find in the informal parts which would have played a role in employing the poorest women. In the academic and political sector, the presence of women had been duly noted as it has reached an all-time high than never seen before in the history of the world .This has helped to reshape the gender roles of women in the society (Barker& Feiner, p3).

In his book becoming a gendered body by Martin, the social construction of gender is centered on the fact that the differences brought about by contrast in natural physical of both men and women naturally brings out gender imbalance .For example women will always give birth hence they are meant to take care of children and their home, on the other hand men are always stronger and aggressive hence are protectors of home and providers. The book gives an explanation to research on how the concept of body differences was built. The use of space time and movements can impact and conceptualize social gender. In schools, programs and activities undertaken by children unconsciously influences their activities and mold their minds. This socially constructs their gender. Therefore young boys will quickly come to the realization of their gender role in society and the same will happen to girls. For example girls are taught to be neat and tidy and they do not take part in extracurricular activities thus this forces them to adopt into a more relaxed and well-dressed role. On the other hand boys are encouraged to play and to be more aggressive which prepares them for their social gender roles. By controlling choices, behavior and physical activities through directions one is able to set a framework for adoption into gender roles. This procedures and systems create awareness that one is different from another due to the physical contrasts (Ferguson, p 1).

Both men and women cry themselves differently. Their bodies are central to this observation. The way men and women handle themselves is very much related to their sexuality and a times it is not linked to sexuality .Women’s movements are directly linked to their sexuality but in some cases it is not related. For example the pace at which a woman walks is not linked to her sexuality but the manner in which she moves her steps is more restricted than a man’s movements. Generally, the physique of a woman is more hindered and their motions are tethered. For example a woman will close their legs and often cross their hands hence take very little space but men take large steps are more agile and flexible. This differences may seem to dictate and influence the gender roles in the society such as leadership and profession. The physical contrasts are far reaching than the studies seem to suggest. Social construction of gender seem centered around the fact that the presentation, surveillance, observation and interpretation of bodies has assigned men and women their gender roles as they are customary known. The female body is more controlled in her childhood days than the man’s body. A restricted physique regulate the body and creates a context that impacts their social relationships. These regulations send signals that one can be either be dominated or can manage themselves when given any status or authority. Also, gender specific relations rely entirely on very strong gender appearance, observation and analysis of physique. Therefore bodies that exhibit strong features take power and other status that easily enables them to maintain their hierarchy in societal gender (Ferguson, p 2).

Question 1b

Whereas Martin in, becoming a gendered body explains that social gender construction relies heavily on the physical appearance, barker and feiner in liberating economics focus on the role and facts that show women are able to do whatever a man can do and their role can change based on their ability and not what has been dimmed fit for them (Ferguson, p 3). Over time, women have proved that they can become successful in anything that people perceive as a ‘man only activity’.

Question 1c

The main contrast between these two books in relation to social construction of gender is that social construction of gender is based on bodily appearance while the other book tries to claim that gender is constructed based on society’s cultures and customs that individuals observe and conclude women as the lesser gender. Social construction of gender produces inequality because when one gender dominates all the roles due to their physical appearance, other factors are ignored that might have generously influenced societal gender equality (Barker& Feiner, p3).Both men and women deserve equal chance.

Question 1d

Both authors make their points clear and precise to the point. Social construction of gender has been greatly impacted by sexuality and physical appearance. But as time progressed women have proven that social construction of gender was biased against them as they can do as much work as men can .The only gender construction that cannot be switch are gender based on biology such as giving birth. Therefore gender roles must be reconstructed.

Question 2a    

According to Mitchelle Alexander, a racial caste system has evolved over time from the Jim Crow laws of segregation to the current judicial justice system that is designed to oppress black Americans. The previous system namely: slave system and Jim crow system  are synched together in the  current system to come up with an underclass racial group .Both systems, she vividly explains, have their foundations deep within a society that actively participated in  campaigning for freedom and civil rights. But at the same time denying blacks the same things that they champion for. After the Jim Crow system was overthrown and done away with by human right movements, there remained a space that would unify whites living in abject poverty with blacks through the judicial system. But instead the justice system has been used to control blacks. The media perpetuated blacks as drug users and the justice system locked them in prisons (Alexander, p1).

Question 2b

According to Mitchell alexander the new Jim Crow is the United States legal system that disguises its racial discrimination through its efforts to reduce drug abuse. This method abuses and harms black Americans. It is similar to Jim Crow system since it covers oppression and racial discrimination through the justice system. The justice system also compares with Jim Crow system in the sense that it seems voluntary and free system one in which a wrong doer can avoid punishment by simply abiding by it. If one breaks it, they go to jail. The role of politics in the justice system remain the same because a good conduct is required for one to avoid the full force of the law, undermining the fact that all humans can commit an offense and find themselves on the wrong side of the law. Yet, there are blacks who have been sentence to life in prison just because they are first time offenders. Both the Jim crow and the justice structure do not bother to come up with  measures  that would reduce crime rate and put in system programs that would promote good behavior, they are sole focused on punishing the offender  through authoritative control. The notable parallel difference between Jim Crow’s system and the justice system is that they brought out clearly the issue of race in America. The role of any racial caste structure is to specify and give a clear interpretation of race. Slavery was associated with black and Jim Crow reminded black Americans that they are average citizens (Alexander, p 18).

Question 2c

The new Jim Crow is different from the new Jim Crow in his mode of administration. It is covered by policies that seem to promote equal rights and extends a hand of justice to all citizens equally but it does not. Instead it is a network that uses various methods to oppress black people through law, legal organizations and customs that coordinate and facilitate to make sure that blacks are oppressed as a race (Alexander, 56).

The new Jim Crow socially constructs race on the basis of controlling through mass incarceration. People who have committed crimes are handled by the justice system that controls their lives. They are labeled as criminals and are put in jails for long period of time than any country in the globe. They are then discharged back into the society as average second class individuals. The society does not trust them and they are also denied some of their rights such as voting. It is also hard for them to get decent employment due to their past records and therefore hard for them to secure any resources. By doing this, their lives are controlled and their power is very limited. This cycle continues and in the end the society closely associates becoming black with prison and criminal activity. The society in turn fears and isolate their neighborhood. The black lack as a community are then neglected (Alexander, p7).

An ever increasing presence of black people in prisons was caused by the efforts made by the government to fight drugs. It seems like the war on drugs was focused on blacks especially the innocent and has led to new disciplinary ways. The rate of incarceration in America is high in spite of them having a very low crime rate. The rate of imprisonment is around ten percent more than other foreign countries. This points toward the manner in which the justice system reacts to crime that raises alarm which then points back into history when segregating existed to separate blacks from whites. It seems like segregation has evolved over time to what is witnessed today. (Alexander, 19).

 The consequences of social inequality have led to an increase in crime. This is due to lack of balance in the economy. Inequality breeds disparity in income, unemployment which causes crime. Social inequality affects the way people participate in issues such as politics. When people feel that they are oppressed they tend not to care on who rules over them. This in turn affects their attitude and their participation in such events. Trust can only be built in a society where everyone is seen as equal and deserving in each and every opportunity as the next citizen.

Question 2d

 Michele alexander analysis is persuasive enough but it does to have enough evidence to expose more light into her information. But it is consistent enough to develop interest. She does not give the other side of black Americans, therefore it is not easy to get the full picture of her story. Obviously there are Americans who are free, she does not a give third party opinion chance hence her judgments and conclusions are based on her own perspective and are not inclusive of professional opinion of  others. Secondly, she fails to link the old Jim Crow system with the new Jim Crow system as seen from a black free man’s eyes. The old system oppressed all blacks unlike what Alexandra claims. Therefore her issues try to prove oppression on blacks and racism due based on the past and not solid evidence.

How cultural encounters are manifested in literary works, specifically short stories from An Anthology of Short Stories from Five Continents, with particular reference to “The Distant Past” by William Trevor

Introduction

Cultural encounters have occurred throughout history in the entire universal setting. They mainly incorporate associations and relations of different kinds which might either be peaceful or aggressive among individuals from differing backgrounds (Brazier, 2009). The concept of cultural encounter is applied to describe social associations, places as well as things. In other words, these are the affairs of individuals in accordance with the set social norms. With respect to the ‘’The Distant Past’’ authored by William Trevor this concept is mainly utilized to describe the contemporary phenomenon as related to the significance of migration and religious appeal. The story is mainly set within the 50s and 60s in Ireland where two siblings are perceived as outcast based on their religious choice to be protestant after inheriting an estate from their family (Brazier, 2009). Trevor explores the concept of cultural encounter through both siblings to illustrate the religious obsession in the region at the time. The Cultural encounter is illustrated as rather a negative one that is characterized by violence from the short story due to individual’s obsession with religion.

In ‘’The Distant Past’’, Trevor offers a narrative description of the tension that persists amid a rich protestant family and the southern Ireland community which is comprised of Catholics. The residents in the town Hesitate amid recognition of this family and absolute disapproval in reference to the state of partisan, spiritual and social instability in Ireland (Malcolm & Malcolm, 2008). The community is obsessed with religion and therefore fails to acknowledge the general good and the contribution of this family. In the end, their patriotic pressure which they claim for their religion does not offer anything in return but end up destroying cultural encounter among the residents. The author demonstrates that the outcome of the cultural encounter is mainly determined by three major elements which are spiritual, political and social stability (Brazier, 2009). Without the stability of this element then violence becomes prevalent (Brazier, 2009).

Throughout the story, cultural encounter is illustrated substantially while illustrating the need for togetherness. In ‘’The Distant Past’’, this concept is treated as an essential element in regard to achieving any form of growth and stability (Malcolm & Malcolm, 2008). In that, due to the religious instability in Ireland with a majority of residents being Catholics, this brings about the rivalry with hesitation by the community to acknowledge and accommodate those that choose to be protestant.  This is primarily driven by the set social standards which tend to emphasize the general importance of religious uniformity thus neglecting the need to allow individuals to make their individual option as they are all entitled to autonomy. In that, due to this religious and social instability, cultural encounter turns out to be undesirable as it subjects those that fail to conform to the set standards to alienation, solitude, and trauma as the community goes to the extent of attacking them for these choices (Malcolm & Malcolm, 2008).

In the story, the setting in Ireland appears to be highly considered and important for Trevor in regard to justifying the cultural encounter in the region to being fueled by religious, partisan and social norms. It is the setting that the author is able to explicit the existing internal conflict. There was intense discontent in the region during the period which had remained prevalent for a number of years (Shaffer, O'Donnell, & Ball, 2011). In that, while the annexation of the Northern side of Ireland led to the refurbishment of a national religion in favor of the Protestants the southern region retained its fascination and consistently fought in the quest of retaining its Catholic domination. This state, therefore, makes the cultural interaction unfavorable as it tends to exclude those that fail to offer support to it. In other words, the author Trevor appears to be fully aware of cultural encounter and settled for this setting in order to illustrate the effects of such instabilities towards interactions among individuals from different social and religious background. In that, the author accomplishes this objective mainly by settling the setting and creating two protagonists who are from a wealthy family and also Protestants something that is well received by the Southern Ireland community (Shaffer, O'Donnell, & Ball, 2011). Based on the awareness of the author in regard to the theme of cultural encounter, he manifests it by demonstrating the underlying conflict among the Catholic believers and Protestants and the resulting outcome of violence, solitude, and alienation.

Trevor successful creates an intense conflict within the Ireland setting which is primarily characterized by instability in order to illustrate the theory behind the cultural encounter notion. He utilizes religion obsession to illustrate this theme and through the conflict, the readers can fully understand the theme and the fueling forces being religious domination and social norms which appears to be in favor of the Catholic religion against protestant. The readers can now fully acquire awareness and familiarity of this notion through the existing conflict that grows rather gradually. The main characters of the story as the protagonists being Middletons are fully aware of the encounter of culture (Malcolm & Malcolm, 2008). In that, they believe that because they are of different religious views contrary to those of the Catholics as the majority they will have to die alone since they have been alienated and cannot even have friends. Due to this isolation, they both believe that dying with no friends is more dangerous than being killed in their own beds. In this context, it becomes clear that the characters are fully aware of the manner in which the community considers them as outcast and has rejected them from the real life an experience that they would have desired to taste. For many years they have handled the offensive attitude from the residents but at the end make the conclusion that nothing is to change for them because they will have to die lonely (Malcolm & Malcolm, 2008).

With respect to such remarks from the main characters, this illustrates that they are fully aware of this alienation. In that, they state that people have always perceived their presence as one that is not needed and due to their Protestantism they have been alienated completely. They believe that they have been rejected by the community because of their allegiances to the British ruling (Liggins, Maunder & Robbins, 2011). Throughout the story, the author utilizes the past versus the present to illustrate different forces that pressure individuals to hold their past due to the fear of facing challenges that are dominant in the present existence. Through this strategy, the author is fully able to address the intermingling of the present and past. In that, at the beginning of the story the readers can guess that the conflict amid the British and Ireland ruling have been buried but later the religious tension proves the notion as unreal (Liggins, Maunder & Robbins, 2011). In that cultural encounter is explored through the present versus the past theme as the town people seems to be clinging to their old principles which were grounded on Catholic monopoly and even after civilization they are unwilling to abandon their standards to accommodate those of different believes. This, therefore, shows the consistent tension that the interaction amid the past and the present can bring and thus affect the ability of individuals to interact fully. The first Friday visit illustrates the underlying conflict due to cultural and religious differences that the protagonist family seeks to address. Even though the conflict amid with the British had ended decades ago the community finds it’s easier to connect with the past rather than focusing on dealing with the current issues (Liggins, Maunder & Robbins, 2011).

In conclusion, it is evident that Trevor authored the short story with cultural encounter notion in mind. This is because he chose the right setting for illustrating the concept to the readers fully. Through highlighting the social and religious conflict in the region, the readers can ultimately understand that the interaction amid both parties is negative because the Catholics are obsessed with their religion and therefore failed to see any good held by the Protestants who comprise of the minority populace in the region. In other words, the protagonists are subjected to solitude and alienation due to the involved conflict and fully understands its effects.

References

Brazier, C. (2009). One world: A global anthology of short stories. Oxford: New Internationalist.

Liggins, E., Maunder, A., & Robbins, R. (2011). The British short story. Houndmills, Basingstoke, Hampshire: Palgrave Macmillan.

Malcolm, C. A., & Malcolm, D. (2008). A companion to the British and Irish short story. Chichester, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.

Shaffer, B. W., O'Donnell, P., & Ball, J. C. (2011). The encyclopedia of twentieth-century fiction. Chichester, West Sussex, U.K: Wiley-Blackwell.