Equal opportunities and preventing discrimination

Equal opportunities and preventing discrimination The aim of this assignment is to focus on equal opportunities and the laws set up to protect people from discrimination on the basis of their gender, race, age and disability by providing a framework for the most vulnerable groups in society who, without legislation may feel their rights have been infringed. Prejudice and stereotyping is something we are all guilty of. From our own life experiences, beliefs and values we make assumptions about people from the way they look, speak and behave towards us. It is especially important in health care to be sensitive to the service users requirements. Negative language and labelling can make the service user feel unworthy, intimidated and deterred from accessing the very services they require. All care providers need to ensure that they view their patients as unique individuals, promoting their individual rights and supporting them in making decisions. Language is key, if the service user cannot communicate then an advocate or interpreter is required so they do not feel discriminated against. The use of positive language can be beneficial to the service user in empowering them to make choices and have greater control over the treatment they receive. Society has changed considerably in the last 40 years and we have become much more multi-cultural. Our attitudes and beliefs have had to change too e.g. more women in the workplace etc The Government has introduced equality legislation to protect vulnerable groups that may otherwise have no voice. By introducing acts that protect these groups from discrimination e.g. the disabled, mentally ill and other minority groups it ensures there is a set of legal guidelines in the way people are treated and that they have equal access to the same services and rights as everyone else. Most caring roles are governed by legislation. Older people, people with a learning disability, physical disabilities or mental health problems have service provisions, rights and other requirements laid down by the law but no overall framework for protection of abuse, except for that of children. This part of the assignment looks at The Mental Health Act, why it was conceived, who it aims to help and its limitations in practice. The basis of the act can be traced back to 1601 when The Poor Law was created but it has come a long way since then. In 1983 The Mental Health Act was put in place to protect those suffering from a disorder or disability of the mind. In previous times those with mental health issues may have found themselves locked away from society, with no proper treatment and no guidelines on how they should be treated. It wasnt unusual for young unmarried mothers to find themselves institutionalised as society found them to be deviant and morally deficient. It wasnt until the 1959 Mental Health Act reform that it was considered wrong to punish these women, however many had already been locked away and the damage done. The 1980s saw large-scale closures of psychiatric institutions in favour of the Governments care in the community policy, large numbers of long term patients were discharged into the community. By promoting the least restrictive alternative many were given freedom, the Reed Report stated care arrangements for people with mental health problems should have proper regard to the quality of care and the needs of individuals; as far as possible, in the community, rather than in institutional settings; under conditions of no greater security than is justified by the degree of danger; so as to maximise rehabilitation and the chances of sustaining an independent life; as close as possible to their own homes and families. (Mind.co.uk,2010) The 1983 Mental Health Act focuses on the assessment and treatment of people with mental health issues. The legislation has several sections. Each section provides guidance on dealing with specific situations that may arrive when a person has significant mental health problems. The following are some of the sections of the Act that must be adhered to; Section 1 gives definitions of mental disorder Section 2 describes the situations in which people can be admitted to hospital compulsorily, providing specific timeframes in which assessment must be undertaken Section 3 describes the provisions for admission for treatment, again there are specific guidelines regarding timescales Section 4 is regarding emergency admissions Section 5 is about detention of a voluntary patient for a period of assessment There are sections which deal with taking people to a place of safety and also sections relating to admissions linked to criminal behaviour. Val Michie et al,2008,(p230-231) Sectioning a person (detaining them against their will) is part of the act that needs to be done correctly as you are denying the person their right of freedom. This can only be done if the person shows significant harm to themselves or others. The Mental Capacity Act 2005 provides a framework to empower and protect people who are unable to make decisions themselves. By the use of advocates and health professionals any decisions they make can be supported. It enables those with mental health issues to plan ahead of time in the event that they lose mental capacity and so their wishes can be considered. The Mental Health Bill aims to bring together and simplify the Mental Health Act 1983 and the Mental Capacity Act 2005 by making it easier to understand the rules on detention and definitions of mental disorders. Supervised community support can be put in place using a variety of health professionals to ensure access to treatment. The Bill introduces safeguards to stop people being locked away for long periods of time without being reviewed at regular intervals and denying them the right to their liberty. The Act however does have its limitations; lack of resources, funding, low staffing levels and poor communications between agencies, vulnerable people may escape the system and cause danger to themselves and others. There have been many high profile cases of mentally ill patients slipping through the net, being released from hospital too early and not receiving the support they need. In August 2007 Vivian Gamor was detained indefinitely under the Mental Health Act 1983 after admitting to two counts of manslaughter at the Old Bailey. Vivian had been showing increasing signs of mental illness three years prior to this, her condition deteriorated to the point where she attacked her half-sister with a knife. This led to her being sectioned under the Mental Health Act and detained in hospital where she was diagnosed as suffering from schizophrenia. Doctors felt they could control her symptoms with drugs and 28 days later she was released. Her two children had been living with their father who was unaware of the reasons for Vivians sectioning. The children were killed on the third unsupervised visit to their mother. Antoine, 10, was beaten around the head with a hammer and then strangled while Kenniece, 3, was suffocated with cling film and her corpse stuffed into a black bin bag. Lord laming who chaired the public inquiry into the death of Victoria Climbie said It seems to me that had the whole range of services been directed to supporting that mother and thinking and bringing to bear all their different resources it may have been possible to prevent that mother doing what I dont imagine she ever intended to do and the children paid the ultimate price for the failure of organisations to actually carry out their duty. (BBC News, 2008) A serious case review by the City and Hackney Local Safeguarding Childrens Board was launched with its results finding a lack of communication between agencies involved in the case. Guidelines under the Childrens Act obviously failed to provide the children safety and protection. Vivian had stopped taking her medication for up 10 days before the murders and was failed by the Mental Health Act as she posed a danger to herself and others. The childrens father was not married to Vivian, the law stated he had no parental rights at that time and could not stop her from having access to the children. Alan Wood, director of childrens services at Hackney Council, said: This case highlights how unpredictable mental illness can be, and the dreadful impact it can have on families. It also shows how child protection services and mental health services need to work ever more closely to successfully protect children in the future. (Communitycare.co.uk, 2008) There have been many studies into murder associated with mental health. One published in the British Journal of Psychiatry2008 called homicide due to mental disorder in England and Wales over 50- years, which looked at murders from 1946-2004. The researchers found that the number of murders committed by people with mental health problems had risen until the 1970s. Since then murder in the general population continued to grow, while those associated with mental health fell to very low levels. The researchers felt that the fall was due to better treatment and understanding within mental health. (The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2008) With the introduction of the Mental Health Act 1983, figures have shown that the legislation on the whole is successful, providing more support and treatment for sufferers of mental illness. It is those cases where the system has failed that are sensationalised, creating a negative image that people with mental illness are dangerous and pose a threat to the rest of society when this has shown not to be the case. The final part of the assignment shows how discrimination upon the individual in health care can greatly affect the way they feel about themselves and the treatment they receive. Prejudice is to prejudge, to already have an opinion or bias about a particular group of people. It is easy to assume and discriminate when an overweight person has type 2 diabetes that they have bought it on themselves, to label them as lazy and that they do not care about their own health needs. If the service user feels they are being treated this way then they can internalise those feelings and become depressed or angry. This can then lead to them feeling they are not worthy and unable to ask for or receive the help that they require. The service user is then marginalised, feeling that no-one cares leaving them isolated and vulnerable, their self-esteem suffers and the cycle of disadvantage sets in making them feel trapped in their own hopelessness, dealing with not only their medical problems but emotio nal ones too. Word Count: 1444 References. Michie,V.Baker,L.Boys,D. and McAleavy,J.,2008.BTEC National Health Social Care. Book 2: Cheltenham:Nelson Thornes Ltd. BBC News.co.uk, 2008.My two children should be alive. [Online] Available at: [Accessed 19.11.2010] Community Care.Co.UK, 2008. Hackney criticised in Vivian Gamor serious case review. [Online] Available at:[Accessed 24.11.2010] Mind.co.uk,2010. Dangerousness and mental health: the facts. [Online] Available at:[Accessed 19.11.2010] The British Journal of Psychiatry, 2008. Homicide due to mental disorder in England and Wales over 50 years. [Online] Available at:[Accessed 24.11.2010]

European Literature Essay

In distinguishing between the genres of short story, novel and annovel, it is important to take into considerations such factors as: rather social or individual subtext, size, coverage of certain topic, the presence of mythology and spirituality, confrontation either with daily routines or with unusual situations. In this sense, novel is probably the most ;social’ genre, as it necessarily points to certain societal pathologies, describes the antagonism between private and public interests and normally consists of a number of chapters, gradually developing the plot. Furthermore, novel is characterized by the authenticity to material facts and thorough depiction of events and social interactions. Annovel is close to novel in terms of genre, as both works of fiction cover much space, yet the entire novel is as a rule dedicated to putting into chronological order the lives of certain characters, whose fates are normally depicted completely, especially if they are protagonists. Annovel, in turn, can contain a collection of short stories, which fit into the context of the creative work, but describe completely different characters and develop dissimilar plotlines. Nevertheless, annovel should be viewed as an entity, as sometimes certain characters can ‘wander’ among stories, so that they are depicted in various situations. Short story, as a genre, is characterized by the considerable impact of individual and spiritual (mystic) components: as a rule, they have either oversimplified abstractive plots or extremely multifaceted plotlines, presented briefly, as they usually cover short time period (conversely to novels and annovels, which give details for epochal changes). Furthermore, lyrical, intuitive and personality aspects are also attributed to short story, as it is aimed at highlighting certain human impulse or momentary change in human life (sudden death, irrational decisions and so forth). Whereas novels are viewed as well-organized and structured works, short stories might switch between various temporal phases (from the future to the past, for instance) and usually include peculiar temporal discourse. The most prominent example of annovel genre is â€Å"Dubliners† by James Joyce. The writing contains more than ten stories, which, if integrated, present the topic of Irish lifestyle, beliefs and social order and constitute a brief encyclopedia of Dublin urban dynamics. Different characters are thrown into various troubles, so that the annovel provides several plots. Annovel therefore to some extent combines the elements of short story and novel Charles Dickens’s â€Å"Hard Times† is a typical novel, relatively large in volume – its considerable size is intended to create the impression of reality and allow the reader to dive into both social and psychological contexts of the basic plotline, which seems to be developed gradually. The short stories ‘Araby’ and ‘Clay’ from Dubliners   to some extent reaffirm the existence of ‘parallel’ or ‘absurd’ reality, as both, in spite of their conciseness, in fact depict the interrelation between the past, the present and the future and note each character’s reflections upon the past events, i.e. necessarily contain conscience flow and use psychological tools like ‘sublime object’. Dramatic monologue in fact includes two key terms – ‘dramatic’ and ‘monologue’. The ‘dramatic’ shows it can be acted out like drama, while the ‘monologue’ points to certain person’s speech, so dramatic monologue is a poem, in which attention is paid to both situation and character. This poetry form implies the presence of listener or audience, so that the monologue is intended as a component or independent part of dramatic performance. For instance, in Yeats â€Å"Leda and the Swan† the author present his lyrical dramatic monologue as a set of rhetorical questions, upon which the audience is supposed to reflect. In order to strengthen the overall effect and impression, the author refers to mythological characters (the reference tool is widely used, as it allows incorporating the others’ ideas and experiences into the monologue) and utilizes metaphorical language in order to enrich the argumentative aspect of the monologue with the emotions, feelings, perceptions and therefore appeal to the reader’s affection and emotional intelligence. ‘Sailing to Byzantium’ is a dramatic monologue, presenting certain case or situation: the lyrical character or protagonist, feeling aged and tired, sails towards the sun, in order to reach the holy city. The monologue, as one can note, contains certain argument: the poet depicts rather negative discourse between the realms of the young and the elderly and substantiates each viewpoint through representing social issues through metaphors and parallelisms.

The Relationship between Owen Meany and Johnny Wheelwright

Lana Sobh Mrs. Malik ENG 3U1-06 April 20, 2013 The Relationship between Owen Meany and Johnny Wheelwright In the novel A Prayer for Owen Meany, John Irving explores the themes of friendship and faith. Friendship is one of the most important things in one’s life. Friendship is the divine feeling of knowing there is someone there. As the saying goes, â€Å"friends are flowers in the garden of life†. As flowers add beauty to a garden, friends add beauty to one’s life. Friendship always begins with a seed of trust that is nurtured with laughter and tears, growing into loyalty and love.The friendship between Owen Meany and Johnny Wheelwright has been maintained since they were young to the last second they were together. Faith can be viewed in many different ways. Faith can be described as faith in God or as a conviction. Faith is a sacred, deep and emotionally involved kind of trust. Faith is like the wind, it cannot be seen, but it can be felt. Owen enabled Johnny t o find faith in his life in a religious and convictional way. The friendship between Owen and Johnny clearly showed a positive relationship.Owen always kept Johnny’s desires in mind, he was always there for Johnny, and he led Johnny to a true faith. First, to maintain their positive relationship, Owen always kept Johnny’s desires in mind. Owen always thought about Johnny and what he can do to make Johnny feel better. Owen went ahead and wrote a play for Johnny’s father, in order for them to find out who Johnny’s father actually is. â€Å"Just suppose there was such a play†¦ And we called the play either The Orange Grove or The Lady in Red – don’t you suppose that your father would come to see that play?And don’t you suppose we could recognize him then? † (Irving 360). Owen took the effort to write a play, in order to find Johnny’s father. He always wanted to make sure that Johnny’s desires were fulfilled. The relationship between him and Johnny shows to what extent their relationship is true. Their relationship allows Owen to go ahead and help Johnny with his family problems, even though he has nothing to do with it. This shows how much Owen cares for Johnny and wants to help him uncover the truth on who his father is. This is very important in showing how strong the relationship between Owen and Johnny is.When Johnny was a kid, he had trouble with reading; yet Owen was there to help him improve his reading skills. This is made clear when Tabitha, Johnny’s mother, tells Owen to keep helping Johnny, â€Å"I hope you never stop helping Johnny with his homework, Owen. † (24). When they were young, Owen had promised Tabitha, that he would always help Johnny with his homework. Throughout the years at school, Owen had kept that promise and was always there to help Johnny. This clearly shows how much Owen cares about Johnny and how much he wants to help him.The death of Tabitha d id not have any effect on the choice that Owen had made when he promised that he would always help Johnny with his homework. Johnny suffered from dyslexia and was in need of help, so, Owen helped him with reading and his homework. With Owen’s help, Johnny grows up to be an avid reader and teaches literature at a prep school. Moreover, Owen had helped Johnny with many things other than homework and finding Johnny’s father. Owen had helped Johnny with not going to Vietnam and fight in the war. â€Å"He’d cut off my finger to keep me out of Vietnam† (585).Johnny had his finger, the trigger finger, amputated in order for him not to be able to go to the war. Owen had come up with the idea of cutting off Johnny’s finger. Without Owen being caring towards Johnny and not wanting Johnny to go to Vietnam against his will, Johnny would have gone and fought in Vietnam. Owen had saved Johnny from the draft. Through this action, Owen is trying to get Johnny to p repare Johnny for life without him. He cares so much about Johnny that he is preparing him, so that when Owen passes away, he would be able to continue his life in Canada without him.Owen always wanted to help Johnny satisfy his needs, so he helped him in many ways. Furthermore, Owen was always there for Johnny. In times of sadness and despair, Owen was there. In times of laughter and happiness, he was there. This clearly shows how positive their relationship was and how true of a friend he is. During the Christmas Carol play, Own fainted. Later, it was told that Owen had seen his own name on the grave. When Johnny went to ask Owen what date Owen saw, Owen does not end up telling him, instead he tells him that there was no date at all. ‘There was no date,’ Owen said. I wanted to cry- not because I believe a single thing about his stupid ‘vision,’ but because it was the first time he had lied to me. † (255). This shows how heartbroken Johnny is, he is devastated that Owen was hiding something from him. But then again Owen did not want Johnny to feel sad if he told him the date. Owen really cares about Johnny, he is not trying to hurt Johnny, he is trying to protect him. Owen must have felt the need to protect Johnny since he might think that Johnny would interfere with his fate and result in the death of Johnny.Owen cared a lot about Johnny. When they were young, Johnny was asked to repeat the ninth grade. So, Owen being the nice and caring friend he is, decided to repeat the ninth grade with Johnny. Owen tells everyone that he is going to stick by Johnny's side. â€Å"Owen announced his decision to attend the ninth grade at Gravesend High School, too. He would stay with me; he would enter the academy the following year-he could have skipped a grade, yet he volunteered to repeat the ninth grade with me! † (267).After Tabitha’s death Johnny had needed a high degree of support, which came from Owen. Owen had promised Tabitha to help Johnny with his homework and in order for that to happen, they found that Johnny and Owen needed to be in the same grade. Owen tells everyone that he is going to stick by Johnny's side. This clearly shows the loyalty Owen has towards Johnny. This shows the true friendship there is between them. Owen’s decision was a surprise to all because no one would have thought that Owen was that caring and loyal to Johnny.

Global Leadership And Organizational Behavior Effectiveness

The Project GLOBE (Global Leadership and Organizational Behavior Effectiveness). The GLOBE research followed in Hofstede s footsteps yet also searched for additional dimensions (Cater, Lang Szabo, 2013, p. 446) as depicted and defined on Table II. In light of the GLOBE findings, earlier conceptualisations of culture have been reconsidered with respect to the impact of culture on leadership (Dickson et al., 2012 as cited in Cater et al., 2013, p. 447). GLOBE researchers introduced twnety one first-orderr â€Å"primary leadership dimensions† which were then condensed in six second-order â€Å"global leadership dimenions† that are charismatic/value-based, team-oreinted, participative, human-oreinted, autonomous, or self-protective (Cater et al., 2013, p. 450). American beliefs about leadership were found to emphasize charismatic, participative, team-oriented, and humane orientation attributes (Hoppe Bhagat, 2007 as cited in Resick et al., 2011, p. 439) that build on individual leader charisma and a humane/paternalistic approach to working with subordinates, along with a strong emphasis on enhancing performance (Bass, 1985 as cited in Resick et al., 2011, p. 439). Both approaches, Hofstede and GLOBE, agree to conclude the US leaders’ emphasis on performance, individualism and future outlook. However, in order to avoid stereyotypes, leaders need to be culturally intelligent. Cultural intelligence. 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