Research Paper on Spanish-American War Essay Example

Research Paper on Spanish-American War Essay Spanish-American War Research Paper By the second half of the 19th century the United States declared its sovereignty and became the independent state. The United States were constituted on a strong ideological basis. The prevailing national idea was the aspiration to freedom and the new democratic values. The people of the United States realized their mission to spread the ideals of freedom beyond the boundaries. In 1840’s the leaders and politicians introduced the new term, Manifest Destiny (Manifest Destiny). This term explained and approved the expansion of the American ideals of freedom to the West. The country developed rapidly and there was real need to expand its territory. There were some reasons for such expansion. First of all the land was the indication of wealth for the colonists. There was a high growth of population in the country. The country passed two depressions, in 1818 and 1839. The frontier lands were cheap or even free. We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Spanish-American War specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Spanish-American War specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Research Paper on Spanish-American War specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer The 19th century was the century of reshaping the political map of the world. Spain which used to the superpower was loosing its world domination. By the second half of the 19th century Spain had its possessions only in the Pacific, Africa, and the West Indies. Much of the empire had gained its independence and the areas remaining under the Spanish influence were about to demand their independence. Now and then there were revolts in Cuba and the Philippines and the Spanish government had neither financial resources nor appropriate manpower to coup with the numerous revolts against the Spanish rule. The Spanish government found the best solution to build the concentration camps in Cuba for rebels. Faced with defeat, and a lack of money and resources to continue fighting Spanish occupation, Cuban revolutionary and future president Tomas Estrada Palma secured $150 million dollars from a U.S. banker to purchase Cuba’s independence, but Spain refused. He then deftly negotiated and propagandized his cause in the U.S. Congress, eventually securing the bill for U.S. intervention (Wikipedia). On February 15, 1898, the American battleship USS Maine in Havana harbor suffered an explosion and quickly sank with a loss of 266 men. There was no any distinct proved evidence as for the cause of explosion, but the American press declared it was the act of sabotage of the Spaniards. There were suspicions that there was really an act of sabotage but committed by the Cuban revolutionists to involve the United States into the war with the Spaniards in order to liberate Cuba. So, the formal reason for the war between the United States and Spain was doubtful and unclear. The economic background of the US – Spanish war was expressed by Senator John M. Thurston of Nebraska: â€Å"War with Spain would increase the business and earnings of every American railroad, it would increase the output of every American factory, it would stimulate every branch of industry and domestic commerce.†(Wikipedia). U.S. President William McKinley was not a supporter of the war with Spain, but the explosion of Maine and public opinion created by the press forced him to agree with the decision of starting the war. On April 25, Congress declared that a state of war between the United States and Spain had existed since April 21st (Congress later passed a resolution backdating the declaration of war to April 20th). Thus, the formal reason of the war was suspicions of the Spanish sabotage of the US military vessel. The real reason of the war had an economic background. The official aim of the United States was to liberate Cuba from the Spanish domination. These 3 factors constituted the background of the Spanish war. The US – Spanish war was full of controversies. Though the formal cause of the war was the liberation of Cuba from the Spanish rule, the real reason was the expansionism policy of the United States in the Caribbean. The history of the US – Puerto – Rican relations during the war and after it is the vivid example of the controversial position of the United States in the US – Spanish war. Located at the north east of the Caribbean Sea, Puerto Rico was a key to the Spanish Empire since the early years of conquest and colonization of the New World (Marisabel Bras). Of all Spanish colonial possessions in the Americas, Puerto Rico is the only territory that never gained its independence. Internal and geopolitical dynamics during the last quarter of the nineteenth century, nevertheless, brought dramatic political, social, and economic changes to the island, setting the stage for the development of its national institutions and the transformation of its political system as a United States territory during the twentieth century. During the early 1860s, local Spanish authorities, alarmed by conspiracies from separatist groups, applied severe measures against all acts of dissidence on the island. Freedom of the press was non-existent, and group discussions were monitored by the government. The island was ruled by â€Å"leyes especiales†; extraordinary decrees dictated by the Captain Generals, or governors, appointed by Spain. The establishment of liberal government in Spain between 1869 and 1873 led to granting certain rights to Puerto Ricans. Puerto Rico even got its representation to the Spanish Cortes and self governance from Spain. This period of the short-lived self-government experiment came to an abrupt end one month later with the advent of the Spanish-American War. â€Å"Liberating† Caribbean from the Spanish rule the United States realized the significance of its domination over Puerto – Rico. The island’s value to US policy makers was as an outlet for excess manufactured goods, as well as a key naval station in the Caribbean. The Treaty of Paris gave the United States full control over all former Spanish military installations as well as some 120,000 acres of land formerly owned by the Spanish Crown on the island. The main military posts were located in the capital city of San Juan along with military bases in the towns of Cayey, Aibonito, Ponce, Mayaguez, Aguadilla and the adjacent island of Vieques. Puerto Rico remained under direct control of US military forces until the US Congress ratified the Foraker Law on April 12th, 1900, bringing a civilian government to the island (Marisabel Bras). The US occupation of Costa Rica followed by the long term its annexation is one of the main controversies of the US – Spain war, a controversy between the formal cause, liberating Cuba and the real dominative objective in the Caribbean. At 2.34 am GMT and 5.34 am Baghdad Time on 20th March 2003 (9.34 pm EST on 19th March 2003), the armed forces of the United States of America (â€Å"the USA†) and of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland (â€Å"the UK†) commenced warlike operations against the Republic of Iraq (â€Å"Iraq†) with air and missile strikes against â€Å"targets of opportunity† in Baghdad. Those strikes were eventually followed up by a ground invasion of Iraq, the overthrow of the Iraqi government and the occupation of Iraq (Legality of the Iraq war). The war in Iraq was a part of anti-terrorist operation commenced by the United States after the cruelest terror act ever committed in the history of mankind which got its name â€Å"9/11†. The terrorism became the plague of the present. Though the advocates of the theory of state by Hobbes consider the war to be the natural state of a man, i.e. a state of war is typical for a human being, a war should at least be accompanied by a certain procedures to make it legal if â€Å"legality of war† is applicable in general terms. First of all if we compare both war conflicts in the history of the United States we understand one similar feature. There are economic reasons in the essence of both conflicts. In the case of the Spanish war it was cited by the words of Senator John M. Thurston of Nebraska above. In order to understand the reasons and backgrounds of both wars it is necessary to realize the global political situation preceding both wars. The second half of the 20th century was marked by the Cold War, a strong confrontation of two superpowers, USSR and the United States. That confrontation sometimes approached the military conflict in its development. The thesis â€Å"what is bad for my opponent is good for me† was used throughout this confrontation by both opposing sides. The post-World War II history of relations of the United States and the USSR was the history of the superpowers confrontation. Several times world was under the threat of the global nuclear catastrophe. When the USSR started its aggression in Afghanistan the United States supported the Anti – Soviet regime in Afghanistan. After the collapse of the USSR the usual permanent threat for the United States from the â€Å"Empire of Evil† disappeared but there were a number of groups and regimes provided with the modern arms and technologies by the superpowers. These regimes and groups created their activity on the basis of terrorism, neglecting the norms of the international laws and headed by the irresponsible arms race. Afghan, Iraq and other regimes were among them. The 9/11 became a milestone in the history of global security. It created the distinct borderline between two epochs, an era of military support of â€Å"enemies of my opponent† and the era of realizing that the terrorism regime does care who his enemy is, the most important is the presence of such enemy or if he is absent he should be nominated. The international community got the new global threat but it was not ready to coup with it from the military, political and legal points of view. The formal reasons of both wars where unclear and unjustified. There was neither proved evidences of attack of Maine by the Spaniards no possession of the mass destruction weapon by Saddam Hussein. Spanish war spread beyond Cuba involving a number of countries into it. One of them was Puerto Rico. During May 1898, Lt. Henry H. Whitney of the United States Fourth Artillery was sent to Puerto Rico on a reconnaissance mission, sponsored by the Army’s Bureau of Military Intelligence. He provided maps and information on the Spanish military forces to the U.S. government prior to the invasion. On May 10, 1898, U.S. Navy ships were sighted off the coast of Puerto Rico. Spanish gunners stationed at Fort San Cristobal fired the first shot (a 15-cm breech loaded Ordonez rifle round), missing the USS Yale, an auxiliary ship under the command of Capt. William Clinton Wise. Two days later on May 12, a squadron of 12 U.S. ships commanded by Rear Adm. William T. Sampson bombarded San Juan, Puerto Rico. During the bombardment, many buildings were shelled, terrifying the population of San Juan. On June 25, the Yosemite blocked San Juan harbor. On July 18, General Nelson A. Miles, commander of the invading forces, received orders to sail for Puerto Rico to land his troops. On July 21, a convoy of 3,300 soldiers and nine transports escorted by the USS Massachusetts sailed for Puerto Rico from Guantanamo, Cuba. On July 25, U.S. troops landed at Guanica, Puerto Rico and took over the island with little resistance (Wikipedia). The result of the Spanish war was the United States gained all former colonies of Spain in the Caribbean and Cuba was granted formal independence but this independence was formal and there were a lot of restrictions imposed by the United States. The results of the Spanish war proved the economic basis of the war. The Spanish – American war opened the expansionism policy of the United States. It created very dangerous precedent the consequences of which present nowadays. It showed that the territorial expansion may be done by the war means, the economic goals could be gained by the military conflicts. â€Å"Congress had passed a resolution in favor of Cuban independence before the war started. When the war ended, Congress debated reneging on this promise, but eventually agreed to Cuban independence. However, the Senate passed the Platt Amendment as a rider to an Army appropriations bill, forcing a peace treaty on Cuba which severely curtailed its freedom of action in foreign affairs and allowed the United States considerable freedom to intervene in Cuban affairs. It also provided for the establishment of a permanent American naval base in Cuba, which would lead to the establishment of the base still in use today at Guantanamo Bay. The Cuban peace treaty of 1903 would govern Cuban-American relations until 1934.† (Wikipedia) The United States annexed the former Philippines, Puerto Rico and Guam. Thus the United States became the imperial power with the foreign colonies. It contradicted to the very essence of the United States and its declarations on the independence and democracy. This caused strong opposition inside the country on one hand but it also gained the support of a part of a population heated by the slogans on the pride and the self esteem of a nation. One more very important effect of the American – Spanish war was that it united the nation, the South and the North of the United States. The common enemy made both parties, which had been involved into the Civil War, forget their antagonisms. The annexation of Puerto Rico has been going on up to now. The liberation of Cuba being the major reason of the Spanish war led to the annexation of Puerto Rico and this could not meet an approval of Puerto Rico people. Ramon Emeterio Betances wrote â€Å"I do not want us to be a colony, neither a colony of Spain nor a colony of the United States.† (Wikipedia). On the other hand the Puerto Ricans being the residents of the United States Commonwealth voted to reject the complete independence, but still they are exempt from Federal income tax and other provisions of Federal regulation. One of the lessons of the Spanish war for the United States was the United States at the end of the nineteenth century recognized that its military forces had faced serious organizational, logistical, and medical challenges in that conflict. The war clearly pointed to a need for military reform in the United States, and in its aftermath Congress enacted some critical reform legislation (Hendricks, Charles). Similar lesson was obtained during the Iraq war or the anti-terrorist operation in Iraq. The events of 9/11 made all countries, and the United States in first turn realize a new global threat, a threat of terrorism. The United States of America happened to be unprepared to this new threat. The 9/11 attacks showed that the police methods of preventing the threat of terrorism were insufficient. The terrorists have necessary finance, contacts, and combatants to commit actions which according to their tragic consequence may be compared with those of the military war or operations. The response to those cruel attacks against civilians should have been done by all means. The only question arises on the adequacy of these responses. On the other hand, after finishing the Cold War the problem of proliferation the weapon of mass destruction became of the high importance for the former opponents, the United States and the ex-USSR. Both parties are not interested in the mass destruction weapon proliferation. The main reason of such change is the change of political priorities and inability to control the regimes which would have an access to nuclear or any other mass destructive weapon. On the other hand the attacks 9/11 indicated that the threat does exist and there is no guarantee that the world is safe if terrorists would have the mass destruction weapon. On the other hand, terrorists are not associated with any country directly and the problems of national security which deterred the arms race and the use of weapon do not exist for the terrorists. The terroristsâ €™ organizations may get the nuclear weapon and support from the existing regimes. That means that adequate measures should be taken against the regimes which support terrorists. The next very important question is the legitimacy of such actions from the point of view of the international law. The next question which is no less important than the previous one is if terrorists associated with some particular country, i.e. with its rulers, how legal are the military actions against the entire country. All these questions are similar to those which were on the eve of the American – Spanish War. In the first case there was an attack on Maine, and then the military actions as a response and America annexed some territories, namely Costa Rica as a result. The Iraq war may be considered as the repetition of the historic scenario occurred long ago which led to the war with Spain. The Iraq war is the first war in the history of mankind objected to mass destruction weapon deterrence. The logic of this war is rather controversial. If we link Iraq to 9/11 attacks, as it was done by the Bush Administration, then there is no logic in the war at all. If Hussein had something common with Al-Qaeda and possessed the Weapon of mass destruction, the question is why he did not use his weapon or provide Al-Qaeda with his weapon to commit attacks on the United States. Hussein could not under evaluate the response of the United States no matter what kind of weapon was used. The mass destruction weapon and terrorist attack would cause the similar reaction of the United States. Another question is no less important and maybe even more is the question of the Iraq war legality. The United States assumed the possibility of the preventive wars. If the preventive wars are considered to be legal then what is the legality of such wars. What criteria should define when the war is the only one possible action aimed to prevent the proliferation of the mass destruction weapon? Three types of legislation are involved into the issue of Iraq war and these legislations at least have to answer the question on conformity of the war commencement to the laws. The United States made its best to involve its allies to Iraq war to make it some kind of lawful. The Great Britain entered the war in alliance with the United States. According to the UK legislation, the UK constitutional settlement, a decision to declare war or to commit the armed forces of the Crown to warlike operations is a matter of the Royal will (â€Å"the Royal Prerogative†). In the case of the Iraq, Parliament was asked to authorize the invasion of Iraq by resolution, and the Public Administration Committee of the House of Commons is now looking at ways to develop a new mechanism by which certain categories of Prerogative powers, such as that of going to war may, only be exercised with the consent of Parliament (Legality of the Iraq War). Though the United States acquired the support and assistance of its allies, one of them, the Great Britain acted contradicting its national legislation while joining the United States in Iraq campaign, i.e. illegally. The leaders of the two belligerent powers, the United States of America and the United Kingdom put forward rather different justifications for the invasion of Iraq before the invasion and, since the invasion, as pretexts advanced at the time have proved unjustified, they have shifted their ground. The Bush pretexts for the invasion of Iraq were: that Saddam Hussein’s regime had links to the Al Quai’da terrorists who were responsible for the 11th September 2001 twin towers atrocity in New York; that the Saddam Hussein regime possessed Weapons of Mass Destruction which could fall into terrorist hands; The Blair pretext was limited to the second Bush pretext. Blair acknowledged right from the start that there were no substantiated links between Saddam Hussein and Al Quai’da. In fact Blair’s real reason for joining Bush’s war was his personal belief that the United Kingdom must always support the United States of America in any war (Legality of the Iraq War). The position of the United Nations towards the war conflict in Iraq was expressed by Secretary General Koffi Anand. â€Å"The United Nations secretary general, Kofi Annan, declared explicitly for the first time last night that the US-led war on Iraq was illegal. Mr Annan said that the invasion was not sanctioned by the UN Security Council or in accordance with the UN’s founding charter. In an interview with the BBC World Service broadcast last night, he was asked outright if the war was illegal. He replied: â€Å"Yes, if you wish.† He then added unequivocally: â€Å"I have indicated it was not in conformity with the UN charter. From our point of view and from the charter point of view it was illegal.†( Legality of the Iraq War). The results of the invasion to Iraq are known very well. The United States and its allies failed to find any evidence of the weapon of mass destruction. At the same time it is worth noting that the United States is the only Western democracy which did not sign the international treaties banning antipersonnel landmines and prohibiting the use of incendiary weapons such as napalm and white phosphorus in areas, including cities, where civilians are at risk (The Guardian). After the United States and its allies fail to find what they were supposed to, the new motto appeared; the motto â€Å"to liberate people of Iraq from Saddam†. Such reason can cause nothing but confusion. What is the legal basis of removal of the president of the independent country by means of force? It is unlikely that any existing legislation could find any legal provision for doing it. On the other hand the world community needs to acquire some legal basis to coup with the global terrorism. The Iraq war showed both legal and political collisions. On one hand if assumed that Hussein was the initiator of 9/11 attacks then he needs to be prosecuted by some international tribunal but not by the court in Iraq, a country president of which he was. Hussein as any other political leader had his supporters and opponents in Iraq that is why he could not count on the fair court process from the very beginning. The similarity of the Spanish war and that in Iraq though are not so clear, still could be found. The Spanish war was aimed to expand the American influence in Caribbean; the United States joined the â€Å"club† of colonial owners as a result of the war. The Iraq War is the attempt to legalize the theory of the â€Å"preventive war†. This theory is very dangerous because the limit of â€Å"prevention† has not yet been defined. After the Spanish War America gained the control over the territories which originally had not been parts of the United States. After the Iraq War, America and its allies gained the control over one of the major exporters of oil. There is a lot of confusion in America regarding the terms of â€Å"preventive war† and â€Å"preemptive war†. The preemptive war is the use of force against the threat of attack which is imminent. The classical example of the preemptive war was the 6 Day War of Israel against Syria, Jordan and Egypt in 1967. The results of that war were rather successful. In the US – Iraq case there was no any direct threat or it is better to say â€Å"proved threat† to the national security of the United States. The preventive war is considered to be an attack against the emerging regimes which may bring real threat to national or global security if they develop their arms further. The major reason of the Iraq war was the economical one. Iraq is very attractive for the United States because of its oil deposits. The United States had to re-evaluate the significance of the preventive war after the Iraq occupation. The basic question which had to be answered but was not what benefits the war brought for the national security of the United States. The mass destruction weapon as it was stated above was not found. The links of Hussein to Al Qaeda were not proved. The economic benefits of the Iraq are clear from the statement of the U.S. Energy Information Agency: Iraq contains 112 billion barrels of proven oil reserves, the second largest in the world (behind Saudi Arabia) along with roughly 220 billion barrels of probable and possible resources. Iraq’s true resource potential may be far greater than this, however, as the country is relatively unexplored due to years of war and sanctions. Deep oil-bearing formations located mainly in the vast Western Desert region, for instance, could yield large additional oil resources, but have not been explored. (U.S. Energy Information Agency) The access to the huge oil deposits of Iraq is the main cause of the US intervention against Iraq. The war in Iraq is very similar to Spanish War. The backgrounds of both wars are purely economic ambitions of the United States.

Mental Health Essay Example

Mental Health Essay Example Mental Health Paper Mental Health Paper Essay Topic: Eva Luna within an individual and controls their mind and body. However in contrast to this Hippocrates (460-355bc) believed in a biological cause of mental illness. His belief about the treatment of mental illness extended to a kind of brain pathology that was to be treated with proper diet, drink and abstinence from sexual activity (Davison Neale, 1997). The Greek concept of mental illness was well spread through to the Roman Empire. Platos (428-348 B. C. ) regarded mind as a cause of madness. He believed that the cause of mental illness is a persons ignorance of a psyche; the force that kept the human being alive; which leads to the self-deception (Mora, 1985). It was at that point that a psychological viewpoint of mental illness was also presented. During this era many thought that both mind and body was a cause of mental illness but, unfortunately both approaches could not be synchronised, so the mind and body position went separately through this period. During the middle ages the Hippocratic viewpoint of mental illness was gaining prominence with many doctors believing the causes of mental illness to have a biological basis. Constantinus Africanus (1020-1087) founder of the first medical school founded in Salerno, claimed melancholia was a result of an excess of bile causing an imbalance to the system of the body. (Mora, 1985) Later during the renaissance period (15th-16th century) there had been a period of witch-mania, which led to Pope Innocent the 8th sending monks to be the inquisitors of witches. From this the Malleus Maleficarun (1486) â€Å"the witchs hammer was published serving as the instruction manual for the inquisitors (Romm Friedman, 1994). During this time the mentally ill were among those persecuted and witchcraft or possession was declared as the cause of their illness. This witchcraft hysteria pushed the biological theories on mental illness backwards as those who favoured applying a biological theory to the illness feared the punishment of the inquisition. It wasnt until the 18th century that a major shift from the supernatural explanation to clinical explanation of mental illness happened. This was through a complete rejection of witchcraft and various other scientific accomplishments in other areas. Legislation was created by the government to â€Å"deal† with what they considered as undesirables leading to the birth of mad houses for the purpose of detaining individuals. Acts such as The Vagrancy Act (1744) and the Mad Houses Act (1744) were created during this time. From these newly formed acts care for the mentally ill was based upon institutionalised care which saw the building of large asylums used to house the mentally ill using the medical model of treatment. The medical model is based on a biological theory with the aim to find medical treatments for diagnosed symptoms; this model treats the body as a very complex mechanism as it attempted to offer physical pathological explanations to mental illness. Mental illness was regarded as being ill and requiring medical treatment and intervention. According to Davison Neale, an important contribution to the biological aetiology was Louis Pasteur’s establishment of the germ theory of disease, which claims that disease is caused by infection of the body by minute organisms. This theory provides an excellent basis to develop the aetiology of specific mental disorders due to viral diseases. The changes in physical pathology are believed to result in symptomatic changes of mood, behaviour, perception and thoughts that characterise the medical diagnosis of mental illnesses. The field of Psychiatry uses the tool of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders to make diagnoses. It lists over 200 mental health conditions and the criteria required for each one in making the diagnosis. Treatments for mental illness through the medical model are based upon reliving of symptoms through medical interventions and providing a cure. These medical interventions would be delivered in medical settings such as hospitals and involve treatments such as: E. C. T. and medication. These treatments are aimed to cure the symptoms and behaviour associated with mental illness. The medication aims to combat the chemical imbalance that the medical model has attributed to the cause of most mental illnesses. Schizophrenia is one of the most commonly diagnosed severe mental illnesses with the most widely used form of treatment is the use of anti-psychotic medication. Anti-psychotic drugs are believed to work by changing the activity of chemicals that transmit messages in the brain. The chemical they work on is dopamine. All antipsychotic drugs can cause side effects but these can be different for each patient. The medical model tends to define recovery in negative terms; symptoms and complaints need to be eliminated, illnesses need to be cured or removed. Patients need to be relieved of their conditions and returned to their pre morbid, healthy, or more accurately not-ill state (Pratt, 2007) The Mental Health Act (1983) defines individuals suffering with mental illness as patients. The Act deals with people who have a mental disorder; it contains the effect of detention and covers the interests of a persons health and safety. This act supports the medical model by determining that treatment is needed for the persons disorder implying the same basic philosophy of the medical model of diagnosis, treatment, and cure. The social model examines our relationship and the environment. It was developed in response to the medical model and the impact it had on individual’s life. The social model provides a different perspective, it does not concern with how bad a person’s illness is. It establishes that society erects barriers that prevent people, in turn restricting their opportunities. The philosophy of the social model is to rid society of these barriers, rather than relying on curing the person. The social models primary focus is being on family and group relationships. It considers the social class, risk, vulnerability increase. Early life experiences, peer group, education and sexual experiences are also considered important. The social model of care aims to give other reasons for mental illness, in that it is not just biological. It gives explanation through the environmental factors of life. The social model philosophy is that illness is caused by the society in which we live and is not the fault of an individual person, or an inevitable consequence of their limitations. Recovery is a life orientation that highlights the potential of people with severe mental illness to seek increasingly productive and meaningful lives through activities of their own choosing. The Psychological model is based upon the academic field of psychology. It attempts to explain mental illness through study of the human mind and behaviour. Psychology applies knowledge from the field of study to aspects of human activity, including the problems of individuals daily lives and the treatment of mental illness. Psychologys primary concern is the interaction of mental processes and behaviour and not simply the biological of neutral processes themselves. In 1879 Wilhelm founded a laboratory at the Leipzig University in Germany specifically to focus on the study of psychology. William James later published his 1890 book, Principles of Psychology which laid many of the foundations for the sorts of questions that psychologists would focus on for years to come. The psychological model of care is split into three areas of theory. * Behavioural: inappropriate behaviour learned from negative life experiences, Behavioural Therapies/approaches focus on the need to re-learn more adaptive and appropriate patterns. * Cognitive: perception and interpretation of the world. * Psychoanalytical: Fixation at one of life’s earlier stages. Behaviourism is the psychological theory of the study of behaviour. It rejects the idea that internal mental states such as beliefs, desires, or goals can be studied scientifically. Behaviourism was the dominant model in psychology for much of the 20th century, largely because of the creation and successful application of conditioning theories as scientific models of behaviour. Cognitive psychology studies cognition, the mental processes underlying behaviour. It uses information processing as a framework for understanding the mind. Perception, learning, problem solving, memory, attention, language and emotion are all well researched areas. Cognitive psychology is associated with a school of thought known as cognitivism, whose adherents argue for an information processing model of mental function, informed by positivism and experimental psychology. Psychoanalytical Sigmund Freud, who was trained as a neurologist and had no formal training in experimental psychology, had invented and applied a method of psychotherapy known as psychoanalysis. Freuds understanding of the mind was largely based on interpretive methods and introspection, but was particularly focused on resolving mental distress and psychopathology. Freuds theories became very well-known, probably because they tackled subjects such as sexuality and repression as general aspects of psychological development. These were largely considered taboo subjects at the time, and Freud provided a catalyst for them to be openly discussed in polite society. Although Freuds theories are of virtually no interest today in psychology departments, his application of psychology to clinical work has been very influential. (Jarvis, 2000) Psychotherapy treatments involve a range of techniques which use dialogue and communication and are intended to improve the mental health of the individual. Most forms of psychotherapy use spoken conversation; though some also use various other forms of communication such as writing, art work or touch. More often than not psychotherapy involves a therapist and client on a one to one basis or as group. The therapy addresses specific forms of diagnosable mental illness, or everyday problems in meeting personal goals. Treatment of more everyday problems is referred to as counselling but the term is used interchangeably with psychotherapy. Psychotherapeutic interventions are often designed to treat the client in the medical model, although not all psychotherapeutic approaches follow the model of illness/cure. Some practitioners, such as humanistic schools, see themselves in an educational or helper role. Mental health care practice has now evolved into a mixture of the three models of care and is referred to as the bio psychosocial approach. The bio psychosocial approaches to treatment are broadly speaking holistic. Biological psychological and social factors are all incorporated into individual patient assessment. The bio psychosocial model of medicine is a way of looking at the mind and body of a patient as two important systems that are interlinked. The bio psychosocial model is also a technical term for the popular concept of the mind-body connection. This is in contrast to the traditional biomedical model of medicine. The bio psychosocial model draws a distinction between the actual pathological processes that cause disease, and the patients perception of their health and the effects on it, called the illness. As well as a separate existence of disease and illness, the bio psychosocial model states that the workings of the body can affect the mind, and the workings of the mind can affect the body. (Gilbert. P, 2002) stated that: At its best the bio psychosocial approach is holistic but is also more than that. The bio psychosocial approach addresses the complexity of interactions between different domains of functioning and argues that it is the interaction of domains that illuminate important processes. Gilbert, P (2002). Government policies and guidelines dictating the standards of care for the mentally ill now give consideration to the bio psychosocial approach to care. The National Service Framework for mental health was launched in 1999 and sets out how mental health services will be planned, delivered and monitored. The NSF lists seven standards that set targets for the mental health care of adults aged up to 65. These standards span five areas: health promotion and stigma, primary care and access to specialist services, needs of those with severe and enduring mental illness, carers needs, and suicide reduction are also considered. A primary concern of anti-psychiatry is that an individuals degree of adherence to communally, or majority, held values may be used to determine that persons level of mental health. Other organisations such as Mind Freedom International and World Network of Users and Survivors of Psychiatry maintain that psychiatrists exaggerate the evidence of medication and minimize the evidence of adverse drug reaction. An article published through the anti-psychiatry movement stated that: â€Å"Psychiatry should be abolished as a medical speciality because medical school education is not needed nor even helpful for doing counselling or so-called psychotherapy, because the perception of mental illness as a biological entity is mistaken, because psychiatrys treatments  other than counselling or psychotherapy (primarily drugs and electroshock) Hurt rather than help people, because non-psychiatric physicians are better able than psychiatrists to treat real brain disease, and because non-psychiatric physicians acceptance of psychiatry as a medical specialty is a poor reflection on the medical profession as a whole (Stevens. L, 2006). The medical profession does not have a precise understanding of why some individuals develop a psychiatric disorder and some do not. Some have developed a general theory to explain the causes of these disorders and their course over time called the stress vulnerability model. This theory was originally introduced as a means to explain some of the underlying causes of schizophrenia by Zubin Spring, (1977). Therefore Psychiatric disorders have a biological basis, but environmental factors can influence their course over time. The stress-vulnerability model points out that a positive outcome of a psychiatric disorder is more likely if environmental stress is minimized or managed well, medication is taken as prescribed, and alcohol and drug abuse are avoided. Conclusion Through the evolution of mental health care it has been made clear that the three separate models of medical, social and psychological approaches of care are not each in their own right complimentary to the holistic needs of individuals suffering with diagnoses of mental illness. Pressure from such groups as the Anti- Psychiatry movement is helping to change attitudes and perceptions about mental health. Critics of psychiatry generally do not dispute the notion that some people have emotional or psychological problems, or that some psychotherapies do not work for a problem. They do usually disagree with psychiatry on the source of these problems; the appropriateness of characterising these problems as illness and on what the proper management options are. Mental health care is delivered with assessments and needs of the individual being assessed through a collaborative approach of Effective Care Co-ordination. ECC assesses individual’s needs through the bio psychosocial philosophy i. e. : medical assessment, social needs and or psychological interventions. All mental health service users have a range of needs which no one treatment service or agency can meet alone; this system of ECC allows a service user access to the most relevant response. Hopefully providing the individual the necessary tenets of care they require. References: Davison, G. C. Neale, J. M. (1997) Abnormal psychology (7th Ed. ). New York, John Wiley Sons Inc. Department of Health. (1999) National Service Framework, Mental Health. The Stationary Office Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth edition. Copyright 2000 American Psychiatric Association. Gilbert, P.(2002) Clinical Psychology. Understanding the bio psychosocial approach: Conceptualisation. Kingsway Hospital, Derby. Flanagan, C. (2003) Psychology for AS: AQA Specification: The Complete Companion, Cheltenham, Nelson Thornes Ltd | | | | | | | | | Bottom of Form Mora,G. (1985) History of Psychiatry. Baltimore, M. D. : Williams Wilkins. Mental Health Act 1983. [Online] Available: dh. gov. uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicyAndGuidance/DH_4005756 [Accessed 3rd February 2010] Stevens, L. Why psychiatry should be abolished as a medical speciality. [Online] Available: http://antipsychiatry. org/abolish. htm. [Accessed 23rd February 2010] Sue, D et al. (1990) Understanding abnormal behaviour (3rd Ed. ). Boston, MA: Houghton Mifflin. The 1832 Madhouse Act and the Metropolitan Commission in Lunacy from 1832 [Online] Available: http://studymore. org. uk/3s. htm [Accessed 25th February 2010] UPIAS [Online] Available: gmcdp. com/UPIAS. html [Accessed 6thMarch 2010] Zubin, J. The aim of this essay is to explore and explain how differing theoretical approaches used by mental health practitioners can affect the way care is provided. This will be achieved through examining the influences of each model and their effects upon the practice of mental health care. Some historical information will be provided to give explanation of the background into the evolution of social and moral perspectives that have shaped mental health care practice throughout the ages. There are 3 principle theoretical approaches used in practice today those being the biological, psychological and social models. People who exhibited behaviour that deviated from what society considered the norm would be considered to have an evil mind. Treatment during these times would be conducted in the forms of spiritualistic ceremonies and crude forms of brain surgery, (trepanning) done by the shaman. The motive for this practice would be to allow evil spirits to be released. It has been suggested that stone-age cave dwellers may have treated behaviour disorders with this treatment of trepanation. (Sue et al, 1990). It appears inevitable that they explained mental illness through a non-scientific cause, because they had not developed scientific techniques to provide a materialistic cause. The supernatural concept of mental illness still existed throughout ancient times with many civilisations such as the Egyptians, Greeks and the Roman Empire believing the cause to be one of a supernatural reason. It was with the ancient Egyptians came the first signs of changes to the treatment of the mentally ill. Egyptians like the early Stone Age societies mainly regarded mental illness as magical or religious in nature; however their society which was obsessed with life after death meant that the health of the mind or soul played an essential part in ones overall health. There is evidence to suggest that an ancient temple near Saqqara was being used as a rudimentary hospital for the treatment of the mentally ill which could mean that Egyptian society with its fixation on the health of the soul has the first recorded evidence of a mental healthcare system for their society. (Flanigan, 2003) According to Davison Neale, the Greek philosophy of mental illness was a doctrine of demonology that an evil being, such as the devil dwells

Leadership Reflection Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Leadership Reflection - Essay Example leader is the transformational leadership in which I try to set down such standards that those following me find easy to follow by their own willingness. Other domains in which I see myself as a leader are intrapersonal leadership because I tend to lead my own self in a very effective way; and, interpersonal leadership because I believe that I conduct effective relationship management with my stakeholders through effectual conflict management based on active communication and collaboration. I keep everyone on the platform happy and satisfied and keep them motivated through personal attention and rewards. These were some domains in which I see myself as a good and ethical leader. 2. I take care of the employees so as to preserve a vigorous environment within the organization. I verify that the salaries are being paid in time; try to pursue a system of rewards and bonuses; and, listen to the employees’ troubles and try to remove them. This keeps them working at high competence. I make agreements with business partners while respecting their decisions. This confidence between the partners makes the organization grow and maintains its integrity. I know how to schedule my projects keeping in mind the time frame and instruct the team to manage work schedule accordingly. I know that I have to abide by the rules and regulations I have agreed upon while signing a contract and will never back off. All this adds to the progress of my organization. Strengths that I wish to develop include vision and framing my actions according to ethics. I want to develop a brawny vision so that I am able to solve problems with ethical values. I want to be able to frame my acti ons in such a way that they go just in accordance to my inner beliefs and standards because according to Freeman and Stewart (2006), leadership is â€Å"a fully ethical task†. 3. When I look at my past, I come across many events that have changed my inner self to the kind of person I am today. My leadership skills