FILM FORM IN WORLD CINEMA Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1750 words

FILM FORM IN WORLD CINEMA - Essay Example The cinema in the 1950s represented the true spirit of Africans; it was at the same time that the West believed that Africa was a country with no history. Most of their histories were locked up in small museums in the Western World itself. Something of the same kind is going on today in countries like India, Iran and Iraq. The cinema that emerged in Africa was not just movies made out of passion but was culturally a strong factor to bring the entire history of Africa under one roof.in fact, Frantz Fanon’s work, On National Consciousness, includes the work a poem called ‘African Dawn’, that was later made into a film called ‘Camp D’Thiarove’, by Ousmane Sembe`ne. Then came ‘The Battle of Algiers’, which was made in 1965 which was a highly influential movie by an Italian Director, Gillo Pontecorvo, This was basically a movie about the Algerians who fought against the French in the attempt to break away from the Colonial Yolk in the 1 950’s to 1962. African Movies were at the time influenced by both Colonialism and Neo-Colonialism since almost all art forms including Poetry, Paintings, Art Works and Songs were influenced by the indigenous culture. For once, art was influenced by the nationalistic spirit and it real function instead of mere western aesthetics. The cinema in Africa was known to be ‘militant fighting cinema’, and worked in opposing the dominant imperialistic rule. The Cinema in Africa represents largely the definition of ‘Towards Third Cinema’, they represent their distinct style and form in almost all their works. It is quite a cinema of opposition as counterpoised to the lavish cinema of the First World. As mentioned earlier, the Third World Cinema has thus earned the name ‘An Imperfect Cinema’ (Roy Ames, 1987). Among the Latin American film makers, Fernando Solanas and Octavio Getino; both Argentinean film-makers, were the key authors of creating the manifesto of ‘Towards a Third Cinema’ with their Cinema Liberacio`n movement.with time the growth of the manifesto was incredible. The talented duo then went on to make a three part, four hours documentary called, ‘'La Hora de los Hornos' [Hour of the Furnaces]. A lot of films got into severe censorship issues since Argentina was under the military dictatorship (M. T. Martin, 1997). This film exhibited major politico activities which exhibited many militant work that dominated the Latin American Scene. The manifesto majorly saw certain anti-colonial struggles of the third world people. These ideas were heavily borrowed by thinkers such as Marx, Fanon and Mao and were all connected to the populist leader of Argentina, General Per`on (Martin M. T. 1997). Moving back to the Cinema’s of Africa, the threads are quite similar to that of

Freedom Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words - 1

Freedom - Essay Example Freedom of speech is important in media and press since it heals with public. In a democratic state, of which most states in the world are, the interest and the rights of the state take priority. Politics and freedom to speech is inseparable since politics is the main component of democracy. Some argue that democracy is an idea of peoples self governance. The electorate in such a system must be properly informed and with no constrains for ideas and information to flow. If constrained, the electorate can easily be manipulated to avoid criticisms which are healthy. Accountability process and freedom of speech significantly impacts on the governance quality of a country. The worldwide measure and indicator of the freedom of speech is the freedom of association, freedom of expression and freedom of media. Debating and open discussions in democratic nations is important in the achievement of a stable and more adaptive community. This brings about consensus rather than imposition of laws. Through social interactions, stakeholders of a particular institution are able to engage in discussions that bears development in the direction of the community. Thus, the freedom of speech and expression plays a major role in the world today and it is one of the main pillars of the democracy building. Freedom of worship also means the freedom of religion or freedom of belief. It protects individual and gives them the liberty to choose to believe in the teachings and faith of their choice. Nobody in any part of the world is compelled to follow any specific religion. Article 18 of the Universal Declaration of Human Right covers the fundamentals of the freedom of worship. There are different religions in the world ranging from Islam, Christianity, Hinduism and even Judaism. In pursuit of democracy, a nation should strive as much as possible to tolerate and respect the people’s choice that allows them to worship freely. This was a universal full fledge after the United Nations G eneral Assembly passed a declaration on elimination of all forms of intolerance and religion based discrimination on 25th November 1981. Religion freedom was recognized as a fundamental human right henceforth. (John Winthrop, 2009), the government should allow people to choose religion freely so that long run societal interest to prevail. He pointed out that laws that prevent the freedom of religion seek to preserve belief and power in a particular religion. In a given religion, the way of worship is almost similar but sharply differs between religions. Since there are no laws that prohibit religion choice, it definitely means that the freedom of worship is also guaranteed. This freedom allows people to worship God in their own way and style. In as much as freedom of worship is universal all over in the world, there are no specific and outright laws that dictate and govern on how people should worship. There is also a limit beyond which worship freedom should not go beyond. In pursu it of worship, it musts be within the limits as not to conflict with other laws. In as much as the holy books such as the bible and the Quran being one of the sources of most constitutions in the world, it does not give them prevalence over the constitution. The constitution is the supreme law of any country and any other law that is consistent with it is declared void to the extent of inconsistency. People are free to switch

Social and political doctrine Essay Example for Free

Social and political doctrine Essay Fascist theorists, repeating one of Mussolinis convictions, maintained that every social and political doctrine revolved around a specific conception of man and society. If this is true, Fascisms doctrine gravitated around a normic conception of man and society which Fascist theoreticians themselves variously charecterized as organic, solidaristic, or communalistic in order to distinguish it from the liberal coception to which Fascism was intransigently opposed. Before the advent of Fascism, both syndicalists and nationalists referred to their general conception of man and society as organic ;that is to say, society was understood to constitute a system, an integrated network of recurrent norm- governed interpersonal behavior patterns, coprehensive and differentiated enough to be self- sufficient with respect to the functional equirements of its members, and capable of long- term persistence. The individual was understoo to be a functioning component of a self-regulating social system. He was conceived as a determinate person only insofar as he assumed functions within the structure of relations which preceded his role occupancy and which would persist beyond it. For Fascists to speak of a social system, of integration, of norm governance, and of pattern persistence implied the existence of a central and sovereign agency of control and regulation: the state. Thus, in one of the early systematizations of Fascist doctrine, Giovanni Corso could maintain that society, law, and state are inseparable notions. The one is intrinsic to the other:. In 1935, Stefano Raguso insisted that even  the simplest community of men is inconceivable unless sustained by an active principle of organization [and] this principle of organization consists in the subordination to a sovreign, political power. This relationship had already been systematized in 1927 by Corrado Gini, who was a member of the commission studying constitutional reform after Fascisms accession to power. He describes society as a system normally found in evolutionary or devolutionary equilibrium possessed of the capacity of self- conservation and re- equilibrization which finds its highest expressioo in the modern state. Fascist doctrine inherited many conceptions from the sociological traditions of prewar Italy, but it was the conception of the state, which became central to Fascist thought only in 1921, which gave Fascism a specific and determinate character of its own. Thus, Fascists indicated that while the people, sustained by the group building sentiments to which we have alluded, constitute the content of the state, the state is formally defined by its political and juridical functions. Fascists held that, technically speaking, any form of ordered, autonomous associated life was animated by a state. The state is any society or community of men held together by a political nexus. The formal element in the state is its sovereign political and juridical power. The state is the creator of an order, through the medium of law, or norms, that reduces all the component entities to unity and coordinates all activities to a common end. The state is the ultimate repository of force to which all other must, in the final analysis, appeal for regulative sanction. Fascist theorists like Panunzio recognized that organized associations within the state had the capacity to issue rules and regulations governing their collective membership, but they held that such rules and regulations were effective only if they were directly or indirectly sanctioned by the state. That is, it was recognized that association would follow interests, real or fancied, that provided the grounds of identification among men. The imposing rise of economic organizations, specifically the syndicates, was ample evidence of that historic reality. Sects, clubs, cooperatives, cultural association- all constituted interest-fostered, rule-governed association within the state. All were autonomousinsofar as they were capable of governing their  own internal organization by the promulgstion of procedural and substantive rules. The state might not, for whatever reasons, exercise its sovereign right over them. Organizations might continue to function on the strenght of their own capacity to sanction their members. Nonetheless, Fascists insisted, the state is the sole and ultimate source of imperative sanction since the stae has the exclusive right to the regulation of the use of force. In effct, Fascism rejected the thesis that there was any limit, in principle, to the states political and juridical sovereignity. The state was integral, totalitarian. Fascism conceived no interest-economic, educational, religious or cultural- as falling outside its purview. Tere was, consequently, no private as distinct from public interest. This idea found doctrinal expression in Mussolinis aphorism: Everything within the state, nothing outside the state, and nothing against the state. If the term community has as its reference a number of individuals whose behaviour is governed by a normative order, and if the state provides the ultimate sanction that sustains theorder, the state is then understood to constitute  an underlying and essential social reality that is coextensive and coterminous with, and logically prior to, the community. If that community is a nation- a community having a common history and culture, that manifests itself in shared, stable, and habitual preferences and pririties that permit members to share more intimately with each other a wider range of communication than with outsiders- then the nation and the state are, in some critical sense, conflated. In speaking of the state per se one refers to the normative order, and in speaking of the nation one speaks of the collection of living individuals whose behaviour exemplifies that order. The political formula, Costamagna maintained, was a stenographic and sometimes elliptical formula which exressed the ultimate moral basis upon which the legitimation of power of a political class rests. Recognition, on the part of the political mass, of the legitimacy of rule entitles the moral obligation of obedience to rule. Moreover, the political formula provides the hierarchy of values which order the moral universe of the individual. The politica formula provides the content of imperatives and their normative force as well. In terms of the doctrinal language of Fascism, the nation was construed to be the real and the ultimate source of all that was valuable and valued in the individual. The nation was understood to be essentially a norm-governed community. The state was the ultimate source of sanction which, in making the norms operative, made the nation a realiy. In this fashion the state and the nation are identified with the expression stato-nazion. Since the normative system is the constitutive moral substance of the people that constitute the content of the nation-state, the state and the people are identified with the expression stato-  popolo. Since the prevailing normative system is the product of a series of creative acts on the part of historic political elites, and the contemporary political elite is charged with the responsability of sustaining and perpetuating that system and educating the masses to its responsabilities, that elitr organized in a unitary party and that system can be identified with the expression stato-partito. What results is a convenient set of substitutions that permits the nation to be identified with the state, the people and the party. This, in essence, is what Fascism mean by an integral  political system, or totalitarianism. In effect, what was implied was an identification of the ultimate real interests of the nation, the state, the party, and the individual, however divergent their apparent interests. Since the state and the party were effectively identified with the wilol of the man, Mussolini, was via the substitutions above indicated, identified with the nation. It was this identification which charecterized Mussolinis leadership as charismatic; the Duce was conceived as the living and active incarnation of the nation. This conception of charisma entered  official Fascism doctrine, for Michels identified the Regime as charismatuc government, and the official Party manual of 1936 maintained that the charismatic theory of the national society has found, in reality its first full realization in Fascism. The Fascist Synthesis Fascist doctrine was largely Mussolinis own product. Some os its elements were vital constituents of Mussolinis social and political thought as early as 1904. As he gimself indicated, however, these elements had themselves been constituents of other political or intellectual traditions. The three princical doctrinal sources of the Fascist synthesis are the antiparliamentarian sociological tradition of Gumplowicz, Mosca, Pareto, the radical syndicalist tradition of Sorel, and the nationalist tradition of Corradini. A common provenience and a constellation of historic circumstances bruoght these traditions together in Fascism. What was lacking was a principle of unity, a concept which would articulate these elements into a defensible rationale. That unifying concept was the Gentilean notion of the state; and with its adoption Fascism became the first frank totalitarian movement on the twentieth century. The doctrine of Fascism rests upon the moral priority of the nation and the state as its moral substance against which all other values are relative. Since this is th case, we have notdealt with the varying and various institutions thruogh which the integration of economy was affected. The institutional structure of the Corporative State is far less significant than the hierarchy of values which provided its rationale. Fascists early made it plain that they would use whatever methods proved effective in their effort to integrate the economic, intellectual and political life on the nation into one infrangible unity.

Impact of Work-Related Stress, and Treatment

Impact of Work-Related Stress, and Treatment Stress as the modern day back pain Abstract It has been estimated by MIND, the mental health charity, that in excess of five million people in the United Kingdom are suffering such an extreme level of work related stress as to put them at risk of a complete breakdown (cited in Laurence 2005). The pressures on individuals suffering from stress frequently results in them being absent from work although, whilst they remain in work there are effects on the level of accidents and the productivity rates. With the significant financial loss that this gives business, it would be expected that managers are highly proactive in reducing the causes and effects of stress. This report sets out to determine if this is true and to measure people’s knowledge of stress, their awareness of its prevalence and the ways in which it is being controlled. The research suggests that managers have very little knowledge of any of these areas. Despite the increasing level of publicity in both the public and professional press, the problem of stress remains unmonitored and its effects inaccurately measured by the majority of the companies questioned. The guidelines produced by the Health and Safety Executive and the legal requirements under the Health and Safety at Work Act have seemingly had no impact on organisations. Failure to recognise and address the issue of work-related stress will, therefore, lead to it becoming a blight on British industry, being misunderstood, unchecked and poorly measured, as the problem of non-specific back pain was for much of the second half of the last century. The costs of work-related stress are well reported. The European Agency for Safety and Health at Work reports that over 40 million days a year are lost to British industry because of stress-related problems (Health and Safety Executive 2004). A recent report by the mental health charity, MIND, states that more than five million people in the United Kingdom are suffering such as extreme level of work related stress as to put them at risk of a complete breakdown (cited in Laurence 2005).Their report goes on to say that for every  £10 generated in the economy,  £1 is lost due to stress related issues and that â€Å"less than 10% of companies have a policy to deal with it† (cited in Laurence 2005pg. 16). ACAS report the Health and Safety Executives findings of 1995 that the cost to society of work related stress was  £3.7 billion. Lord Layard reported to a Government seminar more recently that he estimates the current costs to be  £25 billion (cited in Laurence 2005). It is noted that they do not define what is included in these costs. The most recent statistics show that disability claims due to mental and behavioural disorders has risen from 28% of the total claims submitted in 1997, to 37% in 2003 and is expected to continue to rise (Personnel Today magazine 2005). The subject of stress is appearing more often in both the popular press and professional publications. O’Driscoll et al refer to the work offset and Schuler who suggest that there are four main reason for this: â€Å"concern for individual employee health†¦the financial impact on organisations†¦organisational effectiveness and legal obligations on employers to provide safe and healthy work environments† (O’Driscollet al 2002 pg 188). The question remains as to how organisations are monitoring, reducing and managing the stress experienced by their employees and how they can improve in these areas. Literature Review Stress is not a new phenomenon. It was first identified in 1910 by Sir William Osler who identified that some patients appeared to be under strain during medical treatment. In was not until 1936 that a specific definition of stress as a reaction to a demand on a person was reported by Selly (O’Driscoll et al 2002). A major period of research was in the1950s, when Lazarus et al examined the effects of stress on work performance. McGrath noted that stress is due to â€Å"environmental demands exceeding a person’s resources and capacity, when the outcomes are important for the person† (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002 pg 190) and French et al formalised the role of the environment in stress by saying that â€Å"strain can result from the mismatch between the person and the environment on dimensions important to the well-being of the individual† (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002 pg 190). Lazarus continued his work to examine the three phases of cognitive appraisal of stress. He identified that these are primary – the initial reaction to a risk, secondary the assessment of how to overcome the source and reappraisal judging whether or not the reaction to the source of stress was successful (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002). This work was important as it initiated more investigations into coping mechanisms. Behr and Franz’s work differentiated between the concept of stressors as â€Å"the environmental stimulus or event† and strains â€Å"the person’s response to the stimulus or event† (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002 pg192) and this differentiation became and has remained important when looking at how to reduce stress in the workplace (Fontana 1989). It is recognised that stress is a natural aspect of life, but also that work-related stress is becoming global in nature and affects both manual and professional staff in industrialised and developing countries. The University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology have measured certain jobs as being prone to more than 6 one stress scale rating of 1 to 10. These include miner, police officer and prison officer (Health and Safety Executive 2004). The National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) is the American equivalent of the UK’s Health and Safety Executive. NIOSH is a Federal agency responsible for â€Å"conducting research and making recommendations for the prevention of work-related illness and injury†(Saunter et al 1999). Their report, publication number 99-101, cites three statistics to illustrate the problem of work-related stress in the USA. Northwester National Life found that work is the main stressor for a quarter of people, Princeton Survey Research Associates report that three quarters of workers think there is more stress at work than the previous generation experienced and St Paul Fire and Marine Insurance found that health complaints are much more likely to be duet factors associated with work than with family or financial problems(Saunter et al 1999). This leads us to determine the exact nature of stress. Fontana makes the point that it is not so much â€Å"the events that determine whether we’re stressed or not, as our reaction to them†(Fontana 1989 pp. 3). He goes on to call individual’s reaction to potentially stressful situations as a result of their cognitive appraisal of the situation i.e. what one person sees as being stressful, someone else will not. He cites the philosopher, Epictetus, who said â€Å"men are not disquieted by things themselves, but by their idea if things† (Fontana 1989 pg. 63). The Health and Safety Executive echo this view in defining stress as â€Å"the adverse reaction people have to excessive pressure or other types of demand placed on them† (Sautà © ret al 1999). Similarly, the European Commission’s definition is: â€Å"the emotional, cognitive, behavioural and psychological reaction to aversive and noxious aspects of work, work environments and work organisations. It is a state characterised by high levels of arousal and stress and often by feelings of not coping† (Health and Safety Executive 2004). Selly noted that stress is not always a detrimental emotion. He defined the difference between â€Å"eustress†, which is seen as positive, motivating and challenging circumstances, which give people an opportunity to stretch themselves and achieve self-satisfaction, and â€Å"distress†, which is where people cannot cope (cited in Foot et al1999). Within the human resources professional publications, it is frequently cited that there is no actual definition of stress or its symptoms as it is not a recognised medical term (Personnel Today magazine 2005).However, several writers have described the body’s reaction to stress and the effects it has. Fontana defines stress as the demand on the adaptive capacity of the body and mind and highlights that too little of this demand leads to boredom and under stimulation, whereas too much results in being overstretched and overwhelmed. When faced with a challenge, the natural reaction of the body is that of fight or flight – either standing the ground and confronting the source of the challenge or by strategically withdrawing. This fight or flight reaction is meant to be a short term, immediate reaction to perceived danger as a method of survival. If its allowed to continue, it can have an adverse effect. As Fontana points out, â€Å"our modern society doesn’t usually allow us physically to fight or run away when we face stressors so that we are allowed to relax. We remain in a state of preparedness for action which we aren’t permitted to take† (Fontana 1989 pp. 6). The body’s responses to stress can be divided into four categories. Firstly, several chemicals are released into the bloodstream including adrenalin, no radelin, thyroid hormones and cholesterol. These stimulate the body through increasing the reflex rate and increasing the blood supply and blood sugar levels to increase the metabolism. However, if this increase in metabolism is not dissipated through physical activity, it can increase the likelihood of heart disease, strokes and kidney disease and aggravate diabetes (Fontana 1989). A racing metabolism can lead to tiredness and exhaustion. The second response is the redirection of blood from those organs which can cope with this forth short term, such as the skin and the stomach, to the air passages in the lungs to increase the aeration of the blood to feed the muscles. Again, if this continues over an extended period of time it can resulting digestive problems, bouts of unconsciousness and malfunctions of the body’s natural temperature control mechanism. The third reaction is an increase in concentration abilities. This is caused by the release of endorphins and cortisone which lowers the body’s natural immunity system and decreases the body’s sensitivity to pain. Again, over the long term, this can result in increased susceptibility to infection, ulcers and extreme allergies. Finally, because the blood thickens to accelerate the clotting process in the case of injury, it also becomes more difficult to move round the body, putting pressure on the heart and possibly leading to heart disease and str okes (Fontana 1989). The phenomenon of â€Å"burn out† is described by Malachi as the state where â€Å"emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation of others in the work context, and feelings of low personal accomplishment on the job† lead to an inability to function in the work environment (cited in O’Driscoll teal 2002 pg. 202) and is seen as the end result of unchecked stress. The causes of stress may come from several sources. Work is seen by many as being a primary source. General organisational problems include insufficient or poorly communicated process and procedures, unclear roles and responsibilities and a lack of basic tools and facilities. A lack of support functions which are often viewed as non-essential, not only increases the workload of individuals who have to do more in their day-to-day activities, but can also lead to feelings of worthlessness. The increased tendency to long or unsociable hours can not only affect the body’s natural circadian rhythm, but can make it difficult to establish and maintain those things which people find help to diffuse their stress e.g. relationships and hobbies. Lack of prospects in apposition can be stressful, although, as will be discussed later, thesis not the case for everyone. A lack of job security is seen as an initiator of stress and becomes particularly significant during a time of change when other stressor may be encountered such as having to alter established work routines and methods. Apart from these general organisational problems, there are a whole host of specific conditions which lead to high levels of stress (Fontana 1989). NIOSH summarise these as: â€Å"the design of tasks, management style, interpersonal relationships, work roles, career concerns and environmental conditions† (cited in Saunter et al 1999). NIOSH relate a list of eighteen work-related areas that can produce stress (cited in Saunter teal 1999). These are referred to in more depth later in the report. What also needs to be taken into account are the sources of stress outside the workplace which lead to the symptoms being displayed whilst artwork. These include domestic problems and also more deeply seated psychological issues such as obsessionality, sensation seeking and over-identification (Fontana 1989). It has been suggested that certain personality types are more susceptible to stress. Commonly used is the distinction between Type And Type B people, as initially defined by Cooper and Bram well (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002). Fontana describes this distinction impersonality types as being generally accepted by psychologists and medical doctors. A Type A person displays the characteristics of competitiveness, impatience and inflexibility. They work better when given tough deadlines and will tend to take a leadership role. They set themselves high standards to achieve and our highly self-critical if they don’t achieve them. Although Fontana does not provide details, he claims that Type A people are more likely to develop heart disease and high blood pressure. He goes on to suggest that Type A people are more likely to be susceptible to stress as they are highly competitive and â€Å"mobilised almost permanently for action† (Fontana 1989 pg. 72). Other writers, Gangster and Schaubroeck 1991, Haskins, Baglioni and Cooper1990 and Froggatt and Cotton, all cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002,debate whether Type A people are subject to increased stress because they put themselves in more situations that can be deemed as being stressful because of their competitive nature, or that they are more likely to experience stress in any given situation NIOSH report that whilst some employers believe that remain competitive in the economy, organisations need to exert pressure on their employees to maximise productivity and reduce costs, research shows that organisational performance is adversely impacted by th e increase absenteeism, error rates and poor motivation. Similarly, they have found that those organisations that incorporate policies that encourage good health in employees showed a corresponding healthiness in their competitiveness in the economy (cited in Saunter et al 1999). This differentiation as to the relative importance of environmental factors over personality traits has remained an important factor in stress research and, consequently, the approaches to managing stress in the workplace. Ivancevich et al suggest three approaches to managing organisational stress. These are: â€Å"reduce the number or intensity of stressors experienced by employees, help employees modify their appraisal of the stressfulness of the situation or help employees in coping more effectively with stressors and their consequences† (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002 pg 213). Kahn and Bossier, 1992, identified that the majority of action taken in relation to stress occurred at the second level i.e. involved in changing the way people viewed stressful situations through training and employee assistance programmes (EAPs),rather than trying to remove the actual source of the strain (cited in O’Driscoll et al 2002 pg 213). O’Driscoll (2002) argues that the evidence for the effectiveness of these programmes is limited and that there are questionable benefits to training employees to be able to cope with poor working conditions or practices. Despite this, NIOSH report that nearly half of large companies in the United Sates offer stress management training to their employees, usually involving such topics as time management and relaxation techniques. They point out that these types of interventions have only a short-term effect on the symptoms of stress as well as emphasising the need to alleviate the root causes of the stress (cited in Saunter et al 1999). Elkin and Rosh have put forward a number of actions that could be taken to resolve the stress at source. These include task redesign, allowing flexible work patterns, empowerment of employees and reviewing reward systems to ensure they are equitable. Evaluations of these interventions are reported by O’Driscoll as being positive, but he goes on to emphasise that their use has been limited (O’Driscoll et al2002). Burke noted that the â€Å"removal or reduction of stressors is the most direct way to reduce stress since it deals with the source† (Burke1993 pg. 85). Whilst he does concede that â€Å"these approaches may entail immediate costs for the organisation†, he also notes that â€Å"these will be offset by long-term benefits not only for individual employees but also the organisation as a whole† (Burke 1993 pg. 85). NIOSH recommends combined approach, as even if the causes of stress for the majority of employees were removed, because of individual appraisal of stressors, it would be impossible to remove them all. They also emphasise the need for the size and nature of the organisation to be taken into consideration, as what is possible and desirable for a large multinational may not be appropriate or practical for a small enterprise (cited in Saunter et al 1999). NIOSH identify that the three main factors required for an individual to be able to â€Å"reduce the effects of stressful work conditions† are: â€Å"balance between work and family or personal life, a support network of friends and co-workers and a relaxed and positive outlook† (cited insurer et al 1999). They also advocate a basic programme to initiate actress prevention programme. This involves awareness building for all employees, securing the support and commitment of the senior management team, seeking an utilising employee input to all areas of the programme and ensuring the technical skills of stress management are incorporated through training specific employees of using the resources of consultants. They see employee involvement as being particularly useful when looking at the job design causes of stress and the employee have first-hand knowledge of the tasks (cited in Saunter et al 1999). The Health and Safety at Work Act 1974 and the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations of 1999 made employers legally bound to undertake risk assessments in the workplace to identify the potential hazards and to take measures to reduce them. Within the definition of potential hazards was stress. As there remained some confusion as tithe nature and causes of stress, the HSE developed a series of standards to be used by employers to identify and manage the key causes of stress at work. These are: â€Å"the demands made on employees, the level of control employees have over their work, the support employees receive from managers and colleagues, the organisational policies in place, the clarity of the employees role within the organisation, the nature of relationships at work and the way that change is managed†(ACAS 2004). In the second half of the last century, a common problem for businesses was the amount of absence from work due to no specific back pain. As it’s difficult to prove that someone is not suffering from back pain, concerns existed as to how it could be controlled. It is suggested that, not only may work-related stress take this position as the main cause of absence from work, but also that the two conditions are related. Occupational Health magazine has reported the findings of research which indicates that musculo skeletal disorders (MSDs) are one of the most common symptoms of stress (Occupational Health 2004). It is suggested that the rise in incapacity benefit claims related to mental or behavioural problems is directly linked to the decrease in claims for back problems and this is due to doctors being more likely to diagnose mental problems as they have less of a stigma than previously for patients. It is therefore possible, that there has been no actual increase in the amount of stress related illness, rather that it is now called that whereas previously people reported one of the symptom of stress which was back pain (Personnel Today magazine 2005). The difficulties in determining whether a reported illness is merely symptom of the deeper underlying problem of stress leads to questions being raised as to amount of stress experienced by today’s workers. Charlesworth (1984) suggests that â€Å"as many as 75% of all medical complaints are stress related† in the United States. Methodolgy The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first section was asked only of those in senior management positions such as general managers and personnel managers. This was done to determine organisational policies, procedures and measurement of stress. The second set of questions was asked of everybody and included the senior managers so that the effects of stress on them could also be measured. The questionnaire was sent out to variety of business types including catering, production and financial services. The objective was to gain an overall view of the effects of stress on businesses, not to concentrate on those industries which have been classed as particularly stressful as this would have given a distorted view. A limitation of this approach is noted however, as being that some of the respondents indicated low levels of stress or no stress at all and may have therefore been unable to answer all the questions from personal experience. The main objective of the questionnaire was to collect information on the effects of stress in the workplace, the cost of stress and the benefits of a stress free environment. The questionnaire included admixture of quantitative questions to determine factual information and qualitative questions to collect opinions. As the research did not want to suggest answers to the respondents, all the questions were asked aspen questions. Providing multiple-choice answers may have had detrimental effects on the replies received, as it would provide options the respondent may not have considered. However, it is accepted that there may have been an effect in that people did not realise that point was relevant. For example, in the question regarding the symptoms of stress, the respondents might not consider backache unless it was suggested to them. Two exceptions to this were question nine in the manager’s questionnaire and question eight in the general questionnaire which examined the respondents views on the sources of work-related stress given by NIOSH (cited in Salter et al 1999). The replies given to all the other questions were then categorised byte writer. When collating the replies on managing stress, the guidelines set out by the Health and Safety Executive were used and the writer determined which category the answer came under (demands, support, control, policies, role and change). It is accepted that this was a potential weakness in this part of the questionnaire as it was based on the writer’s opinion. The questionnaire was distributed in a postal format to non-senior managers following personal visits to the organisations to conduct separate survey with the senior managers and to gain their consent. Whilst this method has benefits in that respondents would be more likely to be honest as the replies were anonymous (except for those in specific management positions), there are also drawbacks in that a low response rate was expected. To overcome this, the number of questionnaires sent out allowed a population sample of one hundred tube expected with a return rate of 20%. The actual number returned was seventy-five. The questionnaire was conducted on a face-to-face basis for the management roles, as it was important that their questionnaires were returned to provide important information as to policies and procedures. This resulted in a 100% return rate of management surveys. The responses from the general questionnaire were subdivided into those from management and non-management with the supervisors being defined as managers. This allowed better analysis of the results. Where appropriate, it is indicated whether the respondents were manual workers, office based and/or customer facing as this is seen as being relevant to the research. As stated earlier, as the purpose of the research was not to determine which job sectors are more stressful, the results do not differentiate between organisations. Questionaire Managers 1. What do you understand by the word â€Å"stress†? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents An inability to cope with something that causes panic 4 31 Anxiety 5 38 Fear of failure or not being able to continue 7 54 Depression 2 15 When you have too much to do and not enough time or resources to do it 8 62 When you cannot remain rationale about a situation 2 15 Losing control 1 8 Don’t know 0 0 2. What causes stress? Answer Number of respondents % of respondents Too much to do and not enough time to do it 6 46 Different things for different people 4 31 Don’t know 2 15 Other 1 8 3. What would indicate to you that an employee is suffering from work related stress? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Through being absent and giving stress as the cause 10 77 They would submit a grievance 1 8 They would tell their manager 1 8 Other 0 0 Don’t know 1 8 4. Do you or your organisation, actively measure stress levels amongst your employees, and if yes, how? Answer Number of respondents Percept of respondents Absenteeism reported as due to stress 10 77 Performance measures 1 8 Combination of these 1 8 Do not actively measure 1 8 5. How do you evaluate the success of any interventions to reduce stress? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Look for a reduction in absenteeism with stress given as the reason 12 92 Don’t measure 0 0 Staff surveys 1 8 Don’t know 0 0 6. Where is the emphasis of your efforts to manage stress Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Reducing or eliminating the causes of stress 1 8 Helping employees to modify their appraisal of the stressfulness of situations 0 0 Helping employees in coping more effectively with stressors and their consequences 2 15 Managing attendance issues 8 60 None of these 0 0 No effort 0 0 Don’t know 2 15 7. How do you balance people’s needs for challenge and achievement under pressure with ensuring they are able to cope? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents By setting realistic targets 9 69 By allowing people to work at a rate they feel comfortable with 0 0 By asking them 0 0 By identifying when stress occurs and reducing it 2 15 Bu setting consistent expectations 2 15 Other 0 0 Don’t know 0 0 8. What do you feel are the main causes of stress in life in general? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Financial problems 10 77 Relationship problems 6 46 Peer pressure 2 15 Work 3 25 Traffic 7 54 Concerns over the environment 3 25 Concerns over politics 4 30 Concerns over war or terrorist attacks 4 30 Concerns over family members 9 75 Don’t know 0 0 9. Which of the following factors do you believe cause stress to your employees in your workplace? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Workload – too much or not enough 2 15 Pace/variety/meaningfulness of work 6 46 Autonomy 2 15 Shift work/hours of work 3 23 Physical environment (noise/air quality etc.) 2 15 Isolation at the workplace (e.g. working alone) 0 0 Role conflict 0 0 Role ambiguity 0 0 Level of responsibility 0 0 Under/over promotion 0 0 Job security 0 0 Supervisors 0 0 Co-workers 0 0 Subordinates 0 0 Threat of violence 0 0 Participation in decision making 0 0 Management style 0 0 Communication patterns 0 0 None of these 0 0 10. What are your legal obligations in terms of identifying and managing work-related stress? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents There aren’t any 7 54 Comes under HASAW Act 2 15 Have to complete risk assessments which includes assessing possible sources of risk 1 8 Other 0 0 Don’t know 3 23 11. What are the HSE standards that organisations should use to identify and manage stress? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Don’t know 13 100 Could name all six 0 0 Could name five 0 0 Could name four 0 0 Could name three 0 0 Could name two 0 0 Could name one 0 0 12. What actions do you take under each of the HSE standards: Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Demands 7 54 Support 6 46 Control 4 31 Policies 7 54 Role 0 0 Change 5 38 Other 0 0 Don’t know 0 0 a. demands – ensuring employees do not become overloaded and unable to cope with the amount of work they are asked to do (job design, flexible hours and training) b. support – management style and degree of intervention c. control – allowing employees to have input into how they complete their tasks d. relationships – personnel policies on grievance, poor performance etc. e. role induction, objectives f. change – managing change 13. How would one of your employees alert management if they were experiencing work-related stress? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Through grievance procedure 8 62 During appraisal 7 54 Through formal representatives e.g. union of employee consultative committee 4 31 Would just say 0 0 Don’t know 0 0 Other 0 0 14. What are the symptoms of stress? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Being absent from work 4 31 Panicking 4 31 Nervousness 2 15 Heart problems 1 8 Crying 7 54 Alcohol and drug use 6 46 Accidents in the workplace 1 8 Don’t know 0 0 Other 15. What is the absence rate in your organisation? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents 0 – 2% 7 69 2 – 4% 5 8 4 – 6% 0 8 6 8% 1 15 Don’t know 0 0 16. What percentage of this absence level is due to stress related illnesses? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Less than 10% 9 69 More than 10% but less than 30% 1 8 More than 30% but less than 50% 1 8 More than 50% but less than 75% 2 15 More than 75% 0 0 Don’t know 8 62 17. What is the financial impact of stress in your workplace? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Calculated the same as any absence from work 13 100 Don’t measure 0 0 Don’t know 0 0 18. What do you include when you measure the financial impact of stress which you do not include when measuring the cost of other reasons for absenteeism: Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Reduced productivity 0 0 Employee turnover 0 0 Absenteeism 0 0 Medical costs 0 0 Recruitment 0 0 Use of temporary staff 0 0 Retraining costs 0 0 Loss of production 0 0 Poor customer service 0 0 None 13 100 19. Which level of employee do you feel is more susceptible to stress in your organisation? Answer Number of respondents Percentage of respondents Senior managers only 0 0 Blue collar workers only 3 23 Middle managers only 0 0 All management levels 8 62 Everyone is equally susceptible 2 15 Don’t know 0 0 20. What type of

Economics of War :: Economics Essays

As the United States forges an international military and political coalition to counter the heinous attacks of September 11, it is equally important to mount a coordinated response to the economic dimension of the crisis. Acceptance of a financial meltdown or global recession would represent as great a defeat as a failure to punish the perpetrators of the bombing itself and their protectors. The case for a multilateral economic strategy is compelling. Even prior to the attacks, the world was experiencing its first synchronized turndown in decades. Growth had slowed sharply almost everywhere and turned negative in a number of countries. There was genuine risk of a global recession and the latest, pre-attack US data underscore that possibility here. The terrorist actions will depress economic activity further for at least a while. More importantly, the shock to confidence could lead American and other consumers into more cautious spending patterns for months or even longer. A worldwide downturn is all too possible. A synchronized policy response is thus required. The key central banks have already taken the first essential steps by pumping sizable amounts of liquidity into the markets to prevent cash shortages that could disrupt commerce, and by making initial cuts in interest rates. The OPEC countries have also made a major contribution by announcing that they will maintain oil production at levels that will avoid exacerbating the problem. Much more is needed, however. The next move should be a further, coordinated reduction in interest rates by the central banks, especially our own Federal Reserve and the European Central Bank that manages the euro. (The Bank of Japan's interest rates are already near zero.) Given the urgent need to restore confidence and provide the maximum stimulus to reviving economic activity, the world's monetary authorities should continue to act together in a rapid and decisive manner. All three of the chief economic areas, including Japan as well as the United States and Europe, should also adopt expansionary fiscal measures. Strangely, the major European countries and Japan have been contemplating spending cutbacks, in the face of recession or sharp slowdown, to meet pre-planned budget targets. This would be akin to the Hoover economics that helped bring on the Great Depression in the 1930s, making a bad situation much worse.

Solitude/Isolation in The Birthmark and in Hawthorne’s Life Essay

Solitude/Isolation in â€Å"The Birthmark† and in Hawthorne’s Life  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   In the Nathaniel Hawthorne tale, â€Å"The Birthmark,† we see and feel the solitude/isolation of the scientist, Aylmer, in his laboratory; also of Georgiana in the totally separated lab apartment; also of Aminadab, who lives by himself in a room off of the laboratory. Are these examples of solitude not a reflection of the very life of the author?    According to A.N. Kaul in his Introduction to   Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, the themes of isolation and alienation were ones which Hawthorne was â€Å"deeply preoccupied with† in his writings (2). Hawthorne’s personal isolation from people from 1825 to 1837 was probably due to his lifelong shyness among people. This reluctance to freely socialize may have been a result of a foot injury: â€Å"an injury to his foot at the age of nine reduced his physical activity for almost two years† (Martin 16). Wagenknecht says in Nathaniel   Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances, that this accident â€Å"reduced him for over two years to a state of invalidism that probably contributed toward developing his taste for reading† (2). Or Nathaniel Hawthorne’s shyness was perhaps due to the death of his father when he was but four years old. Regarding the impact of this death upon Hawthorne, Edmund Fuller and B. Jo Kinnick in â €Å"Stories Derived from New England Living,† say:    When the news came of his father’s death, Hawthorne’s mother withdrew into her upstairs bedroom, coming out only rarely during the remaining forty years of her life. The boy and his two sisters lived in almost complete isolation from her and from each other (29).    The Norton Anthology: American Literature states that as a coll... ... Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel . The Birthmark Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawBirt.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1    James, Henry. Hawthorne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.    Kaul, A.N. â€Å"Introduction.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965.      Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al.   New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995.    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989. Solitude/Isolation in The Birthmark and in Hawthorne’s Life Essay Solitude/Isolation in â€Å"The Birthmark† and in Hawthorne’s Life  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚        Ã‚   In the Nathaniel Hawthorne tale, â€Å"The Birthmark,† we see and feel the solitude/isolation of the scientist, Aylmer, in his laboratory; also of Georgiana in the totally separated lab apartment; also of Aminadab, who lives by himself in a room off of the laboratory. Are these examples of solitude not a reflection of the very life of the author?    According to A.N. Kaul in his Introduction to   Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, the themes of isolation and alienation were ones which Hawthorne was â€Å"deeply preoccupied with† in his writings (2). Hawthorne’s personal isolation from people from 1825 to 1837 was probably due to his lifelong shyness among people. This reluctance to freely socialize may have been a result of a foot injury: â€Å"an injury to his foot at the age of nine reduced his physical activity for almost two years† (Martin 16). Wagenknecht says in Nathaniel   Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances, that this accident â€Å"reduced him for over two years to a state of invalidism that probably contributed toward developing his taste for reading† (2). Or Nathaniel Hawthorne’s shyness was perhaps due to the death of his father when he was but four years old. Regarding the impact of this death upon Hawthorne, Edmund Fuller and B. Jo Kinnick in â €Å"Stories Derived from New England Living,† say:    When the news came of his father’s death, Hawthorne’s mother withdrew into her upstairs bedroom, coming out only rarely during the remaining forty years of her life. The boy and his two sisters lived in almost complete isolation from her and from each other (29).    The Norton Anthology: American Literature states that as a coll... ... Diego, CA: Greenhaven Press, 1996.    Hawthorne, Nathaniel . The Birthmark Electronic Text Center, University of Virginia Library http://etext.lib.virginia.edu/etcbin/toccer-new2?id=HawBirt.sgm&images=images/modeng&data=/texts/english/modeng/parsed&tag=public&part=1&division=div1    James, Henry. Hawthorne. Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Press, 1997.    Kaul, A.N. â€Å"Introduction.† In Hawthorne – A Collection of Critical Essays, edited by A.N. Kaul. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice-Hall, Inc., 1966.    Martin, Terence. Nathaniel Hawthorne. New York: Twayne Publishers Inc., 1965.      Ã¢â‚¬Å"Nathaniel Hawthorne.† The Norton Anthology: American Literature, edited by Baym et al.   New York: W.W. Norton and Co., 1995.    Wagenknecht, Edward. Nathaniel Hawthorne – The Man, His Tales and Romances. New York: Continuum Publishing Co., 1989.

Teenage Prostitution

Teenage Prostitution â€Å"I had been sleeping on a park bench for three nights†¦. The fourth night†¦I met a man named Troy, who was really good to me at first†¦. Little did I know that my problems were about to begin† (Flowers 108). Prostitution can be a dangerous and scarce lifestyle for many teenage girls, but exists within the United States. These girls grow up very quickly and their innocence may be shattered through this profession, but many lack the knowledge of the true meaning behind prostitution. Teenage girls who prostitute in America are living very dangerous lifestyles through this profession and face detrimental experiences in their young lives. A Prostitute is one who involves herself in sexual activity for pay (Webster 518). There are many aspects to prostitution including the prostitutes themselves, the pimps, and the johns. The pimps are generally men who get customers for their prostitutes as a means of making money for themselves ( Flowers 121). The Johns are the people who pay a prostitute for sexual activity. These men are the prostitute’s customers, and the men who provide the money for the pimps and prostitutes. (Flowers 125). The exact number of teenage prostitutes is never clear, however, it is estimated that there are more than 300,000 teenagers in the United States, who are exposed to prostitution (Vincent). For teenage girls in America the average age to begin prostituting is by the age of fourteen years old. It is estimated that at least one fifth of all the prostitutes on the streets are teenage girls. As many as ninety percent of these girls were charmed and pressured into selling sexual favors by a pimp. Another twenty percent of these girls were runaways, becoming prostitutes through their association with other street children and teenage prostitutes. In most cases, these young girls are recruiting for their pimps (Flowers, 108-109) There are many teenage girls in prostitution, but one of the most frequently asked questions is: What kinds of girls are subjected to prostitution? The kinds of girls that are prostituting are some who have broken homes, an abusive history, a promiscuous mother, bad relationships with one or both parents, and a history of running away, which is the biggest aspect leading a girl into the life of prostitution (Vincent). Commonly one might assume that a young prostitute would come from a lower class environment. However, there has been much research that has shown a mix of results with the relationship between teenage prostitution and class. Studies, which involve higher samples, have found that many of these adolescent female prostitutes come from middle to upper class families. In one of recent samples of teenage prostitutes, they found that seventy percent of these girls were from average to above average income levels. Most of these girls have come from families characterized by divorce, separation, and pure dysfunction (Flowers 111). Contrary to these results, teenage prostitution can come from many different types of families and income status’. â€Å"Some of these girls come from loving homes. Others have fled sexual abuse at home or fallen into drug addiction† (Pulkinnen). The girls who prostitute are usually ones that run away from home, because of a bad home life. Teenage girls usually run away from home due to an unstable family situation including: physical or sexual abuse, absence of one or both of the parents, poverty, or drug abuse. Some runaways leave because of school problems, sexual identity issues, peer pressure, boredom, or even mental illnesses. Many runaway teenagers are actually thrown out of their home or abandoned by their parent or guardians. Lastly, there is the group of runaways that leave home for the thrill, adventure, sexual experiences, or lured by others through the Internet (Flowers 57). One of the biggest problems with prostitution is the male pimp involved. Pimps play a crucial role in the dynamics of teenage prostitution. Most of the girls who enter into the prostituting world are persuaded by the powers of a pimp. Many of the girls who are persuaded by Pimps are the ones who are insecure, have a low self-esteem, and ones who are starved for the attention of a male. Often pimps will not go for the girls who are secure and confident with themselves, but seek out girls who are unattractive, highly insecure, and not what they see as â€Å"sexy† (Flowers 120-121). That’s common. Girls who are starved of self-esteem finally meet a man who showers them with gifts, drugs and dollops of affection. That, and a lack of alternative, keeps them working for them—and if that isn’t enough, he shoves a gun in the girl’s mouth and threatens to kill her† (Kristof). Pimps have many aspects to their jobs. The first part of their job is recruit ing girls, sending other prostitutes to do the work. They call these girls â€Å"Runners. † Pimps may recruit themselves, but safer with the law enforcement if others do it for them. Runners scour bus and train stations, shopping malls, coffee shops, arcades, street corners, and anywhere that a runaway or a lost kid would hang out. Looking hungry, disheveled, confused, distant, scared, disoriented, or just in need of a friend, prospects for sex workers are usually easy to spot. Some of these runaway girls are from broken homes, easy for the pimp to be the caring adults who are willing to be everything the girl never had at home. Winning over the girls’ hearts, pimps make these girls feel confident, loved, and a sense of loyalty. Flowers 120-121). When the pimps have these young teenage girls, their next job is to flatter them. Many pimps to this day are younger and are associated to what is â€Å"hip†, looking as if they have a lot of money. Girls quickly become excited by the idea of having a man buy them gifts, provide food for them, and feel that sense of love and attention that the pimp gives them. Now that the pimp has won over his girl, he may pressure her into prostituting, force her, or make her feel obligated to do so as a means of making her ends meet (Vincent). The pimp has a job to do and that is to make sure the prostitute is bringing in money and that the prostitute does not leave him. Many of these times the pimps will force the girls to work everyday of the week, and typically take every penny the girl earns (Pulkinnen). Pimps violence is very common among prostitutes and once a girl becomes part of a pimps stable she is subjected to his rules, regulations, and manipulations. Many of the incidents where there is violence from the pimps are by verbal abuse, physical abuse, rape, and threats to keep the girls from not leaving (Flowers 122). Jasmine, an African-American former prostitute, was a victim of abuse by her pimp. Leaving her abusive home at the age of thirteen, Jasmine stayed with her pimp because of the manipulation. â€Å"If you say something you’re not supposed to, you get beat. If you stay too long with a customer, you get beat. And if you try to leave the Pimp, you get beat. † (Kristof). Teenage prostitutes may carry a number of physical health risks. Some of these health hazards include: bodily harm, internal injuries, drug and alcohol abuse, sexually transmitted diseases, eating and sleeping disorders, pregnancy, and suicide. Many teenage prostitutes fail to eat correctly and lack a balanced diet. Instead of using their money towards proper nutrition, some use their money for alcohol, drugs, and cigarettes. Due to multiple sex partners they are at high risk of sexually transmitted diseases as well including: gonorrhea, herpes, syphilis, hepatitis B, and HIV/AIDS infection. One in three teenage prostitutes do not use any form of protection against these diseases. Half of all female teenage prostitutes have been pregnant at least once (Flowers 90). Along with their physical health, teenage prostitutes deal with a lot of mental health issues as well. Some of these health hazards include: depression, personality disorders, thought disorders, and risk of suicide. Personality disorders are used to turn on and off personalities to clients. These are survival mechanisms to attract new clients, or to avoid criminal records. Clinical depression is a huge health risk for teenage prostitutes. These teenagers are twice as likely to have a serious mental disorder. Lastly, suicide is one of the biggest factors that plays in with teenage prostitutes. Seven out of ten girl prostitutes have tried to commit suicide due to depression and the unbearable realities of their profession (Flowers 90-91). Teenage Prostitutes not only endure these health hazards, but face the major risk of being arrested, and may be charged on different accounts. Many teenagers involved with prostitution are arrested for related offenses including: being a runaway, drug problems, theft, alcohol laws, and curfew. Many of these girls are arrested multiple times, returning to sell their bodies for food, shelter, drugs or money. The older teenage girl prostitutes are more likely to be arrested, than boy prostitutes and younger teenagers. Teenage prostitutes are also way more likely to become arrested than their customers and their pimps (Flowers 103-104). Prostitution is a dangerous profession, especially for a teenage girl who is still discovering who she is. There are many obstacles that a teenager must go through in this profession, and many face harm on a daily basis. Whether it is from their pimps, their clients, law enforcement, bodily and mental health hazards, they are facing them frequently. One might agree with the idea that it is a terrible profession, or others might presume it’s a matter of choice and lifestyle. Whether it be the case, prostitution is illegal and teenage prostitutes are put in harms way through this hazardous lifestyle, and jeopardizing their youth. â€Å"They’re people. They’re girls. They should be worrying about what they’re wearing to their high school dance and not whether they’re going to bring in quota† (Pulkinnen). Work Cited Flowers, Barri. Runaway Kids and Teenage Prostitution. Connecticut: Praeger. 001. Print. Kristof Nicholas. â€Å"Girls on our Streets: [Op-Ed]. † New York Times. 7 May 2009, Late Edition (East Coast). Banking Information Source, Proquest. Web. 5 April 2010. â€Å"Prostitute. † Webster’s New World Dictionary. New York. 1999. 518. Print. Pulkkinen, Levi. â€Å"Child Prostitution out of Shadows in Seattle. † Seattlepi. com 13 Jan. 2010, ProQuest Newsstand , ProQuest. Web. 5 Apr. 2010 Vincent, Karen. â€Å"Teenage Prostitution- A serious Issue in the United States. † Ezine Articles. Ezine Articles, n. d. Web. 7 April 2010.