History Of The Existence Of God Philosophy Essay

History Of The Existence Of God Philosophy Essay After reading Anselms Proslogion, a person could be convinced of the existence of a supreme being, based on the ontological argument he provides. Anselm claims that there exists a being that which nothing greater can be thought. He is referring to God and shows how the simple idea of God in ones mind proves that God exists because it is that which nothing greater can be thought. An idea that exists only in the mind and not in reality is not as great as an idea, which exists in both. Since God is the greatest being, God must exist in our minds as well as in reality. If a person had read the first of the five ways presented by Thomas Aquinas in the Summa of Theology and his Summa Against the Heathens, this person could be convinced of a divine being through the proof of an unmoved mover, who Aquinas conveys as God. The first of the five ways that Aquinas uses to prove the existence of God is related to motion. Aquinas says that some objects in the world are in motion. These objects must be moved by another object in motion. From that, he makes the deduction that there is a long chain of movers that not only move objects but also are moved by objects before them. Since the chain cannot go to infinity, there must be some unmoved mover that starts the chain and Aquinas concludes this being to be God. We will call the two previous convictions A, representing Anselm and T, representing Thomas Aquinas. Also, we will refer to G as the conviction that God exists. Together both convictions, A and T, are not equivalent to G. A and T both take different routes in proving G but are flawed in their own ways. Take for example A by itself, which is not equal to G. From individual to individual, there can be different notions of the word God. For example, take an idea of a sports car that which nothing greater can be thought. Two different people may have two very different ideas of what makes a sports car the greatest. The use of the word greatest in the argument is left for individual interpretation and also just the thought of the greatest sports car does not mean that it exists. Simply conceiving the greatest of anything does not result in its existence. If everyone had the same definition of God, a stronger case for A equaling G could be made but we know this not to be true. Anselms argument works under special circumstances but cannot be extended for every case. T by itself is not equal to G. Strictly speaking, T simply provides reasoning for a being that is an unmoved mover, not an all-powerful deity. However, Aquinas attributes this being to God but it can just as easily be attributed to any other being. Applying Aquinass principle that motion of an object must be received from a moving object before that object, the argument would result in infinity. If God is the first unmoved mover to start the motion of objects, the notion of God contradicts Aquinas foundation that all movers must be moved. An ordinary conception of God is a supreme being that is all good, omniscient, and omnipotent. Given such a conception, the conviction represented by A partially fails to be equivalent to it because of the various assumptions that Anselm makes in his ontological proof. Anselm references the greatest being, that which nothing greater can be thought, however, this does not necessarily mean that this being is omniscient, omnipotent, or other qualities that are included in an ordinary conception of God. This is due to the simple fact that a persons interpretation of greatness or idea of greatest may or may not encompass these qualities. Consider the common mans knowledge for a great basketball player. Some would assume that this person would be extremely tall. Using Anselms proof for the greatest basketball player that can be thought, each persons idea could be potentially different from the next. Some may define the greatest as the quickest or the best at shooting while others would agr ee that it would be the tallest man. This failure to be equivalent is only a partial failure because some may have the same definition as the ordinary conception while others would have a different definition. T partially fails to be equivalent to the ordinary conception of God as well but is closer to equivalence than A. In the first of Aquinas five ways, he simply proves a being that is a mover that is not moved. This can be interpreted to be an omnipotent being because it breaks away from the assumption that all objects that can move must be moved by another object before it. Only an all-powerful being would be able to be the unmoved mover. The first of the five ways does not embody the other ordinary conceptions of God in any way. However, if we were to expand our prior knowledge which led us to conviction T from just including the first way to including all five ways then we are closer to equivalence. Each of the five ways proves a different feature that a being could have which can be juxtaposed with the ordinary conceptions of god. Aquinas is closer to proving the existence of God with his five ways in comparison with Anselms ontological proof. We will refer to the limited acceptance that David Hume acknowledges for natural theology, as H. H is not directly equivalent to A or T, or both together because H is built upon the premise that analogies cannot be extended to the existence of God. A and T both conclude with statements that recognize the existence of God. Strictly speaking, Hume would not agree with A or T, therefore H does not equal A or T. Hume does however agree with the fact that if the arguments, A or T, are convincing enough, then they can be extended to human intelligence but not any further. H captures less of what people ordinarily take the word God to mean. Hume does not suggest anywhere in his limited acceptance of natural theology about the existence of God or any of the ordinary notions that are associated with God. Since he does not accept the existence of God as deduced by natural theology, his statement, H, does not bear any similarity to the ordinary conception of God. To a certain extent, A and T do acknowledge God and based on individual interpretation capture what the word God incorporates. Therefore, H captures less of the ordinary notion of God then A or T. Philosophers have yet to agree upon a definitive answer to whether God exists or not and each one provides their own argument. Each argument has its strengths and weaknesses and ultimately, we continue to work to find the answer. Word Count: 937 Problem of Evil The challenge issued by Gretchen Weirob in John Perrys Dialogue on Good, Evil and the Existence of God is directed towards Sam Miller. Not only does Gretchen want Sam to prove to her the existence of God, but also Gods coexistence with evil in the natural world. A successful answer to this challenge would be a clear and proficient proof for how a perfect God can exist and can create a world where there is evil. Sam starts arguing that God has a big picture plan for the universe, which includes necessary evil and imperfections for the greater good. Gretchen does not buy into his big picture argument and in order to prove the big picture, Sam presents her with a three-part theodicy. The first part discusses free will, where Sam says that creatures and beings have the option to make good choices or bad ones and the path that they choose is entirely up to them. Consider the choice a student makes between cheating on a test and studying diligently. The decision that he makes is up to him because he has free will. Gretchen is not convinced and does not believe that an all-good God can exist because of this reason. Sam counters with the second part, which considers the notion of the afterlife where God does justice for all the wrongs that are done in the world. For example, a flawed justice system could result in a criminal not being punished for his crime or an innocent man taking the fall for something the man has not done. In the afterlife, God, an all-fair and just being, would punish the criminal and reward the innocent man. Gretchen provides examples for evils that are not caused or controlled by humans and Sam has an answer for that as well. The final part deals with the existence of devils, which causes anguish and pain through natural phenomenon. This encompasses the remaining evil in the world that is not directly an effect of free will. For example, a tsunami that wipes out many cities is not something a human can control and it is explained by the will of the devils. These various ideas and the examples that defend them offer a satisfactory response to how evil can exist in the world created by a supreme being. Sams theodicy is difficult to argue with as he provides examples and observations in the natural world that eventually encompass all kinds of evil in the world. Gretchen is unable to come up with any more counter-examples or scenarios of evil in the world and she admits that Sam has provided a satisfactory response to her challenge. In David Humes Dialogues Concerning Natural Religion, Philo claims the idea of such a Deity is consistent with the nature of the world. God formed the world and everything in it. Therefore, a logical parallel to draw is between the nature of the world and the nature of God. Philos argument could answer Gretchens challenge because she is simply looking for a possible explanation not necessarily a feasible one. As long as Gretchen is provided an explanation for how God can exist alongside the evidence of so much evil in the world, she will treat this as a satisfactory response. However, there is good and evil in the world and given this nature, we cannot infer that God exists. Since our world is not perfect, our evidence and observations cannot be used as a root for the argument of Gods existence. For example, if a vehicle were to collide with an innocent pedestrian, an all-perfect God would not only know it was going to happen but also could have prevented it from happening in the first place. We can extend this example to all grief in the world and dismiss any understanding of God that comes from the world. If a perfect deity were to create a perfect world, we could use that evidence to prove the existence of such a deity. In my opinion, the inability to make this inference would hinder Philos ability to meet Gretchens challenge because he would be unable to prove to her that a supreme benevolent being exists. Philo explains four hypotheses for the possible nature of God; perfectly good, completely evil, good and evil, and neither good nor evil. The first two are immediately thrown out because of the natural world has both good and evil; therefore God has to somehow embody both forces. The third possibility is viewed by many as two separate beings, one representing good and another representing evil. If this were the case, then our world would be caught in a struggle and this is not evident simply observing what happens on Earth. What we can see is regardless of the nature of a person, that person is subject to the laws of nature. For example, a thief and a charity worker living in a city could both lose their homes because of a hurricane. Their individual nature has nothing to do with whether the hurr icane will affect them or not. God set up these laws of nature to affect everyone. Therefore, God is neither good nor evil. At best, Philo would prove to Gretchen about neither an all-good, nor an all-evil God, rather a neutral one. Gretchen would not be entirely convinced because her definition of God along with the general consensus is that God is all-good. The only assumptions for a possible existence of God come from what we can observe and the problem of evil in the world is a definite deterrent in proving this to be true.

Bowen Family Systems Therapy Essay

Abstract This paper was designed to fully describe Bowen’s Theory of Family Systems Therapy. The eight concepts that illustrate this theory will be thoroughly discussed and explained. References of professionals who have worked with and studied Bowen theory will be implemented and relied on in order to adequately understand and depict this theory. And finally, the second portion of this essay will include a case study. The case study will present a family profile, a treatment plan and goals, interventions and a projected outcome for the family’s recovery. Through this case study the reader will be able to identify Bowen techniques and get a more kinesthetic look on how Bowen’s Family System Therapy is applied. Introduction Bowen’s Family System Theory is based on the family as an emotional unit. The theory is based on the idea that the family is so emotionally integrated that the effect each member has on the other members can be overwhelming. Bowen’s Theory focuses on that emotional connectedness and assumes that the family can either promote cohesiveness and cooperation or tension and anxiety. Therefore, according to this theory, a change in one person’s attitude or actions will be followed by a reciprocal change in the functioning of the other members. When anxiety levels rise within the family unit the stress levels will also heighten. Therefore, when this happens one or members will end up feeling overwhelmed, isolated or out of control and then the family unit will be shaken as a whole. During this time of distress, the members who feel most out of control or  stressed will work extra hard to accommodate the other members. This is part of the reciprocal interaction. This member who absorbs most of the tension is most likely the member who will end up most susceptible to problems such as illness, alcoholism and affairs. Eight Concepts In order to implement this theory into a therapy session Bowen created eight interlocking concepts to assist the therapist in working with families. The concepts include triangles, differentiation of self, nuclear family emotional system, family projection process, multigenerational transmission process, sibling position, emotional cutoff and societal emotional process. However, it is important for any therapist to keep in mind that, according to Mike Nichols (1988), the core goal underlying the Bowenian model is differentiation of self, more specifically, the â€Å"ability to remain oneself in the face of group influences, especially the intense influence of family life†(p.2). Triangles The eight interlocking concepts are key to understanding Bowenian Family Therapy. To begin, triangles are a three person relationship system. Triangles are considered the building blocks of the larger emotional system. The reason being that the triangle is the smallest stable relationship system. Three people can take on much more tension than two people. Additionally, a triangle can contain a large amount of stress without bringing in a fourth person because the tension can shift around to all three relationships. However, just because a triangle can bear more tension does not make it healthier. Someone is almost always left out and nothing gets resolved in a triangle formation. Triangles and their undesirable effects on the family unit contribute greatly to the development of clinical problems. Within triangles, members are pushed from outsider to insider positions of conflict. Within this inside/ outside drama members will begin maneuvering and manipulating their positions within the group, thus causing fights and with that heavy strain on the relationships. Getting pushed from inside to outside positions can trigger depression and even a physical illness. For example, two parents focusing on what is wrong with a child can trigger serious rebellion within that child. While triangles may seem  comfortable and stable, they end up being a huge problem within the family unit. Differentiation of Self In opposition of triangles is Bowen’s idea of differentiation of self. According to Fritzland (1991, p. 1), the degree to which a differentiation of self occurs in an individual reflects the extent to which that person is able to distinguish between the intellectual process and the feeling process he or she is experiencing. Thus differentiation of self is related to the degree to which one is able to choose between having his or her actions, relationships and life guided by feelings or thoughts. Individuals with the most fusion between their emotions and thoughts and relationships are the lowest functioning people. These people get to a point where they cannot even tell what feelings and thoughts are their own and which are those of other people. Undifferentiated Family Ego Mass Bowen introduced the concept of the undifferentiated family ego mass. Undifferentiated family ego mass is the idea that there is a syndicated emotional oneness that exists in all levels of intensity. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1991, p. 171) give a great example of this in the relationship between mother and child and child and father. They write, â€Å"The symbiotic relationship of interdependency between mother and child may represent the most intense version of this concept; a father’s detachment may be the least intense. The degree to which any one member is involved in the family from moment to moment depends on that person’s basic level of involvement in the family ego mass.† When the emotional closeness is too intense and possibly overbearing this may lead to an uncomfortable closeness within the family, closeness that will lead to mutual rejection between members. It may lead to fights that include intense yelling, slamming of doors and phone hang ups. Bowen insists that maturity and self-actualization demand that an individual become free of unresolved emotional attachments to his or her family of origin. Fritzlan (1991, p.4) notes that Bowen’s theory assumes that every human has an instinctive force inside them that propels the developing child to grow up to be an emotionally separate person, able to think, feel, and act as an individual. At the same time, Bowen proposes that a similar life force, also instinctively ingrained, thrusts the child and family to remain  emotionally connected. As a result of these counterbalancing forces, argues Bowen, no one ever achieves complete emotional separation from the family of origin. However, there are considerable differences in the amount of separation each of us accomplishes, as well as differences in the degree to which children from the same set of parents, emotionally separate from the family. Nuclear Family Emotional System The third concept builds on the idea of differentiation of self and is called nuclear family emotional system. The concept of the nuclear family emotional system describes four basic relationship patterns that govern where problems may develop in a family. Marital conflict, dysfunction in one spouse, impairment of one or more children and emotional distance are the patterns which will govern where problems will probably develop within the family. The more anxiety one person or one relationship sucks in, the less other people must absorb. This means that some family members maintain their functioning at the expense of others, which ends up causing a strenuous amount of tension on the people who must accommodate. People do not want to hurt each other, but when anxiety chronically dictates behavior, someone usually suffers because of it. The next concept that Bowen introduces gives the concept of the nuclear family emotional system more reason to it’s’ rhyme. Family Projection Process The family projection process touches on the different type of relationships that parents have with each of their children. When one child is focused on more than another child, the focused on child will typically be more fused with his or her parents than the unfocused on child. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990) say that â€Å"differences in parental behavior make for significant differences in how each child functions† (p.221). Furthermore, the child who is most focused on is most sensitive to disturbances and initial signs of instability within the family. Simply put, when the parents select the most infantile child of the family as the object of their attention, Bowen calls this the family projection process. Multigenerational Transmission Process The next key concept that Murray Bowen developed is multigenerational  transmission process. Multigenerational transmission processing describes how the entire family joins in the family projection process that was previously discussed. Bowen wrote that multigenerational transmission process provides a base from which to make predictions in the present generation and gives an overview of what to expect in coming generations. This process entails the way family emotional processes are transferred and maintained over the generations. In this theory Bowen contends that people choose mates with equivalent levels of differentiation to their own. Thus, the highly undifferentiated person will choose a mate that is similarly undifferentiated from their family and the differentiated person will find a mate who is also differentiated from their family of origin. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990, p. 198) say that it is probable that these poorly differentiated people, now a marital couple, will themselves become highly fused and will produce a family with the same characteristics. Furthermore, Bowen believes that the resulting nuclear family emotional system will be unstable and will seek various ways to reduce tension and maintain stability by over indulging in such things as alcohol, drugs, and getting involved in codependent relationship. This can affect a child psychologically as well and it can then perpetuate and become a cycle within the family. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990, p. 199) say that psychological impairment in a child is enabling to the parents as they will simply focus attention on the child and ignore or deny their own lack of differentiation. This will only further inhibit the child’s development of self as well as support the already dysfunctional marital relationship. Sibling Position Sibling position is a concept that Bowen stressed. He believes that each child has a place in the family hierarchy and therefore was more or less likely to fit certain projections. For example, the oldest sibling is more likely to be the mature, responsible one. Whereas the youngest child will more likely be the class clown, irresponsible and immature one. While this concept is well known and maybe even intrinsic to most people, Bowen believes this to be key when understanding differentiation and working within the family emotional system. Emotional Cutoff The seventh concept that Bowen developed for his theory is called emotional cutoff. Most people have experienced this concept or have at least heard of it. Goldenberg and Goldenberg (1990) write that emotional cutoff is a flight from unresolved emotional ties, and is not true emancipation from the family (p. 225). Emotional cutoffs do several things; they reflect a problem, such as underlying fusion between generations. They solve the problem by reducing the anxiety in the cutoff relationship. And finally, they create a problem by isolating people who might benefit from closer contact. Fritzlan (1991) notes that cutoffs most often occur in families where there is a high level of anxiety and emotional dependence. Bowen has suggested that when emotional cutoffs exist between parents and grandparents, then a cutoff between parents and children of the following generation increases in likelihood. It is easy to see how cutoffs can occur and how the other key concepts if not understood or resolved can cause an emotional cutoff in a family relationship. Societal Emotional Process Finally, the eighth key concept is societal emotional process. This process is in a way like the family projection process except scaled to a societal level. Families that deal with discrimination, prejudice and persecution will pass on to their children coping methods and ways to which they survived these factors. Basically, these are social expectations about racial and class groups, the behaviors or each gender and their effects on the family. Andreas Viklund (2009) noted that the family unit and society as a whole have the task of promoting the long term interest of individual members and the society as an entirety. Evaluation and Validity of Bowen’s Theory While Bowen is considered to be one of the most effective theorists in marriage and family arena of therapy, there are both strengths and weaknesses to his ideas. His eight key concepts are great tools for therapists to use as a guide for therapy, but it is important to note the validity of his theory and to review his theory in a more critical way. The main concept that Bowen teaches is differentiation of self. This is the founding idea for all of his concepts. Differentiation of self is very important, however Bowen did not leave a sufficient tool as a means to measure clients’ differentiation of self. Richard et al (2004) note that Bowen suggested that clinicians could use a differentiation-of-self scale ranging from 0 to 100; however, he provided few guidelines to help clinicians reliably and accurately assign an appropriate score. Indeed, he claimed that the concept was not quantifiable for researchers. Consequently, Bowen’s scale has been useful only as a theoretical tool. In the last decade there have been two scales, Haber’s Level of Differentiation of Self Scale and Kowron’s Differentiation of Self Inventory, that were developed as a means to measure differentiation. Richard et al (2004) researched the validity of these two scales with Bowen’s theory by having two experts in Bowen theory rate the relevance of the items in these scales. The first scale significantly correlated with chronic anxiety and psychological distress, which is consistent with Bowen theory and, thereby, demonstrates sufficient validity. The second scale was also consistent with Bowen theory, the Differentiation of Self Inventory correlated significantly with chronic anxiety, psychological distress, and marital satisfaction. In addition, confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated psychometric support for the four subscales. Bowen theorized that people marry according to their same level of differentiation, this is called the multigenerational transmission process. Bowen simply stated, â€Å"People who marry have the same level of differentiation of self (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 225). This is because each spouse has the â€Å"same need for emotional reinforcement from the relationship† (Kerr & Bowen, 1988, p. 171). This concept is probably one of Bowen’s weakest. There have been numerous studies, Richter (1998), Richards (1988) and Skowron (2000) just to name a few, that totally refute this idea of Bowen’s. While this does not necessarily knock down his entire theory it does poke some holes in it and force the common therapist to rethink their approach to working with married couples and their families. While the above concept is a fairly weak one, there is another aspect of multigenerational transmission process that proves to be stronger. There is a vast amount of research supporting a specific aspect of Bowen’s concept of multigenerational transmission process. The aspect that parents’ and children’s values and beliefs are highly correlated seems to have strong validity according to studies. Many of these studies were conducted in the field of social gerontology and date back to the early 1970s when research about the â€Å"generation gap† was conducted to examine continuity between generations (Troll & Bengtson, 1979). These studies have consistently found that parents’ and children’s values and beliefs are highly correlated, as assumed by Bowen. There is also a substantial amount of literature that gives evidence that levels of individual and relationship functioning are passed on from one generation to another. For example, Richard et al (2004) write that studies have revealed that there is a multigenerational transmission process for violence (Alexander, Moore, & Alexander, 1991), divorce (Amato, 1996), and marital quality (Feng, Giarrusso, Bengtson, & Frye, 1999). Richard at al (2004) also remarks that â€Å"research has also shown that eating disorders (Whitehouse & Harris, 1998), depressed affect (Whitbeck et al., 1992), and alcoholism (Sher, Gershuny, Peterson, & Raskin, 1997) are transmitted inter-generationally† (p. 9). Through many studies testing different aspects of Bowen’s theory there are and will continue to be weak points exposed. However, there proves to be a vast amount of validity to his theory as well. The weakest suggestion is definitely that people marry according to their own differentiation. In my own life Bowen’s idea proves to be untrue and while looking at different marriages around me I do not see any sort of pattern in this regard. If anything, I have observed people marrying opposite of their own differentiation level rather than finding a spouse who matches their level of differentiation. Even still, differentiation of self as a whole demonstrates to be the most valid and prominent idea in Bowen theory, both Biblically and psychologically. Biblical Integration and Evaluation I believe God was first to introduce the idea of differentiation of self, especially differentiation of self when entering into marriage. Genesis 2:24 says, â€Å"For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and they will become one flesh.† According to this verse it seems that differentiation is shown by one’s ability to leave their parents before they can rightly cleave to their spouse. Since Bowen emphasizes the need for a person to be emotionally differentiated from parents in order to maintain healthy balances of individuality and togetherness in ensuing relationships, this seems to be paralleled with the command presented in Genesis. According to Bowen and Kerr (1988), only a differentiated person can be securely attached. Furthermore, this seems to be God’s stance on differentiation as well. It seems that God, being omnipotent and all knowing, designed marriages to work out best when spouses are healthily differentiated from their families of origin. In my opinion, differentiation of self is very important and seeing how the Bible supports this idea I feel even stronger about its’ significance. This is the main reason I chose to write about Bowen’s Theory to begin with. I appreciate Bowen’s eight concepts, as I believe they are great tools for therapists. The concepts help the therapist to work within this theory without feeling lost or overwhelmed by the new ideas or different facets they are implementing into the therapy session. Even more personally, I think that my own differentiation of self has been weak until the last year or so. This is another reason I chose to work with Bowen’s Theory. When I first got married I was very attached to my family and often chose them over my husband or even over myself. I know that this not only hurt my husband’s feelings, but also the quality of our marriage. When I finally understood that I was spending too much time with my parents and choosing their events over quality time with Elden (my husband), things drastically changed between us. Many problems we were having fixed themselves and he became significantly happier. Elden emphasized to me that he felt much more respected by me when I began deferring to him rather than my parents regarding issues. And in turn, I began to feel much more loved by him because he became mindful of the way he was treating me since it was  obvious I was making conscience decisions to be more attached to him and to my own independence than my family. While I still spend a good amount of time with my family, Elden is much more willing to spend time with them along with me because he knows and feels that he always comes first. Also, I take much more time for myself and the things I enjoy, which makes everyone happier. Looking back I wish that I would have truly understood differentiation of self before getting married, but I am so grateful that I did learn it early on as it will only help us for the rest of our lives together. Seeing how this very small aspect of a lack of self-differentiation played out on my own life drew me to Bowen’s Theory. I wanted to understand how great of a role this theory could play in everyday life. I see now that differentiation of self has a much larger role in familial success than I had thought. And I believe Bowen’s eight aspects only further make the point of this theory’s significance in family systems therapy. Case Study Looking at my own life would be a perfect case study for Bowen Theory. However, since Elden and I did not get any therapy for our issues it would be difficult to use. Keeping my previous story in mind, here is the profile of the case I have chosen to illustrate: The client family consists of three boys and a mother and father. Stan, the father, called in to make an appointment because his wife, Jen who is in her late 40’s, is having anxiety attacks and is overwhelmed by her three sons. She tends to yell at the boys and feels like she has not patience for them anymore. Stan says he has been out of a job for three years and Jen ‘s parents have been supporting their family for the last 6 months. The boys, Joel, Derek and Steve range in ages from pre adolescent to late teens, the eldest being Steve who is graduating from high school soon. Stan reports that they are very high energy, but well behaved and successful in their school and sports activities. Stan emphasizes that h e is most worried about â€Å"mom†, Jen, and thinks the boys are handling things just fine, as is he. After seeing the family as a whole once it is obvious that Jen is not the main problem, it is Stan. However, since Stan is out of work Jen is taking  on the stress of the family and it is more than she can bear. The three boys are very close to their parents and the youngest one, Joel, is totally fused with Jen. Joel sat on Jen’s lap during the session and acted very much like a baby when she was not able gives him her full attention. Stan seems to have come to terms with not having a job and the fact that Jen’s parents are supporting them, however he continues to call Jen â€Å"mom† and talk about how sensitive and delicate she is. There seems to be a lack of intimacy between Stan and Jen along with a lack of respect for one another. And finally, the only one of the children who does not call Jen â€Å"mommy† is Derek, the middle child. Goals, Treatment Plan and Interventions Before presenting the family’s treatment plan and prognosis it is important to understand what the goal of Bowen family systems therapy is. The goal is to increase the capacity of one or more members to adapt to and deal with the constant change and evolution of family life. Graefe (1955) describes the differentiation effort by using a metaphor from sailing: â€Å"you cannot change the velocity of the winds, but you can change the direction of the sales† (p.2). It is with this goal in mind that the treatment plan can be created. To begin, this family’s treatment plan will be to complete a genogram so that I can fully understand their families of origin. It is easy to see that in this family there is a lot of triangulation, mostly between the parents and Steve, the oldest son. At times Derek takes Steve’s place in the triangulation between Stan and Jen. However, he is mostly in an alliance with Stan and has picked up much of his father’s sexist attitudes. The genogram will allow me to see if there was any domestic violence or abuse in the family’s history and will also allow me to get a better idea of the attitudes men had towards women in Stan’s family of origin. Furthermore, the genogram will help indicate how differentiated Stan and Jen are from their own parents and how self-differentiation looks in their family’s past. The genogram will reveal many aspects of Jen and Stan’s family history, some more important than others, but all useful in understanding this couple. Once the genogram is completed I will be able to focus on generational issues. However, in order to help the family more immediately, decreasing the anxiety that Jen is feeling will be absolutely necessary. When anxiety  is decreased presenting symptoms will begin tomodify or decrease. Nevertheless, this will mean that Stan, Steve and Joel will need to learn to be more differentiated from Jen. Stan is interesting, because he has a very sexist attitude toward Jen, but totally relies on her and her parents for most things in life. He needs to recognize this in order to help Jen lessen her anxiety. One way in which I will help the boys become more differentiated from Jen is by, first of all, asking Stan to stop calling Jen â€Å"mom†. Since Stan sets the tone and attitude for his children, having him break this habit will be helpful. It might also create a more intimate attitude toward the couple. Furthermore, Joel will need to sit at least two chairs away from Jen for all futu re sessions. And finally, Jen will be asked to allow Joel to speak for himself so that he can find his own voice. Part of this family’s treatment plan will rely on my use of interventions. It will be very important that I am able to model to them what healthy parenting relationships may look like. I also will need to develop a functioning healthy triangle between Stan, Jen and myself. I believe that once the parent’s relationship is put into a more healthful place, the children will begin to differentiate themselves from their parents. A component of working on Jen and Stan’s relationship will include Stan having more communication with his own mother and with Jen’s parents. It will also include Jen and Stan taking some time out to research their own family history which will hopefully enlighten both of them on a few different levels. Finally, Jen’s major homework will be to take an hour out of each day where she is not available to her family in any capacity and she must journal about this process three times a week. This â€Å"homework† will expectantly allow her family to learn to differentiate themselves from her and reduce some anxiety in her immediate stage of life. Also, I believe this exercise will be very eye opening for Stan to see how much he actually relies on Jen. Stan and Jen’s family should continue therapy for a minimum of one year, as Bowen believes four years is a more reasonable prognosis schedule. If the children do not continue, Stan and Jen should follow through with couple therapy. I would imagine that couple therapy will be more beneficial in the  long run and that their sons will only need to be in family therapy initially. In fact, if I have done my job properly the children will want to discontinue therapy on their own accord. This will be a great indication of the differentiation they are achieving. However, once Joel, Derek and Steve terminate their role in therapy the reason why Stan and Jen will need to continue is so they can fully appreciate the generational transmission process and understand how their emotional projection onto their children is prohibiting growth and differentiation in their circle of five. Conclusion Bowen Family Systems Therapy is a therapy that focuses on emotional process rather than content. Murray Bowen’s eight concepts outline this idea of emotional process very clearly and make following a system and intervention plan easier for a therapist. While some of Bowen’s Theory and concepts are based on his own secular viewpoint, God shines through this theory in His own way. Biblically, many facets of Bowen’s theory are sound which only make a better case for the knowledge that the Bible has to offer the world. Since God is the Ultimate Counselor, it makes sense that differentiation would be mentioned in His Word first. In conclusion, looking at the case study, along with the treatment plan, interventions and prognosis one can get a much better idea of how Bowen Theory can be implemented into family therapy. The family depicted in the case study thought that the problem was the mother, Jen. But it turned out that she was not the only problem. In the treatment plan it was important to focus on the family’s emotional process rather than â€Å"fixing† Jen. All of the members of the family needed to learn to think on their own two feet and live parts of their lives without Jen’s approval. Once this happens, Jen should feel substantially less anxious and angry. Thus, this case was classic for employing Bowenian Therapy. However, Bowen Family Systems Therapy can be applied to any case and will always achieve satisfactory results as Bowen is a master at family therapy. References Fritzlan, L. (1991). How to Get Your Own Life and Not Get Overwhelmed by Your Family. Pacific Grove. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company. Goldenberg, I., Goldenberg, H.(1990). Family Therapy: An Overview. Pacific Grove, CA. Brooks/Cole Publishing Company Kerr, M., Bowen, M. (1988). Family Evaluation: An Approach Based on Bowen Theory. New York, NY. W.W. Norton & Company. Miller, Richard B., et al. (2004). Journal of Marital and Family Therapy. Family Systems Therapy: Is Bowen Theory Valid? A Review of Basic Research. Blackwell Publishing. http://www.interventions.net/BowenTheoryUpdated.pdf

Bystander Apathy And Effect Of Bystander - 1084 Words

Bystander Apathy and Effect Bystander effect, or also known as bystander apathy, is a social psychological phenomenon that attributes to cases in which others do not help people in need while others are around. The possibility of help is contrarily connected to the amount of bystanders. Basically, the larger amount of bystanders the less likely people will help the one in need. Various variables help to explain why the bystander effect occurs. These variables include: ambiguity, cohesiveness and diffusion of responsibility (Wikipedia Contributors). It was a Friday March 13, 1964, 28-year-old Catherine Genovese had arrived home when she was attacked with a blade by a man named Winston Moseley. She yelled for someone, anyone to come and help her. People didn t move an inch to help. People didn t want to get involved was what they said, they didn t call the police. The attacker saw apartments illuminate nearby. He knew people were watching the crime he had started. He ran off and left her dragging herself to her doorstep slowly dying; later her attacker decided to go back and finish the death he had started because, as he confessed later in court: It didn t seem like anyone was going to stop me! Although weak and almost dead, she again yelped for help. Of 38 witnesses there was not one person who helped in any way shape or form. By the time the authorities were eventually notified of the situation, she was no longer alive. Why did nobody help her? Were theyShow MoreRelatedAim The experiment described below was aimed at investigating bystander apathy and try and relate700 Words   |  3 Pages Aim The experiment described below was aimed at investigating bystander apathy and try and relate to it to diffusion of responsibility. The bystander effect has been greatly examined and investigated leading to several conclusions, with diffusion of responsibility being one of the most prevalent. The theory holds that a person is more willing to assist another person in distress when he is alone. When a person is comes across a person in distress and there are other people around, he is less willingRead MoreThe Sunflower By Simon Wiesenthal Essay1384 Words   |  6 Pagesthis agreement usually ends, however, is on the question of, â€Å"What makes a person a leader?† Whereas some are convinced that people are natural born leaders. Becoming a leader consists with a few reasons such as developed leadership skills, the bystander apathy, and the diffusion of responsibility. Leadership is a honorary degree that contains many practices to which can truly affect his/her position into leading others. Leadership can be a particular ability that can either be a mental or a physicalRead MoreBystander Effect Essay1389 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bystander Effect The Bystander effect is a controversial theory given to social phenomenon where the more potential helpers there are, the less likely any individual is to help. A traditional explanation for this Bystander Effect is that responsibility diffuses across the multiple bystanders, diluting the responsibility of each. (Kyle et al.) The Bystander effect, also known as the Genovese Syndrome, was created after the infamous murder of â€Å"Kitty† Catherine Genovese in 1964, on the streets ofRead MoreThe Bystander Effect Of An Emergency Situation882 Words   |  4 PagesThe bystander effect is when an individual will be discouraged from intervening in an emergency situation due to the presence of others. There are many reasons why we help people in emergency situations and these reasons include evolution, modelling and social norms. We also consider the rewards and exchange. Evolution shows that we are biologically predisposed to help others. We have a preference for helping blood relatives because this increases the chance for the helper’s gene to pass on toRead MoreThe Bystander Effect Is Caused By Diffusion Of Responsibility1470 Words   |  6 PagesCritically evaluate the claim that the bystander effect is caused by diffusion of responsibility. The bystander effect (or bystander apathy) is a multifaceted social psychological phenomenon depicting that there is a lesser chance of an individual intervening and helping in an emergency if there are other bystanders present (Hogg and Vaughan, 2014). Diffusion of responsibility is one hypothesised cause of the bystander effect. A person assumes that others present will take action, resulting in aRead MoreBystander Effect Essay1403 Words   |  6 PagesThe Bystander Effect is a controversial theory given to social phenomenon where the more potential bystanders there are, the less likely any individual is to help in emergency situations. A traditional explanation for the cause of the Bystander Effect is that responsibility diffuses across the multiple bystanders, diluting the responsibility of each. (Kyle et al.) The Bystander effect, also known as the Genovese Syndrome, was named after the infamous murder of â€Å"Kitty† Catherine Genovese in 1964,Read MorePsychological Research Into the Behaviour of Bystanders Essay example968 Words   |  4 PagesPsychological Research Into the Behaviour of Bystanders The first researchers to investigate systematically the circumstances in which bystanders are and are not likely to intervene to help others were Latane Darley. The tragic case of Kitty Genovese in 1960s New York acted as a catalyst for research studies since the case highlighted concepts such as bystander apathy and the unresponsive bystander. Latane and Darley have shown through research that we are lessRead MoreThe bystander effect Essay1223 Words   |  5 Pagesdefinitive example of the bystander effect, the social phenomenon in which individuals are less likely to help someone in distress if there are other people present. The bystander effect occurs wherever there is a situation that is ambiguous, or where a lack of action can be rationalized by a diffusion of responsibility in a large group, or where the presence of others presents a significant risk to the bystander such that he or she is afraid to provide help. The bystander effect results from peopleRead MoreWhy Some People Fail to React or Act during an Emergency Situation1211 Words   |  5 Pagesmake people less likely to help a victim. This is known as the bystander effect. Having others around you makes you feel less responsibility and want to make the correct social decision. If a person were by himself or herself, this effect would not happen because they are not feeling judgment of those around and all the accountability is on them. The articles for this paper look at experiments conducted to test the bystander effect and how participants act according to social norms. For exampleRead MoreThe Psychological Phenomenon Of The Bystander Effect1091 Words   |  5 Pagesarticle is about the psychological phenomenon. For the bystander effect in radiobiology, see Bystander effect (radiobiology). The bystander effect, or bystander apathy, is a social psychological phenomenon that refers to cases in which individuals do not offer any means of help to a victim when other people are present. The probability of help is inversely related to the number of bystanders. In other words, the greater the number of bystanders, the less likely it is that any one of them will help

World War II Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid Summary

Conflict: The first Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid occurred during World War II (1939-1945). Date: American aircraft struck targets in Schweinfurt and Regensburg on August 17, 1943. Forces Commanders: Allies Colonel Curtis LeMayBrigadier General Robert B. Williams376 B-17s268 P-47 sorties191 RAF Spitfire sorties Germany Lieutenant General Adolf Gallandapprox. 400 fighters Schweinfurt-Regensburg Summary: The summer of 1943 saw an expansion of US bomber forces in England as aircraft began returning from North Africa and new aircraft arrived from the United States. This growth in strength coincided with the commencement of Operation Pointblank. Devised by Air Marshal Arthur Bomber Harris and Major General Carl Spaatz, Pointblank was intended to destroy the Luftwaffe and its infrastructure prior to the invasion of Europe. This was to be accomplished through a combined bomber offensive against German aircraft factories, ball bearing plants, fuel depots, and other related targets. Early Pointblank missions were conducted by the USAAFs 1st and 4th Bombardment Wings (1st 4th BW) based in the Midlands and East Anglia respectively. These operations targeted Focke-Wulf Fw 190 fighter plants in Kassel, Bremen, and Oschersleben. While American bomber forces had sustained significant casualties in these attacks, they were deemed effective enough to warrant bombing the Messerschmitt Bf 109 plants in Regensburg and Wiener Neustadt. In assessing these targets, it was decided to assign Regensburg to the 8th Air Force in England, while the latter was to be hit by the 9th Air Force in North Africa. In planning the strike on Regensburg, the 8th Air Force elected to add a second target, the ball bearing plants at Schweinfurt, with the goal of overwhelming German air defenses. The mission plan called for the 4th BW to hit Regensburg and then proceed south to bases in North Africa. The 1st BW would follow a short distance behind with the goal of catching German fighters on the ground refueling. After striking their targets, the 1st BW would return to England. As with all raids deep into Germany, Allied fighters would only be able to provide an escort as far as Eupen, Belgium due to their limited range. To support the Schweinfurt-Regensburg effort, two sets of diversionary attacks were scheduled against Luftwaffe airfields and targets along the coast. Originally planned for August 7, the raid was delayed due to poor weather. Dubbed Operation Juggler, the 9th Air Force struck the factories at Wiener Neustadt on August 13, while the 8th Air Force remained grounded because of weather issues. Finally on August 17, the mission commenced even though much of England was covered in fog. After a brief delay, the 4th BW commenced launching its aircraft around 8:00 AM. Though the mission plan required both Regensburg and Schweinfurt to be hit in rapid succession to ensure minimal losses, the 4th BW was permitted to depart even though the 1st BW was still grounded due to fog. As a result, the 4th BW was crossing the Dutch coast by the time the 1st BW was airborne, opening a wide gap between the strike forces. Led by Colonel Curtis LeMay, the 4th BW consisted of 146 B-17s. Approximately ten minutes after making landfall, German fighter attacks began. Though some fighter escorts were present, they proved insufficient to cover the entire force. After ninety minutes of aerial combat, the Germans broke off to refuel having shot down 15 B-17s. Arriving over the target, LeMays bombers encountered little flak and were able to place approximately 300 tons of bombs on target. Turning south, the Regensburg force was met by a few fighters, but had a largely uneventful transit to North Africa. Even so, 9 additional aircraft were lost as 2 damaged B-17s were forced to land in Switzerland and several others crashed in the Mediterranean due to lack of fuel. With the 4th BW departing the area, the Luftwaffes prepared to deal with the approaching 1st BW. Behind the schedule, the 230 B-17s of the 1st BW crossed the coast and followed a similar route to the 4th BW. Personally led by Brigadier General Robert B. Williams, the Schweinfurt force was immediately attacked by German fighters. Encountering over 300 fighters during the flight to Schweinfurt, the 1st BW sustained heavy casualties and lost 22 B-17s. As they neared the target the Germans broke off to refuel in preparation to attack the bombers on the return leg of their trip. Reaching the target around 3:00 PM, Williams planes encountered heavy flak over the city. As they made their bomb runs, 3 more B-17s were lost. Turning for home, the 4th BW again encountered German fighters. In a running battle, the Luftwaffe downed another 11 B-17s. Reaching Belgium, the bombers were met by a covering force of Allied fighters which allowed them to complete their trip to England relatively unmolested. Aftermath: The combined Schweinfurt-Regensburg Raid cost the USAAF 60 B-17s and 55 aircrews. The crews lost totaled 552 men, of who half became prisoners of war and twenty were interned by the Swiss. Aboard aircraft that safely returned to base, 7 aircrew were killed, with another 21 wounded. In addition to the bomber force, the Allies lost 3 P-47 Thunderbolts and 2 Spitfires. While Allied air crews claimed 318 German aircraft, the Luftwaffe reported that only 27 fighters had been lost. Though Allied losses were severe, they succeeding in inflicting heavy damage on both the Messerschmitt plants and the ball bearing factories. While the Germans reported an immediate 34% drop in production, this was quickly made up by other plants in Germany. The losses during the raid led Allied leaders to re-think the feasibility of unescorted, long-range, daylight raids on Germany. These types of raids would be temporarily suspended after a second raid on Schweinfurt sustained 20% casualties on October 14, 194 3. Selected Sources Aspects of the Combined British and American Strategic Air Offensive against Germany 1939 to 1945