Thursday, October 17, 2019
A research paper on the Ancient Panatheniac Olympic stadium
A on the Ancient Panatheniac Olympic stadium - Research Paper Example 3). The stadium was refurbished by Herodes between 140 and 144 AD in the present form after excavated in 1870. The length and width of the Panatheniac Olympic Stadium designed in horseshoe shape is 204.07 meters and 33.35 meters respectively. Herodes constructed another such portico at the front of the stadium. Herodes also repaired the Illissos river bridge at the Stadiumââ¬â¢s gate to make it bigger by putting three archways on its base. The bridge was there till 1778 (Meander Travel par. 1-3). A semi-circular wall was added to the north of the Stadium parallel to the sphendone of the southern side (ââ¬Å"Olympic-Legacy,â⬠par. 2). The archaeologist Earnst Ziller found the Stadium during excavations of the 1869-70, which was rebuilt again in 1896 for holding the first Olympiad in Athens by G Averof. Anastase Metaxas helped in remaking the Stadium to the capacity of 69,000 seats. The same marble from Mt. Penteli, which was used 2,400 years before, was used again for making of the Parthenon on the Acropolis. The Stadium was adorned as if it was the Grecian temple, the outline of which was still intact with its porticos and colonnades (Olympic-Legacy,â⬠par. 3-8). Lycurgos as head of the overseersââ¬â¢ team was conferred the title of ââ¬Å"caretakers of the Stadionâ⬠. ... Lycurgos changed the valley not only into a Stadium but also circumvented the arena with a parapet, which straightway marked the place for the competitions. A line of stones was laid down to label the starting point and the finish of an ordinary route. A passage was constructed behind the parapet, which made the circumference of the route. Below the footpath a covered passage was running along to take the flow of the rain water out from the Stadium. Some remains of this passage are still there to be seen. During that period, inclines were not sheltered with marble benches as the audience seating arrangements were made on the ground. The place named ââ¬Å"the first woodâ⬠was meant for VIPs of that time, earmarking their seats (Lambros & Polites, ââ¬Å"The Olympic Games B.C. 776. ââ¬â A. D. I896.â⬠pp.35-36). There are inscriptions that inform the repairing of the Stadium dating Third Century BC by Heracleitos in a ââ¬Å"befitting mannerâ⬠. In the second Century after Christ the Stadium was totally refurbished by Herodes Atticus. Herodes Atticus was selected the ââ¬Å"Athlothete of the Panathenaiaâ⬠(Lambros & Polites, ââ¬Å"The Olympic Games B.C. 776. ââ¬â A. D. I896.â⬠p. 36). Worth description by Herodes was the ship on wheels on whose pole people laid their offerings because the goddess there is depicted as sail. It operated through a secret method sailing beside the ground. While addressing the people of Athens, Herodes finished his speech of thanks giving by saying: ââ¬Å"It will be in a Stadium of marble that I hope to receive you, oh Athenians, yourselves as well as the Athletes and strangers, who will then be our guests.â⬠In a span of 4 years he presented an altogether new look to the Stadium fully decorated. Such was the appeal of the Stadium that no other
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
Interview with policy marker Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words
Interview with policy marker - Essay Example Such patients have to be making about 1800/year, and be diagnosed with mental disability. Income is all the same the major factor as they have to be making 1800/year According to the Healthy People 2020 report, one of the main aims is to reduce the homeless people. How does your facility do to ensure the same? The homeless patients are kept in boarding homes, or in other shelters How do the boarding homes, halfway homes, or shelters help in maintaining the individualsââ¬â¢ stability? Patients in these homes have access to continued care, they are seen by a psychiatrist on weekly basis who are paid by the government. This is in accordance with objectives the Healthy People 2020 program that aims at increasing medical practitioners contact with patients. According to you, what is the main drawback preventing your clients from receiving care? And what role should the government play in increasing the care given to your clients, as outlined under the Access to health services Objectiv e in the Healthy People 2020 project? Sometimes it gets frustrating to give essential care and shelter to a patient with no insurance cover. Funding becomes the biggest drawback; this patient population is mostly ignored due to mental illness. Therefore, shelters have serious limitations in receiving and caring for fixed number of patients according to availability of funds in issues related to behavioral health. In an epidemiology study carried out by Pratt (2012), data from a 2007 National Health Interview survey of 23, 393 adults indicated that 35% of adults with a history of mental illness had a history of homelessness. Do you believe this is a reality? And what can be done to reduce this problem? The future of the homeless depends on the ability of the government to offer more funding. The homes carry out a census of the homeless at the beginning of each year, aimed at determining funds required to assist each of the homeless. The problem is that the shelters are greatly underf unded, which is major challenge. One of the legal implications in accessing health care services is the requirement that Insurance coverage is the principal means of measuring whether one gets adequate access to healthcare among the general population, limiting the chances of the above mentally ill patients, who are usually unemployed to obtain such important services (Healthy People 2020). 2. Policy Maker Question Asked Response obtained Eno- Obong E. Senior case manager with VA community based care These questions focused on the objectives of Healthy People 2010 to improve access to community based education programs in aiding to reduce hospitalization and management of chronic diseases. 1. 1 Health is more influences away from the facility where most of the population spends most of their time. As a case manager working for the patients in the community is this statement true? I concur with this statement from my experience in the field. Before, we recorded much higher emergency visits even after implementing the home health nurse program. However, with no education on how to manage chronic diseases and access to community resources, patients still continued to be sick. The facility therefore helped in exacerbation on the long term health needs of patients accessing such community health based resources. What is the most critical service that you give to the community to reduce emergency visits, and ensuring increasing access to
Marketing and Financial Plan Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words
Marketing and Financial Plan - Term Paper Example Using with traditional social media. Enhance should use social media like facebook, twitter and linked to market our product in the market. The will enable Enhance to reach many customer in the market wherever they are. Another marketing strategy Enhance should implement is using popular blog sites. The blog sites that are like those for politics are the one Enhance should mainly use. Through that Enhance will be able to sell their idea to many. Enhance should also write some articles and distribute them to several customers and ask them to distribute them to other people. By doing these, many will get to know Enhance new product in the market. Enhance should also hire an IT profession who should design for Enhance a website. Enhance should use this website to advertising their product. Many of customers will be through this strategy. Designing a product that is attractive to the consumers. Enhance should make sure that the flavors we are the most wanted by customers. These characteristics will make customers always to ask for it. Secondly, Enhance should make sure that their product is of high quality. All ingredients that will be used are also of high quality. Enhance should make their customers appreciate that their product is of a high quality not by telling them, but them approving it. Another strategy Enhance should use and Enhance have already used, is branding. The name of Enhance product shows what product's content is. This makes sure that consumers understand the product without going into details about it.
Tuesday, October 15, 2019
G H 402 Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words - 1
G H 402 - Assignment Example This document examines various ethical, economic, political and moral issues presented by e-health technologies across the globe. There are various ethical concerns about e-health technologies. For instance, there is concern about accessibility and affordability of the information among different users. The e-healthcare information should be accessible to all users cost effectively (Anastasius 58). However, there is concern about the accessibility of such information considering that many people lack access to the internet which is very critical for accessing electronic resources. The cost of obtaining such information may have reduced in terms of money, but how about the quality of the services offered to the users? There are various concerns about the privacy and confidentiality of the user information. The healthcare profession requires the patientsââ¬â¢ information to be treated with much confidentiality and should be shared with third parties only with the patientââ¬â¢s consent. With a use of information communication technology (ICT) in a provision of healthcare services, there is an increasing con cern about the protection of user information (Anastasius 59). Furthermore, there is an issue of laws that are applicable in case in the event of breach of patientââ¬â¢s rights in the use of e-health services. In addition, the use of e-health services raises an issue of credibility of the information offered electronically (Anastasius 59). While professional and legal measures ensure the protection of patientsââ¬â¢ information against unauthorized disclosure, the use of electronic health exposes patients to greater risk of loss of privacy of information. Health care providers should be morally responsible for ensuring the information they give to online users is credible and accurate while ensuring safety of users information (Anastasius 60). Healthcare has the political connotation in every nation because, in some instances, it is
A critical analysis of nursing care for Gina Essay
A critical analysis of nursing care for Gina - Essay Example In1860,Florence Nightingale recognized the importance of theory and process in health care,and her message has gotten stronger as the years have progressed.Nurses in the UK today are trained in clinical practice and the importance of following defined methods and practices. Regardless of the specific practice model they follow, first and foremost nurses must adhere to the Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC, 2004) code of professional conduct: standards for conduct, performance and ethics. The code sets the standards on matters such as patient respect, consent, teamwork, confidentiality, professional competence, trustworthiness, and risk mitigation. However, the NMC does not specify how a nurse is to embody these standards.Most nurses and health facilities utilise nursing models to guide nursing practice, for example, Roper-Logan-Tierney (1996); Neuman, as cited in Ume-Nwagbo, DeWan, & Lowry (2006); and multiple theories/models as cited in Aggleton & Chalmers (2000). In addition to sp ecific author-developed models, nursing models are delineated as a function of patient care: total patient care, functional, team, and primary (Tiedman & Lookinland, 2004). The nursing field has long recognized the importance of "innovative practice models" or "structural approaches to nursing practice" (Weisman, 1991).One particular model, the Roper-Logan-Tierney (RLT) model, originally published in 1980 with revisions in 1985, 1990, and 1996, is a commonly used model in the United Kingdom particular at National Health Service hospitals. ... 1. Maintaining a safe environment 2. Communicating 3. Breathing 4. Eating & dressing 5. Eliminating 6. Personal cleansing & dressing 7. Controlling body temperature 8. Mobilizing 9. Working & playing 10. Expressing sexuality 11. Sleeping 12. Dying Upon admission to hospital, most patients in an acute care setting have physical problems that impact their ability to satisfactorily complete these tasks, thus the model can be used in multiple clinical settings (Walsh, 1998). The authors (1996) indicate they recognize the influence of non-medical factors including psychological, socio-cultural, environmental, and politico-economic on resources supporting satisfactory completion of AL, however he model is not without its criticisms, which shall be discussed as applied to and following the Case Description. A nursing model alone is necessary, but not sufficient, to provide nursing care to a patient. The nurse must act, carry out the steps of the model in an organized manner, to provide care meeting the standards of not only the NWC, the hospital, but most importantly, the patient. The National Health Service emphasizes this in its circular model of health care, which places patients and the public in the center of the circle and the providers surrounding them. This organized action involves following the nursing process. The nursing process generally includes four phases: assessment, planning, implementation, and evaluation. While generally performed sequentially, given the myriad of problems and matters a nurse must monitor for just one patient, let alone a dozen patients, it is not uncommon for a nurse to simultaneously be supporting tasks in each of the four
Country Analysis- India Essay Example for Free
Country Analysis- India Essay India functions on a democratic system, which heavily influences the political situation of the country. However, this democracy stems from a caste system. A caste system is a social grouping that combines a group of particular members based on specific professions and usually leads to the isolation of each individual caste. The Indian people adopted the caste system to create an easy differentiation of communities and neighborhoods. Recently in India there has been a relaxing of the caste system depending on the part of India in which you are looking. In the cities you will see more of an intermingling and mix of the higher caste systems but as you explore the rural areas, you find a traditional form of the caste system. In recent years India has become the largest democracy in the world. The economy is highly affected by the political situation in India. The country suffers from high unemployment and poverty as two of its main issues that currently influence the economic standing of the country. With two opposing parties with vastly different views for the vision of the economy the country is found being pulled for a free market economy and an economy that strongly opposes globalization and favors a ââ¬Å"land-for-allâ⬠attitude. (ââ¬Å"Politics of Indiaâ⬠) In India the legal situation highly resembles a common law model that is found in England today but is clout with Indian culture. In the courts India has a judge that acts as a neutral party that enforces the law fairly amongst each party. The government too has three branches: the executive, the judiciary and the legislative. The courts hold a common theme of carrying out justice to the people. (Srikrishna) One article says, ââ¬Å"According to Gallups annual public opinion polls, India is perceived by Americans as their 7th favorite nation in the worldâ⬠(ââ¬Å"India-United State Relationsâ⬠) Based off this observation, the relationship between the United States of American and India seems to be quite close and cordial. However, this does not mean the countries have always agreed on every matter. Back in the late 1990ââ¬â¢s when Atal Bihari Vajpayee became the Prime Minister he began to authorize testing of nuclear weapons and the United Sates chose to form against them and eventually was mandated to cut off economic ties. In 2001 the United States under the Clinton administration began to have economic discussion, opening the door for the Bush administration to partake in close monitoring of Indiaââ¬â¢s nuclear weapons and began strengthening the economic ties. The two countries have really come together in times of need such asà the attacks on September 11,2001 and the December 2004 tsunamis. The most recent development in the relationship is under the pressing of the Obama administration. Right out of the gate of the first term of his presidency, President Obama addressed the issue of the Indian-American relationship and said that he was going to take the steps necessary ââ¬Å"further strengthen the excellent bilateral relationshipâ⬠(ââ¬Å"India-United State Relationsâ⬠) This goal was communicated vastly amongst the administration, assuring the citizens of both countries that it was a beneficial relationship. The main person taking care of this relationship is Hilary Clinton. As time passed the country of India became concerned that the relationship was not being as cared for like they were assured would be done. Rather they believed the United States was more focused on their relationship with China and eventually the country of Pakistan. The issues of the bilateral relationship continued to struggle for some time, even after a visit to the White House from Prime Minister Singhin November 2010, which was to hopefully fix or strengthen the relationship. In May 2010 President Obama communicated that shared values, interests and the two larges democracies established the partnership between the United States and India. (ââ¬Å"India-United State Relationsâ⬠) The economic relation between the United States and India has been continuing to be strengthened since the Clinton administration where the bilateral economic dialogue was established. This is a system where the accountability for consultations amongst multiple high powers. (See exhibit A) (ââ¬Å"Embassy of Indiaâ⬠) Since this original discussion; there have been multiple dialogue mechanisms to strengthen the bilateral relationship on the economy and trade issues. This includes different forums and financial partnerships. In the first seven or so months of the year 2013 the United States of America increased the percent they did trade with India 7.4%. (ââ¬Å"Embassy of Indiaâ⬠) The relationship of the United States and India is perfectly summed up by the words of the National Security adviser Shivshankar Menon, From a time when we dealt with each other formally, sometimes warily, we today have a full spectrum relationship, between our governments, our peoples and our institutions. (Menon) In the year 2011 the Gross National Product increased over 8 billion INR, an increase of 11,846.1 INR since 2010. It has a forecast of following a trend and reaching almost 9 billion INR for the next year. This is also a steady view of how the inflation levels haveà effected the GNP of India and will continue do so in the future. (See exhibit B) (No current data was found) (ââ¬Å"India Gross National Productâ⬠) The most current GNP per capita was calculated using the PPP to the US dollar using the atlas method divided by a midyear population. In 2011 in India, the GNP resulted to be $1,420.00 at a ranking of 142/191. In consideration of the past is a very steady increase, however, in comparison the U.S it is hardly an increase at all. (ââ¬Å"India-GNI per capita) As of 2006 India spends 3.11% of their gross national product on their education system. Looking to increase this percentage over the years and have lowered the illiteracy rate by 2015. (ââ¬Å"Infochange Indiaâ⬠) Today when discussing the opportunity for a company, of any kind, but especially a U.S company, to manufacture in India the support to do so is quite present. One major benefit of manufacturing in India is that the government has been putting into place a plan of action to create a substantial steady flow of economic progress and one of the crucial aspects is through manufacturing. It began in 2010 with the implementation of a Manufacturing Policy, that industry and the government fully supports. The plan began with the rubber industry in India and where they were choosing to invest, it has continued into medical supplies, a chocolate factory and a huge factory by the direct marketing company, Amway. The Prime Minister has stated that the commitment of expanding the manufacturing in India is of highest priority for the economic growth of the country. (ââ¬Å"Manufacturing Sector in Indiaâ⬠) Another great aspect of pursuing manufacturing in India versus a country like China is the possibility of lower wages in India, China continues to raise the minimum wage. There is also the language barrier that disappears when you choose to manufacture in India versus another foreign country with a different native tongue. There is also a younger work force in India than in China and with a similar government as that of the United States it is easier to do business. (Shilling) With all the rage to rush off and pursue manufacturing in India there are those who have doubts, like the unknown author of the article in The Economist, the author says, ââ¬Å"If India is to become ââ¬Ëthe next Chinaââ¬â¢Ã¢â¬âa manufacturing powerhouseââ¬âit is taking its time about it.â⬠(ââ¬Å"Manufacturing in Indiaâ⬠) When it comes to a company from the United States and whether or not to compete in India, there is good support that says to go for it. Now a days we have so many jobs outsourced to India it seems foolish to not take it a step further. Particularly in the software industry, there is a large convention that is held there annually and the United States is greatly underrepresented and most likely missing out on big opportunities, because the reality is that the show will go on with out the U.S present. India has been focusing on the service industry over the last years but are now moving towards an industrial form of business. Also present is a strong entrepreneurial spirit, which can be wonderful for a new company coming in because the people will be willing to get in on the ground floor of an international operation, as well as bring new ideas and twists to the table. (ââ¬Å"Americans Should Jump on the India Waveâ⬠) Another aspect in general to approach entering any country competitively is the exchange rate and currency. Look into how the country performs monetarily and see how the exchange rate and inflation will affect your business on the day-to-day operations but also over time. (Aimes) When going back and looking at the idea of manufacturing and competing in India based off the Economic Freedom Index, the index can mean multiple things for both. In general India is a 55.2 out of 100 in Economic Freedom. This is 119th out of 177, (not including Lybia) while the United States is scores a 76.0 sitting at the top as number 10 of 177. When assessing the index with the idea of a company from the Unite States manufacturing in India I look the factors that influence the index such as the labor freedom, this looks into the aspect of the legality of the labor market of the country, or in our case, India. This means that as a company we have to be cautious not to abuse or practice the immoral practice of extremely low wages or poor work conditions. As far as competing the issue that stands out to me pertaining to the EFI is the corrupt factor, with a low score like India, as a company one would need to watch closely at the practices taking place overseas. (ââ¬Å"Index of Economic Freedomâ⬠) The Human Development Index in India is found in the medium HDI. Since 2011 Indiaââ¬â¢s HDI decreased by 2 but is forecasted to increase .07 over the next year. The HDI refers to how the countryââ¬â¢s population is take care of, such as life expectancy, education,à etc. This covers the wellbeing of the citizens of the country; I think this affects the manufacture and competitive aspect equally. If the people are not taken care of who is going to manage and operate the company, as an organization it would just be something that must be kept in mind. (ââ¬Å"Human Development Indexâ⬠) Pertaining to the Global Competitiveness Report it is hard to know how they would affect us because as a country India is not present in the top 30 for the last four years. So the assumption is made the India is not as competitive as portrayed by some people, but that does not mean there is no room for growth. (ââ¬Å"Global Competitiveness Reportâ⬠) India holds a score of 36 on the corruption perceptions index; this means that again when looking into entering the country either with manufacturing or competitive ambition one must asses the risk that is going be taken, such as how will the government treat your corporation as well as how will the patrons of the country view your corporation. (ââ¬Å"Corruptions Perception Indexâ⬠) Last but definitely not least another report that is very useful in assessing the want to on pursuing a manufacture or competitive is the World Press Freedom Index. India is in the difficult situation range in this index meaning, that freedom of speech is kind of difficult to actually have because the government watches closely to what is being spoken and said about their country and the people in it. (ââ¬Å"Reporters without Bordersâ⬠) Based off the indexes and other information presented above do not believe as a company of the United States need to enter the market in India. I believe this is so because of the uncertainty of the market, as stated above India has great potential to grow and be the next China but it has been heading in that direction since the 1950ââ¬â¢s and not much change is evident. There are aspects about the country that would be desirable to enter into and if doing so I recommend the company use the strategy of global standardization. This strategy uses the low cost of the country to its advantage and in the United States outsourcing is chosen for that very reason, so instead of just outsourcing I believe it would be wise to use this method to pursue a start up of an international branch in a country like India where there is low labor cost and where it is not necessary for the people to respond due to the fact that there is a low economic freedom and instead it relies more on the main office back in the United States rather than the host country, or in our case, India. (Aimes) Exhibits Exhibit A Exhibit B Works Cited Aimes, Frederico. Foreign Exchange. Online Lecture, Stillwater. 07 Oct. 2013. Lecture . Aimes, Frederico. International Business Strategy. Lecture. International Management Lecture. D2L, Stillwater. 09 Oct. 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2013. Americans Should Jump on the India Wave. Web log post. Boston.com. N.p., 21 Feb. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Corruption Perceptions Index. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Aug. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Embassy of India Washington DC (official Website) United States of America Economic Relations. Embassy of India Washington DC (official Website) United States of America Economic Relations. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Global Competitiveness Report. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 21 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Index of Economic Freedom. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. India GNI per Capita. India. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. India GDP per Capita. TRADING ECONOMICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. India Gross National Product. TRADING ECONOMICS. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Indiaââ¬âUnited States Relations. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 May 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. Infochange India. India Invests Just 3.3% of Its GNP on Education. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. List of Countries by Human Development Index. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 26 Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Manufacturing in India: The Masala Mittelstand. Editorial. The Economist 11 Aug. 2012: n. pag. The Economist. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Manufacturing Sector in India. , Manufacturing Industry, Indian Industries. India Brand Equity Foundation, Sept. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Menon, Shivshankar. India, US Ties Have Come a Long Way: Shivshankar Menon. The Economic Times. N.p., n.d. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Politics of India. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 June 2013. Web. 10 Oct. 2013. Reporters Without Borders. Wikipedia. Wikimedia Foundation, 10 Oct. 2013. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Shilling, A. Gary. Why India Will Displace China as Global Growth Engine. Bloomberg.com. Bloomberg, 16 Dec. 2012. Web. 11 Oct. 2013. Srikrishna, B. N. (2008) The Indian Legal System, International Journal of Legal Information: Vol. 36: Iss.2, Article 8. Available at: http://scholarship.law.cornell.edu/ijli/vol36/iss2/8
Monday, October 14, 2019
Evaluation of Rosenbergs self-esteem scale
Evaluation of Rosenbergs self-esteem scale Psychological tests are tools used to measure differences between individuals or between the same individual under different circumstances. A psychological test is an objective and standardized measure of a sample of behavior. Before a test is released, researchers have to check its reliability and validity. By the term reliability it is meant consistency of scores obtained by the same person on different occasions. Validity of a test means that it actually measures what is meant to measure. Validity of a test tells the researcher what the test is measuring. In this study, Rosenbergs Self esteem scale is examined thoroughly by first looking at what self esteem is and how it is measured. The conceptualization of self esteem as a phenomenological construct seems to be linked with its measurement. There is plethora of research on the measurement of self esteem and some studies have shown that Rosenbergs scale is valid and reliable for some samples but others find that because self esteem is an unstable characteristic its measurement cannot be reliable. Difficulties in defining self esteem are also linked to its methodological issues as some researchers define self esteem as evaluative and others as descriptive. Problems of measuring a construct like self esteem are identified in this study as well as research on what population Rosenbergs self esteem scale is found to be valid and reliable is encountered. Self esteem promotes behaviors, goals and gives individuals a sense of worth. Some theories suggest that self esteem is a basic human need or motivation. Maslows theory of hierarchy of needs included self esteem by describing two different types of esteem; the need for respect from others and the need for self respect. Without fulfillment of self esteem individuals, according to Maslow could not obtain self actualization. Robson (1989) defined self esteem as the sense of contentment and acceptance that results from a persons appraisal of ones own worth, attractiveness, competence and ability to satisfy ones aspirations. (Columbus, 2006) Rosenberg and social learning theorists defined self esteem in terms of a stable sense of personal worth. These definitions have been applied to global and specific self esteem, meaning that global is an individuals overall evaluation of himself and specific on a facet of the self such as academic competence. This is one of the problems of self report measurements. It looks at what the individual perceives of himself. If an individual perceives himself as competent then the test will result that the person has high self esteem regardless of how competent he really is. Rosenbergs self esteem scale is an attempt to achieve a measure of global self esteem. There is research evidence that this scale is useful for getting a global sense of how a person feels about himself and is a good predictor of other measures of mental health such as depression and anxiety. Unfortunately research shows that it is not such a good predictor for specific domains like academic ability. Self report is one of the most used methods for gathering information on children and adults and its consistent with theoretical concepts of how to obtain information about oneself. Of course, its not without its drawbacks. There are issues on how accessible this information is in the memory, the situations or contexts a person is when they are answering and other factors that might influence how one answers questions about himself. As mentioned earlier cognitive and affective processes are involved in how information is processed through the memory and how its retrieved at a particular moment. A method for finding reliability is based on the consistency of responses to all items in the test. Due to the cognitive and affective processes, there are biases such as self-deception that occur when accessing information. The context and the emotional state where someone is asked to answer self report questionnaire on self esteem involves the situational factors that might influence responds about the self. If for example, someone is asked to answer about his self esteem after getting a promotion it will elicit his response to feel better with himself thus with more self esteem. Self presentation also impedes a persons belief about himself as he might want to be perceived by the researchers as someone with self esteem. It is important to know if individuals are responding honestly as social desirability is a factor tha t alters feelings. These factors may be biasing the responses they are giving. Rosenbergs self esteem scale is a ten item scale that asks individuals to rate themselves using four categories (strongly agree to strongly disagree) on statements regarding their sense of self worth or confidence. The scale is perhaps the most famous and widely used measure of self esteem. It is used with children and adults and is considered to be reliable and valid measure of self esteem. The SES has been validated for use with substance abusers and other clinical groups, and is regularly used in treatment outcome studies. The scale has been validated for use with both male and female adolescent, adult and elderly populations. It has been used with francophone populations but studies about other cultural groups are debateful. That might be the case because of the fact that the concept of self is highly dependent on verbal behavior and social norms in each society. The complexity of the concept as well as the lack of theoretical agreement and empirical data has resulted in acceptin g a general definition of self esteem, which is mirrored in the broad use of Rosenbergs self esteem scale. (Columbus, 2006) Although Rosenbergs self esteem scale has excellent psychometric properties it constitutes a unidimensional scale that does not capture the complexity of self esteem. Unidimensional scales are useful for gathering information on general mental health of individuals. There are a lot of scales that measure aspects of self esteem. Researchers should use measures that are specific to the issue they are investigating whether it is a global sense of self worth or specific evaluation of competencies across a wide spectrum of behaviors. There are allot of studies examining Rosenbergs self esteem scale and their results vary. An important condition influencing the size of a reliability coefficient is the nature of the group on which reliability is measured. A study that examined further support for multidimensionality within the Rosenberg self-esteem scale suggested that Tafarodi and Swann (1995) had another perspective on the relationship of Rosenbergs self esteem scale and the concept of global esteem. They thought that global self esteem is comprised by two separate and different concepts; self competence and self liking. A study examining the psychometric properties of the Rosenberg Self esteem scale in Chinese acute coronary syndrome patients (2006) suggest that the RSES has been found associated with depression. The RSES has also been widely used to gain insight into a diverse range of areas of substantive psychological interest including aspects of gender (Huyck, 1991), aggression and family dynamics (Haj-Yahia, 2001), perfectionism (Stumpf Parker, 2000) and neuroticism (Pullman Allik, 2000). Self esteem is found to be related to basic dimensions of personality as individuals with high self esteem tend to score high on extraversion, agreeableness and openness to experience. A more complex issue is the relation of self esteem and narcissism, as they have been found to correlate. The RSES has been found to correlate well with tests of self concept (Beck, Steer, Epstein, Brown, 1990) thus supporting the construct validity of the instrument. Rosenbergs self esteem scale has been translated into a l ot of languages and is used in diverse populations. One such example is the translation and validation of the Rosenberg self esteem scale in Spanish. The study consisted of the translation, adaption and analysis of the psychometric properties of the scale in a sample of university students. The results showed that the scale presents a unifactorial structure with good levels of internal consistency and stability. Test- retest correlation was good, supporting the reliability of the scale. A recent study (2009) examining the Psychometric Properties of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale in African American Single Mothers shows that the scale can be released to other cultural groups. The purpose of this study was because self-esteem has been identified as an important factor in the mental health of African American women. African American women unfortunately experience multiple oppressions related to both racism and sexism, which has an impact on the formation and maintenance of self-esteem. Women with this kind of background, and especially single mothers with low income are correlated with poor self-esteem (Jackson, 2003) The RSE Scale showed adequate internal consistency with an alpha coefficient of .83. Two factors that accounted for a total of 54.7% of the variance were extracted. Self-esteem showed a strong negative relationship with both depressive symptoms and negative thinking. This study provides support for the internal consistency of the RSE Scale and partial su pport for its construct validity in this population. The RSE appears to represent a bidimensional construct of self-esteem for African American women, with the cultural influences of racial esteem and the rejection of negative stereotypes forming a separate and distinct aspect of this concept. As seen above, there is empirical evidence that shows that socioeconomic status plays role in self esteem scores. It is very weakly correlated to self esteem but it seems that wealthy individuals have a bit more self esteem than working class individuals. Researchers who study self esteem generally assume that its a stable trait that predicts future behavior. Research indicates that although self esteem levels can be temporarily elevated or depressed in everyday life studies show the stability of self esteem across years. Test retest is a method for finding the reliability of test scores by repeating the identical test on a second occasion. Test retest correlation of self esteem is comparable to those found for more basic dimensions of personality such as extraversion or neuroticism. There has been research on the stability of self esteem and it seems that it is high in childhood, falls in adolescence and increases during adulthood. A study made in 2006 by Quilty Oakman Risko suggest that although Rosenbergs self esteem scale was developed as a global self esteem factor, there is mixed support for its unifactorial structure. Many investigation of the structure of the scale used factor analysis. Factor analysis was developed as a mean of identifying psychological traits and is used for analyzing the interrelationships of behavior data. Hensley and Roberts (1976) found that an exploratory factor analysis of the scale results in two factors, consisting of the positively and negatively worded items which reflected an underlying response set. A study looking at the norms and construct validity of RSES in Canada suggests that Kaplan and Pokomey (1976) found that while there was a strong unitary factor in the scale, research showed a two factor solution with positively worded items and negatively worded items. These factors were called defense of individual self worth and self derogation accordingly. In 1990 another s tudy looked into the two factor structure of Rosenbergs self esteem scale and studied 1,700 adults in the USA and found the same results. They also argued that the scale can be regarded psychometrically coherent with a unitary structure. These findings indicate that the RSES is a reliable and potentially valid scale for use with Canadian high school students of all ages (Bagley Bolitho Bertrand ,1997) Another study compared Rosenbergs self esteem scale with Coppersmiths self esteem inventory with people with eating disorders. Researchers wanted to see which test would fit best in measuring self esteem so they measured the validity of both tests. The study found that Rosenbergs self esteem scale had better construct and convergence validity than the Coppersmith self esteem inventory at the particular sample. It is obvious that reliability and validity in some samples might not be granted. Reliability is the consistency of scored obtained by the same sample when they are reexamined with the same test on different occasions. Test reliability indicates the extent to which individual differences in test scores are attributable to true differences in the characteristics under consideration and the extent to which they are attributable to chance errors. When the differences are not true they are called error variance and this is a possibility when measuring self esteem. The researcher would have to test the correlation coefficient of two sets of scores. As we can see from studies mentioned when researching the self, the methodological issues are difficult. The researchers should examine each tests reliability and validity before releasing it to the public. The problems of measuring a construct like self-esteem apply on nearly all of the studies that measure elements of the personality. Some researchers assume that phenomena that occur at the cognitive level will be manifested by behaviors that can be observed and measured. Other researchers suggest that behaviors should not be used to measure personality traits because we are unable to determine what cognitive processes might be affecting that trait. They argue that constructs like self-esteem should not be studied because there is no clear way to measure them or even know if you are measuring the right thing. As the majority of the theories suggest, individuals develop their self and self-concept through social interaction. There may be some innate cognitive process that is modified by social interaction or just social interaction, but either way people display behaviors and express opinions about who they are, from a very young age. For this reason it is important that psychologists be able to study and measure this phenomenon. Future work needs to address the issues of theory, definition, and methodology that have remained unresolved across the centuries. A consensus on these issues will lead to better measurement and a better understanding of how self-esteem influences the mental health and behavior of individuals.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)