Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity

The book, Integrative Approaches to Psychology and Christianity, discusses the integration of the different fields of Christianity and psychology. In this book, the author, DN Entwistle, discusses integration as a combining the two books of God. According to Entwistle (2004), â€Å"the book of god’s Word referred to the Bible, and the book of God’s works reflects His deeds written throughout His creation. (p. 166). † This is clearly shown in the further sections of the book which discusses the models of integration.He then proceeds to include five models of integration in the book which are: enemies, spies, colonialists, neutral parties, and allies as subjects of One Sovereign. The enemies’ model sees Christianity and psychology as enemies that need to be kept totally separate. The spies’ model has one discipline going into the other to take only what works for them. Psychology, as applied to this discussion, enters the Christian world just to take the religious concepts that will work well with psychology. The colonialist’ model has one discipline colonizing or taking control and prominence over the other.Religion works with psychology as long as religion is superior to psychology. The neutral parties’ model, on the other hand, has both disciplines coexisting and recognizing each other as long as they respect each others’ boundaries. Psychology, according to the author, recognizes that religion has good concepts to offer but it will not encroach on religion’s domain. The allies as subjects of One Sovereign model have both discipline working together to help people. It uses psychological and theological concepts together to gain a better understanding of the truth.According to Entwistle (2004), â€Å"God gave birth to the subject of psychology (human behavior) when he created human beings. God granted us the foundations of theology when He gave us His Word (p. 175). †The book basically presen ts the idea that there are two books of God: His word and His works (Entwistle, 2004). Psychology deals with God’s works and theology deals with His word. Man’s job as Christian counselors is to interpret both books and integrate them together so that both books can be used in tandem to help other people.According to Entwistle, if one finds something that does not make sense between both books, there is a conflict that needs to be resolved before we can use it. At this point, one needs to go back and reread and study both books to see if one can find the discrepancy. Entwistle (2004) says that god gave man both books, but man has to interpret for himself. The problem is not with God’s books, but it is the way man interprets them. Human understanding of God’s books is based on man’s worldview (Entwistle, 2004).While this may not necessarily be a new theory, a reading of this book has brought to mind a certain experience wherein I felt that theology alone was not able to answer the many questions that I had. This had to do with my younger years when I had just followed my parent’s beliefs. When I began to question things, I looked to theology for answers but found none. I felt betrayed and confused. I had grown up believing that there were certain truths in this world and my religion was one of them. As I began to learn about the world, there were a number of things that just did not add up so to speak.In my confusion and sadness, I turned away from my faith and began to explore other things. Needless to say, it was a very trying and difficult experience for me. I began to feel anger deep inside that I feel came from the betrayal at not being able to find the answers to the questions I had. As I read the book, however, I began to understand those troubled times even more. I realized that I had only seen a part of the whole truth and was therefore unable to completely understand it. It was not about just knowing theology but also by having a good understanding of psychology.To properly integrate the two disciplines, we need to have a good understanding of both. We cannot just know theology or psychology and expect to integrate them well. We need to have a working knowledge of psychological theories and concepts as well as a working knowledge of God’s word. We need to remember, though, that our knowledge is only as good as our interpretation. God’s works have been affected by the fall into sin, and as a work of God our interpretations will be colored by the fall as well.On a personal level, I think this book has a lot of good ideas and concepts to it. I found it interesting to discuss the two books of God, because I had heard the term and knew what it meant, but had not really thought about what it included. I also liked the models of integration and their explanations. They were explained well enough that anyone could follow them easily. Some of the things that bothered me the most abo ut the book and its ideas are: the idea of interpretation, the definition of integration, and where do we go from here.If we are the interpreters of God’s two books and we know that the fall and sin have colored our interpretations, how do we know if our interpretations of the books are correct? Can we interpret either book accurately? If our interpretations are wrong, can we do more harm than good to our clients? Is the definition of integration complete enough to help us know what we need to help others? When we use the current definitions of integration, do we get a complete picture of what integration means to both disciplines?With all of the models of integration, where do we go next? How do we make progress in the integration process? Can we ever integrate to a point where we can agree on most aspects of a model, or will there always be disagreement between the disciplines? These are all questions that I think are important to consider about integration. I think that in tegrating Christianity and psychology can benefit a Christian client by allowing us to address spiritual matters and use spiritual techniques for healing.It is important to remember that religion and psychology are both parts of God’s truth to us and can be used to help ourselves and others. When the two disciplines are integrated, we have many more options than when we use one or the other discipline separately. Finally use of both disciplines can help us reach people of faith as well as people who are not Christians, if we can use them both carefully and competently. This is perhaps the greatest thing that we can learn from this book because it not only helps solidify one’s faith but also teach other people about their own faith as well.

What Are the Most Important Agents of Socialization and How Are They Being Accounted for in Children Lives

Parents are important agents of socialization but they are not the only source of socialization when it comes to kids. In my paper I will be discussing the important factors of socialization and what we perceive to be a turning point in our children lives. Believe it or not but parents, family, educational institutions, and media are socializing agents who carry out the process of socialization. The family is the most influential socializing agent. Infants are born into certain types of families and grow up with them as children and adults. Socialization is the process of imbibing the norms, value and social patterns of a particular society. It is also closely linked to the concept of individual and personal development. The family is perhaps the most important source of socialization, given its central role in the early developmental period (Holm, 2005). It plays this central role because it introduces children to intimate relationships and gives them their first experience of being treated as distinct individuals. In essence, the family is the child’s first reference group, the first group whose norms and values the child adopts as his or her own and uses to evaluate his or her behavior. The family also introduces children to group life. Several factors in family life affect socialization. For example, fathers and mothers have different parental styles. Fathers tend toward physical play and unfamiliar games, while mothers tend toward vocal interaction and familiar games. The numbers of siblings and the birth order also have substantial effects. Interactions with siblings enable children to learn about cooperation and conflict as well as negotiation and bargaining. Finally, the family introduces the child into society, helping him or her to find an identity in the larger social world. Socialization is seen as an essential process in the lives of the young child and adult in that it is an essential process of learning and adaptation necessary for social and psychological well-being and survival. The family and socialization are terms that are often linked in terms of their sociological nature and function, the family is in most societies the area or the social structure where the child is socialized and where he or she learns the norms and mores of that particular social environment and culture (Starrels, 2000). Notwithstanding the recent sociological concern about the demise of the family structure in developed countries like United States, the family is still generally seen as the centre of the socialization process. Ultimately, the values or characteristics of a family impact the children. For example, the children of families who are not overly rigid and restrictive are usually content and well-adjusted; however, children who grow up in environments that are too restrictive often become defiant and lack confidence. There are two basic aspects of socialization. First, socialization creates individuals who are part of a human community. It enables people to live within their groups and to be effective members of the society into which they are born. Second, socialization is the process by which a society reproduces itself in a new generation. It helps transmit the values and traditions of the past to the next generation (Tannenbaum 1967). The highest values and discourage deviation from social values do not just come from the family but through other sources such as institutions and peers. (Arnett 1995). Sociologists have long recognized that peers play a critical role in children’s initiation to society. Peer groups provide experience with egalitarian relationships. The absence of a power imbalance enables peers to teach other skills and to provide resources in ways in which parents frequently cannot. Children select peers; they do not select their parents. This selection opportunity enables children and young adults to test some of their preferences for certain types of friends. Peers also teach each other about subjects that adults consider sensitive or taboo and develop their own distinctive norms and values. During adolescence the influence of peers increases, while the influence of parents decreases. Adolescents often experience conflict with the power and expectations of their parents and other adults. However, adolescents generally remain responsive to their parent’s desires regarding goals and values. Peer values generally reinforce parental values. Cross-cultural research has highlighted differences in peer group socialization in different societies (Wilson, 1995). Children are exposed increasingly to a variety of mass media. The media play a substantial role in contemporary socialization and have become increasingly important over the last several decades. Children in the United States today spend more time watching television than in school. Parents as well as others have become increasingly concerned with the role of television and other mass media, but a review of the research on the impact of television on children yields mixed results. Fathers, especially, are still likely to stress the importance of a career or occupational success for their sons than for their daughters. As a result, parents are more likely to provide opportunities for their sons than for their daughters( Benokraitis,2008) Generally my research shows that watching programs which emphasize positive values often stimulates positive behaviors, where as viewing violence and other negative types of programs encourages aggression and other types of negative behaviors. At a minimum, it is clear that television can have a major effect in that children interact with television in much the same way as they interact with other elements in their social environment. Education has become an increasingly important source of socialization in the last century as society became less rural and more urban. School serves as a transition point between the home and the adult world. Schools teach certain official values such as intellectual skills, but they also include a hidden curriculum that teaches useful skills such as how to live in a bureaucratic setting (Mcleod, 1967). Adult socialization is also transparent. Some life transitions simply build on existing norms, values, and roles; others require resocialization or the internalization of an alternative set of norms and values. For example, army recruits and mental patients must be resocialized to their new roles. Desocialization requires stripping oneself of the self-image and values acquired previously and replacing them with a new outlook and self-image. Total institutions, such as prisons, are organizations that deliberately close themselves off from the outside world and lead a very insular life that is formally organized and tightly controlled. Newcomers to total institutions undergo mortification: they are stripped of clothes and personal possessions and are given standard clothing. They perform meaningless tasks, endure abuse and are deprived of privacy; these procedures are designed to destroy newcomer’s feelings of self-worth and to prepare them for deference to their superiors (Summers, 1972). Occupational socialization involves learning the norms, values, and beliefs appropriate for a new occupation or organization. Considerable variation occurs in the type and extent of occupational socialization. In conclusion I would like add that â€Å"Agents of Socialization† defines socialization as the process of passing down cultural beliefs and practices to society; many groups in society are involved in this process, but after researching I found out that the family is the most important socializing agent. The restrictiveness of the family environment can impact socialization of children, affecting how well-adjusted children and teenagers are. Social class can affect the ways that families socialize their children. Lower class parents tend to be more controlling and rigid, whereas middle class parents tend to encourage more independence. In the past three decades, the ways that families socialize their children have changed. Specifically, society’s views of children and teenagers have changed from one in which children and teenagers are naive and immature to one in which they are viewed as more competent and worldly. Also, adults have become less controlling over time.

Blog Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Blog - Assignment Example Even though, transporting oil is relatively easy, the commonest mode of transportation, which human beings use in transporting it from one port to another, is by supertanker. Although spills seldom occur, the outcome threatens marine life. Another disastrous activity that human beings engages in is burning of oil for diverse purposes. Burning oil leads to the production of carbon dioxide, which is a major component of greenhouse gas. In addition, Sulfur is a constituent of oil, which when burnt generates sulfur trioxide and sulfur dioxide (Michaelides 196). The compounds combine with the available moisture in the atmosphere and form sulfuric acid. The acid leads to the formation of acid rain, which leads to destruction of forests. The acid rain also causes progressive erosion of masonry structures and rocks. Ratification of the proposed environmental law will be a step in making an end of deleterious effects of oil on the environment. Wind and solar power offer an alternative source of energy, which is friendly to the environment and with the least pollution if

Second Industrial Revolution Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Second Industrial Revolution - Essay Example the policy makers were much more concerned with the creation of a stable economy, which according to them would be achieved easily through service-based industries as compared to the manufacturing industries. With the US currently in a state of modifications as manufacturing jobs depart the country and service trades rocket, a lot of parallels to the Second Industrial Revolution have been brought forward. A lot of jobs have been mislaid in the manufacturing industry; thus, the country is simply short of innovations (Adler & Pouwels, 2011). The new generation broods do not want courses that deal with engineering, but prefer law, banking sector amongst others. The country has also gone through issues of balance trading, since its goods cannot compete well in the market. Due to the demands of the service industry, the government has been forced to take on in deficit spending, so as to continue to exist in the industry. This is without a doubt a great risk to both tax payers and the country at

The Significance of Motives and the Role of Duty in Morality in Kants Essay

The Significance of Motives and the Role of Duty in Morality in Kants Work - Essay Example This study outlines that Kant defines the right motive as doing the right thing, doing one’s duty and respecting the moral law in the process. In other words, to be rational is to constantly have the right motive/good will. Most important to morality, according to Kant, is thus a good will that makes people to automatically do their duty. Kant’s philosophy on morality was based on what he referred to as the â€Å"Categorical Imperative† (CI), which bases morality on a standard of rationality. â€Å"Formulations of the CI bring together the perspectives of one who seeks to act on principles that all others could share and one who seeks to act on principles that that respect all others’ capacities to act.†. In other words, to violate the CI is tantamount to immorality. In fact, other philosophers such as John Locke and Thomas Hobbes agreed with Kant on this perception of morality, especially his basing of morality on the CI standards of rationality. F rom this paper it is clear that the fundamental of morality as contained in the CI is the law of an autonomous will and a self-governing reasoning in which people are viewed as possessing equal worth and as deserving equal respect. A rather useful work of Kant’s on morality is â€Å"The Groundwork of the Metaphysics of Morals†. It covered morality-related issues like the aims and methods of moral philosophy, good will, moral worth and duty and duty and respect for moral law, among others. In later writings such as â€Å"The Critique of Practical Reason†, â€Å"The Metaphysics of Morals†, â€Å"Anthropology from a Pragmatic Point of View† and â€Å"Religion within the Boundaries of Mere Reason† he would later refine, develop, modify and enrich some of his views in this piece of work. Deductions from Kant’s Ideas There are two core and interesting conclusions that may be deduced from Kant’s ideas about morality and good will. Fir st, under no circumstances should people consider their morality as something they could just lose or forfeit in exchange for personal desires. In fact, â€Å"desirable traits such as courage, perseverance and cleverness may lose their values and get diminished or sacrificed in certain circumstances† .

Were the Anti-Federalists Correct Was the 1787 Constitution a Betrayal Essay

Were the Anti-Federalists Correct Was the 1787 Constitution a Betrayal of the American Revolution - Essay Example The push and the predicted effects of the constitution however created opposing forces to the ratification of the U.S. constitution. The federalists strongly supported the constitution and its formation of the central government because the formerly relied confederation articles were ineffective, and a strong national government would be able to control uncooperative states and excess powers of foreign policies that affected the U.S., and protect the right of its people who had delegated their powers back to the government. The anti-federalists had raised several objections over the approval of the constitution by the states and their population with respect to the envisioned ramifications, arguing that it would burden Americans in their future. Earlier on, the anti-federalist warned that State power would be threatened by a strong national government, where the centre of gravity would shift to the national government (â€Å"Antifederalists† gps.edu). Although power sharing be tween the national and States’ government was supported by both, the risk of giving too much power as supremacy to the national government at the expense of the States would be high. Considering the challenges facing the new republic, federal opposition â€Å"insisted that the freedom won by the Revolution would be best preserved not by expanding the power of the national government but by tightly circumscribing its power† (Mooney 51).... The anti-federalists objections pushed federalists to include a bill of rights to guarantee civil liberties to the people. The aim of the opposition on the bill of rights was to limit the powers of the central government to prevent intrusion into the state powers. To both of the parties’ achievements, the bill was later adopted and the few states which were reluctant to ratify the constitution became convinced. First of all, the 10th amendment of the constitution only clarified the existing enumeration powers of the federal government, but refused to adjust its powers to make a change. As a result, the States felt obliged to support the constitution, due to the assurance of the tenth amendment, which confirmed that powers not delegated to the central government would reside with the respective States (Mooney 58). In other words, it was a meander to achieve support of the states by limiting the federal government the right to interfere with individuals and not the state. Nothin g was new because individuals were already protected by the bill of rights in the respective States constitutions; the only change was its further inclusion in the national constitution, yet the federal powers over war, taxes, commerce, and implied powers were not restricted by the amendment (Dry 5). Today everyone realizes and sympathizes with the anti- federalist opposition for their fear of constitution to leave out the bill of rights that turned out to be very essential. Even with the 1st enactment of the bill of rights, suppressive scenarios like the approval of the Alien and Sedition Acts that threatened foreigners’ liberty, and seriously limited freedom of speech and especially of the press affirmed anti-federalist argument. The inclusion of the bill of

Week 5 Discussion Questions Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 3

Week 5 Discussion Questions - Essay Example The reason that total quality can positive influence the sustainability initiatives of a company is because the implementation of total quality leads to continuous improvement through an organization. For example if a company is spending too much on electricity bills the total quality system of company will identify the deficiency so that the manager can implement alternative solutions to remedy the situation. Lowering energy usage is a sustainability practice can help the environment because it reduces the dependency of petroleum derivatives and helps decrease the CO2 emissions the business activity of a company generates. A common practice of total quality system is the use of benchmarking. Benchmarking involves selecting a demonstrated standard of performance that represents the very best performance for processes or activities very similar to yours (Heizer, et al. 1996, p.84). The use of benchmarking can help improve sustainability by imitating environmentally friendly practices other companies are implementing. If a manager learns that another company with compatible operation implemented a process that allows the use of recycle water in the manufacturing line benchmarking that practice can help achieve greater sustainability. A sustainability plan positive impacts internal stakeholders in a variety of ways. A sustainability plan can help improve the working condition of the employees of the company. For example if the company has manufacturing processes that are releasing toxic gases a sustainability plan can identify that deficiency in order to apply alternative solution to fix the problem. Once implemented the employees quality of life at work and long term health is going to improve. Another potential improvement that a sustainability plan can provide to the employees is improving the temperature and moisture levels of a facility in order create greater comfort for the

Forensic nursing Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Forensic nursing - Term Paper Example According to the American Academy of Forensic sciences (AAFS) forensic nursing is â€Å"the application of forensic aspects of health care combined with the bio/psycho/social/spiritual education of the registered nurse in the scientific investigation of trauma and or death† (Hammer and Pagliario, 2006). In the past, forensic medical interventions (including lifesaving interventions) were withheld until a Forensic medical examiner (FME) has arrived at the emergency department and had collected evidence (Pyrek, 2006 ). In fact, clients were even transferred to other cities that offered forensic clinical services; moreover, there was not much intervention that could be provided in order to protect forensic evidence ( Pyrek, 2006). When a Forensic Nurse Examiner (FNE) is available at the clinical site, they are able to secure the important forensic evidence requiring timely recovery and preservation without withholding medical interventions ( Pyrek. 2006). In 1991, the American Society of Forensic Nurses was the first to recognize and accept Forensic Nursing as a specialty (Bader and Gabriel, 2009 ). The following year , 72 primary sexual assault nurse examiners formed the International Association of Forensic Nurses (IAFN) (International Association of Forensic Nurses, 2006). The aim of the IAFN promoted the education of forensic nurses; thus, the Forensic Nursing Code of Ethics and the Scope and Standards of Nursing Practice was developed in 1997(Bader and Gabriel, 2009). Forensic Nursing is a specialty that is still in its infancy, thus it needs to continuously grow to provide an appropriate response in trauma cases, provide a more holistic care to their clients, and create advocacy for their patients in an unbiased , scientific, and objective manner. In the past many of these roles have been carried out by emergency nurses who may not be

Differences In The Treatment In The Financial Statements For Capital Essay

Differences In The Treatment In The Financial Statements For Capital And Operating Leases - Essay Example A capital lease is considered an acquisition of ownership once the lease is paid out. The lessee must record the lease as an asset. The four criteria that must be considered by accountant to record a lease as a capital lease are: The lease transfers ownership of the property to the lessee The lease contains a bargain purchase option The leas is equal to 75% or more of the economic life of the leased property The present value of the lease payments equals or exceeds 90% of the fair market value of the leased property (Weygand & Kieso & Kimmel, 2003, pg. 658). Weygandt, J., Kieso, D., Kimmel, P. (2002). Accounting Principles (6th ed.). New York: John Wiley & Sons. 2. I think that capital leases are better investment options than operating leases. I compare the difference between an operating leases and a capital leases to the difference between been a renter and a homeowner. Companies that incur in operating leases contracts are throwing money away because they will pay thousands of do llars and will never own the equipment. Sometimes due to the nature of the project it is better to use operating leases. For example if a project has a completion elapsed time of 6 months, it is cheaper to obtain equipment using short operating lease contracts. 3. When you think about the criteria of having a leases for the duration of at least 75% of the useful life of equipment it makes sense that capital lease transfer ownership. The person that pays the lease will pay the owner of the equipment the majority of the value of the asset. I think the use of capital leases is a good way to add value to the balance sheets of a company. The equipment will increase the total assets account of the company. Since the balance sheet is based on the basic accounting equation it must balance itself out, thus there is need of a liability to be included in the balance sheet to offset the asset entry. 4. The four criteria you mentioned in your response are right on target. The first criterion of ownership establishes that a capital lease will lead to ownership of the equipment by the lessee once the contract is complete. A capital lease is similar to a contract to buy a home because the homeowner does not actually fully own the home until is completely paid. If the homeowner fails to pay his monthly payment for more than three consecutive months the bank could foreclose on the home and take back the house. The fair value criterion also completely justifies the ownership privileges in a capital lease. 5. Weekly Summary During week two of the course I learned a lot about accounting theory. The classroom discussion was very informative. I now clearly understand the difference between an operating lease and a capital lease. The week two individual paper cover some very specific accounting topics dealing with some unusual transactions. I use to believe that the inventory reflected in the balance sheet was based on historical cost only. I learned this week that companies make adj ustment to lower the inventory when the current replacement cost is lower. Another interesting accounting topic I learned during my research for the week two paper was that accountants can capitalize interest on construction projects. 6. The total inventory of the company at the end of 2009 was 282,000 units. Using LIFO the valuation of the inventory is illustrated below 10000 15 150000 22000 18 396000 250000 20 5000000 282000 19.67 5546000 The average cost per unit of the company at the end of the year was $19.67 per unit. If the company decides to purchase the 40,000 units at $17 before the end of the year the valuation of the inventory is illustrated below 10000 15 150000 22000 18 396000 250000 20 5000000 40000 17 680000 322000 19.34 6226000 The decision of