Coping with the festive season

From Radio National:
Life Matters

We're in the festive season and advertising images are everywhere - picture perfect families, relaxed and happy, celebrating together.

If that doesn't quite match how you feel about Christmas, then you're not alone.

Chris Day has some realistic advice to help us lift our spirits at this time of year, indeed for every week of the year.

Guests

Chris Day
Psychologist

Further Information

Dr Chris Day

Presenter

Richard Aedy

Story Researcher and Producer

Lindy Raine

I Found this interesting.....

Avoidance

Avoidance responses are typical to people with borderline personality disorder, which is bought about from abandonment and child abuse with punitive parenting (Young, 2005). Avoidant strategies are employed to episodes of anxiety (Laidlaw, Thompson, Gallagher-Thompson, & Dick-Siskin, 2003, p. 100). Clients also avoid stressful situations, for emotional protection from feeling distressed, and cognitive avoidance from ideas, or images when depressed (Moore & Garland, 2003, pp. 28-29). Avoidance behaviour is associated across the spectrum of mental disorders, because negative reinforcement cycles persist (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2004, p. 238). Clients feel relief from anxiety, fear, or distress, thus escape behaviour is a form of relief (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2004, p. 238). Avoidance is also related to dishonest relationships or is caused through an unwillingness or difficulty in understanding psychological content (Smelser, Baltes, 200, p.29-30). Once the client embraces the difficulty of the therapeutic process, avoidance can be transformed into observation and openness (Smelser, Baltes, 200, p.29-30).

This dimension should not be mistaken for avoidance-goal based treatment that is often used in A&OD rehabilitation, where clients goal is to avoid alcohol or drug use. Avoidance-goal based treatment concentrated on statements such as I must stop my un-healthy habits, or To stop being confused about my feelings (Elliot & Church, 2002). This style of treatment is suggested to have negative implications for the client (Elliot & Church, 2002). Whereas approach based treatment is preferred for the clients goal setting, which focuses on building on the self, with statements such as I can achieve a healthy life style, or To understand myself and my feelings (Elliot & Church, 2002).

Empathy

Empathy is another of the core behaviours that staff must have with clients to have the best outcomes from drug or alcohol addiction rehabilitation, empathy cannot occur without good communication and an understanding of what clients are going through. Empathy builds trust in the staff and creates the feeling in clients that staff are doing the best for the client. The display of empathy towards clients can be so readily mistaken for friendship by the clients because it may be a rare event in the clients social circles. Being part of the Rogerian method, empathy also holds that staff should possess an unconditional positive regard for the client (Corsini, 2002, p. 849). An Anti-positivist, Carl Rogers is well known for his counselling techniques and his Person centred therapy (AKA Rogerian therapy), with empathy being at the core of the counsellors skill. The ideology of Phenomenological theory that drove Carl Rogers is the subjective experience of people and the meanings and understanding of all aspects of the human condition and differences (Demorest, 2005, p. 2; Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). Human beings are not without agency dictated by the environment, but do have free will and have control over their behaviour (Demorest, 2005, p.3). The environment is not without strong and at time without powerful influences on the individual, though the perceptions and subjective experiences also have influence on behaviour (Demorest, 2005, p.4). Being a response to behavioural paradigm, client centred method is based on the precept that clients have a choice in the direction their live will go and in the therapy clear communication is used to be based on being genuine, empathic and respectful (McCarthy, 2008). Rogerian therapy focuses on a good human-to human relationship, recognising the clients own subjective experience, opinions, viewpoint, and understanding (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214).

By concentrating on a persons growth, and the personality functioning rather than the development of personality theory (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). Rogers viewed personality as a goal-directed behaviour, understanding that the person is at the centre of their reality reacting to an ever changing world, attempting to satisfy their needs as experienced in the phenomenal field (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). The individual has a unique perspective based on their own private world, thus the therapist must assume a frame of reference from the clients perspective (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). Emotional stability is based on facilitating goal-directed behaviour, and is structures on a self concept derived from evaluative interaction with others, which is fluid while having consistent patterns of self-perceptions (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). The phenomenal field refers to everything experienced at any given time (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). The internal frame of reference refers to the process by which therapists attempt to perceive the clients reality and experience as closely as possible (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214), somewhat like the Stanislavski method within theatrical acting. Rogers recognises that any individual is subject to their own subjective experience and perceptions that shape their understanding of reality that guide behaviour (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214). In treatment, therapists strive to understand clients by understanding their views of themselves and the environment in which they live (Wlison, 1996, p. 1214).

The self concept is considered by Rogers to be organized, consistent and learned attribute composed of thoughts about the self, derived by the interactions with others (Wlison, 1996, p. 1215). Thus the therapist must have a universal positive regard to challenge the clients negative self-view and self-worth, which was learned by the interaction with significant others, from childhood onwards (Wlison, 1996, p. 1215). Maladjustment behaviour stems from the inconsistency between the self-concept and their sensory and visceral experiences, with a lack of positive regard, concentrating on failure, imperfections and weaknesses (Wlison, 1996, p. 1215).

The quality of the therapeutic process is measured on the clients rating of accurate empathy, genuineness, unconditional positive regard, and trust within the experiential client-therapist relationship, which is closely associated with the success or failure of therapy (Wlison, 1996, p. 1216). All individuals are in this paradigm seen as persons in relationship not people in role (pigeon holed with labels) (Wlison, 1996, p. 1216).

Empathy reflects an attitude of interest in the client's thoughts, feelings, and experiences, empathy is a way of being that is powerfully curative, and has been described as the most important aspect of the therapeutic endeavour (Wlison, 1996, p. 1216). Those therapists that have this sensitivity to the client can in essence climb inside the client's subjective experience and their perceptions of reality (Wlison, 1996, p. 1216).

Communication

Communication is specified as one of the counselling or psychotherapeutic techniques, along with positive relationships with the client and identifying the client's individual needs and therapeutic goals (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003, p. 7). It is important for anyone in the human services to value the client's perspective while simultaneously providing professional opinions regarding appropriate goals and strategies, striking a sensitive tactful approach with excellent communication skills (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003, p. 21; Cohen-Mansfielf, 2004, p. 384). At time the most difficult aspect of excellent communication is in being a good listener while communicating active listening through body-language, open-ended-questioning transmitting understanding and empathy with facial expressions towards the client (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003, pp. 53-54). Some suggest that 65% or more of a messages meaning is conveyed nonverbally (Birdwhistell, 1970) which include eye contact, body language, vocal qualities, and verbal tracking (ability to track the content of their clients speech by occasionally repeating key words and phrases) (Sommers-Flanagan & Sommers-Flanagan, 2003, pp. 55-57). Care givers in communication are in a unique position to have a glimpse of the inner experiences of a client by attending to the patterns of speech and the behaviour that accompanies it. These insights are only accomplished with the quality of attentiveness (Kay & Tasman, 2006, p. 8 ).

Persuasion is imbedded within communication, According to Carl Hovland and colleagues at Yale University (1950s), Persuasive communication revolves around two sources of credibility, being expertise (level of training), and trustworthiness (level of built trust) (Vargas & Yoon, 2004, p. 63).

Bulling

Bulling

Bullying is a form of PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder) that does stay with you for a long time. this can bring about fear that impacts on situations within life. This New bullion I found interesting because it puts a human face on the issue and to illustrate that many people suffer the same thing

The Season for trouble?

In the edition of the Sunday Telegraph on the 13th of January 2008 page 9, it was reported that the Christmas and New Year period divorce rates surge. During this period more than 10,000 start divorce proceedings, while NSW accounts for 3000 within the national figure. During hard times and with the compounding stress of Christmas, arguments arise. While we are thinking about others and trying to organize events, time is at the forefront of the concerns. Thus when things do not go the way you want them to go, stress level peak.

Individuals start blaming their partner and accuse them of not doing something, or not following orders, so that the events go off with success. The arguments that follow cause family breakdown, stress, and depression. It is reported that counsellors are flooded with calls at this time. While in homes statistics show that there is a 157 percent rise in domestic violence in NSW.

It is suggested that during the Christmas and New Year period couples look for alternative options in the way they deal with stress, as family breakdown does not solve any long-term problems. It is recommended that one fights to reconcile the relationship even when it may look hopeless.

One thing to focus on now is the way we look at this Christmas and New Year period. For instance we have a mental picture that Christmas MUST turn out like the way we see things to be on the movies and TV shows. To be sure that is not a reality, and when our own life does not fit that stereotype, we feel - let down, sad, stressed, depressed, and angry. Emotional flooding of these emotions overwhelms the individual, causing the person to lash out at the ones they love.

If you are at risk of these emotions, I suggest that you start calming down, enjoy the errors of planning, because those are situation you will look back at and laugh at. Also if stress gets a bit much, go for a walk, forget what is wrong and clear your mind. Walking is a great way to be with nature and time to think about what is important. You and your family. The things that are NOT important are having the meal on time, the house being in the best presentation, and whether the children are noisy.

If problems persist talk to Ripple Affect.

Socialization & Ethics formation

So here we sit on this life boat that is currently spinning on its axis in its orbit around the Sun. The numbers of people on this great planet are just to vast to truly comprehend thus we create in-groups and out-groups so that heuristic thinking makes it easier to save cognitive energy, thus making shortcuts in decision making and judgment calls. This makes it easy to discriminate between judgment calls, Not between peoples but between causes of action. Ethical calls do have a lot to do with in-group and out-group discrimination.
Both Cunningham (2008) & Wells (2004) brings to the fore front the importance of Learning, & Modelling that shapes, moulds, and drives the formation of Character through experience and schemata building, while we are immersed in society.

All of us are born into a world that imposes values upon us, the values, beliefs, and social taboos, all in under the concept of socialization training, so that we may fit into the society, with its prebuilt values & beliefs. Thus our home, school, peers, and media is the "Eton" and formative social group, the mask that we are covertly forced to wear from birth onward, until the self becomes that which was once a mask. Eton was the training ground for the solders that went to Waterloo to fight against Napoleon under the command of Duke of Wellington. Wells (2004) uses this metaphor to illustrate the importance of preparation for one's own life's ethical decisions. These decisions are thus a product of years of preparation so when an action is needed, no decisions is needed, because the decisions was made years ago.


The Mask of conformation & socialization does come in the stories and narratives that are told to us and about us (also see Joseph Campbell) and the labels we live with have their own story. Working in Drug and Alcohol doing contingency counselling they are the self-schemas that I confront on a daily bases. Working with 2nd and 3rd and sometimes 4th generation addicts I see firsthand the Eton these people had to endure. The cost / benefit analysis is about immediate physical pain or getting the next shot. The justification used to overcome any cognitive dissidence with respect to morality or law is the social group they live with it is "normal behaviour in their social group. You may think the “birds of a feather fly together" but as Cunningham (p.30) points out the fundamental attribution error awareness is paramount when working in such an industry of human service, Many people with addiction are self medicating for other reasons and some have been given an addiction from horrific incidences for which they needed surgery. Though with other addicts come pushers, Cunningham addresses this as well, "the torturer has come to think of his work as the natural thing to do" and I would ad would take pride it their work. I would ask you to read about Milgram's experiment study of Obedience < http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Milgram_experiment > and think about the ethics of the experimenter and the participants, you will be amazed.

Thought leads to behaviour, behaviour leads to repeated behaviour, repeated behaviour leads to habit, and habit becomes Character, so too emulated behaviour has the same outcome. The use of reward and punishment to guide behaviour (Cunningham, 2008, p. 29) would have been used at Eton in training the soldiers for the desired outcome. May I argue that we also use more subtle methods of obedience through reward and punishment on people around us, by the way we talk, facial expressions, and acceptance of others or ostracising them. These subtle methods are now used in horse training or horse whispering. With practice and imagination that improves practice for what may be unexpected shows the love in the endeavour. Goleman (Emotional intelligence, 1996) talks about how love and practise of ones profession can place a person in the "zone", a Surgeon was operating, during which an Earth Quake shook the building and part of the Theatre fell to the floor. The Surgeon's love of perfection was so present in the operation that he did not know that there was an Earth quake and did not notice that part of the ceiling had fallen.

The power of words creating their Ripple Affect.

The power of words creating their Ripple Affect.

The ripple affect that followed through to my family in my search for answers about diabetes was enormous. I became wrapped in fear and anxiety, to the point of depression.

After being told I had diabetes it was time to find out what diabetes is, and how will it affect the quality of my life. If you or some one you know has diabetes, you would have probably gone through a similar research expedition as I, trying to establish what exactly is diabetes and how are you going to survive with this. In the beginning I thought it could not be so bad, as when I phoned the doctor telling him I just got diabetes and was advised that I must see him, he said that late the following week would be fine. Also trying to make an appointment with the diabetes clinic I had the same results, a date was made nearly two weeks into the future. Neither the doctor nor the clinic was in a hurry to see me, a newly diagnosed diabetic! No one in the medical profession was in a hurry to see me; in that case maybe, I would probably not even need any type of medication. This gave me a reasonably safe feeling of security that this diabetes was not too much to worry about.

The appointment to see the professionals was some time away, I decided to go to our local library and borrow some books on the subject so that when I do see them I may be a bit better informed. Most books stated that diabetes is a chronic disease; I looked up the meaning for disease, what really is a disease and what did I do to catch this disease. The Encyclopedia Britannica states that a disease is a condition of the living animal or plant body or of one of its parts that impairs normal functioning. This totally blew me away, how was I going to be impaired from being able to function normally. Was it going to impair my brain, I had not long ago been accepted as a mature-aged student at university, and enjoyed doing my course with reasonably good results, so the quest for answers continued, as the words impairs normal functioning stayed planted in my long-term memory bank.

I read that what we eat impacts on the safety levels of blood readings, also that regular exercise would be necessary to enhance the quality of life and help adjust further blood readings, and that it would be necessary not only to rethink, but alter the life style that most likely assisted the onset of diabetes. This advice did not seem to drastic, I could do that, eat to a new set of menus and do regular exercise.

The next step I did, which on looking back was totally wrong for my cognitive and emotional stability, this step was to go public with my news of having diabetes. I decided to tell my friends and associates, hoping to get some advice and support. The reactions and comments did not vary that much, you poor thing! How do you feel? You will have to make so many adjustments to your life now! How are you coping? The worst comments that I received were in relation to the possible loss of my legs, eyesight and kidney damage without conclusive reasons given to these statements. We do not realize what power words have and the ripple affect they create, being at the receiving end has made me more seriously conscious that care must be taken on how one responds to a person that has just been dealt a blow. Telling someone you poor thing without any follow up may be said out of sympathy, empathy and possibly even to show concern But does it make the recipient cope better emotionally? No, this made me question why am I a poor thing, what do they know that I do not, and made matters only worse for me. After all I only have diabetes and not contracted a plague, I was looking for support not sympathy. I did not look for hero status by saying, hey, here I have been given something (diabetes) that you have not but I must deal with it, so feel sorry for me. No, I needed support and not sympathy, and say it mildly I actually got rather angry to the point that I could not tell whether I was angry, frustrated or just depressed.

Expert Power:

Being an expert does not necessarily mean that one needs years of study under your belt to be able to talk with authority. Unless that is you need those years of study for your chosen profession. Experience also brings expertise. I am talking about "expertis" not time spent in a job, thou this too can be mistaken as expertise. A person can spend years in a job and learn nothing about how to be the best at their job, they are just an automaton treating the previous day the same as the last.

An expert is one that strives to improve their knowledge and work practice in their chosen profession. Of course a Doctor, Nurse, Engineer, Psychiatrist and other professions demand a base level of formal training. But even this base level of training does not make one an expert. Though they can be treated as an expert because their training has given them the position of one, thus people treat them according to their training. (Did you see what is in that sentence)

The key to being an expert is to have others that title you as an expert. Thus experts are made by others and not made by them self.

When others in your profession sees you as an expert and treats you as one, this places the responsibility on you to act as an expert and little scope for diversifying into other fields becomes difficult. Because the expert is highly respected for a specific field and that respect is not transferable to another field. Thus the expert will be dragged back into the expert role of that specific field.

The down fall of being an expert:

• When it goes to one's head and taking one's self too seriously.
• Not accepting alternative advice or explanations from others, because you are the expert.
• May create fear in other, thus making the expert seem unapproachable.
• Hinders job change, and diversification.
• Being prone to strong heuristics in judgment calls.
• Being seen as the only person that can perform a specific function.
• Suffer tall poppy syndrome. Others may be sharpening their knives.

Although there are some pitfalls that one needs to watch out for, and if those pitfalls are not an issue. There is great responsibility and prestige that comes with that title of expert.

Expert Power is deemed a personal power because the power is not borrowed from outside the self. Power that is derived from an external source is not Personal Power and once the source is removed, or the person removed from the source, power vacates.

Diabetes it is not a death sentence to enjoying life!

Reasons for telling you about my battle.

The written word is powerful and I truly hope that there is enough power in these written words of mine, to you the reader, to be able to encourage calm in you – while striving through a similar time of trauma. I am not writing my story of coming to terms with diabetes, as a way of self-help therapy for me. I am hoping that by exposing, and telling you of my traumatic experience as it happened, or better said how I interpreted my trauma to me. Lived and grappled with this occasion, so that maybe you can find similarities in your experience and be able to let go of fear, anxiety, and the feeling of hopelessness. I hope by reading this I will save you the years of searching that I went through, to find that you can still fully enjoy life. Sure our environment, nurturing and circumstances may have carved our inner building blocks of coping in some ways differently to others, we can probably say that we are all different. Are we really that different, in the quest to find the need to accept living with diabetes, I doubt it.

I invite you to come on a journey with me and experience a psychological mental atmosphere, which was at times mind blowing, earth shattering, life changing and also included of a lot of attitude fine-tuning. I am not speaking of my honeymoon or even a naughty weekend (with someone else’s partner). This ongoing journey partner is more permanent than marriage, from that you can get a divorce, although when finally found out can be just as dangerous as that naughty weekend. Wouldn’t you agree that finding out that you or someone you care for has been diagnosed with diabetes, would probably have a greater impact on you than man walking on the moon? I was flat out walking anywhere the day I found out that I am a diabetic, but over the past seven years have found that it is not a death sentence to enjoying life.

Ignorance is it bliss?

I am on the wrong side of fifty and for the past seven years have lived with being diagnosed with diabetes. When I was younger (so much younger than today) I had heard about diabetes but as no one in our family has ever had diabetes, I found it of no interest to find out exactly what this problem was really about, all I knew is that a diabetic suffers from having too much sugar in their system and this caused a variety of problems. What, how and why these problems came about and the following consequences, I felt I did not need to know. I suppose you would know someone in this same position and with a similar attitude that I had before I was diagnosed with having diabetes.

Being found out diagnosed with diabetes.

Thinking back to the day I found out that I had become diagnosed as a diabetic, was when I had been admitted to hospital for excruciating, severe and horrible stomach pains, they seemed worse than giving birth to both my sons, (who have a gap of two years) at once. I was put on painkillers and underwent all sorts of tests, which included blood tests. After two nights and two days in hospital the result was that fortunately there were no internal problems. The pain had subsided, I would need no medications and I was told I could get ready to go home, but another doctor would like to talk to me before I go. I sat on the bed pain free waiting for this doctor, happy to be OK and looking forward to phoning my sons to pick me up to go home.

I had never seen nor did I know this doctor, I can remember he was wearing black trousers a white shirt with tie and a black jacket, suited more to a real-estate salesman or undertaker than doctor. He pulled the curtain shut around my bed, I thought what now? He did not examine me nor had he any intention to examine me, he was accompanied by another nurse from outside the hospital, who he introduced telling me from where she was. All this introduction I really took no notice of, as I knew it would not be long and I will be out of there. This small, thin, unassuming, expressionless individual with a chord held tag around his neck that I imagine read, Doctor, stood at a distance from me and said "I suppose you realize that you have diabetes!" Shock, horror no I did not know I have diabetes, I don't even really know what "diabetes" really is, I had only come to hospital because of a bellyache. My pains, he said had nothing to do with diabetes and that part is over and I am clear to go home, but, this nurse was from the Diabetic Clinic in this city and I should see her for follow up, also my doctor would be informed and he would give me follow up treatment, handing me a card for the Clinic he and she left. After they left I sat on the bed unable to move, in shock, disbelief, and totally knowing what a stunned mullet felt like. I knew I was still alive because I went to find a phone to call my sons to pick me up telling them "I have diabetes".

Information power

Information power: People in the corporate sector or at high levels of the human service hierarchy may distort or withhold information for their own gains by enhancing their own expert power, thus becoming indispensable to the organisation (Yukl, 2002. p. 152).

This type of power in self-explanatory. A person can either use Information Power to gain power over others by withholding information, or increase their power by passing of information to the right people in the organization or fabricate / make up information to decrease other peoples power or credibility.

Information power can be use like Ecological Power to make one’s-self indispensable to an organization, by being the source of information that the organization needs. Like wise by distorting information to affect others in the organization can cause great stress to the people that this power is aimed at. So be aware that if you use information power to make some ones life difficult, you are using psychological terrorism and may cause great psychological harm. This includes relationships.

Meme

The concept of memes came from the idea that ideas such as; ways of cooking, catch phrases, fashions, scientific paragdimes, customs and ceremonies spread (Kamhi, 2004). The word meme originated from two main sources, firstly is sounds like meaning and gene and secondly a derivation of a Greek word mimeme (Kamhi, 2004). Memes are strong selfish ideas that survive for their ones sake whether or not the idea is factual or truthful or not (Kamhi, 2004). Memes are seen and understood by scholars as viral infections, with a life span of their own and treated as if a meme is a living entity, in the same sense as a company or corporation is seen as a living entity. Memes are also seen as following Darwinian theory in their survival, by repeating or duplication the meme has a stronger survival rate.

Memes and the media

We have talked about how Master Chef in the posting TV Copy Catting - Part 2has impacted on kitchen safety, and the growing incident rates in emergency departments at hospitals from kitchen accidents. And now that cooking shows with semi professional chefs demonstrating their skills on TV and the perceived ease of preparing a dish, the advancement cooking skills with the home viewers has become more popular.

Instead of looking for a one to one correlation with TV and home habits, I would like to look a bit further afield and include the current economical climate into the one of the causation of this survival of this new TV cooking meme. As the affordability of “fast food” is becoming less affordable for many people, people are now preparing more of their own food. Also just to make the meme a bit stronger, health and additives within fast food is building a stronger desire or excuse to prepare their own foods.

We can see on the TV sow A Current Affair (ACA) that now the producers have introduced a competition called Top Minichef for children aged 12 years and less. The competition is conducted via video entries. I commend this form of reward guided behaviour as it does place pride into ones own creation.

Likewise with the competitors of Master chef that were eliminated from the show are now going to schools and being guests at functions promoting cooking skills and having fun at the same time.

Thus I would like to conclude this posting to contrast the positive and negative affects of TV, by saying the TV is a double-edged sword, depending on how it is used it can have positive or negative affects on the comminute, or in some cases disastrous.

Individual Self-Concept

[caption id="attachment_236" align="alignleft" width="150" caption="I am what I am, and I am a Possum"][/caption]

As individuals, we are not born into a social void. Before a baby is born, a relationship is established between parent and baby, and upon the baby’s first breath the baby is subject to external sensory stimulus (Montagu, 1966. pp. 74-77; Marshall, 1998. p.293). Goode (1978. p. 9), describes babies as being born with instincts, but they are insufficient for self-survival. Instead, these instincts are used to enlist help from others in order to fulfill their needs to survive. Individuals depend upon the relationships with others for survival at all stages of life, all of which are based upon the relationship with the primary care giver in childhood (Montagu, 1966. pp. 74-81; Marshall, 1998. p.293). Bessant & Watts, (2002, pp. 165-166) argue that the relationships between adults and children differ in the modes of language and behaviour in comparison to adult-to-adult relationships, which distinguish age as an identity marker. As a child ages, other identity markers are established, such as dress and the style of music they listen to (Bessant & Watts, 2002. pp. 167-171).

As a child grows, Goode (1964. pp. 78-79) suggests that young people simulate the parent's political, theological and moral questions tastes in food, clothing and art are also matched, indicating the strength of culture on the family and the intergenerational transference of culture and tradition. Although there is disparity between parents and youth, often manifesting in conflict, this is seen as minimal in comparison with the amount the youth copy their parents (Goode, 1964. pp. 78-79). Thus we can see the identity markers follow from one generation to the next with proficiency.

Montagu (1966, p. 72) argues that from time in memorial, people have been living in groups to ensure survival. It is in these groups that a system of interpersonal behaviour had to be established in order that harmony may be the result. Thus a system of rules and regulations made to increase our survival for our deficits of instincts were devised. Goode (1978. p. 9) further suggests that these rules and regulations are deemed as culture or social norms, and are humanly constructed. In modern societies, culture is passed on to the next generation as if it were a mandate from God, and not a human construction or product (Goode 1978. p. 10). Behaviors and class structures in society, being part of culture (seen as set out by God), have set values that infer that we must live by them.

All constructions of our-selves are defined by language, this is extensively discussed by Marshall (1998. p.294) and further suggests that it is our primary form of communication. With symbolic guttural utterances also known as ‘symbolic interactionism for concrete and abstract constructs, and it is in this realm that we describe ourselves and the world around us. Marshall (1998. p.294) further argues that language, or the meanings that are implied by words, are governed by the cultural setting in which the individual resides. As words have constructed meaning, cultural values are given distinction by words. Thus identity is constructed by socially accepted and constructed words and concepts that describe values, customs, and behavioural norms.

The Swiss structural linguist Ferdinand de Saussure (cited in Marshall, 1998. p.294) suggests that it is by way of words, meanings and values that we define our-selves and the world around us, including our place in it being given meaning/made meaningful, through human constructs of labels such as “good” or “bad”. What is seen in one culture as virtuous (good) can be viewed as a crime (bad) in another (Bessant & Watts, 2002. p. 138). Practising within human services “labels can be shattering” for the parents of people suffering either a physical or mental ailment and should be investigated in-depth before a label is placed on a person (Groopman, 2007, p. 85). It is these labels that enable a person to create a self-fulfilling prophesy or an excuse for their behaviour. By fixing a label onto a person, that person is seen to be changed forever in the eyes of others (Groopman, 2007, p. 84).

Culture therefore, uses constructs such as Gender (male, female), Age classification (young, old), Ethnicity (birth place, place of residence), Physical stature (height, skin colour, hair colour, etc), Faith, Politics, Profession and Traits (Patience, masculine, feminine, etc) to define our identity. These identity markers, and attempts to demonstrate a pattern of cognition and feelings, that is neither exclusively internal nor external, but is a mixture of both (Bessant & Watts, 2002. p. 135). Montagu (1966. p.75) argues that self-identity is derived from meaningful relationships with others, by means of activities and a sharing of thoughts.

Just because I thought it is cool

Ecological Power

Power over the environment:

This form of power can be one of the most insidious, because everybody in an organization can play the ecological power game. Ecological power is used both for the thought and care of others, or for causing emotional harm to one specific person or group of people. The physical environment is where we all work, but it can impacts only some people, though when the environment is changed to unite workers it will impact every body in the organization. So let’s explore the Power of the ecological power.

Within an office the environment environmental power is used by a number of people and can be change so the aria is used not only for work but also for meetings or general conversation. We can say that this type of office is a friendly office. It is when the office become over friendly and turns into a social gathering, the office environment then becomes a hindrance to the operations of day to day running of the organization, that’s where ligament power needs to be used to get the office back to functionality again.

BUT what if the physical environment is changed to cause emotional stress for one or more people. Keeping in mind the motivations, if the person is failing in areas of their duties then that person may find that their office space may become a dumping ground for miscellaneous items. Coffee cups, files that need filing, even recent deliveries such as stationary supplies will end up on that person’s desk. This forces the person to either spend more time at their desk doing their job so it does not become the dumping ground or in the opposite direction forcing the person to go out of the office and do their job if that job is not an office intensive job.

Those that have the legitimate use of this power is principally the head of the organization or that department to get the most efficiency in conjunction with those that use the office.

Within the home environmental power can be used to enhance the relationship or erode it. When love is alive and doing well we think about the comforts of the other person and thus do things that would make you happy, imagining that the other person would also be happy. This could be in the fact that the house is cleaned and maintenance is prompt, the garden and lawn is kept. But when misinterpretation happens, then an error is compounded with unintentional emotional harm. Just think … if the one partner likes to have a nice sorted workshop and the other party and a messy arts room. That person that in neat cleans the art room, the art person may get irate over the efforts.

Power over the operations:

This type of power controls the operations of the daily running of the organization and the job duties of the workers or worker. The best way of explaining this power is in an example… In the cooking industry the chef has control over the kitchen environment and the duties of the individual workers. While talking to chefs, about people that worked under them some interesting descriptions of work practices arose.

When there is a person that does not a team player:- does not pull their weight, keep messing things up, or even just have a personality conflict, this power is evoked. There are laws protecting workers in Australia against unfair dismissal, thus the duties are changed for the worker to provoke the individual to quite, by giving them all the “bad” jobs. This occurs in all types of professions in different ways.

Another way is to use operations power is to making ones power felt with in the organization, by changing small details at a whim. This can include meeting times and dates, changing small details within the work place such when workers can go to lunch, changing shift times, or protocols within the pollicies and procedures.

Operations power is also used in ways to create opportunities for favored individuals, and by give them the best jobs. In the work place this type of power has a nick name … “Jobs for the boys”…

In the home operations power is far more emotional when it is used to harm or spite the partner. The passive aggressive use of operations power is used for emotional war faire. When chores are not done or requests are not fulfilled is common and causes relationship stress. When operations power is used in an active aggressive manner, things get interesting with some outrages imaginations working overtime. The most common form of changing the operations of the home is creating distrust through spending money irresponsibly, and cheating. But there was one situation I recall where one partner was upset with the other and placed the partners loved pet in the freezer.

Power over technology:

Having knowledge of new technology or technology in general wile other people in the work place have limited knowledge of that technology is a powerful power in this computer age. There is a potential of taking advantage of this power by refusing to pass on the knowledge and making ones self indispensable to the hierarchy. This also refers to systems knowledge, knowledge over filing systems, or procurement protocols again attempting to make one-self indispensable.

The down side of this power is that the one using this power creates a myth of expertise for themselves, thus promotion and other opportunities are handed on to others, because that person is too valuable in that position.

With in the home this power is respected at first, having technology culturally divided by gender. The female has the knowledge of white goods technology, ie. Washing machine, sewing machine, etc. and the male dealing with outside technology, ie. Lawn mower, car maintenance, etc. Both people in the relationship do their respective part in using their knowledge to keep the relationship stable. But when the relationship is in trouble the couple take advantage of the partner’s lack of knowledge in their technology, holding the power over them.

TV Copy Catting - Part 2

I have talked about how people Copy Cat TV and how Television Violence Causes Aggressive Behaviour, So I continue to illiterate how people are more than ready to copy high profile people, and the only thing that makes these people "High Profile" is the fact that they are on TV... If it would no be for this medium they would not be readily recognized by people out side their social group.

In the Sun-Herald (Australia) Published on the 26/6/2009 page 13 ... We find another article half a page in size describing how a TV show "MasterChef" has influenced people. The article documents the increase of sales in cooking equipment that would normal not be used in the the common house hold Kitchen ......

There has also been a rise in hospital treatments of kitchen injuries consisting of burns and knife cuts, primarily on the fingers. The article also accentuates the dangers inherent in food peroration, and further announces "But for the Masterchef broadcaster Ten there is no pain at all" (Scott Ellis, 26/6/09, The Sun-Herald p.13) shown in the TV show, which demonstrates that the consequences of working in a dangers environment needs special care.

"As contestants slice and burn themselves each week. MasterChef related injuries are on the rise among fans." (Scott Ellis, 26/6/09, The Sun-Herald p.13).

Ripple Affect is just that as we see it here .... The TV show is the Effect and the Affect is rippling out into society, creating side affects that would not have been thought of. It is only through observation of these affects that future affects can be bought to light faster.

The reason I like highlighting the influences that TV has on society or individuals is to show individuals that we should only believe half of what we see, and that there is a ripple affect that follows.

Griffith University is looking at the affects that TV and the transmission of Ideas to a large taxonomy of social strata... I have not had a look at the documentation the vignette bellow is enticing. You can find it within this the Successful 2002 Discovery Projects Grants by Institution - contents document.

DP0211274

Administering Organisation: Griffith University

Dr Albert Moran
Dr MA Keane
Mr AO Thomas
Mr JE Malbon

Title: Economic, Legal and Cultural Dynamics of TV Format Flows in the Asia/Pacific Region

Category: 4001 - JOURNALISM, COMMUNICATION AND MEDIA

Summary:
Globalisation affects all nation-states, especially through TV systems. Little is known about the extended circumstances of these changes, especially the role played by transfer of ideas and techniques, particularly program formats. This investigation of the international dimension of national TV systems in Asia and the Pacific develops a comparative analysis of complex patterns of contemporary economic, legal and cultural sovereignty. By studying national, sub-regional and regional currents in TV "copycatting", we will generate significant lessons for TV industries, media policy and legal protection. A book analysing the meaning of format flow will become a landmark in the field.

Using IQ theory in Schemata components

Using the Intelligence Quotient (IQ) theory to describe schemas makes it a bit easier to understand schemas and how personality comes about by behaviour that is really deeply embedded in habit. There are several tests for IQ, which I will not go into, other than to say that they measure success at predicting academic skills, but Conventional IQ tests do not do a great job at predicting work place success. IQ has several Sub-tests which are listed below:

• Verbal skills
• Mathematical skills
• Spatial Skills
• Bodily-kinesthetic skills
• Musical skills
• Interpersonal skills
• Intrapersonal skills
• Naturalist Skills

So when we use the same theory that IQ is made of several Sub Components, Personality I feel works in the same way. We have a vast amount of individual schemata that make up personality... being scripts of behaviour for what to do in what situation. This Diagram 1 shows the parallels the dimensions between IQ and personality ... As I see it. Though this is seen as untestable, though the concept of EQ (Emotional Quotient) does a good job at measuring Interpersonal and Intrapersonal skills, to predict work place success.


By using this model to visualize schemas and how the personality is formed by all of our experiential learning, we can understand that personality is neither unchangeable nor static in time. As schemas slowly change over time or suddenly with an impacting moment, personality then changes in that realm where the schema affects the situational response script in our personality.

These schemas affect our:

• Motivations
• How we interpret facial expressions
• Relationship styles
• Customer relations
• Power demonstrations (ie. obtaining obedience in others)
• Self Control
• Self speak
• Self image
• Self worth
• How we want other to perceive our self
• Etc......

Should you feel that you would like to work on some aspect of your life that you have identified as being in need of changing or enhancing - please contact me.

Underbelly CopyCats

Underbelly CopyCats

Well we have all seen it before.... when a TV show has sparked copycat style crime.

Some can remember when "Rambo" the movie came out with Sylvester Stallone, and soon after there were some people that were seriously influenced by the move dressing as Rambo and taking their guns to town. I can recall this happening in Sydney, where some shoppers were shot in a Mall by a man dressed as Rambo.

There was another incident in Sydney where a Nursing Friend of Mine once worked at around the same time when Rambo hit the Big screen. A man that was mentally unstable was walking down the street dressed as Rambo screaming and shouting waving a a large knife about. In hospital it took 5 security agents to hold him down so that he could be dosed with enough Valium for 2 people, just to calm him down.

AND NOW !!!

Underbelly CopyCats are doing the same thing.

Are we surprised ... What did the creators think???

Two men one aged 29 and the other aged 36 did a home invasion in Brisbane's west in the same style as portrayed in the TV "HIT" Underbelly.

The TV is in the homes teaching and influencing all that watch it. Ok ... I can hear you say "The OFF button is in reach ..." But I am afraid to say that thrilling shows with Violence, Sex, Drugs, Suspense, and Action will enthrall and capture the mind staved for adrenalin and excitement in what is perceived as a normal boring day.

And then we ask ... How on earth can a crime like this happen or where did they get the idea to do that...??

The answer is short...

Television !

And the we wonder why we are scared to venture out of our home after dark...

I will do some research on why humans like to see and listen too all the stories that involve these things. But at the moment I suspect it is a survival mechanism that has served us in the age of Hunting and Gathering.

If you would like to read more on the Underbelly CopyCats go to : Underbelly 'sparks copycat crime': The Daily Telegraph May 16, 2008 12:00am

What are your comments on this ?

I have talked about this before in a previous posting which you may want to read Reel Bad Arabs & Underbelly

Democracy in the Media?

Democracy has become the cry to herald freedom and liberty to societies all over the globe in the twenty first century. The continuous debate that embroils censorship, in what the public can and cannot view on television is an issue of civil liberties and the placement of responsibility. Should the government be responsible for what should and should not be aired on TV, or should the public be responsible for their viewing behaviour? Thus one must ask, that which results from such a question, where does the power lay, and what is the power relationship between those that produce television programs and those that view the programs? We could argue the point of Paolo Freire (1972) in the Pedagogy of the Oppressed, that "love is an act of courage, not of fear, love is commitment to other men". But love is not in the hearts or minds of the program creators, economic rationalism and the search for greater profits are. We cannot depend on the loving temperament of corporations towards fellow humans. Thus the debate continues and will not dissipate, for our civil liberties are at stake.

In the United States high impact programs wash and wane like yearly tides, or changing seasons (Hickey, 2004). During the Nielsen ratings period, shock-and-awe news stories and action drama stories are aired on TV, in order to boost ratings for those periods (Hickey, 2004). The main aim for the alteration of programming is to increase profits, by demonstrating to the advertising companies and those wishing to sell products that the viewing market share is worth investing in (Hickey, 2004). With the use of alarmist, hair-raising news stories, more people tune in to that television station, whilst promoting fear and paranoia in the society (Hickey, 2004). With the introduction of a new rating system that measures a sample of people's viewing behaviour all year round, that the tidal effect in the programming decision will be eliminated, but other propose that the shock-and-awe will persist all year round (Hickey, 2004). The new streamlined people meter, monitors electronically every day all year, the viewing habits of people in the sample (Hickey, 2004). Combined with accurate demographic data, such as age, income, religion, sex orientation, gender, race, etc. a TV producer may tailor the programs of specific demographics (Hickey, 2004). Having the information and technology like this, gives the illusion of democracy, where the majority get what they want.

How can Hickey (2004) say that television, shock-and-awe programs, and using alarmist, hair-raising news stories create fear in people?

People are impressionable, and psychologically vulnerable to what they see on TV. The effect of TV can be seen in a host of psychological studies, researching the effect that violent television programs have on people. The most vulnerable to the effect of TV viewing are the young. Long-term affects of viewing violent TV programs impact on the sociability and how often people are in trouble with the law throughout their life (Huesmann, Moise-Titus, Podolski, & Eron, 2003). The effects of TV violence have an affect on memory, modelling, and the building of cognitive schemas, which we will look closely at. Modelling involves the copying the behaviour from others. Schemas refer to the frameworks of attitude, behaviour, and judgment making based on events or observations of past experiences, and is argued to help form personality (Cervone, 2004). Memory and schemas are closely linked, but schemas are subconscious mechanisms that guide our behaviour.

A survey was conducted in pre-schools to measure the attitudes of the students (Comstock and Strasburger, 1990). One group of children were shown a video of 2 children, "Rocky" and " Johnny". With one group the children viewed a movie where Johnny was playing with a toy, and Rocky came up and took the toy from Johnny after a small scuffle. In the second group the video's scenario was altered, Rocky tried to take Johnny's toy, but Johnny fought back, thus keeping the toy. The children were then asked which character do they admire the most, Johnny or Rocky. The surveys between the two groups produced similar results. The children in the pre-schools admired and expressed the desire to emulate the behaviour of the aggressor, "Rocky" (Comstock and Strasburger, 1990). The statistical results showed that 60% wanted to emulate Rocky when he got the toy, and 20% wanted to be Johnny when he thrashed Rocky (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990). Also children that identify with an aggressive TV character predict subsequent aggression, in both males and females (N=450, number of participants in the study) (Comstock and Strasburger, 1990). Modeling behaviour of other depends on more than just stating ones attitudes, behaviour must be observed and measured. A study that Murray (no date) conducted involved a similar process, where children viewed low-level aggression on TV (Superman and Batman cartoons), comparing the behaviour with children that watched a pro-social TV show (Mister Roger's Neighborhood). The effects of watching the differences in children's behaviour after watching the shows indicated a significant difference between the groups (Murray, no date). Results showed a significant difference, antisocial behaviour (pushing, arguing, breaking toys) increased when watching the cartoons (Murray, no date). Another group of preschool children given a diet of pro-social TV viewing (Mister Roger’s Neighborhood) displayed less aggression, "more cooperative and more willing to share with other children" (Murray, no date).

One could argue that psychological differences between children and adults are vastly different. That adults have a capacity not to be influenced by what they view on television. DR Susan Villani was interviewed on Lateline in 2001, she describes an MTV experiment in a jail, which showed that violent acts decreased when the inmates were deprived from watching MTV and then increased again when MTV was reintroduced. Dr. Villani emphatically stated that violent TV shows do increase violent behaviour, and that with the evidence of other studies, there is a causal link. Music Television affects behaviour by increasing the heartbeat with the effective use of drums combined with fast camera cuts from scene to scene, also in some songs the lyrics can be interpreted to give a violent message (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990). Likewise as longitudinal study is currently being conducted on St. Helena, an island in the South Atlantic 3,200km of the cost of South America with a population of 5,500, being without TV until March 1995 (Kruszelnicki, 1998). Before TV came to the island it had the lowest incidences of behavioural problems in the world, besides Japan. "Problems in preschool children [increased], problems such as soiling or wetting their clothing, poor concentration, temper tantrums, lack of sociability with their peers, and fighting or destructive behaviour. It seems as though there has been an increase in behavioural problems, beginning with the arrival of television" (Kruszelnicki, 1998).

Being a recipient of values, delivered via television shows and news broadcasts, effects humans to be desensitised to events in real life. This has a positive and a negative affect on humans. A study showed that children that watch medium to high level violence a lot, are more likely to ignore others in the playground inflicting violence on other children (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990). Desensitization has a great implication, because of the social apathy toward intentional harm of others and ignoring the pleas of those in need of help. The positive aspect of desensitisation (as stated by a fellow class mate in tutorial) is that people learn from TV that differences in people should not be feared. These differences include: sexual orientation, religious beliefs, race, and other differences that separate members of society. By viewing TV shows that humanise those that pose an illusionary threat to others promotes understanding between people.

Emotional knowledge manifests as habitual responses to situations and/or events that are stable structural characteristics of personality and can be viewed as learnt frameworks of behaviour (Cervone, 2004). Cervone (2004) proposes that knowledge is organized into schemata that help short cut the cognitive appraisal of every event individuals encounter. Self-schema is the organization of the beliefs that we hold about ourselves, and shape the appraisals made to all types of events (Cervone, 2004). Situational variables in the environment influences the individuals cognition and behaviour, likewise the individual shapes the environment partly by his/her own actions (Cervone, 2004). The individual's current emotional state or mood impacts upon other individuals, thus altering their responses to that individual entering the social interaction (Cervone, 2004). It is emotional knowledge that is influenced by watching maladaptive lessons from television programs, and then incorporated into our schemata over time, and thus becomes part of our personality (Cervone, 2004). Schemas are so closely linked to memory and the organization of memory in the brain, that violent TV programs also affect encoding and retrieval. Bushman (1998) found that people watching violent TV shows experience a drastically impaired memory and recall for TV commercials, that were imbedded in the ad breaks during the TV show. The same phenomenon occurs when watching news programs. After watching the news on TV, the recall of news articles, 5 minutes after the end of the program is also drastically impaired.

Each person has a unique view of the world and how he or she interprets meaning from what they experience. The meanings derived from all manner of texts are subject to that persons own subject position. Subject position is their own subjective view on the world, which is driven by the experiences of the past. The reception of material (i.e. programs) with the meanings derived from that medium (i.e. Television) can be miss-interpreted by the consumer (Real, 1996). The same TV program may mean different things to different people depending on: culture, gender, race, religion, and where that person lives (Real, 1996). No person enters a situation void of past experiences, in tern no person lives in a social vacuum, every thing our sensory perceptions perceive is filtered and interpreted (Real, 1996; Cervone, 2004) according to our schemas and current emotional state (Cervone, 2004). Thus we can see that even the choices that we make in what TV program to watch is in a way guided by the types of TV programs we watched in the past. Also the types of shows we watch are part of our social capital that helps to re-enforce our social identity.

Establishing that Television has an effect on people has been argued by numerous studies, where only some have been mentioned here. But whose responsibility is it to protect those that are impressionable or vulnerable to the harmfully effects of television? There are three main groups that have the power to improve the safety of TV; The government, The Television companies, and the individuals in society (the consumers of TV). This is the ground where freedom, civil liberties, and democracy stand. Should a government that acts for the best interests for the society violate these rights? Are the people to naive to know what is best for them? It is the government's responsibility to protect the citizens that it governs, including what can and cannot be published. This responsibility is distributed in the Australian law by a State responsibility and a Federal responsibility (Jackson, 2001). The State responsibility is to classify and if need be to censor programs, produced in that state (Jackson, 2001). The Federal is responsibility to classify and censor all imported texts into Australia (Jackson, 2001).
It is inferred that approximately 73% of all children view violence on TV once a week, and 47% of all children are not limited or monitored by their parents, and by the age of ten or older 92% of children watch violent TV weekly (N=922) (Cheng, Brenner, Wright, Sachs, Moyer, & Rao, (2004). Cheng, et al. (2004) also stated that it has become the responsibility of therapists to educate parents in America, regarding TV viewing habits of the family. The research conducted by Cheng, et al. (2004) emphasized the importance of governmental intervention of what is aired on free to air TV. In 1990 the Children’s Television Act was introduced to protect children viewing sex, violence or the two combined, but as Whitehead (1993) announced, it has not yet been fully implemented or enforced. As the majority of films are imported into Australia, the Federal Government censorship is incorporated into the Customs Act of 1917, it is only recently that censorship was placed under the Classification (Publications, Films and Computer Games) Act of 1995 and then amended in 2001 (Jackson, 2001). Each State Government has a similar Acts to follow, for instance, New South Wales has the Classification of Publications, Films and Computer Games Act (Jackson, 2001). With respect to the Federal Government policy, a board of reviewers are responsible for classification:

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2.5 The need for consultative and information processes.
"The Film Censorship Board, the classification officers who classify publications and the Film and Literature Board of Review represent the community. Their judgments are supposed to reflect the community's views. There should, therefore, be a strong emphasis on public participation and consultation in the Boards' work."
(FILM AND LITERATURE CENSORSHIP PROCEDURE Report No 55; The Australian Law Reform Commission 2005)

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Imbedded within this Government policy of procedure is the illusion of democracy. The wording of section 2.5 of the Film and Literature Censorship Procedure Report No 55, I find most intriguing. As the boards are “supposed to reflect the community's views and should. [place] emphasis on public participation and consultation (The Australian Law Reform Commission 2005). This does not ensure a democratic process, but instead reacts to those with the loudest voice, whether they are part of the majority, or a minority viewpoint. Thus without complaints from the public, differing texts may enter the country without due process, and programs that could be of benefit to the community, be banned. This was well demonstrated in Sydney recently where a bookshop was selling books promoting terrorism illustrating how to be affective in suicide bombing (reported by Fair Fax Digital 2005. Appendix A).

Whose responsibility is it to permit what is to be aired on free-to-air TV in Australia, and where does the responsibility lay? If a program is produced in one state and imported to another state with different ethical standards, is this a Federal issue or can one State ban a product from another State?

It was proposed in 1961 that television was a "waist land" where homogeneity between programs within all television stations were the norm (Taylor, 2003). Taylor (2003) tried to measure the quality of what television has to offer, with respect to the diversity of programming styles. Taylor (2003) now regards the current heterogeneity of programs on television as a "lush rain forest", full of life and diversity. The diversity of program genres and ideals within genres, creates a fragmenting of social values that often clash with Policymakers and the public, that assign social values to each genre and ideal (Taylor, 2003). Taylor (2003) questions whether this is a good thing, when public-affairs programs have different spins on the same stories, but Taylor leaves this question up to the individual. Taylor (2003) cites questions posed by Rupert Murdoch (1989) of what is "quality television? Murdoch maintains that it is “a reflection of the values of the narrow elite which controls it and which has always thought that its tastes are synonymous with quality" (Murdoch, 1989 in Taylor, 2003). But does this apply to the economic rationalists that drive for greater profits? The elite do place social values on programs, high values for programs like Nightline and lower social values of programs such as The Late show with David Letterman (Taylor, 2003). Taylor maintains that democracy is at the heart of western governments, and the same democracy in now applied to what is aired on USA TV. But in America The FCC (Federal Communications Commission) ascertains what quality television is by employing “lawyers, engineers, and economists, but very few, if any, cultural historians, ethnographers, child psychologists, media effects researchers, sociologists, etc (Taylor, 2003). Using statistical information and drawing inferences of human behaviour or what is deemed as quality television is like measuring lengths with a rubber band (Howell, 1997. Ch.1).

In conclusion, the well-established effects of television on the populus are clear. The impact upon individual's personality is still questionable, but television-viewing habits certainly reflect ones social capital. The effect of TV on behaviour is a correlational relationship. The direction of the correlation is also questionable, as we cannot be sure whether, people with violent personalities enjoy watching violent programs, or if TV violence causes violent behaviour (Howell, 1997. Ch. 9). Some Psychologists maintain that TV violence does cause violent behaviour. Even so the producers of such TV shows could be more responsible in their actions. In the matter of reception, reception cannot be controlled for. The individual's interpretation of meaning in TV programs is dependant on the individual's subject position, thus meaning is independent from the television companies. Reading the Bible may be a good comparison, wherein one book can spawn so many different interpretations and religions. One cannot hold TV companies responsible for the individual's interpretation of what is aired. With the practices of economic rationalism, television is wielded, like a child playing with his/her father's gun. Thus with the restraints of legislation, and the guiding prescripts of ethics, also with the help of love for your fellow man, television can guide the society into a future to look forward too.

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References:

• Bushman, B.J. (1998). Effects of television violence on memory for commercial messages. Journal of experimental psychology, 4 (4), 291-307.
• Bushman, B.J. and Stack, B.J. (1996). Forbidden fruit versus tainted fruit: Effects of warning labels on attraction to television violence. Journal of experimental psychology, 2 (3), 207-226
• Cervone, D. (2004). The architecture of personality. Psychological review, 111 (1), 83-204.
• Cheng, T.L., Brenner, R.A., Wright, J.L., Sachs, H.C., Moyer, P., & Rao, M.R. (2004). Children's Violent Television Viewing: Are Parents Monitoring? Pediatrics, Academic Research Library, 114 (1), pp. 94-99
• Comstock, G. and Strasburger, V.C. (1990). Deceptive Appearances: Television violence and aggressive behaviour. Journal of adolescent health care, 11, 31-44.
• Fair Fax Digital (2005). Bin Laden book ban 'not an option'. [online] viewed 25 September 2005. < http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bin-laden-book-ban-not-an-option/2005/07/18/1121538901095.html#>
• Freire, P. (1972). Pedagogy of the oppressed. Ch. 3. Harmondsworth. Penguin.
• Hickey, N, (2004) TV: Hype takes a hit. Columbia Journalism Review, 43, 1. p. 6
• Howell, D.C (1997). Statistical methods for psychology (ed. 4). London. Duxbury Press.
• Huesmann, L.R., Moise-Titus, J., Podolski, C.L., & Eron, L.D. (2003). Longitudinal relations between children’s exposure to TV violence and their aggressive and violent behavior in young adulthood: 1977-1992. Developmental Psychology, 39, (2), 201-221.
• Jackson, K. (2001). Censorship and Classification in Australia. Parliamentary Library. Australia. [online] viewed 25 September 2005.
• Kruszelnicki, K.S. (1998). TV VIOLENCE: Great Moments in Science, Ep 29, viewed 12/08/05
• Lateline. (2001). Media linked to child violence: aired 22/3/2001,
• Murray, J.P. (no date). Impact of televised violence. Kansas State University. Viewed 12/08/05
• Real, M.R. (1996). Reception Theory: Sex, violence and (Ms) Interpreting Madonna. In Exploring media culture: A guide. Thousand Oaks California. Sage Publications. Pp. 92-116.
• Taylor, R. (2003). Measuring quality television. Federal Communications Law Journal, 55 (3). 593-600
• The Australian Law Reform Commission (2005). FILM AND LITERATURE CENSORSHIP PROCEDURE Report No 55. [on line] Viewed 25 September 2005.
• Whitehead, B.D. (1993). Dan Quayle was right. The Atlantic Monthly, April, 76-94.

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Appendix A

Fair Fax Digital

Bin Laden book ban 'not an option'
July 18, 2005 - 12:27PM

NSW law enforcement agencies cannot take action against people selling books endorsed by Osama Bin Laden because they do not appear to have broken any law, the State Government says.
A Sydney shop, The Islamic Bookstore at Lakemba, is reportedly selling books endorsed by the al-Qaeda terrorist leader which discuss the effectiveness of suicide bombings and attack Western civilisation as "the culture of oppression, the culture of injustice, the culture of racism".
The shop refused to comment on the claims today. A spokesman said: "We're not talking to any media ... we hope to put out a press release early tomorrow."
A Sydney newspaper reported that the shop was selling a book by Sheik Abdullah Azzam, which discusses the effectiveness of suicide bombings.
"The form this usually takes nowadays is to wire up one's body, or a vehicle or a suitcase with explosives, and then to enter a conglomeration of the enemy and to detonate," the writer states.
Another book by Azzam, Join the Caravan, carries similar themes.
In Auburn, also in Sydney's west, other distressing books were found at the IDCA bookstore and the Islamic Science, Culture and Art Association.
Muslim community spokesman Keysar Trad said he was concerned the books were being sold and feared they were damaging Australians' understanding of Islamic communities.
"For the last several years I've been focusing my efforts on promoting understanding, building bridges and it just takes irresponsible people importing this type of literature and just undermining all the good work that we do," he told the John Laws radio show.
"This type of literature should really be only there for academic research so we can understand the minds of people who get into this type of militancy so we can counter the militant ideology.
"But they shouldn't be freely available to ordinary people that may be swayed."
Mr Trad said if bookstore owners failed to get rid of the offensive books there was little choice but to send authorities in to confiscate them.
"If they're not wise enough to go through all the material they have on the shelves and assess it and burn the nasties ... if they're not willing to do that then we'll have no option but authorities will have to confiscate such books because it's not acceptable any more with what's happening the world," he said.
"There are people out there who take this message far too seriously and we don't want any literature that can cause violence.
"We would love to remove such literature and make sure it doesn't get into the hands of young people."
British police have shut down an extremist bookshop in Leeds after the July 7 terrorist attacks on the London Underground and a bus.
A spokesman for NSW Attorney-General Bob Debus today said the state had laws against racial vilification and incitement to violence.
But on the face of it, the content of the books did not appear to constitute incitement to violence, he said.
"For incitement to occur, violence has to actually take place [as a result of publishing the material]," the spokesman said.
"If the literature is found to contain racial vilification then the laws are there to prosecute.
"If any information or literature results in a violent act that can be proven, then we have laws to prosecute under incitement to violence.
"We take any breach of the law extremely seriously and the threat of terrorism extremely seriously."
People could be prosecuted for racial vilification if a complaint was made against them and the Anti-Discrimination Board recommended pursuing legal action, he said.
But the NSW Government could not ban the books outright, he said.
"Banning that sort of stuff is a federal matter that comes under the classification of material through the Office of Film and Literature Classification," the spokesman said.
The NSW Government could only act against the bookshop or its owners if they had broken the law - and until then, any investigation into the sale of the books was a matter for Australia's intelligence agencies.
Unlike Victoria, NSW does not have religious vilification laws and, earlier this month, Premier Bob Carr ruled out introducing them.

What are Schemata?

• "A schema is a general knowledge structure that provides a set of expectations based on prior experience" (Sakamoto & Love, 2004)
• Cervone (2004) proposes that knowledge is organized into schemata that help short cut the cognitive appraisal of every event individuals encounter. People may draw on pre-existing knowledge about their own personal attributes, resulting in a behaviour in-accordance to beliefs that are held in the self-schema (Cervone, 2004).
• Habitual responses (i.e. thoughts, feelings, and behaviour) are pre-established dynamic responses that have been embedded through a process of operant conditioning of repeated social interactions that are similar to other previous social events (i.e. experience) (Cervone, 2004; Goleman, 1996; Funder, 2004, pp. 445-450).

Perception of reality is a reflection of the perceptions of the self. The schemata that have built up over many years of refinement help us to take mental shortcuts when judging the world around us. Self-perception likewise is derived from interactions with others and formed by their opinion of us. Of course this starts at a very early age, with the interaction with the prime caregiver and all the attitudes and moods that that caregiver alternates through in the course of the individual days they interact.

Schemata as defined by Cervone (2004), can be viewed as a frame work of learnt behaviour that is organised in cognitive scripts. Cosentino, Chute, Libon, More and Grossman (2006) utilises the term scripts, for the same phenomenon, that is, for large-scale routine sequenced actions such as going fishing, making breakfast, going to a movie or visiting the doctor, which is in essence the same definition as schemata. The definition of schemata extends to include the internal visualisation of tangible thing and the categorisation of things, whether living of non-living (Sakamoto & Love, 2004).

Cosentino, et al. (2004) shows in prior research that the prefrontal cortex was once believed to be responsible for the encoding and retrieval of scripts. Cosentino, et al. (2004) subsequently site Sirigu, Zalla, Pillon, Grafman, Agid and Dubois . (1995, 1996) that demonstrates that the prefrontal cortex is responsible for the prioritising the importance of scripts. For example is it more important to go fishing or go to the doctor? A person with damage to the prefrontal cortex will find an equal argument for both and be unable to make a decision as neither are prioritised to be more important than the other. Thus Cosentino, et al. (2004) proposes that the prefrontal cortex recruits semantic knowledge about the content of scripts from the temporal cortex, and derive meaning by organizing this knowledge into behaviour that is goal-directed and prioritised.

The role of modular driven schemata becomes evident when select the regions of the brain become active for particular schemata that come to mind. The prefrontal cortex draws information for language function from left-sided activation of premotor cortex, posterior middle frontal gyrus, inferior frontal gyrus, temporal sulcus, and supramarginal gyrus and for script tasks, brain imaging shows extensive activation in the left and right middle frontal gyrus, supplementary motor area, and inferior frontal gyrus and left angular gyrus (Cosentino, et al. 2004).

Although neural networking may be appropriate for computer programming and simulations of hypothetical brain functioning, it is only a poor metaphor for the living brain. Even though a poor metaphor as it is, it is the best we have at this stage of our technological development.

Power

Power is an interesting thing to see in action, especially when it goes wrong.

Firstly lets describe some types of power:

• Ecological power: The use of ecological power controls the physical environment, technology, organisation, and operations within the unit (Yukl, 2002. p. 153; Donovan & Jacson, 1991. pp.266-267).
• Information power: People in the corporate sector or at high levels of the human service hierarchy may distort or withhold information for their own gains by enhancing their own expert power, thus becoming indispensable to the organisation (Yukl, 2002. p. 152).
• Expert power: is gained through years of study and experience, and enhanced by reinforcing the image of their expert position through their actions, which is the source of their personal power (Yukl, 2002. p. 151).
• Perfect position power: to wield the most influence in the day-to-day running of organisations, providing that information and expert power is used effectively (Yukl, 2002. pp. 151-153).
• Referential power: is the form of power that takes advantage of the rapport between the staff and clients, where the clients have a desire to please the staff and take action for self-rehabilitation (Yukl, 2002. p. 150; Donovan & Jacson, 1991. p.267; Groopman, 2007, p.20), Effectively providing that the staff person is friendly, charming, and trustworthy, showing acceptance, having positive regard, being supportive and helpful, doing unsolicited favors, showing concern, and keeping promises.
• Legitimate power: is the power given to the staff by the structure of the hierarchy, the policies that govern the activities of the staff and from other organisations that support the organisation (Yukl, 2002. pp. 144-146).
• Coercive power: refers to the punitive power individuals in authority have to keep subordinates in line, which differs between the levels of hierarchy and between organisations (Yukl, 2002. pp. 144-149; Etziomi, 1980. p.88).

Children are taught by their parents to shear their toys with their siblings, fights start between children when one child is playing with a toy that the other one has. Here is the beginning of a power play, which child has what toy and the attitude of power (Cloud, 1992) over the toy escalates with time and further encounters develops into power over non-tangibles such as liberty, rights, positions, emotional control, and the list goes on. The values, ideas and beliefs that the children grow up taught by the any adult become lifelong and can trap us or open us to live life maladaptive or adaptively respectfully (Cloud, 1992). Babies find the most interest in toys that make noises, noises that the baby initiates, in the preteens through to adult hood individuals discover that other people also make noises when you push the right buttons. Here is where taunting, teasing and power plays come into the realm of emotionality.

This subject is open for further elaboration... More to come ....

Reel Bad Arabs & Underbelly

Isolates and examines American cinema's most persistent Arab caricatures, from oversexed Bedouin bandits and submissive maidens to sinister sheikhs and blood-thirsty terrorists.

Based on author Jack Shaheen's book.

This is a great illustration of how the media controls our perceptions, and brings up more questions of what ells are we cultural blind to.

Then to view Australian TV I was upset when "Underbelly" was presented on Australian TV, glorifying the underworld of drugs etc. seeing first hand the responses of people when watching it. Some people accepting this genre and not questioning the morality of the actions taken by the characters by actors playing their part.
One person stating "this is a great platform to show Australian acting" as the only deference to the show when the morality is questioned ... But then we talked about the pedagogy of the TV show itself.... I will leave that to you

Television Violence Causes Aggressive Behaviour

This research was I did on Television Violence Causes Aggressive Behaviour

Children are estimated to watch approximately 15,000 hours of television and witness about 180,000 murders, rapes, armed robberies, and assaults in one year, whilst spending 11,000 hours at school (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990). Some children start watching TV at the age of six month (Murray, no date), and TV is used all to often as an electronic baby sitter giving the care giver time to do other things (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990; Latline, 2001).

Social learning theory:
Children model their behaviour after adults, when a child sees an adult being rewarded for a certain behaviour, the child is more likely to imitate that behaviour.

Field studies:
Preschool TV Experiment: Consisted of 2 condition, a before and after study. Aggression levels were measured in the playground before the children watched a low level aggression TV show, and again after watching the TV show. Results – The children displayed more aggression after the watching TV. The same experiment was conducted again but children were given a choice of 2 toys to play with, 1: was a toy that when a lever was pulled on doll would hit the other doll over the head. 2: a ball in a maze type game. Results were the same (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990).
Primary school attitudinal change: Two versions of a story was shown to children, 1 Rock successfully takes Johnny's toy away and is rewarded. 2 Johnny successfully defends himself and thrashes Rocky. Results: 60% wanted to emulate Rocky when he got the toy, 20% wanted to be Johnny when he thrashed Rocky (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990). Also children that identify with a aggressive TV character predict latter aggression, in both males and females (N=450) (Huesmann, Moise-Titus, Podolski, & Eron, 2003)
Study on inmates: DR Susan Villani was interviewed on Lateline in 2001, she describes and MTV experiment in a jail, which showed that violent acts decreased when the inmates were deprived form watching MTV and then increased again when MTV was reintroduced. Dr. Villani emphatically stated that violent TV shows do increase violent behaviour, and that with the evidence of other studies that there is a causal link.
Superman Batman experiment: Prosocial and antisocial behaviour was measured for 4 week on 97 preschool children. Then the children watched 12 half hour episodes of batman and superman cartoons over a 4-week period. Antisocial behaviour (pushing, arguing breaking toys) increased. Another group of preschool children given a diet of Prosocial TV viewing (Mister Roger's Neighborhood) displayed less aggression, more cooperative and more willing to share with other children (Murray, no date).

Laboratory studies:
Bobo doll experiment: A Bobo doll is a plastic blow up doll that has sand in its base, and used as a punching bag, so when hit the doll will stand right back up again. The experiment consisted of 4 conditions. Condition 1: The control condition that measured the base line, observed children in a room of toys with the Bobo doll present. Condition 2: viewed a TV with an adult abusing the doll, both verbally and physically. Then placed back in the playroom. Condition 3: watch a real adult abusing the doll, both verbally and physically. Then placed back in the playroom. Condition 4: Used both condition 2 and 3 then replaced the Bobo boll with an adult in a clown suit. Results: There was a substantial increase in aggression in condition 2, 3, and 4 (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990).
TV perception experiment: Children at the age of 3-4 are more likely to try to clean up a broken egg that was seen on the TV screen, and also believed that if the TV were tilted the popcorn would spill out of a bowl. By the age of 5 over generalized the fiction on TV believing that even the news was not real. And by the age of 11 understood that the news was real (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990).
Commercial message memory experiment: Bushman (1998) found that people watching violent TV shows experience a drastically impaired memory, and recall for TV commercials that were imbedded in the ad breaks during the TV show.

Social Contagion Theory:
Social Contagion Theory explains how followers influence each other, involving the spontaneous spread of emotional and behavioral reactions. (Yukl, 2002. p.247) This theory was developed by Meindl (1990) to account for an unexplained motivation to act as a group with a single goal, or values in an organizational setting with out having a direct instruction to do so. People with a low social identity are more vulnerable to emulate a charismatic leader “at a distance or on television and is most likely to occur in a social crisis where self-esteem or survival is threatened (Yukl, 2002. p.247).
Island study: As TV is prevalent throughout the world, and many of the studies conducted were implemented in the western world how could we draw a conclusion that all this information is correct? St. Helena is an island in the South Atlantic 3,200km of the cost of South America and was without TV until March 1995, with a population of 5,500. Before TV came to the island it had the lowest incidences of behavioural problems in the world, besides Japan. Problems in preschool children [increased] - problems such as soiling or wetting their clothing, poor concentration, temper tantrums, lack of sociability with their peers, and fighting or destructive behaviour. It seems as though there has been an increase in behavioural problems, beginning with the arrival of television (Kruszelnicki, 1998).
Desensitization: What is this manifest in society? As research on a large population is financially impossible studies show that children that watch medium to high level violence a lot, are more likely to ignore others in the playground inflicting violence on other children (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990).
Views of consequences: Heroes use violence to achieve their goals, and are never seen as doing the wrong thing. Victims recover fast, or never seen in recovery. Antagonist is either killed or never seen suffering the consequences (Comstock & Strasburger, 1990).
Forbidden Fruit Theory: Experiments have shown that any authorized warning of violent content in a TV show increases the desire to watch those programs (Bushman & Stack, 1996).

Meme

This is the best description of Memes that I have heard.

Ideas that replicate them-selves for survival of the idea. it is a way of anthropomorphizing concepts that only exist in reality when the behaviour is demonstrated over and over for its own sake.