Internal weaknesses that impacted the Islamic Societies during the Essay

Internal weaknesses that impacted the Islamic Societies during the Crudades and Mongol Wars - Essay Example Even though the early crusades were named and were quite successful in realizing the desired objectives, majority of the crusades that took place in the later years were ineffective and thus they were defeated by their counterparts, the Muslims. The Mongols on the other hand invaded Muslim land in the thirteenth century. They moved from one Islamic region to another slaughtering all the Muslims they came across. In just a single city, they slaughtered almost 2 million people. Such had immense effect on the locals in terms of their political power, economy, social life, culture, religion and population as explored in this paper. Soldiers in hundreds of thousands became crusaders through taking of vows, with the Pope granting these soldiers Plenary Indulgence. The emblem of the soldiers in the war was a cross, as the term crusade was derived from a French phrase, â€Å"taking the cross†. Most of the crusaders were from France, calling themselves ‘Franks’ that eventually became a common term among the Muslims. By this time, Christianity was yet to divide into large numbers of intermingled geographical regions which later formed the eastern churches of Byzantine Orthodox and the Western Roman Catholic. The Crusaders just considered themselves as Christians but not as Muslims. They had immense impact on Middle East, and particularly to Islamic religion. Crusades Background Among the powers that medieval popes had was the ability of requesting the kings and monarchs to be provided with troops as well as money to facilitate what they deemed as holy wars, such as the Crusades. The Crusades were fought because of geopolitical, economic and religious conflicts between the Muslims and the Christians.3 The spark for the initial Crusade came in year 1095, at the time when the Byzantines within the European Christians for military assistance against Turks, and Seljuk who had recently captured the city of Jerusalem. In order to increase their chances of receiving more aid, Byzantines exaggerated the rumors of Holy Land atrocities from the Turkish people. Pope Urban II immediately responded by summoning of the Council of Clermont, calling upon the European Catholics knights to recapture the city of Jerusalem because of the religious value that they placed to the Holy Land. In 1096, an army of Crusaders traveled headed to the Middle East through Constantinople, fighting the Muslim forces that they encountered along the way. The army reached Jerusalem two years later, 1099. They placed the city under siege, and they butchered almost every single Jew and Muslim within the walls of th e City. In the process, the Crusaders massacred a significant number of Christians whom were mistaken for Muslims. Because of lack of unity among the Jews, Turks and Muslims, they suffered immense loss and defeat from the Crusaders.4 Crusades in Islamic Society Much of the most important works of histories of crusades are being published and the settlements that have been established within their wake are concerned with the 13th and the 14th Centuries, while the great vistas are providing an opening in the sixteenth centuries.5 The Crusades, which were launched upon the holy land of Middle East from Urban II Speech that took place in 1095 at the Council of Cl

Experiences and Suppression of Intrusive Thoughts

Experiences and Suppression of Intrusive Thoughts A Mixed Methods Research on the Experience and Suppression of Intrusive Thoughts and other ways of Thought-Control in the Non-Clinical Mauritian Adult Population ‘’The mind is its own place, and in itself can make heaven of Hell, a hell of heaven.’’ Milton The experience and suppression of intrusive thoughts, and the use of other thought-control strategies by normal or non-clinical individuals, are some of those complex cognitive phenomena, which are gradually gaining increasing thorough scientific attention in the world of Psychology. Significantly Wegner Pennebaker (1993) view the experience of intrusive thinking as a remarkably common clinical and normative phenomenon. Hence, it would be wise to underline that intrusive thoughts occur universally. Indeed research on intrusive thoughts always accompanies research on thought control especially thought suppression. Definition Because intrusive thinking is studied alongside manifold psychological disorders such as Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder (OCD), Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder (PTSD), General-Anxiety Disorder (GAD), depression, phobias, eating disorders and even Substance-Use disorder, there are bound to be major differences in the definition of the term ’intrusive thought’. Notably Clark and Purdon (1995; Purdon Clark, 1999) underlined the construct validity problems of some measures utilised in studies about intrusive thoughts in non-clinical populations just because of the broad definitional problem of the term. These researchers have also suggested that both the cognitive characteristics (intrusiveness, thought-control difficulty) and the content of intrusive thoughts have to be considered while defining them. For the purposes of this research, which focuses on the experience and suppression of intrusive thoughts, and the use of other thought-control strategies by the non-clinical Ma uritian adult population, we would preferably agree with Rachman’s definition of intrusive thoughts as ‘cognitions that are spontaneous, disruptive, and difficult to control and unwanted’ (Rachman, 1981). Similarly, Clark Rhyno (2005,p.4) define the experience of intrusive thought as ‘any distinct, identifiable cognitive event that is unwanted, unintended, and recurrent’. The focus of this research is on negative intrusive thoughts which are unwelcome, involuntary and distressing. People generally approach these negative thoughts in a myriad of ways. Our next point is that people have different coping or appraisal styles in their approach to unwanted negative thoughts. Many people try to control their intrusive thoughts using different thought control strategies which reflect their appraisal styles. Appraisal is the way in which meaning is attached to intrusive thoughts (OCCWG,1997). It cannot be denied that when some negative intrusive thoughts int erfere with concentration and emotional equilibrium, they become unpleasant and distressing and many people try to banish these thoughts from their awareness. Notably, Sigmund Freud (1915,1957) explained the role of suppression and repression that keep unwanted, unpleasant and distressing thoughts out of awareness. The modern view, as supported by the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV) (American Psychiatric Association; APA, 2000) uses the concepts automatic (unconscious) and voluntary (conscious) processes to refer to the Freudian defence mechanisms: repression and suppression. Ever since Wegner et al (1987) started their White Bear experiments in an attempt to study suppression of intrusive thoughts, many other studies have been gradually carried out, which present thought suppression as an inadequate, counterproductive mental control strategy (Beevers et al, 1999; Bodenhausen Macrae, 1996; Monteith et al, 1998a; Purdon Clark 1999; Wegner 1989, 1992; Wegner et al 1994a; Wegner Wenzlaff 1996). Significant studies have also analysed other thought-control strategies like distraction, punishment, re-appraisal, worry and social control in an attempt to understand how individuals approach their intrusive thoughts (Wells Davies, 1994). Aim of Research The primary aim of this study is to review the research done on the experience and suppression of intrusive thoughts in the normal population and analyse the experience and suppression of intrusive thoughts in the normal or non-clinical Mauritian adult population, by shedding light specifically on the different thought-control strategies employed by normal people while coping with intrusive thoughts and most significantly, by analysing suppression as a maladaptive control strategy. Clinical Approach to Intrusive Thoughts and Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) Initial research on intrusive thoughts started with the analysis of the experience of intrusive thinking in the clinical context and it has verily been observed that intrusive thoughts characterize several clinical disorders, for example, GAD, OCD, Depression, PTSD (Brewin, 1998; Green, 2003; Langlois, Freeston, Ladouceur, 2000a,b; Pudon, 1999; Watkins, 2004). It has also been stated that as well as being symptoms of these disorders, intrusive thoughts also contribute to the maintenance of these disorders (Brett Ostroff, 1985; Brewin, Watson, McCarthy, Hyman Dayson, 1998). There is indubitably a significant relationship between intrusive thinking and OCD. The DSM-IV (American Psychiatric Association; APA, 2000) refers to recurrent, intrusive thoughts, images or impulses that are experienced as ego-dystonic (totally inconsistent with the self) and extremely distressing, as partly characterizing OCD. More specifically, many researchers have scrutinized the experience of intrusive tho ughts among OCD patients and have demonstrated that these patients feel compelled to perform compulsive rituals (for instance, neutralizing behaviours etc.) in an attempt to escape from the distressing intrusive thoughts. For them, the performance of these rituals is aimed at the reduction of anxiety and the prevention of a feared outcome from occurring. However these compulsive rituals increase intrusive thinking and therefore, maintain the disorder. Notably, research has demonstrated that OCD patients show deficiencies in cognitive inhibition and when they fail to suppress their thoughts, they make internal attributions of their suppression failures (Tolin et al., 2002). The Obsessive Compulsive Cognitions Working Group (2005) have denoted the relationship of OCD with several specific appraisal styles such as responsibility/overestimated threat, intolerance of uncertainty/perfectionism and importance/control of thoughts. In his cognitive model of OCD, Salkovskis underlines the centrality of responsibility. Rachman (1997) argues that as these intrusive thoughts are ego-dystonic (that is, they perfectly contrast what the self really wants),OCD patients often interpret these thoughts as having personal negative significance and having potentially severe consequences and predicting undesirable outcomes. Furthermore, emphasizing the importance of metacognitions (that is, thinking about thoughts), Wells, Gwilliam and Cartwright-Hatton (2001) elucidate the role of thought-fusion beliefs in the maintenance of the disorder. More concisely, these are: thought-event fusion (the belief that thoughts can change the course of events); thought-action fusion (the be lief that thinking about something means a possibility to act on the thought) and thought-object fusion (the belief that thoughts can be fused into objects). Responsibility beliefs and thought-action fusion beliefs are stronger in people with OCD than those without (Coles, Mennin Heimberg, 2001). Additionally recent cognitive-behavioural theories about OCD have assumed that obsessive thoughts have their roots in some of the thoughts currently experienced by normal individuals (Pudon Clark, 1999; Salkovskis, 1985, 1989). Intrusive thoughts in non-clinical population Ever since Rachman and de Silva (1978) scientifically found that intrusive thoughts are a common non-clinical phenomenon, a plethora of research, especially questionnaire studies have tried to replicate Rachman and de Silva’s research. Using the questionnaire of Rachman and de Silva, Salkovskis and Harrison (1984) confirmed that 88% of a sample of non-clinical individuals experienced at least one intrusive though t. Additionally, according to several other studies, around 79-99% of people in non-clinical samples experience intrusive thoughts similar in nature to those experienced by people suffering from OCD (Freeston, Ladouceur, Thibodeau Gagnon, 1991; Julien, O’Connor Aaredma, 2009; Rachman de Silva, 1978; Salkovskis Harrison, 1984). The real prevalence of intrusive thoughts in non-clinical populations is likely to be on the higher ends of these estimates, as research participants may have underreported their experience of intrusive thoughts due to embarrassment, hesitation and shame. Moreover Pudon and Clark (1993) and Belloch, Morillo, Lucero, Cabedo, and Carrio (2004) also found that 99% of their non-clinical samples (n=293, n=336 respectively) reported having experienced at least one intrusive thought listed in the Obsessive Intrusions Inventory (OII/ROII). But it should be underlined that these researchers also found a slight difference in contents of intrusive thoughts exp erienced by OCD patients and non-clinical samples. OCD patients reported thoughts of dirt, disease and contamination among others. However normal people mainly reported thoughts of unacceptable sex, harm to self, aggression towards others and accidents amongst others. But it might be that the normal people do not consider thoughts about disease, dirt and contamination distressing, thus they are underreported. A Severity Continuum from Normality to Clinical Obsessions The intrusive thoughts reported by normal individuals are considered the ‘normal’ analogues to clinical obsessions and their study allows for better comprehension of the nature of intrusive thoughts. Instead of the normality versus psychopathology breakdown, the modern view discusses the continuity from normality to clinical obsessions. Clark elaborates more on this continuum of intrusive thoughts, by placing clinical obsessions at the extreme end, stating that the difference between clinical and non-clinical cognitive intrusions is ‘one of degree, rather than kind’(Clark,2005, p.11). Similarly Rachman and de Silva (1978) denote a similarity between the content of intrusive thoughts experienced by normal people and people with OCD. The researchers even postulate that psychologists and psychiatrists, who only have the knowledge about the content of the thoughts, have difficulty distinguishing between clinical and non-clinical obsessions. However the same researchers identified a quantitative difference between normal intrusions and clinical obsessions. The difference lies in the intensity and frequency with which these thoughts are experienced. Other studies highlight differences in other variables such as the associated unpleasantness and the level of anxiety occasioned by obsessions, the difficulty in controlling them or freeing the mind from the thoughts, the extent to which people perform neutralizing behaviours or rituals to reduce discomfort and ease anxiety, and the ultimate consequences that result from these intrusive thoughts, because clinical intrusive t houghts interfere remarkably with the daily functioning and life of people suffering from them (Oltmanns Gibbs, 1995; Parkinson ranchman, 1981; Rachman de Silva,1978; Salkovskis Harrison, 1984). Freeston and Ladouceur ( 1997) found that among all the other variables, unpleasantness associated with intrusive thoughts is immensely clinically significant because the assessment of this variable can provide insight to therapists on whether clinical change has occurred or not. Hence this variable can be used to assess therapeutic effectiveness. Theoretical Explanations of Intrusive Thinking Various theorists have attempted to approach intrusive thinking in manifold ways using different approaches like the biological, psychodynamic, behavioural and cognitive approaches. A full discussion of all the approaches is beyond the scope of this thesis. Hence, our analysis will focus on the cognitive and metacognitive approaches. If intrusive thinking is initially a normal phenomenon, then why does it develop into obsessive thinking in a minority? Research has underlined the role of cognitive and behavioural variables in the transition from normality to pathology (Clark Purdon, 1993; Freeston et al, 1991,1992; Niler Beck, 1989; OCCWG, 1997; Purdon Clark, 1994a, 1994b; Rachman,1993). More concisely, cognitive variables are related to the evaluative process (cognitive appraisal) and meaning that an individual attach to his or her negative thought. In clinical cases the meaning assigned to intrusive thoughts might be immensely threatening and disturbing. The behavioural variables are related to the covert and overt actions that the individual performs in response to his or her negative thoughts in an attempt to feel better by decreasing anxiety and discomfort. Salkovskis (1989) highlights the neutralising responses to intrusive thoughts as the key element in the ultimate development of obsessions. Hence the c ontents of normal intrusions and clinical obsessions are basically similar; it’s only the mental and behavioural processing of the negative thoughts that put them on either end of the continuum. Rachman’s (1997) Cognitive Theory of Obsessions According to Rachman (1978), the transformation of normal intrusions into clinical obsessions occurs when the individual considers his thoughts as catastrophic and threatening by viewing them as being personally significant. In an attempt to explain the origins of intrusive thoughts, Rachman (1978) argues that exposure to stressful events occasions the occurrence of intrusive thoughts. Rachman and de Silva (1978) further highlight that external cues trigger the occurrence of normal intrusive thoughts (characterized as being less intense and less distressing) and even clinical obsessions (characterized as being more intense and distressing). This view gained support by the experimental research carried out by Horowitz (1985), Horow itz and Becker (1971), and Horowitz, Becker, Moslowitz and Rashid (1975) which summarized that patients and non- patients experienced increased intrusive thoughts when they were exposed to stressful films. A Metacognitive Approach Metacognitions refer to the beliefs and knowledge about thinking and also the strategies used in the regulation and control of thinking processes (Flavell, 1979). Indeed, metacognitions are responsible for the shaping of the attention we pay to things, thoughts and so on, and they also determine the appraisal and the strategies we employ to regulate our thoughts. Adrian Wells (1997) developed the metacognitive therapy by positing that people experience emotional disturbance, distress and anxiety because of the Cognitive Attentional Syndrome (CAS) which consists of the perseverative thinking style including worry, rumination, attention focused on threat, thought suppression, ineffective self-regulating strategies and maladaptive coping behaviours. The CAS i s a maladaptive style of responding to thoughts and feelings and it enhances negative emotions and the occurrence of intrusive thoughts. The author highlights the presence of a higher degree of this syndrome in clinical patients suffering from depression and other anxiety disorders. He also differentiates between the ‘object mode’ and ‘metacognitive mode’ of mental processing.

An Inspector Calls :: essays research papers

The finale of An Inspector Calls brought cheers but most of all it brought about confusion. It was obvious this play wasn’t going to lay out a neat plot for the audience; it was going to be a play that stays in your mind for the next few days. The intriguing part of this play was, for once, everyone didn’t just wake up, bleary-eyed to give the cast a meaningless clap. When I looked around, I saw people I would have pegged for being gone before the lights had dimmed, actually paying attention, and even more surprising, struggling after the play to comprehend the meaning. Inspector Goole’s role was clearly to make this family aware of the impact of seemingly trivial things they did in life. Sheila’s immediate reaction when she was at the store was to complain to the manager, but she realized how silly it was once Goole had pointed it out. Gerald and Eric saw messing around with â€Å"women of the town,† as they were kindly put, as merely a fun distraction, but Goole showed them how that led to pregnancy and how that can destroy a woman’s life. The husband and wife were so used to dismissing people in life that they didn’t think dismissing Eva Smith from a job and help, would matter anymore than anyone else they had brushed off. This was a family who simply acted with no conscience, and Goole was there to give them a conscience. Goole is right, â€Å"we are all responsible,† and this play served to teach their family, and the audience, a lesson. Every action we take in our lives is because of a choice we make, and we have to make sure those choices aren’t ones we are going to regret in years to come. Whether we are making fun of the autistic boy down the street, or making racist jokes, it is ultimately ourselves that we have to look in the mirror each day at and realize what we have done in our lifetime. The end of the play was ambiguous and it left the audience craving a clear and understandable ending. Were there more girls than just Eva Smith? Was Inspector Goole real? What really was real? Some people thought Goole was a spirit that had come to foretell the future, others thought there were multiple girls in the pictures, while a few thought it was the same girl just in a different pose.

Self Assesment

Self Assessment What I have learnt I feel that I have learnt a lot from this course and hopefully by gaining such knowledge I can take it further, most of the things I picked up on through this course are included in the list below Confidentiality; do not share clients information unless they are in danger of themselves N.V. C (non verbal communication) S. O. L. E. R (sitting squarely, open posture, Leaning forward) Listening techniques, active listening skills Self Actualization (Mascots Hierarchy of basic needs) ? Counselor's introduction for a session Focusing Managed silence Boundaries Rapport building A. G.E (acceptance genuineness and empathy) Ethical principles; Fidelity, Autonomy, Beneficence, Non-Maleficent, Justice, Self- Respect Mirroring What counseling is and is not My feelings and experiences To begin with I would like to state that my experiences gained on this course, has grasp a reality on how things work in the world of counseling in terms of contracting agreements boundaries and the important skills needed to help the client adjust to the circumstances.Towards the end of the course we did an exercise covering important factors of our lifeline's explaining the ups and downs of our life. I found this very interesting because reflecting on the past and present helped me to see the transformation from then to now. Which became an important piece of evidence of the changes I have been through from the negative to the positive aspects and all importantly it has shown me about he person I have become today.What I have learnt from receiving and giving constructive feedback The feedback gained through triads helped me to understand counseling more and enabled me to improve on the skills I needed to. Once you have hands on experience of counseling another person you tend to see how interesting the session is and how important the skills are to create an effective counseling session. The skills I used were as follows; restating, paraphrasing, reflecting , summarizing and I also incorporated other things such as S. O. L. E.R and effective opening questions. If these methods are applied then the client will feel more relaxed and comfortable with the counselor enabling them to open up and form a bond of trust which is very important for progression and growth. When the roles switched around within the triads we had to experience the role of a client, which was interesting at first I wasn't even sure what to expect or what to even talk about but once you feel comfortable with someone those things you were roaring about go out the window and the words seem to come freely.From then I realized how important it is for a counselor to use the sufficient skills needed to interact with the client. It felt good to talk to someone about the things that were bothering me but also it helped me to understand the self governing feeling, as I had more and more sessions I came to a conclusion with my problems. And that was encouraged by talking to som eone and realizing what is needed to be done by myself through reflecting and summarizing.

Bend Oregon

The name bend was derived from â€Å"Farewell Bend†. This designation was used by the early pioneer that refers to the Deschutes River, where the town is platted. Deschutes country, Oregon is the principal city of Bend Oregon, Metropolitan statistical area. The population was 52,029 at the 2000 census and has grown to over 75,290 as of 2006. It is located at the edge of Ponderosa pine Forrest as it transferred to high dessert plateau, characterized by junipers, sagebrush, bitter-brush and little water.Tourism is one of Bends largest sectors. The cascade lakes are large draw for tourists. Some of the recreational activities include downhill and cross country skiing, hiking, biking, rafting, golfing, camping, fishing and more. Bend also a home to the Deschutes Brewery; the largest in the city. It has also hosted the Bend film Festival bend film. Bend was previously the only metropolitan area west Mississippi without a public bus system. Funding was acquired and bus service began on a limited basis.In terms of their government, they appointed commissioners assigned to its respective duties. There are various board of commission which includes Code of professional conduct committee shall monitor new and revised AICPA Interpretations and rulings. Next is the State Board of Agriculture led by Chairman Bernie Faber. It has three-fold mission: food safety and consumer protection; protecting the natural resources base: and marketing agricultural products.There are also a commission in alcohol and Drug abuse, appraiser certification and training council, arts commission, architect examiners, Asian affairs, asset forfeiture oversight advisory committee, Board of athletic Trainers and lastly the aviation board. In the present year, infrastructures and top companies are growing and expanding, proving that Oregon has a well established economy.