Terrible Honesty Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s free essay sample

This paper discusses the portrayal of the atmosphere that characterized the era known as Prohibition in Ann Douglass book, Terrible Honesty: Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s. This paper examines a passage in Ann Douglass book, Terrible Honesty, that deals with New Yorkers flaunting their defiance of Prohibition in the 1920s. The writer looks at the language of the passage itself and discusses the significance of the choice of words and phrases. The passage itself is reflective of New York during the period of Prohibition when there was excitement in just doing something illegal. Prohibition is a theme that comes up throughout the book and this particular passage on page 101, touches upon how life was changing during this period in history. According to the author, this passage serves as a bridge between the past and how the technological advances affected life as it had been known in the big city. We will write a custom essay sample on Terrible Honesty: Mongrel Manhattan in the 1920s or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page Prohibition figures so prominently in this book because it was an important and heated issue, but as we have seen, it was also related to politics, suffrage, religion, and many other highly emotional issues. It was not just about getting a drink on a Saturday night, it was about the right of women to vote, to worship where you choose, and make your own personal decisions. It was an issue of too many laws, and the government trying to tell people how to live their personal lives. Drinking may be addictive and dangerous, but people have the basic right to choose, and if they choose to smoke, or drink, or vote, or visit a specific church, they have the right, and they may also have to suffer the consequences.

Use of Quasiconcave Utility Functions in Economics

Use of Quasiconcave Utility Functions in Economics Quasiconcave is a mathematical concept that has several applications in economics. To understand the significance of the  terms applications in economics, it is useful to begin with a brief consideration of the origins and  meaning of the term in mathematics. Origins of the Term The term quasiconcave was introduced in the early part of the 20th century in the work of John von Neumann, Werner Fenchel and Bruno de Finetti, all prominent mathematicians with interests in both theoretical and applied mathematics, Their research in  fields such as probability theory, game theory and topology eventually laid the groundwork for an independent research field known as generalized convexity.  While the term quasiconcave: has applications in many areas, including economics, it originates in the field of generalized convexity as a topological concept. Definition of Topology Wayne State Mathematics Professor Robert Bruners brief and readable explanation of topology  begins with the understanding that topology is a special form of geometry. What distinguishes topology from other geometrical studies is that topology treats geometric figures as being essentially (topologically) equivalent if by bending, twisting and otherwise distorting them you can turn one into the other. This sounds a little strange, but consider that if you take a circle and begin squashing from four directions, with careful squashing you can produce a square. Thus, a square and a circle are topologically equivalent. Similarly, if you bend one side of a triangle until youve created  another corner somewhere along that side, with more bending, pushing and pulling, you can turn a triangle into a square. Again, a triangle and a square are topologically equivalent.   Quasiconcave as a Topological Property Quasiconcave is a topological property that includes concavity. If you graph a mathematical function and the graph looks more or less like a badly made bowl with a few bumps in it but still has a depression in the center and two ends that tilt upward, that is a quasiconcave function. It turns out that a concave function is just a specific instance of a quasiconcave function- one without the bumps. From a laypersons perspective (a mathematician has a more rigorous way of expressing it), a quasiconcave function includes all concave functions and also all functions that overall are concave but that may have sections that are actually convex. Again, picture a badly made bowl with a few bumps and protrusions in it.   Applications in Economics One way of mathematically representing consumer preferences (as well as  many other behaviors) is with a utility function. If, for example, consumers prefer good A to good B, the utility function U expresses that preference as:   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  U(A)U(B) If you graph out this function for a real-world set of consumers and goods, you may find that the graph looks a bit like a bowl- rather than a straight line, theres a sag in the middle. This sag generally represents consumers aversion to risk. Again, in the real world, this aversion isnt consistent: the graph of consumer preferences looks a bit like an imperfect bowl, one with a number of bumps in it. Instead of being concave, then, its generally concave but not perfectly so at every point in the graph, which may have minor sections of convexity. In other words, our example graph of consumer preferences (much like many real-world examples) is quasiconcave.  They tell anyone wanting to know more about consumer behavior- economists and corporations selling consumer goods, for instance- where and how customers  respond to changes in good amounts or cost.

Great Hammerhead Shark

Great Hammerhead Shark The great hammerhead shark (Sphyrna mokarran) is the largest of the 9 species of hammerhead sharks. These sharks are easily recognized by their unique hammer or shovel-shaped heads. Description The great hammerhead can reach a maximum length of about 20 feet, but their average length is about 12 feet. Their maximum length is about 990 pounds. They have a grayish-brown to light gray back and white underside. Great hammerhead sharks have a notch in the center of their head, which is known as a cephalofoil. The cephalofoil has a gentle curve in juvenile sharks but becomes straight as the shark ages. Great hammerhead sharks have a very tall, curved first dorsal fin and a smaller second dorsal fin. They have 5-gill slits. Classification Kingdom: AnimaliaPhylum: ChordataSubphylum: GnathostomataSuperclass: PiscesClass: ElasmobranchiiSubclass: NeoselachiiInfraclass: SelachiiSuperorder: GaleomorphiOrder: CarcharhiniformesFamily: SphyrnidaeGenus: SphyrnaSpecies: mokarran Habitat and Distribution Great hammerhead sharks live in warm temperate and tropical waters in the Atlantic, Pacific, and Indian Oceans. They are also found in the Mediterranean and Black Seas and Arabian Gulf. They undertake seasonal migrations to cooler waters in the summer. Great hammerheads may be found in both nearshore and offshore waters, over continental shelves, near islands, and near coral reefs. Feeding Hammerheads use their cephalofoils for detection of prey using their electro-reception system. This system allows them to detect their prey by electrical fields. Great hammerhead sharks primarily feed at dusk and eat stingrays, invertebrates, and fish, including even other great hammerheads. Their favorite prey is rays, which they pin down using their heads. They then bite at the rays wings to immobilize them and eat the entire ray, including the tail spine. Reproduction Great hammerhead sharks may mate at the surface, which is unusual behavior for a shark. During mating, the male transfers sperm to the female via his claspers. Great hammerhead sharks are viviparous (give birth to live young). The gestation period for a female shark is about 11 months, and 6-42 pups are born live. The pups are about 2 feet long at birth. Shark Attacks Hammerhead sharks are generally not dangerous to humans, but great hammerheads should be avoided due to their size. Hammerhead sharks, in general, are listed by the International Shark Attack File #8 on its list of species responsible for shark attacks from the years 1580 to 2011. During this time, hammerheads were responsible for 17 non-fatal, unprovoked attacks and 20 fatal, provoked attacks. Conservation Great hammerheads are listed as endangered by the IUCN Red List due to their slow reproduction rate, high bycatch mortality and harvest in shark finning operations. The IUCN encourages implementation of shark finning bans to protect this species. References and Further Information ARKive. Great Hammerhead. Accessed June 30, 2012.Bester, Cathleen.Great Hammerhead Shark. Florida Museum of Natural History. Accessed June 30, 2012.Carpenter, K.E. Great Hammerhead: Sphyrna mokarran. Accessed June 30, 2012.Compagno, L., Dando, M. and S. Fowler. 2005. Sharks of the World. Princeton University Press.Denham, J., Stevens, J., Simpfendorfer, C.A., Heupel, M.R., Cliff, G., Morgan, A., Graham, R., Ducrocq, M., Dulvy, N.D, Seisay, M., Asber, M., Valenti, S.V., Litvinov, F., Martins, P., Lemine Ould Sidi, M. Tous, P. and Bucal, D. 2007. Sphyrna mokarran. In: IUCN 2012. IUCN Red List of Threatened Species. Version 2012.1... Accessed June 30, 2012.Florida Museum of Natural History. 2012. ISAF Statistics on Attacking Species of Shark. Accessed June 30, 2012.Krupa, D. 2002. Why the Hammerhead Sharks Head is In the Shape Its In. American Physiological Society. Accessed June 30, 2012.ScienceDaily. 2010. Hammerhead Shark Study Shows Cascade of Evolution Affected Size, Head Shape. A ccessed June 30, 2012.

Operational Management 302 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Operational Management 302 - Essay Example The implementation of these standards is usually through the national standard bodies. In particular, ISO 9000 deals with quality management systems. ISO 9000 is a family of standards that provides organizations with quality management standards as well as quality products and services. Some of the notable standards include the ISO 9001: 2008 that provide the specific requirements that are set for a quality management system. Another standard is the 9000: 2009; this provides the basic concepts that are applied as well as the language. In order to increase the efficiency and the effectiveness of a quality management system, the ISO: 9004: 2009 comes into play. The most recent in this family is the ISO 19011: 2011; this one provides guidance on the audit of quality management system. ISO 9000 provides for a system audit in order to ensure adherence to set standards. Auditing is done in two main ways, firstly, by an external auditor and secondly by an internal auditor. The main objective of auditing is to ensure that at no given point will the system fail while providing continual improvement of the system. In some cases, the company can make a step of having the clients conduct an audit of the quality management systems. Auditing makes the company to develop an initiative of regular monitoring of its systems in order to ensure there is compliance with the set standards. Full compliance with the provisions of the ISO 9000 standards makes an organization to be ISO 9000-certified. The process of certification requires that an accreditation body be hired to conduct the assessment in order to prove whether there is compliance or not. The assessment of the organization is done from the staff level where they are interviewed in order to ensure they have an understanding of ISO compliance. In addition, the paperwork is assessed; a report is then made that details all the requirements that have been met as well as those that do not comply.

Police Patrol & Different Patrol Programs in New York Assignment

Police Patrol & Different Patrol Programs in New York - Assignment Example For the most part, most people will meet up with the police on the streets or highways, when stopped for traffic infractions. Therefore, in downtown areas, it is good to have another presence, that of the police officer who is available to the public and who provides more a level of protection rather than of fear. Introduction Police departments in any city maintain their presence through a number of ways: foot patrols, bicycle patrols, patrolling neighborhoods in squad cars or motorcycles, and in some areas, horse patrols. The patrol system is the means by which the police are able to interact with the communities they serve and build relationships of trust and respect (Craven 2009). When neighbors in a community get to know who is patrolling their sector, then they are far more likely to confide in the members of the police that they see on an almost daily basis (Shelden 2003). Generally, members of the police department are assigned to a ‘beat’ which means they get to know the area through its streets, buildings, businesses, and homes that are part of the individual’s sector of patrol (Hunter & Barker 2011). Accordingly, as part of this beat, police officers get to know the people who live and work in the area and are able to build relationships with local people. ... As large cities had numerous neighborhoods to contend with, as well as business districts, the police were required to walk their beats which also provided opportunities to get to know the people in their area (Craven 2009). In the early days of foot patrols, this was the preferred method of patrolling the beats until bicycles, and then cars, were utilized. Bicycles allowed the police officer to get to one area of his beat to the next spot quicker than ever before. When the automobile was brought into the patrol system, then the police could get around in any weather and go wherever needed, at any time, as well as be able to transport prisoners (Hunter & Barker 2011). It also provided a sense of protection for the police officer, particularly in dangerous areas. Some cities also had the horse patrols in earlier years although maintaining horses could be somewhat expensive. As a consequence, horse patrols were used more often for ceremonial purposes than the actual police beat. New Yo rk City is famous for having a horse division for some of its patrol sectors (Cordner & Scarborough 2010). In other areas of the United States, the motorcycle is the alternative to the car patrol and is more likely to be a part of ceremonial processions rather than horses. 2.Traditional policies in community relations refer to engaging with the public in the various communities which are patrolled on a regular basis. There are several levels of community operations and interactions: individual, as a group and also, as political actors, whereby the police tend to represent those who are in legislature of the city or state under which they work (Hunter & Barker 2011). While the police officers can maintain a friendly attitude towards members

Monroe Doctrine Essay Example for Free

Monroe Doctrine Essay Ever since its inception as a nation, the United States of America followed a foreign policy of isolationism right up to president Jefferson. This was become the European nations, which were at the helm of American affairs, were involved in several conflicts and turmoil, and American presidents realized the folly of involving such a young nation in war. Thus in 1793, when France declared war on Britain, Americans had divided opinions on the course of action. The federalists wanted to support Britain, and Hamilton, the secretary of treasury, rallied their cause. Secretary of state, who like many other Americans wanted to support France against Britain. However George Washington stuck by his policy of isolationism and avoided conflict. John Adams, and his successor Thomas Jefferson also adapted this policy. When this conflict between Britain and France increased, Jefferson placed an embargo on trade with both nations. While this action highlighted American neutrality, it was also harmful for the American economy, which led to the removal of the embargo. This step highlighted the folly of the policy of isolationism; making it obvious that United States had to make a stand, while continuing its policy of neutrality, not simply isolate itself from world affairs. Hence was a predecessor to the Monroe Doctrine. The Monroe Doctrine was the fruition of early American foreign policy. It was delivered by president James Monroe, in his seventh annual address to the Congress on the 2nd of December 1823. It stated that United states would not tolerate any attempt by the European powers to colonize or interfere in the functioning of the western hemisphere, whilst the western hemisphere would in no way interfere in the European sphere of influence. It was meant to protect the newly independent Latin American states from European control. It was a defining moment in the separation of the old and new world, and became a long-standing American policy with minor variations, to be invoked by several American presidents. The Monroe doctrine, was delivered, and not read out in the congress unlike the other addresses. In this address Monroe gave the background for such a policy and the existing state of foreign relations, in which he mentioned negotiations with France, and dialogue with Russia on their commercial interests in the United States. He also talked about the Treaty of Ghent and the difference between US and Britain on the boundaries between the US and Canada. The president also announced to Congress a new round of negotiations with the British toward establishing a treaty that would define the exclusive and shared commercial interests of the United States and Great Britain as regarded states and territories bordering on lakes and rivers emptying into the St. Lawrence River. Thus he justified the need for such a policy and in his address included military strategies and provisions to safeguard it, like authorizing additional naval force for safeguarding their commercial interests in the Mediterranean Sea, Pacific Ocean, and the Atlantic coast. The key paragraph of the address, which summed up the foreign policy stated â€Å"We owe it, therefore, to candor and to the amicable relations existing between the United States and those powers to declare that we should consider any attempt on their part to extend their system to any portion of this hemisphere as dangerous to our peace and safety. With the existing colonies or dependencies of any European power we have not interfered and shall not interfere, but with the Governments who have declared their independence and maintained it, and whose independence we have, on great consideration and on just principles, acknowledged, we could not view any inter- position for the purpose of oppressing them, or controlling in any other manner their destiny, by any European power in any other light than as the manifestation of an unfriendly disposition toward the United States†. The Monroe doctrine had its backgrounds in the foreign policy of earlier four presidents, as well as in the experiences of Monroe and Adams as diplomats. James Madison, during his presidency, continued to follow Jeffersonian foreign policy of prohibition of trade with both nations. In 1810, however, the Congress reversed itself, realizing its ill effects on the country’s economy authorizing the president to pursue trade with both countries, provided each accepted America’s policy of neutrality, or trade with only one, if that one accepted America’s view of neutral rights. Of the two, only France complied, hence Madison declared a state of â€Å"non-intercourse† with Great Britain. This led to the war of 1812 between America and Great Britain. The war, which initially proved to be disastrous for America, ended with the treaty of Ghent in 1814, and thus paved way for Monroe’s foreign policy to avoid future war, while protecting American rights. Monroe, who was inspired by Jefferson, and loyal to Jeffersonian policy, saw the need to avoid war, at the same time asserting America’s independence. John Quincy Adams, unlike his father deflected from the Federalist Party, and supported Jefferson in his placement of the embargo on trade with both nations. Thus both Adams and Monroe were inspired by Jeffersonian ideas, and saw the crucial need of making a stand as a newly independent nation, while avoiding the calamity of war. Monroe and Adams were faced with several problems regarding foreign policy, the foremost of which included renegotiating terms with Great Britain, on the treaty of Ghent and establishing new boundaries, reasserting rights that had been previously challenged. Later there arose a problem of Spanish claim over Florida, and Britain, it was suspected, was providing them help. This led to serious and long negotiations between America and Spain for the purchase of Florida, which ultimately led to the Adams- Onis treaty, Onis being the Spanish minister to America. This was considered one of Adams greatest successes as secretary of state, until he drafted the Monroe Doctrine, which influenced American foreign policy for generations to come. The doctrine grew out of several diplomatic problems. The first was the minor clash with Russia concerning the northwest coast of North America. In this quarrel, Secretary of State John Quincy Adams expressed the principle that the American continents were no longer to be considered as a field for colonization by European powers. That principle was incorporated verbatim in the presidential message. The other and more important part of the doctrine grew out of the fear that the group of European governments commonly called the Holy Alliance would seek to reduce the Latin American states that had recently gained independence from Spain to a colonial status once again. When France crossed the Pyrenees to help put down a rebellion against the Spanish monarch, Britain worried that this might lead to a joint French-Spanish expedition to retake the Latin American colonies for Spain, which would harm British economic interests in the area. The British foreign minister George Canning communicated with the American minister in London, Richard Rush, and suggested that a joint declaration opposing such a development would serve both their interests. Thus in 1823, the British foreign secretary, George Canning, through Richard Rush, proposed to Monroe that America should join powers with Britain for the joint protection of South American colonies from the Holy Alliance. There was once again a division of views on this matter. Adams believed that Britain had great self-interest behind such an offer. When Monroe consulted with Jefferson and Madison on this issue, Jefferson asked him to accept the proposal, however Madison, like Adams cautioned Monroe to be wary as it most definitely has British self-interest involved. According to Harry Ammon, Quincy Adams was convinced that Britain had ulterior motives in this offer. He believed that using this joint action as bait, Britain was hoping to discourage American intention of taking over Cuba, which Adams believed, was inevitable. After much debate in the cabinet, the decision was reached to reject this proposal, for it seemed that America had nothing to gain through this alliance, and President Monroe was anyway reluctant to do anything that might make the US appear subservient to Britain. However America still needed to protect the southern states from being restored to Spain via the holy alliance. Also if such an attack occurred, and Britain interceded and emerged victorious, Americans would be left at the mercy of the British once again, and the Southern territories would fall under British control. It was then decided that the southern countries needed to be protected not only from Spain, the Holy alliance, or Britain, but also from all non-American powers, and this is how the genius idea behind the foreign policy, to be called Monroe Doctrine emerged. This doctrine, though presented as the annual presidential address, was the brainchild of John Quincy Adams, the secretary of state, whose main motive behind this policy, according to Edward Renehan Jr. , was to deter colonialism. Even though the doctrine shaped future American foreign policy, the immediate impact of the Monroe Doctrine was mixed. It was successful to the extent that the continental powers did not attempt to revive the Spanish empire, but this was on account of the strength of the British Navy, not American, which was relatively limited. According to Alejandro Alvarez, the doctrine was simply a policy for the United States’ self defense, not for its aggression or for its isolationism. The Monroe doctrine also had not stated any disapproval towards Pan-Americanism or even cooperation with other European nations. The Monroe Doctrine was especially influential in the history of Latin American countries. Around the early 1800s many Latin American areas, under the leadership of Simon Bolivar, had declared their independence from the controlling powers in Europe. These new countries lacked the military strength and experience to fight with foreign powers, however, when the Monroe doctrine was put into effect, they were safeguarded from these wars, and thus welcomed this policy. Over the years, the doctrine became the defining foreign policy of the United States, with continuous changes and variations, however, its two main ideas held true through the years. First, that the United States would not tolerate European powers further colonizing the American continents or interfering in its affairs. And second, that the United States would not interfere in existing European colonies or in Europe itself. According to Edward Renehan Jr. , the Monroe Doctrine had a significant impact, not only in the development of Foreign policy, but also on American history, which would have been significantly different, if not for this doctrine. In essence, ‘Without its existence Latin America would have been severely regionalized by European powers to serve their colonial interests, and a range of European powers, not just Spain but also Holland, Germany, France, and Great Britain—would have gained a major foothold, introducing not only new lines to the map, but also new languages and cultures’. The coinage of the term ‘Monroe doctrine’ first came from President James K. Polk in 1845, when he successfully invoked this doctrine to thwart of French and British efforts against annexation of Texas, as also British threats in Oregon and California. He also expanded the doctrine to include his belief of ‘manifest destiny’. A concept, which along with the Monroe Doctrine came to be referred as Polk Doctrine. Monroe Doctrine greatly changed the American foreign policy, by shifting the emphasis from neutrality, to respect towards America, as a newly independent nation. With the ending of the war between European nations, and the restoration of peace, the American foreign policy was liberated from its earlier inhibitions, which had existed ever since Washington’s presidency. Monroe seized the opportunity to let matters of neutral rights of America dissolve in the background, while bringing to the forefront the concept of the United States as the most powerful in the Americas, and a country which was a serious and powerful republic, which no longer needed the aid or patronage of foreign nations to achieve its diplomatic aims. The Monroe Doctrine was significant in defining and paving the way for American foreign policy for centuries. It was initially drafted simply as a means of asserting America as a power as well as for American self defense, and highlighting it as an independent nation. Its true brilliance was realized only decades later when it was recalled time and again by several Presidents of the United States. It was the first act that grew to see America as a superpower in the world. This simple assertion of non-interference separated the old world from the new world, thus making the United States the biggest power in the Western Hemisphere. It was the first decisive step in the foreign policy of America after Jefferson’s embargo on trade, and it greatly changed as well as shaped foreign policy as the United States for the first time asserted itself as a power without the support or patronage of another nation.

The Light and Dark Forces in Joseph Conrads Heart of Darkness Essay

The Light and Dark Forces in Heart of Darkness      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Heart of Darkness, by Joseph Conrad, explores something truer and more fundamental than a mere personal narrative. It is a night journey into the unconscious and a confrontation within the self. Certain circumstances of Marlow's voyage, when looked at in these terms, have new importance. Marlow insists on the dreamlike quality of his narrative. "It seems to me I am trying to tell you a dream - making a vain attempt, because no relation of a dream can convey the dream - sensation." Even before leaving Brussels, Marlow felt as though he "was about to set off for center of the earth," not the center of a continent. The introspective voyager leaves his familiar rational world, is "cut off from the comprehension" of his surroundings, his steamer toils "along slowly on the edge of a black and incomprehensible frenzy." As the crisis approaches, the dreamer and his ship moves through a silence that "seemed unnatural, like a state of trance; then enter a deep fog." In the end , there is a symbolic unity between the two men. Marlow and Kurtz are the light and dark selves of a single person. Marlow is what Kurtz might have been, and Kurtz is what Marlow might have become.      Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚   Much of the meaning in Heart of Darkness is found not in the center of the book, the heart of Africa, but on the periphery of the book.   The story that Marlow tells centers around a man named Kurtz. However, most of what Marlow knows about Kurtz he has learned from other people, many of whom have good reason for not being truthful to Marlow. Therefore Marlow has to piece together much of Kurtz's story. We slowly get to know more and more about Kurtz. Part of the meaning of Heart of Darkness is ... ...e human condition. Kurtz represents what every man will become if left to his own intrinsic desires without a protective, civilized environment. Marlow represents the civilized soul that has not been drawn back into savagery by a dark, alienated jungle. The book implies that every man has a heart of darkness that is usually drowned out by the light of civilization. However, when removed from civilized society, the raw evil within his soul will be released.    Works Cited and Consulted Conrad, Joseph. Heart of Darkness. New York: Norton, 1971. Greene, Graham. The Heart of the Matter. New York: Penguin, 1984. Hawthorn, Jeremy. Joseph Conrad: Narrative Technique and Ideological Commitment. New York: Arnold, 1990. Murfin, Ross C., ed. Joseph Conrad, "Heart of Darkness": A Case Study in Contemporary Criticism. New York: Bedford-St. Martin's, 1989.

Exploring Adolescent Use of Performance-Enhancing Substances

Exploring Adolescent Use of Anabolic Steroids Since the introduction of anabolic steroids, the main objective of using them has been widely abused. The use of these substances has steadily increased throughout the years. As popularity of anabolic steroids escalated, so has its demand. With the inception of anabolic steroids in the world of professional sports, the acceptance of doping amongst athletes was positive. During the 1970s, there were no repercussions for taking anabolic steroids, and so athletes, especially football players and weight-lifters, were trying to get that physical advantage over their competitors.Many professional baseball and football players of this most recent generation have used anabolic steroids. In football there was the great Lawrence Taylor, Bill Romanowski, and Shawne Merriman. In baseball, a steroid scandal involved the great Barry Bonds, and numerous baseball prodigies who juiced up such as Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, a nd Manny Ramirez. Not only have baseball and football players used anabolic steroids, but other types of athletes, such as power-lifters, as well. In track and field, Tim Montgomery was cited for doping.In recent years, female track and field athletes such as Marion Jones were busted for using anabolic steroids. With the accessibility of anabolic steroids increasing at an alarming rate, a person has to wonder what kind of effect anabolic steroids could have on adolescents? If doping really is becoming accepted amongst professional athletes, what kind of influence will it have on the adolescents? This research analysis essay will be exploring the physical and mental risks and consequences for adolescents using anabolic steroids as well as their motivation for doping.Steroids were originally developed to administer to hypogonadism in the 1930s (Volkow 1). Through experimenting, scientists discovered that the use of anabolic steroids could generate muscle growth. This discovery led to the abuse of anabolic steroids in the sporting world. Technological experimentation and advances over time enabled researchers to identify many types of anabolic steroids. In researching the effects of anabolic steroids, scientists also detected many side effects from using anabolic steroids, although much is still unknown regarding their long-term side ffects (Kusserow 9). There are two ways of taking anabolic steroids, one way is to take them orally or by injection. In taking anabolic steroids with these two methods, an adolescent can severely damage the endocrine system, musculoskeletal system, circulatory system, the hepatic system, and the skin (Volkow 5). A major health defect of taking anabolic steroids is that it affects the endocrine system. The endocrine system is a gland system that is responsible for the discharge of hormones that assist in regulating certain bodily processes, such as metabolism, growth, and development.One of the important factors that the endocrine sys tem controls is the mood of a person. The human body already secretes certain hormones into the body to keep bodily processes functioning the way they were supposed to. By taking anabolic steroids, an adolescent is disrupting the natural production of hormones (Volkow 4). The endocrine system only secretes a certain amount of hormones a day to prevent imbalance. If the endocrine system secretes too many hormones into the human body, there will be a hormonal imbalance which could lead to disease or abnormal development.Taking anabolic steroids can cause reversible changes, which include sperm count deduction, infertility of sperm, and testicle shrinkage (Volkow 4). In males, irreversible changes may occur by taking anabolic steroids such as feminization and male-pattern baldness (Volkow 4). Although anabolic steroids may physically enhance a person’s appearance, the damage caused by anabolic steroids is something many adolescents are overlooking. The human body normally releas es testosterone and other hormones that causes growth, and stops the release of hormones as well.However, taking anabolic steroids as an adolescent results in the synthetic release of hormones. This leads to a surplus of sex hormone levels that can prematurely signal the bones to stop growing (Volkow 4). Anabolic steroid use may cause more frequent tendon injuries due to â€Å"skeletal muscle adaptations taking place rather rapidly in comparison to connective tissue† (Hoffman 186). Also, anabolic steroid use causes severe acne based on research done by the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (Hoffman 184). Not only can steroids stunt your growth as an adolescent, it can cause severe damage to the circulatory and hepatic systems.The circulatory system is responsible for the circulation of blood throughout the body. Other responsibilities include the removal of bodily wastes and the transference of nutrients to the cells. By taking anabolic steroids, an adolescent is increas ing the risk of sustaining a heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (Volkow 4; Hoffman 184-185). According to Kusserow, physicians conducting a study/research involving former steroid users noticed â€Å"links, without consensus on degree, to cardiovascular disease† and anabolic steroids (Kusserow 12).The clotting of blood in the blood vessels keeps blood from flowing to the heart, which may cause heart damage. An adolescent can experience a stroke from having a blood flow disruption to the brain. Anabolic steroids elevate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and decrease high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, which is the main factor in having a disruption to the body’s blood flow (Hoffman 185). The hepatic system is the liver. The liver’s main responsibility is detoxifying the human body. At this point in time, living without a liver is impossible.So, if the liver were to have a blood flow disruption, the liver would fail, resulting in potential deat h. Using anabolic steroids may â€Å"increase risk of liver tumors and liver damage† (Hoffman 184). Internal bleeding may occur from the rupture of a liver tumor (Volkow 5). Two of the most alarming consequences of taking anabolic steroids are the change in behavior/mood and how it affects a person’s mental status. Anabolic steroid use causes violent, aggressive behavior and irritability; approximately 60% of anabolic steroid users experience this change in behavior (Hoffman 187).Tony Mandarich, once proclaimed to be the â€Å"greatest offensive lineman prospect ever,â€Å" said that his steroid use caused his aggression to skyrocket on and off the field. â€Å"The Incredible Bulk† punched an Ohio State player for no reason before the football game even started and told him he â€Å"was going to die today† (Kozak). Anabolic steroid use also affected his thinking. Mandarich’s past steroid use caused him to say things that he would never say were h e not on steroids. â€Å"Some of the stuff I said, when I look back now, is just embarrassing,† says Tony Mandarich (Kozak).Although elevated aggressiveness may be beneficial for athletes, that is not the case with your ordinary citizen. With these behavioral changes, an anabolic steroid user is much more likely to fight with other people. This is especially dangerous due to the fact that the steroid user is most likely bigger in size and strength than their opponent. A person may experience a psychotic episode where the steroid user will be in a blind rage, thus disabling their ability to control their emotions. In this event, an adolescent on anabolic steroids could injure many of his peers at school, possibly even kill them.According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), â€Å"a recent study suggests that the mood and behavioral effects seen during anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse may result from secondary hormonal changes† (Volkow 4). This is especially true with Heidi Krieger. In females, masculinity may occur both physically and mentally with long-term use of anabolic steroids (Volkow 4). With Heidi Krieger, now known as Andreas Krieger, her long-term anabolic steroid use caused her to become masculine. Not only was she physically changing, the anabolic steroids caused her to believe that she was a man.In an interview with former European women’s shot put champion, she was asked about her past anabolic steroid use and how it caused her to physically and mentally change genders. She said, â€Å"I felt much more attracted to women and just felt like a man. But I knew I was not lesbian† (Cnn. com). One of the many questions researchers ask is â€Å"why†? Many wonder what are the motivational factors in a person’s choice to use anabolic steroids. One of the main factors to this question would be appearance (Kusserow 6). Throughout magazines are pictures displaying a person with rock-hard abs and bulging bi ceps.On television, an adolescent may see a commercial of a man who is extremely big and strong. 57% of adolescents participating in a survey pointed to magazines and 7% pointed to entertainment as sources of influence (Kusserow 8). Nowadays, society’s perception of the prototypical male is being big and strong. Due to pop culture, male adolescents have this newfound belief that they must improve their appearance to match the appearance of the prototypical male (Kusserow 6). Also, in today’s society peer approval is a must amongst most high school adolescents.Teenagers see their friends getting â€Å"jacked† by using anabolic steroids so they try and imitate those actions since it looks easy. With the correct training regimen, adolescents may accomplish their goals in getting big with great success. According to Richard P. Kusserow, 89% of anabolic steroid users reported that they were satisfied with the results they were hoping for when they first started using anabolic steroids (Kusserow 7). Due to the successful use of anabolic steroids, 97% of users â€Å"agree that the physical effects encouraged them to continue using steroids (Kusserow 7).For example, Tony Mandarich was influenced by his brother to use anabolic steroids so that he could increase size, strength, and athletic performance. His anabolic steroid use allowed him to be able to bench press 225 pounds an incredible 39 times while being able to maintain a 4. 69 40-yard dash. That is a godly feat for a man that is 6 foot 6 and 315 pounds. When asked about his past anabolic steroid use, Mandarich said,†You're not supposed to be as strong as I am. You're not supposed to be as fast as I am. You're not supposed to be as good as I am† (Kozak).Apparently, without anabolic steroid use, Tony Mandarich would never have become the college football player that he was. Another motive adolescents have for using anabolic steroids is the pursuit for the improvement of athletic p erformance (Adolescent Steroid Abuse). Through the use of anabolic steroids, an adolescent can increase muscle mass, strength, and training capacity (Kusserow 7). According to Kusserow, many adolescents first use anabolic steroids at the age of 16 and that 85% of the users started by age 17 (Kusserow 5).Much of this thought process has to do with famous role model athletes. â€Å"Users believe that many high-level athletes have used steroids, and 42 percent say this influenced them to start using† (Kusserow 8). An adolescent varsity football player trying to obtain a football scholarship from a prestigious NCAA Division I football powerhouse may see an NFL football player that they admire, and look up to, using anabolic steroids. The adolescent could potentially try and imitate the NFL player’s actions due to this belief.With football scholarships from prestigious Division I football colleges being limited and competition amongst football players across the United Stat es being extensive, adolescents will do all that they can to achieve their goal. Additionally, adolescents may view the benefits in using anabolic steroids as more positive than negative. If using anabolic steroids can help these adolescents get to a great school such as the University of Southern California or the University of Texas, the side effects of using anabolic steroids could be something they are willing to risk.Another motive that could cause an adolescent in using anabolic steroids in improving athletic performance is the pressure they receive from adults, including their own parents (Kusserow 8). 55% of adolescent anabolic steroid users claim that their parents know about their use of anabolic steroids and that the parents do not care (Kusserow 7). â€Å"People may give a certain amount of slack to football players because there's this unspoken sense that in order to play the game well, you need an edge,† says Todd Boyd (Klosterman).If an adolescent can play well enough in sports to generate interest from college scouts, there is a good chance that the adolescent can get an athletic scholarship to help support their parents financially. Nowadays, college tuition is skyrocketing. It costs approximately $22,000 annually to attend the University of New Hampshire for an in-state student, and roughly $12,000 extra if you are out of state. With the recent economic downturn, many families do not have many financial options. Financial aid can only get you so far and the ability to take out a loan has become increasingly hard in this economy.Assuming an 18 year old adolescent is out of state and going to be attending the University of New Hampshire for four years, the adolescent would be saving $136,000 if he were able to get a full-boat scholarship. This is not even taking into account the annual increase in tuition that occurs after every school year and money for miscellaneous things. Although an adolescent’s parents may not be telling the m directly to use anabolic steroids, the parents could be indirectly encouraging them to â€Å"juice upâ€Å" by placing tons of pressure on their kids.Adults, whether it is the parents or the coaches, place immense pressure on their kids to compete and win, while conveying mixed messages of what are acceptable ways to achieve that goal (Kusserow 7). Adolescents may interpret those messages as, â€Å"It’s okay to use steroids as long as you succeed and do not get caught† or, â€Å"Do what must be done to achieve your goal†. If this is the universal belief amongst adolescents across the United States, how long will it be before adolescents begin to interpret other topics, such as violence or drug dealing, in the same manner. Works Cited Adolescent Steroid Abuse. † Adolescent Steroid Abuse. Case Western Reserve University. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . Hoffman, Jay R. , and Nicholas A. Ratamess. â€Å"Medical Issues Associated with Anabolic Steroid Use: Are They E xaggerated? † Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 01 June 2006. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. Klosterman, Chuck. â€Å"Why We Look the Other Way. † ESPN. com. ESPN Internet Ventures, 21 Mar. 2007. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . Kozak, Kory. â€Å"Steroids Fueled Spectacular Rise and Fall. † ESPN. com. ESPN Internet Ventures, 17 Apr. 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . Pleitgen, Frederik. Athlete Says Sports Steroids Changed Him from Woman to man. † CNN. com. Cable News Network, 11 Aug. 2008. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . United States of America. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Inspector General. Adolescent Steroid Use. Richard P. Kusserow. Department of Health and Human Services, 1991. Print. United States of America. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute of Health. Anabolic Steroid Abuse. Nora D. Volkow. National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2001. National Institute of Drug Abuse Research Report Series. Exploring Adolescent Use of Performance-Enhancing Substances Exploring Adolescent Use of Anabolic Steroids Since the introduction of anabolic steroids, the main objective of using them has been widely abused. The use of these substances has steadily increased throughout the years. As popularity of anabolic steroids escalated, so has its demand. With the inception of anabolic steroids in the world of professional sports, the acceptance of doping amongst athletes was positive. During the 1970s, there were no repercussions for taking anabolic steroids, and so athletes, especially football players and weight-lifters, were trying to get that physical advantage over their competitors.Many professional baseball and football players of this most recent generation have used anabolic steroids. In football there was the great Lawrence Taylor, Bill Romanowski, and Shawne Merriman. In baseball, a steroid scandal involved the great Barry Bonds, and numerous baseball prodigies who juiced up such as Mark McGwire, Jose Canseco, Alex Rodriguez, Roger Clemens, a nd Manny Ramirez. Not only have baseball and football players used anabolic steroids, but other types of athletes, such as power-lifters, as well. In track and field, Tim Montgomery was cited for doping.In recent years, female track and field athletes such as Marion Jones were busted for using anabolic steroids. With the accessibility of anabolic steroids increasing at an alarming rate, a person has to wonder what kind of effect anabolic steroids could have on adolescents? If doping really is becoming accepted amongst professional athletes, what kind of influence will it have on the adolescents? This research analysis essay will be exploring the physical and mental risks and consequences for adolescents using anabolic steroids as well as their motivation for doping.Steroids were originally developed to administer to hypogonadism in the 1930s (Volkow 1). Through experimenting, scientists discovered that the use of anabolic steroids could generate muscle growth. This discovery led to the abuse of anabolic steroids in the sporting world. Technological experimentation and advances over time enabled researchers to identify many types of anabolic steroids. In researching the effects of anabolic steroids, scientists also detected many side effects from using anabolic steroids, although much is still unknown regarding their long-term side ffects (Kusserow 9). There are two ways of taking anabolic steroids, one way is to take them orally or by injection. In taking anabolic steroids with these two methods, an adolescent can severely damage the endocrine system, musculoskeletal system, circulatory system, the hepatic system, and the skin (Volkow 5). A major health defect of taking anabolic steroids is that it affects the endocrine system. The endocrine system is a gland system that is responsible for the discharge of hormones that assist in regulating certain bodily processes, such as metabolism, growth, and development.One of the important factors that the endocrine sys tem controls is the mood of a person. The human body already secretes certain hormones into the body to keep bodily processes functioning the way they were supposed to. By taking anabolic steroids, an adolescent is disrupting the natural production of hormones (Volkow 4). The endocrine system only secretes a certain amount of hormones a day to prevent imbalance. If the endocrine system secretes too many hormones into the human body, there will be a hormonal imbalance which could lead to disease or abnormal development.Taking anabolic steroids can cause reversible changes, which include sperm count deduction, infertility of sperm, and testicle shrinkage (Volkow 4). In males, irreversible changes may occur by taking anabolic steroids such as feminization and male-pattern baldness (Volkow 4). Although anabolic steroids may physically enhance a person’s appearance, the damage caused by anabolic steroids is something many adolescents are overlooking. The human body normally releas es testosterone and other hormones that causes growth, and stops the release of hormones as well.However, taking anabolic steroids as an adolescent results in the synthetic release of hormones. This leads to a surplus of sex hormone levels that can prematurely signal the bones to stop growing (Volkow 4). Anabolic steroid use may cause more frequent tendon injuries due to â€Å"skeletal muscle adaptations taking place rather rapidly in comparison to connective tissue† (Hoffman 186). Also, anabolic steroid use causes severe acne based on research done by the Journal of Sports Science and Medicine (Hoffman 184). Not only can steroids stunt your growth as an adolescent, it can cause severe damage to the circulatory and hepatic systems.The circulatory system is responsible for the circulation of blood throughout the body. Other responsibilities include the removal of bodily wastes and the transference of nutrients to the cells. By taking anabolic steroids, an adolescent is increas ing the risk of sustaining a heart attack, stroke, and cardiovascular disease (Volkow 4; Hoffman 184-185). According to Kusserow, physicians conducting a study/research involving former steroid users noticed â€Å"links, without consensus on degree, to cardiovascular disease† and anabolic steroids (Kusserow 12).The clotting of blood in the blood vessels keeps blood from flowing to the heart, which may cause heart damage. An adolescent can experience a stroke from having a blood flow disruption to the brain. Anabolic steroids elevate low-density lipoprotein (LDL) levels and decrease high-density lipoprotein (HDL) levels, which is the main factor in having a disruption to the body’s blood flow (Hoffman 185). The hepatic system is the liver. The liver’s main responsibility is detoxifying the human body. At this point in time, living without a liver is impossible.So, if the liver were to have a blood flow disruption, the liver would fail, resulting in potential deat h. Using anabolic steroids may â€Å"increase risk of liver tumors and liver damage† (Hoffman 184). Internal bleeding may occur from the rupture of a liver tumor (Volkow 5). Two of the most alarming consequences of taking anabolic steroids are the change in behavior/mood and how it affects a person’s mental status. Anabolic steroid use causes violent, aggressive behavior and irritability; approximately 60% of anabolic steroid users experience this change in behavior (Hoffman 187).Tony Mandarich, once proclaimed to be the â€Å"greatest offensive lineman prospect ever,â€Å" said that his steroid use caused his aggression to skyrocket on and off the field. â€Å"The Incredible Bulk† punched an Ohio State player for no reason before the football game even started and told him he â€Å"was going to die today† (Kozak). Anabolic steroid use also affected his thinking. Mandarich’s past steroid use caused him to say things that he would never say were h e not on steroids. â€Å"Some of the stuff I said, when I look back now, is just embarrassing,† says Tony Mandarich (Kozak).Although elevated aggressiveness may be beneficial for athletes, that is not the case with your ordinary citizen. With these behavioral changes, an anabolic steroid user is much more likely to fight with other people. This is especially dangerous due to the fact that the steroid user is most likely bigger in size and strength than their opponent. A person may experience a psychotic episode where the steroid user will be in a blind rage, thus disabling their ability to control their emotions. In this event, an adolescent on anabolic steroids could injure many of his peers at school, possibly even kill them.According to the National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA), â€Å"a recent study suggests that the mood and behavioral effects seen during anabolic-androgenic steroid abuse may result from secondary hormonal changes† (Volkow 4). This is especially true with Heidi Krieger. In females, masculinity may occur both physically and mentally with long-term use of anabolic steroids (Volkow 4). With Heidi Krieger, now known as Andreas Krieger, her long-term anabolic steroid use caused her to become masculine. Not only was she physically changing, the anabolic steroids caused her to believe that she was a man.In an interview with former European women’s shot put champion, she was asked about her past anabolic steroid use and how it caused her to physically and mentally change genders. She said, â€Å"I felt much more attracted to women and just felt like a man. But I knew I was not lesbian† (Cnn. com). One of the many questions researchers ask is â€Å"why†? Many wonder what are the motivational factors in a person’s choice to use anabolic steroids. One of the main factors to this question would be appearance (Kusserow 6). Throughout magazines are pictures displaying a person with rock-hard abs and bulging bi ceps.On television, an adolescent may see a commercial of a man who is extremely big and strong. 57% of adolescents participating in a survey pointed to magazines and 7% pointed to entertainment as sources of influence (Kusserow 8). Nowadays, society’s perception of the prototypical male is being big and strong. Due to pop culture, male adolescents have this newfound belief that they must improve their appearance to match the appearance of the prototypical male (Kusserow 6). Also, in today’s society peer approval is a must amongst most high school adolescents.Teenagers see their friends getting â€Å"jacked† by using anabolic steroids so they try and imitate those actions since it looks easy. With the correct training regimen, adolescents may accomplish their goals in getting big with great success. According to Richard P. Kusserow, 89% of anabolic steroid users reported that they were satisfied with the results they were hoping for when they first started using anabolic steroids (Kusserow 7). Due to the successful use of anabolic steroids, 97% of users â€Å"agree that the physical effects encouraged them to continue using steroids (Kusserow 7).For example, Tony Mandarich was influenced by his brother to use anabolic steroids so that he could increase size, strength, and athletic performance. His anabolic steroid use allowed him to be able to bench press 225 pounds an incredible 39 times while being able to maintain a 4. 69 40-yard dash. That is a godly feat for a man that is 6 foot 6 and 315 pounds. When asked about his past anabolic steroid use, Mandarich said,†You're not supposed to be as strong as I am. You're not supposed to be as fast as I am. You're not supposed to be as good as I am† (Kozak).Apparently, without anabolic steroid use, Tony Mandarich would never have become the college football player that he was. Another motive adolescents have for using anabolic steroids is the pursuit for the improvement of athletic p erformance (Adolescent Steroid Abuse). Through the use of anabolic steroids, an adolescent can increase muscle mass, strength, and training capacity (Kusserow 7). According to Kusserow, many adolescents first use anabolic steroids at the age of 16 and that 85% of the users started by age 17 (Kusserow 5).Much of this thought process has to do with famous role model athletes. â€Å"Users believe that many high-level athletes have used steroids, and 42 percent say this influenced them to start using† (Kusserow 8). An adolescent varsity football player trying to obtain a football scholarship from a prestigious NCAA Division I football powerhouse may see an NFL football player that they admire, and look up to, using anabolic steroids. The adolescent could potentially try and imitate the NFL player’s actions due to this belief.With football scholarships from prestigious Division I football colleges being limited and competition amongst football players across the United Stat es being extensive, adolescents will do all that they can to achieve their goal. Additionally, adolescents may view the benefits in using anabolic steroids as more positive than negative. If using anabolic steroids can help these adolescents get to a great school such as the University of Southern California or the University of Texas, the side effects of using anabolic steroids could be something they are willing to risk.Another motive that could cause an adolescent in using anabolic steroids in improving athletic performance is the pressure they receive from adults, including their own parents (Kusserow 8). 55% of adolescent anabolic steroid users claim that their parents know about their use of anabolic steroids and that the parents do not care (Kusserow 7). â€Å"People may give a certain amount of slack to football players because there's this unspoken sense that in order to play the game well, you need an edge,† says Todd Boyd (Klosterman).If an adolescent can play well enough in sports to generate interest from college scouts, there is a good chance that the adolescent can get an athletic scholarship to help support their parents financially. Nowadays, college tuition is skyrocketing. It costs approximately $22,000 annually to attend the University of New Hampshire for an in-state student, and roughly $12,000 extra if you are out of state. With the recent economic downturn, many families do not have many financial options. Financial aid can only get you so far and the ability to take out a loan has become increasingly hard in this economy.Assuming an 18 year old adolescent is out of state and going to be attending the University of New Hampshire for four years, the adolescent would be saving $136,000 if he were able to get a full-boat scholarship. This is not even taking into account the annual increase in tuition that occurs after every school year and money for miscellaneous things. Although an adolescent’s parents may not be telling the m directly to use anabolic steroids, the parents could be indirectly encouraging them to â€Å"juice upâ€Å" by placing tons of pressure on their kids.Adults, whether it is the parents or the coaches, place immense pressure on their kids to compete and win, while conveying mixed messages of what are acceptable ways to achieve that goal (Kusserow 7). Adolescents may interpret those messages as, â€Å"It’s okay to use steroids as long as you succeed and do not get caught† or, â€Å"Do what must be done to achieve your goal†. If this is the universal belief amongst adolescents across the United States, how long will it be before adolescents begin to interpret other topics, such as violence or drug dealing, in the same manner. Works Cited Adolescent Steroid Abuse. † Adolescent Steroid Abuse. Case Western Reserve University. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . Hoffman, Jay R. , and Nicholas A. Ratamess. â€Å"Medical Issues Associated with Anabolic Steroid Use: Are They E xaggerated? † Journal of Sports Science and Medicine, 01 June 2006. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. Klosterman, Chuck. â€Å"Why We Look the Other Way. † ESPN. com. ESPN Internet Ventures, 21 Mar. 2007. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . Kozak, Kory. â€Å"Steroids Fueled Spectacular Rise and Fall. † ESPN. com. ESPN Internet Ventures, 17 Apr. 2009. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . Pleitgen, Frederik. Athlete Says Sports Steroids Changed Him from Woman to man. † CNN. com. Cable News Network, 11 Aug. 2008. Web. 17 Oct. 2009. . United States of America. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. Office of Inspector General. Adolescent Steroid Use. Richard P. Kusserow. Department of Health and Human Services, 1991. Print. United States of America. U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. National Institute of Health. Anabolic Steroid Abuse. Nora D. Volkow. National Institute of Drug Abuse, 2001. National Institute of Drug Abuse Research Report Series.

Psychology Reflection Paper

Rocio Herrera Dep 2004 Dr. Norda Hernandez Mr. and Mrs. Harsh-Heart use authoritarian parenting style, I do not see any advantages when a parent uses this type of parenting style to raise their children. Authoritarian parenting style set very high standards for the children; parents are very demanding and are not responsive to the child’s needs or concerns. Parents don’t try to understand the child or try to understand the child’s point of view. These parents set strict rules of conduct and are critical of their children for not meeting these high standards.Parents want to control their children by telling them what they need to do without explaining why they want their children to do things and if the child questions the authority, parents reply with â€Å"Because I said so†, instead of going in to detail why it’s not a good choice. Children raised by authoritarian parents don’t learn to think for themselves and don’t understand why p arents want them to behave in a certain way. Parents with Authoritarian parenting style tend to focus more on bad behavior than positive behavior; if the child behaves badly they are harshly punished.Children may learn to behave themselves because of fear of the parent or may have a hard time learning to think for them or they may rebel in reaction to the controlling methods of their parents. Another disadvantage for children raised by authoritarian parents is they have little or no freedom. Children raised under this control have less social ability, they are more likely to experience a nervous breakdown, become runaway. Children can’t distinguish between a good choice and a bad choice; it limits the child to think freely.A child may fall into depression, alienation of public life and develop other psychological problems, the child may have poor social skills inn which may lead to inferiority complex, lack of confidence and self-worth. Adolescents may fall into unhealthy hab its such as drug use or early exploration of the sexual activities. Authoritarian parents pick and choose who their teenager friends. There is no room for creativity or freely expression; adolescents may not think about his/her likes instead they tend to obey their parents which can create self-identity problems.Ethical issues arise when using harshly punishment to discipline children such as if it’s morally correct because of the impact and effect that it has on children and even as an adult. Harshly punishments can be physical, verbal, withholding or penalties. Physical punishments are spanking, paddling, using a belt, hair brush, slapping or using anything to hit a child. Verbal punishments are shaming, using cruel word, putting a child down, ridiculing. Withholding rewards are for example you are not allowed to watch TV until you don’t do your homework.I tend to use withholding rewards from my son when he does not want to do homework, I tell him that the faster he is done, the sooner he can relax and watch TV. Penalties are such as if the child breaks something having him to pay it from his/her allowance. I also use this one too to discipline my son, he lost his Nintendo DSI at Wal-Mart, I quickly went to buy him a new one then he broke it so I asked him to pay for it from his piggy bank. I wanted to teach him to take care of the things he has and things cost money and we need to be more responsible of taking care of the things we like.Spanking is corporal punishment and although spanking was once the most popular way to discipline a child, it is no longer considered the first option or acceptable. Spanking sends mix signals to children such as if you spank your child for hitting his sibling, are you saying it’s acceptable for you to hit but not acceptable for the child to do so. As a parent you should lead by example and obviously you want to be clear in what you are projecting. The problem with spanking is parents are frustrated, ang ry and tired when they use physical punishment.How can one measure measure if you are crossing the thin line between physical discipline and physical abuse when you acting on anger or frustration? You really can’t, especially if you are hot headed. The safest way is not to do it, take a moment to cool off and acting on anger. It is a negative reinforcement and harmful. Children can lose self-esteem by being spanked as form of discipline, I find it humiliating way (for the child) to teach the difference between right and wrong.If a parent just does it once, it is easier to resort to that type of discipline in the future than using verbal discipline. A child may get used to being spanked every time he/she behaves bad and it may not have the same effect anymore and this can lead to a more severe way of physical discipline such as punching and kicking. How I differentiate what is ethical and unethical way of discipline is by knowing that I only want was best for him and will do a nything in power to raise him to best I can and refraining for anything that can harm him, emotional and physically wise.As parent you have to put on the scale the advantages and disadvantages of spanking and of course the disadvantages are greater. The Department of Children and families is responsible for protecting from child abuse and neglect. In severe cases such as the child having broken bones, bruises and cuts children are taken away from their home and put into child protective services and may charge the parent with child abuse and be asked to take parenting classes in order to get their children back.Child Protective Services is concern with the safety and wellbeing of children. Mr. and Mrs. Easy-Going use Authoritative child-rearing style, it is the most successful approach. Authoritative parents listen to their children, encourage independence, place limits, consequences and expectation on their children’s behavior, express warmth and nurturance, allow children t o express their opinions encourage children to discuss options and give their children consistent discipline.This type of parenting style values child’s autonomy and self-expression, but knows also sets limits. Parents use rational expiations for why they must follow the rules, accepts the child’s qualities but also encourages the child to grow by modeling proper behavior. Children raised by authoritative parents are socially accountable for their actions, making them socially trustworthy. Allowing children to have discussions with parents on topics children learn how to communicate with others, and learn how to obey the rules without showing signs of anger.Children raised in household that promote love are qualified to conquer dreams and goals at will; children grow up to be efficient grownups. Children do very well in school and exhibit academic achievement. They are very confident and become successful adults. These parents are more focused on teaching than punishin g a bad behavior; although children are more happy and better behave than other children being raised by an authoritarian parent. A disadvantage of authoritative parenting is sometimes difficult to maintain when you have a willful child.A parent must develop or have a high degree of patience and must be cultivated if parents want to maintain an authoritative atmosphere at home. House rules may have to be change as the child continues to grow such as the rules of a 6 year old will not be the same as when the child is 8 years old. The rules require periodic refinement in order for children to benefit from it. Since not all situations are the same sometimes parents need to amend or develop a new response to something the child says or does. This type of child rearing style requires dedication and sometimes attitude adjustment.It is evident that the advantages are greater than the disadvantage in authoritative child rearing; this is a great approach to allow your children to grow mental ity, physically and mainly emotionally. This by far the most effective way to raise your children with all the skills they need to become successful in life. I was raised by grandmother and she use authoritarian child rearing style and I had a unpleasant childhood, I was constantly yelled out and was severely punish physically and although I love grandmother until this day I still recent her for raising me that way.What I learned from my experience as a child is that when I have my child I was going to do things differently. I try very hard to be a better parent by motivating, teaching, and encourage my son on how important it is to make good choices in life. We have discussion about school, I allow him to make choices on his own and allow him to express his feelings and thoughts. In the Hispanic culture is normal to spank your children, yell at them and hit them with the chancleta but I want my son to better than me and using the authoritative child rearing style is the best approa ch.

Skyscraper Technique How to Improve Your Content - CoSchedule

Skyscraper Technique How to Improve Your Content There is a long-standing SEO technique out there called the skyscraper technique. Have you heard of it? It consists of three steps. Find top performing content. Create better content than the current top performers. Try to get a bunch on people to link to your new content. It sounds pretty straightforward, and it is. Its a technique that has been shown to get good results, but not all of us are SEO experts, so how can it help us? The reality is that you dont have to be an expert in SEO to use this strategy to improve your content marketing. It works for everyone. Before you jump in, it is important to understand what this technique is not: An exclusive SEO thing meant for nerds. Permission or license to steal someone elses work or content. Permission to claim an entire idea, without building on it, as your own. I know what youre thinking.  What am I getting myself into here?   Hang with me–this could really help your content. Recommended Reading: How to Improve Your Content With a Content Audit Template How To Use The  Skyscraper Technique To  Improve Your Content Marketing The skyscraper technique is actually a fairly simple method that will allow you to see the top content for a given keyword string or topic idea. Using a few simple tools, you will instantly know what posts are being shared the most, what topics they are covering, and the level of quality the currently-shared content is at. As a content marketer, this is gold. Not only will you be armed with some great content ideas, but you will be able to target your content marketing to what your audience is already demanding.  And, lets not forget about the insight of overall content quality. The skyscraper technique will show you where the bar is in terms of content quality. In theory, you should be able to one-up that content and produce something even better. Heres how the technique works. Get Your Free Skyscraper Technique Template Bundle Download three free resources to create better content than your competition: A Skyscraper Technique checklist to apply this advice on every post you write. A Content Writing Template to create content and keep it organized. A Competitive Content Analysis spreadsheet to research your competitors (so you can create something better). How to Improve Your Content with the Skyscraper TechniqueStep #1: Find Top Performing Content BuzzSumo  is a great little tool for finding content ideas. As a content research tool, BuzzSumo  can provide you with a conclusive list of some of the most popular content for a given set of keywords. As an example, take a look at this search for content marketing. You can easily see the top content for the term "content marketing" based on social shares per network, plus total social shares overall. You can find quite a bit of information, even without a paid subscription. However, with a paid subscription, you can also view backlinks and see who shared each piece of content. Understanding what the top content on your topic is helpful for the following reasons: Sharpening your focus on specific post ideas. Course corrections on topics you already cover. Finding new ideas on how to approach old topics. Uncovering new topics that you are missing completely. Here's how to improve your content with the Skyscraper TechniqueThe results can be listed based on the number of times it has been shared on social media in total, or by network. Both of these factors are important for this step. By default, BuzzSumo  will  sort by total sharing stats: If you don't have a paid subscription to BuzzSumo, don't worry. You can find backlink information for top content free using the Moz Toolbar (which works with either Chrome or Firefox). Once you've installed the toolbar, take the keyword you entered in BuzzSumo, and try searching it on Google. These won't necessarily match the "most shared" posts you've surfaced with BuzzSumo, but the data you find will still be useful (and it'll show you even more posts to gather inspiration). This toolbar will add an overlay to each search result providing backlink information for each page. Specifically, it'll tell you: Each site's Domain Authority. This is a metric on a 100-point scale that tells you how authoritative a site or blog is. The higher this number, the harder they will be to compete with for  page one space in Google's search results. Each result's Page Authority. This is similar to Domain Authority, except it refers only to how authoritative that specific page is. How many backlinks each result has received. If you see lots of posts with high numbers of links, this shows you've found a popular topic. Next, compare that to content to the posts that BuzzSumo says are  most likely to be shared via social media: When you start to compare these two lists, things might get interesting. The key is understanding what you should  actually  do with this information. Here are some tips: Grab some of the best topic ideas and file them away for later. (Don't steal!) Figure out what topics are being shared the most on social media. What do they have in common? Understand what type of content is being linked to the most from other sites. Get a benchmark on the type of the content that is being shared (text, photos, videos, etc.) Understand headline intricacies for both linked and shared content. See the big content topics that readers care about. Think about this method as a way to get smarter about the type of content that your audience wants to read, link to, and share via social media. Tip: If you find yourself interested in finding a bit more data, you can always try a Google search or a search on Twitter.com itself. Both of these resources can add another layer of data to your findings. Step #2: Create Better Content Than The Current Top Performers The next thing that you should do is take an audit of   the  content that is performing the best. This will help you improve your own content by understanding what exactly makes up a top post. Begin by clicking through to a few of the links on your BuzzSumo  search results. What are the common themes that you see? Here are a few of the things you should be looking for. Average content length. Average number of images. Overall quality of content (rank from 1-10). Specific keywords/key-phrases used. This can work even better if you chart your findings. For the chart below, I audited the term "skyscraper technique" which is the keyword I used to write this post. The goal here isn't scientific data. More so, it is about taking the time to analyze the content beyond the service. Use a simple word count tool to figure out how many words are on the page, or a word frequency counter to make a guess at what keywords the post is targeting. Adding a simple tally of the images and videos in a post also gives you an idea of what type of content is performing so well. For example, could you spring ahead by introducing a post with video content? Recommended Reading: 21 Social Media Templates That Will Help You Execute a Strategy for 10X Growth Step #3: Now, Make Something Better Than Everyone Else on the List Here are a few things you can do. Make Your Content Longer and More In-Depth One of the simple things that you can do to one-up your content marketing competitors is to create longer content than they do. Results has shown that longer content typically performs better on search engines, so taking the time to add a few hundred (or thousand) extra words can easily pay off over time. Add Images, Videos, and Other Rich Content You will notice that some posts actually offer little written content, but rather a lot of images or video-based content. This can make for excellent content that readers love to share and link to. Be sure to take note if there are no top sites offering this type of content. It could provide an opportunity for you to leap ahead. Dig Deeper Into the Topic Even today there are still many pages that rank well on Google, but provide little actual value to the customer. If you notice this happening, then you have a golden opportunity to add something of value to the mix. Never miss the chance to simply do a better job of covering a topic and making things useful for the reader. Think More Strategically Many blog posts do a poor job of using keywords and do little to emphasize the SEO value of content marketing. Simply adding this additional effort to your process could make the difference. Step #3:  Get People To Link To Your Content The third step of the skyscraper technique   is usually the hardest. How do you get people to link to your blog? Sure, there is always promoting it on social media, but what else is there? There are a lot of theories and questionable methods that even involve cold-pitching via email, but they rarely work and should be used with caution. The better, and more reliable, way is to simply earn it by creating better content. Remember, we decided to give this skyscraper thing a try because we wanted to improve our content marketing. That means two things: Better content ideas. Better content. Nothing builds backlinks like great content. #QualityFirst #SEO #ContentMarketingIt really is as simple as that. Try Applying the Skyscraper Technique Yourself With the skyscraper technique, we can easily see what content is performing the best and being shared the most. This should easily help us generate a constant supply of new ideas for blog posts and content marketing campaigns. In some ways, I like to think of this technique as a simple way of introducing new ideas and thought patterns into my brain. After one look at BuzzSumo, I usually have new blog post idea that I may not have thought of on my own. There is value in that. Always remember that the end-goal here isn't to copy the ideas and content from another post. You should be able come up with your own take on a topic, and do it better. The skyscraper technique will help you understand what topics to cover and how to cover them in a way that will help you leap ahead of the competition.

Black Friday

Marketing strategies, paired with consumers’ need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping day of the year. In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolina’s Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with â€Å"experienced† Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes: 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, â€Å"the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out their stra tegy. † (Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments. When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a breakdown of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition — such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods — they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates what’s called hedonic shopping value, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. † (Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consu mers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased. Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the â€Å"Black Friday frenzy†. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says â€Å"time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources† triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people. Black Friday is â€Å"hunting for women,† said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. â€Å"It’s so much like deer hunting it’s hard to tell the two apart. † (Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a â€Å"perfect storm† for consumer misbehavior. Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, â€Å"acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. † (Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often themselves. â€Å"For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005) Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day. The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraw’s research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, â€Å"One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of others—often more so than we’d like to admit. Sometimes we’re impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. † (McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer. Consumers’ benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers’ benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives their extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumer’s willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy. In a society where a corporation or business’s main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a company’s number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailer’s total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way. Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other people’s behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. It’s influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect: Let’s Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. † The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,†How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice: Snob and Bandwagon Effects†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, O’Guinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) â€Å"Compulsive Consumption†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds. Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14: Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages: 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. â€Å"The Science of Willpower. † Comments on â€Å"Black Friday Shopping: How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart† N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. â€Å"The Humor Code. † The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, â€Å"Black Friday Sales Hit Record. † CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. â€Å"Here, There, and Everywhere. † Black Friday: A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) â€Å"An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals†, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 7, pp. 522 – 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. â€Å"We gather together: consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Day†, in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. â€Å"By the Numbers: Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. † The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. . Black Friday Marketing strategies, paired with consumers’ need to locate the best deals on Christmas gifts has led to Black Friday being celebrated as a consumption ritual comparable in importance to Thanksgiving Day. (Thomas and Peters, 2011) How has Black Friday become the largest retail sales day of the year? What is it that drives people to artificially induced hyper consumption, almost like an annual ritual? Many scientist and psychologists have many different theories and conclusions of why Black Friday has become the biggest shopping day of the year. In this paper, I will take your through the research and conclusions that many psychologists have produced and the advantages and disadvantages of Black Friday. Dr. Stephanie Sarkis, Ph. D. explored the work of Jane Boyd Thomas and Cara Peters, professors at South Carolina’s Winthrop University, who spent two years in research trying to find common traits in Black Friday shoppers. They conducted thirty-eight extensive interviews with â€Å"experienced† Black Friday shoppers and found four recurring themes: 1. Familial bonding (multiple generations and close friends) 2. Strategic planning . The great race 4. Mission accomplished But how do the four themes they came up with relate to one another? Thomas and Peters figured that all the traits when analyzed together showed one commonality. They wrote, â€Å"the traits are coalesced around a military metaphor, and is a bonding activity Shoppers prepare for the ritual by scanning Black Friday ads, and they map out their stra tegy. † (Sarkis 2011) In essence, the family is a type of team that scans adds, plans their route and potential purchases, executes their plans by buying products, and rejoices in their accomplishments. When all of these traits are analyzed individually, they mean little to main the main outcome, bonding. But when all the traits are looked at collectively, they all contribute to the overall success and goal of bonding. Besides giving us a breakdown of bonding activities, the analysis also shows how the average consumer plan for Black Friday. Just as Sarkis found themes that make up this military metaphor, Byun, professor of consumer affairs at Auburn University came up with her own theory on why people react the way they do on Black Friday. Crowds create a sense of competition — such as when hundreds of shoppers are rushing to collect marked-down goods — they generate a different feeling entirely. Competition creates what’s called hedonic shopping value, or a sense of enjoyment from the mere process of buying goods. At certain levels, consumers enjoy arousal and challenges during the shopping process. † (Khazan 2011) In essence what Byun is saying is consu mers get more enjoyment because the crowds create an obstacle, which hinders the execution of the plans and preparations made. The crowds make getting what they want harder, which creates more value for the goods purchased. Just as Byun noted that crowds contribute to the Black Friday Craze, Kelly McGonigal, Ph. D. describes another factors that plays a big part in the â€Å"Black Friday frenzy†. Retailers, she notes, use innovative designs to lure customers into their stores and keep them there. McGonigal says â€Å"time pressure sales on limited products or scarce resources† triggers a negative physiological affect on the consumer. Scarcity for a certain commodity creates a sense of urgency to act now, a natural instinct to survive. This survival instinct can be related to hunting for some people. Black Friday is â€Å"hunting for women,† said Leisa Reinecke Flynn, professor of marketing and fashion merchandising at the University of Southern Mississippi. â€Å"It’s so much like deer hunting it’s hard to tell the two apart. † (Khazan 2011) Unfortunately, shopping on Black Friday is not motivated by survival instincts or a life in death situation. This paradox stimulates unusual behavior in consumers that creates disadvantages and potential dangers for those that are not necessarily into the hunt. The concept of Black Friday creates a â€Å"perfect storm† for consumer misbehavior. Misbehavior, as defined by Lennon, Johnson, and Lee is, â€Å"acts that violate accepted norms of conduct in consumption contexts. † (Lennon, Johnson, Lee, 2011) This compulsive behavior, or compulsive consumption, feeds off of the idea of scarcity. It induces people to act inappropriately harming others and often themselves. â€Å"For many, if not most compulsive purchasers, buying is a reaction to stress or unpleasant situations. Compulsive consumption is a type of consumer behavior which is inappropriate, typically excessive, and clearly disruptive to the lives of other individuals. (Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond 1987) Both hunting and shopping hinge on long-standing traditions and generally involve pursuing a goal as a group. Whether the group actually hits its target is secondary to the fun of the chase. Hunting and shopping as shown above are very closely linked and motivated by the idea of scarcity. Just like there are limited deer in the forest, there are limited goods in the stores. The result is paradoxical in nature. People are fraudulently deceived into acting compulsively. (Herpen, Pieters and Zeelenberg 2005) Just as Ronald, Thomas, and Raymond concluded that compulsive behavior negatively affects the lives of others, Peter McGraw, Ph. D. drew a similar connection. He focuses more on social trends and pressures being the root of the problem. In The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity, McGraw makes a connection between Black Friday shopping and Thanksgiving Dinner. He explores the idea that once a year, people will consume more calories in one meal, than the average person consumes on a normal day. The next day they wake up, or sometimes not sleeping at all, and go shopping for hours on end. (McGraw and Warner 2011) Dr. McGraw’s research shows us that in a short period of forty eights hour there is over consumption of food on Thanksgiving and the hyper consumption or shopping on Black Friday. McGraw believes that the cause of this phenomenon is social influence and pressure. He writes, â€Å"One of the hallmarks of psychological science is that we are influenced by the actions of others—often more so than we’d like to admit. Sometimes we’re impelled to take positive actions, such as switching to reusable bags or cutting down on littering. Other times, social influence can be quite negative. When it comes to Thanksgiving and Black Friday, unfortunately, the influences skew more toward bad than good. † (McGraw and Warner 2011) In other words McGraw places responsibility of hyper consumption on social trends, pressures, and even perhaps familial rituals for the ever-popular Black Friday. Another concept of Black Friday is one of mutual benefit for both consumer and retailer. Consumers’ benefit from large discounts on all sorts of items including clothing, electronics, furniture, and literally any other commodity available on the market. Retailers’ benefit by getting out of the red zone, finally making a profit for the fiscal year. The opportunities available on Black Friday is what drove 212 million shoppers to stores during Black Friday weekend in 2011. (Wilson, 2010) Retailers experience surging sales during Black Friday and the days that follow. This monetary benefit is what drives their extensive promotion and deal offerings, further influencing the consumer’s willingness to partake in the shopping frenzy. In a society where a corporation or business’s main purpose is to grow profits for the benefit of its shareholders, a company’s number one purpose is to increase sales, in order to increase profits. According to a New York Times article written by Adam Davidson, approximately one fifth of retailer’s total annual sales are made during the holiday shopping season. (Davidson, 2011) In conclusion, we can see that shopping on Black Friday brings people together in one way or another. For some, it brings people together in a positive way. Families and friends are able to work as a team who plan, prepare and execute their plans to achieve their goals. For others, Black Friday shoppers experience the negative affects of other people’s behavior. There are also advantages and disadvantages for both the consumer and retailer. Consumers get amazingly cheap prices on products while retailers experience a massive surge in sales. However one may look at Black Friday, it is a day that cannot be ignored. It’s influence and popularity are ever growing and expanding. Reference Page Davidson, Adam. The Black Friday Effect: Let’s Stimulate the Economy with Inflation. † The New York Times, 16 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Herpen, Erica van, Rik Pieters, and Marcel Zeelenberg (2005) ,†How Product Scarcity Impacts on Choice: Snob and Bandwagon Effects†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32, eds. Geeta Menon and Akshay R. Rao, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 32 : Association for Consumer Research, Pages: 623-624. Faber, J. Ronald, O’Guinn, C Thomas, and Krych, Raymond. (1987) â€Å"Compulsive Consumption†, in Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14, eds. Melanie Wallendorf and Paul Anderson, Advances in Consumer Research Volume 14: Association for Sonsumer Research, Pages: 132-135. McGonigal, Kelly, Ph. D. â€Å"The Science of Willpower. † Comments on â€Å"Black Friday Shopping: How Stores Use Psychology to Fill Your Cart† N. p. , 19 Nov. 2010. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . McGraw, Peter, Ph. D. , and Warner, Joel. â€Å"The Humor Code. † The Link between Thanksgiving Gluttony and Black Friday Insanity. N. p. , 21 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Ridgwar, Nicole, â€Å"Black Friday Sales Hit Record. † CNNMoney. Cable News Netwrok, 26 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. Sarkis, Stephanie, Ph. D. â€Å"Here, There, and Everywhere. † Black Friday: A Collective Consumption Ritual. N. p. , 20 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct. 2012. . Thomas, Jane Boyd, and Peters, Cara. (2011) â€Å"An exploratory investigation of Black Friday consumption rituals†, International Journal of Retail Distribution Management, Vol. 39 Iss: 7, pp. 522 – 537 Wallendorf, M. , Arnould, E. â€Å"We gather together: consumption rituals of Thanksgiving Day†, in Journal of Consumer Research, (1991) Vol. 18 No. 1, pp. 13-31. Wilson, April. â€Å"By the Numbers: Black Friday Shoppers and Their Impact on the Economy. † The Luckie ReTink Tank. 23 Nov. 2011. Web. 30 Oct 2012. . Black Friday