Martins Luther King Jr. Strugle for Racial Segregation and Civil Rights Essay Example for Free

Martins Luther King Jr. Strugle for Racial Segregation and Civil Rights Essay Martin Luther King Jr. was one of the most important figures within the fields of politics and non-violent activism of the 20th century. King was born on 15th of January 1929 in the city of Atlanta within the boundaries of the state of Georgia. Originally Martin Luther King Jr. as named after his father as Michael King, although his father who was also named after Michael King after visiting the Nazi Germany in order to attend the Fifth Baptist World Alliance Congress in Berlin he found himself been inspired by a German reformer called Martin Luther, so he decided to change both his name and his son’s name into Martin Luther King and Martin Luther King Jr. respectively. King was the middle child of the family having a younger brother Alfred Daniel Williams King and an older sister Willie Christine King. As a reference to his education he attended Booker T. Washington High school, also it is stated that he was a precocious student as he skipped two grades the ninth and the twelfth and entered Morehouse College at the early age of fifteen. He graduated College in 1948 and enrolled in Crozer Theological Seminary in Chester which he graduated with a B. Div. degree in 1951. Meanwhile in 1953 he married Correta Scott and eventually became a father of four children Yolanda King, Martin Luther King III, Dexter Scott King, and Bernice King. Thereupon he became a pastor of the Dexter Avenue Baptist Church in Montgomery in 1954; he began his doctoral degree course in Systematic Theology at Boston University and graduated receiving his Ph. D. degree in 1955 with a dissertation on A Comparison of the Conceptions of God in the Thinking of Paul Tillich and Henry Nelson Wieman. Although an academic observation which was held in 1991 concluded that parts of his dissertation were plagiarized but the committee decided that his degree shouldn’t be revoked. As a remark Martin Luther King Jr. was strongly influenced by religion (as it was natural, as been a Christian Minister since 1947) more specifically he was influenced by Jesus Christ and the Christian Gospels from which he frequently used quotes in his public speeches, he was also inspired from Mahatma Gandhi’s non-violent activist action. In April of 1959 he made a desired for him as it was stated trip to India with the assistance of the American Friends Service Committee, it has to be mentioned that the trip affected King in a profound way and helped him deepen his knowledge and understanding in non-violent resistance and his commitment to the America’s struggle for civil rights, as he stated the last day of his trip to India in a local radio, King said: â€Å"Since being in India, I am more convinced than ever before that the method of non-violent resistance is the most potent weapon available to oppressed people in their struggle for justice and human dignity. The â€Å"Fight† Against Segregation It all started back in 1955 in Montgomery, Alabama, Claudette Colvin an African- American girl which in fact was under aged unmarried pregnant girl refused to give up her seat to a white man. At that point King was a member of the Birmingham African-American community and also a member of the committee which looked into the case but it was decided that they should wait for a better case to pursue. Their patience yielded. On December 1, 1955 an other African-American girl called Rosa Sparks also refused to give up her seat, back on that date the buses rows were â€Å"separated†, white people should seat on the front rows and the African-American people should seat on the back rows of the busses seats, as natural at some point the two â€Å"different† categories of passengers would meet. At that point the bus’s seats were all occupied and according to Jim Crow laws the following African-American passengers that would board on the bus were required to stand. It was exactly what they were waiting for, and soon after Rosa was arrested the Montgomery Bus Boycott broke out, it lasted 385 days. The whole Boycott issue turned out as a huge victory, although during the campaign a bombing attack was made against King’s house and he was also arrested. As a result the United States District Court in Browder v. Gayle case ended the racial segregation in all Montgomery public busses. After the Montgomery Bus Boycott King’s contribution to the result transformed him into a national figure and he was also off the record declared the best-known spokesman of the civil-rights movement. The Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC) Soon after the Montgomery lowdown King, Ralph Abernathy, and other civil rights activists founded the Southern Christian Leadership Conference (SCLC). The group was created in order to saddle the moral authority and organizing power of black churches to conduct non-violent protests in the service of civil rights reform, King led the SCLC until his death. In 1962 SCLC joins Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC) in the Albany Movement which was stated to be the first major non-violent campaign of SCLC. The Albany movement was a desegregation movement which was formed by local activist organizations, the SNCC and the National Association for the Advanced of Colored People (NAACP). The movement’s leader was William G. Anderson. During the period of King’s involvement with the Albany movement he was arrested twice, once in a mass arrest on 15th December of 1961 and in July of 1962. Although it has to be mentioned that King had been criticized by SNCC, they’ve even given him a snide nickname â€Å"De Lawd†, because as they claimed he maintained a safe distance from challenges that had to deal with Jim Crow laws. Birmingham Campaign Soon after the incidents in Albany the Birmingham campaign came to light. Birmingham campaign was a movement organized by SCLC and led by Martin Luther King Jr. and others. In the spring of 1963 the operation of the Birmingham campaign was at its peak, including widely publicized controversies between black young people and white civic authorities and eventually led the municipal government to change the citys discrimination laws. A fact that can’t remain unnoticed as during the early 60s Birmingham was one of the most racially divided cities in the United States. Ultimately Birmingham movement was defined as a model of direct action protest, as it effectively shut down the city through a boycott and a series of sit-ins and marches, and drew the world’s attention to racial segregation in the South. Also it is stated that it paved the way for the Civil Rights Act of 1964. The Great March on Washington After the Birmingham campaign the SCLC called for massive protests in Washington DC to push for new civil rights legislation that would outlaw segregation nation-wide which turned to be an unparalleled success. The Great march on Washington claimed the title of one of the largest political rallies for human rights in the United State’s history, as the estimated number of participants varies from 200,000 to 300,000 and still remained non-violent, the 80% of the participants were estimated to be black and the rest were white and other non-black minorities. Also the city was swarmed by more than 2,000 buses, 21 special trains, 10 chartered aircrafts and uncountable personal vehicles. But the march was stigmatized by the King’s famous â€Å"I have a dream† speech. King began his speech with the emancipation of the slaves, issued by Abraham Lincoln and concludes that even though blacks were freed from slavery they still aren’t free. Then he raised the matter of the unkept promise of America to the Civil Rights Union for the continued pursuit of justice as racial segregation still existed. Finally he promotes black people to keep on fighting for their rights in non-violent ways as he believed that violence would lead to a cycle of fighting, unnecessary death and cruelty. The Poor People’s Campaign and the opposition to the Vietnam War In 1965 Martin Luther King Jr. egan to express his doubts about the Vietnam War in public. On 4th April 1967 he delivered a speech at the New York City Riverside Church titled â€Å"Beyond Vietnam: A time to break silence. † In which he expressed his objection to the role of the United States in the Vietnam War, mentioning that United States was in Vietnam â€Å"to occupy it as an American colony† and called the US government â€Å"the greatest purveyor of violence in the world today. † He also connected the Vietnam War with economic injustice based on the fact that the US government was spending more and more on the military and less and less on anti-poverty programs. He summed up this aspect by saying:† A nation that continues year after year to spend more money on military defense than on programs of social uplift is approaching spiritual death. Almost a year later in 1968 King organized the â€Å"Poor Peoples Campaign† in order to raise the matter of economic injustice; King crossed the whole country in order to assemble a multiracial army of poor people in order to march on Washington DC and engage in a non-violent civil disobedience at the Capitol until Congress created an economic bill of rights for poor Americans. The campaign culminated in a march on Washington, D. C. , demanding economic aid to the poorest communities of the United States. The reconnaissance King was awarded at least fifty honorary degrees from colleges and universities. On October 14, 1964, King became the youngest recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, which was awarded to him for leading non-violent resistance to racial prejudice in the U. S. In 1965, he was awarded the American Liberties Medallion by the American Jewish Committee for his exceptional advancement of the principles of human liberty. In his acceptance remarks, King said, Freedom is one thing. You have it all or you are not free. In 1957, he was awarded the Spingarn Medal from the NAACP. Two years later, he won the Anisfield-Wolf Book Award for his book Stride Toward Freedom: The Montgomery Story. In 1966, the Planned Parenthood Federation of America awarded King the Margaret Sanger Award for his courageous resistance to bigotry and his lifelong dedication to the advancement of social justice and human dignity. Also in 1966, King was elected as a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. He was posthumously awarded a Grammy Award for Best Spoken Word Album for his Why I Oppose the War in Vietnam in 1971. In 1977, the Presidential Medal of Freedom was posthumously awarded to King by President Jimmy Carter, who stated: Martin Luther King, Jr. , was the conscience of his generation. He gazed upon the great wall of segregation and saw that the power of love could bring it down. From the pain and exhaustion of his fight to fulfill the promises of our founding fathers for our humblest citizens, he wrung his eloquent statement of his dream for America. He made our nation stronger because he made it better. His dream sustains us yet. More than 730 cities in the United States have streets named after King. King County, Washington rededicated its name in his honor in 1986, and changed its logo to an image of his face in 2007. The city government center in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania, is named in honor of King. King is remembered as a martyr by the Episcopal Church in the United States of America (feast day April 4) and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (feast day January 15).

The Essential Role of Servants in the Victorian Family :: Jane Eyre

The Essential Role of Servants in the Victorian Family    I desired liberty; for liberty I gasped; for liberty I uttered a prayer; it seemed scattered on the wind then faintly blowing. I abandoned it and framed a humbler supplication; for change, stimulus: that petition too seemed swept off into vague space; "Then" I cried, half desperate, "Grant me at least a new servitude." ( Bronte 93; ch. 10) Jane was not approaching any new territory when she wanted a new servitude. In fact 12.8 percent of the female population in England and Wales were engaged in domestic service in the nineteenth century (Horn 24). In nineteenth-century England, for any household with social pretensions at least one domestic servant was essential. The guide to the social status of a well-off Victorian family was the status of the domestics employed (Horn 18). Well-to-do families employed as large a staff as they could afford, while middle-class families held to the minimum of one (Horn 18). There were many types of servants, among them the housekeeper, and the nurse (Horn 49). On the female side of the domestics there were numerous servants. Since this essay is not concerned with male domestics, only a list of female domestics is provided. Female domestics would include the housekeeper, the cook, lady’s maid, nurse, housemaids, kitchenmaids, scullery-maids and laundry staff (Horn 49). The housekeeper was responsible for hiring and dismissing the female staff. The housekeeper was expected to be a "steady middle-aged woman . . . morally exemplary and assiduous to the harmony, comfort, and economy of the family" (Horn 54). Most often a housekeeper would stay with the same family for several years, forming a close bond with the family (Horn 57). If the family came into financial trouble a loyal housekeeper might stay behind as a general servant, while the rest of the staff would be dismissed. Housekeepers that worked for kin were either unmarried daughters of any age or widows (Hill 119). Middle and upper class families with children also kept a nurse maid. She would be a young girl under the age of twenty. The nursemaid was responsible for dressing and undressing the children, playing with them, and taking them out of a walk (Horn 66). The nursemaid was often spent more time with the children then their own mother. She acted as a mother figure, performing most if not all of the duties that belong to the mother.

Social Support and Physical Activity Corroborating

Running head: HEALTHY AGING IN THE ELDERLY 1 Social Support and Physical Activity Corroborating Healthy Aging and Quality of Life in the Elderly Karen Cauthen Counseling 502-B21 Liberty University Abstract Can morbidity be deterred in the elderly or is disease and illness a fact of life for the aged? Does social support and physical activity play a part in preventing secondary aging processes? This paper will modestly explore and discuss the effects of social interactions and routine activity of the elderly upon healthy aging and quality of life. Successful healthy ageing is impacted by a healthy lifestyle and is positively related to a reduced mortality risk and a delay in health deterioration† (Merrill, Myklebust, Myklebust, Reynolds, & Duthie, 2008). It is not the absence of disease or disability that qualifies healthy aging, but response to the aging process that defines quality of life (Gilbert, Hagerty, & Taggert, 2012). According to Erik Erikson it is the eighth stage of development: integrity vs. espair (Erikson, Erikson, & Kivnick, 1986); the point in life where the reality of death becomes imminent and a review of life determines meaning (Elhman & Ligon, 2012). Social participation and an active lifestyle are good at any age but for the elderly it is the cover over the deep dark hole of despair and loneliness. Keywords: integrity, despair, activity, social, healthy aging, aging process, support Social Support and Physical Activity Corroborating Healthy Aging and Quality of Life in the ElderlyAs we grow older our bodies change, our thoughts are more reflective, and our friendships more selective. Growing old is not a cookie cutter process. For each individual it is different. Some stay very busy, while others quit. They gradually halt participation in day-to-day events, or they take up yoga, run a marathon even go back to school. Successful aging is determined more by mental attitude than physical ability; how past life is perceived and future li fe accomplished.It is how change is managed that determines healthy aging and quality of life in the aged. Growing old is a process gerontologist divide in two categories, â€Å"primary aging† and â€Å"secondary aging† (Berger, 2011). Primary aging is defined as the universal changes occurring with age that are not caused by diseases or environmental influences. Secondary aging is defined as changes involving interactions of primary aging processes with environmental influences and disease processes (Masoro & Austad, 2006).According to Berger (Berger, 2011) there are three stages of old: â€Å"young-old,† â€Å"healthy, active, financially secure and independent;† â€Å"old-old,† although still independent suffer from â€Å"reductions in physical or mental ability or social support;† and last, â€Å"oldest-old,† â€Å"infirm, at risk for illness and injury. † Not preferring to use the word old, some gerontologist describe four stages of aging as: â€Å"optimal aging,† â€Å"usual aging,† â€Å"impaired or pathological aging,† and the fourth, â€Å"successful aging,† (Rowe & Kahn, 1998) â€Å"signifying extensive social interaction and activity† (Berger, 2011).The elderly tend to measure functional capacity by â€Å"their ability to carry out, independently, their routine activities, also called the activities of daily living† (Brito & Pavarini, 2012). After years of independent living, dependency on someone to carry out normal everyday functions can be emotionally and socially debilitating, even more so than the illnesses that made them dependent. â€Å"Loss, in instrumental activities of daily living contributes to greater estrangement from one’s social surroundings and consequently to a tendency to be isolated in one’s residence† (Brito & Pavarini, 2012).Erik Erikson provided an in-depth philosophy in his final eighth stage of development: integrity vs. despair. This is a time in which the elderly desire to unite their vast experiences with their ideas of humanity (Erikson, et al, 1986). While despair stands for a complete loss of hope, integrity does not only mean honesty, but also â€Å"a feeling of being whole, not scattered, comfortable with oneself† (Berger, 2011). Yet it is in Erikson’s seventh stage, generativity vs. tagnation, we find that â€Å"in older adults, generativity may be the single most important factor in achieving ego integrity (James & Zarrett, 2006) and positively impacts well-being (Yuen, Huang, Burik, & Smith, 2008)† (Elhman & Ligon, 2012). Therefore, as Erikson (Erikson & Erikson, 1997) put it, â€Å"indeed, old people can and need to maintain a grand-generative function† (p. 63), and that â€Å"vital involvement†¦is necessary for staying really alive (p. 63)† (Elhman & Ligon, 2012). TheoriesPeople are multi-dimensional, multi-faceted creatures. To lump us all under one roof would be a crime. Numerous theories, through research and study, try to describe human behavior but no one such study is sufficient. There are four main theories concerning the activities and social life of the elderly. Each theory holds truth but not the whole truth. The first, activity theory, views â€Å"older people as psychologically unchanged† holding â€Å"social and physical obstacles responsible for declining rates of social interaction† (Carstensen L.L. , 1992). Activity theorists blame age-related health and social burdens for cause of change in social participation and activities (Carstensen L. L. , 1992). The second, disengagement theory, suggest â€Å"that old age instigates a mutual withdrawal between society and aging people† (Carstensen L. L. , 1992). Elaine Cumming and William Earl Henry (Cumming & Henry, 1961) suggest that in preparation for death withdrawal is manifested in a distancing in social relationships.As death creeps ever closer what is important and what is not is more relevant. What we do, where we do it, and whom we do it with are choices that continue the idea of independence. A third theory proposed by Dr. Laura Carstensen (Carstensen L. L. , 1992), socioemotional selective theory, counters the assumption by the other two theories, that these changes in social activity are strictly late-life phenomena, with the proposition that these changes actually start earlier in life. Reduced rates of interaction in late life are viewed as the result of lifelong selection processes by which people strategically and adaptively cultivate their social networks to maximize social and emotional gains and minimize social and emotional risks† (Carstensen L. L. , 1992). Because so much is derived from social interaction; information, assistance, self-identity, selection of a mate, knowledge of culture and history, discriminate and careful examination of social partners is a must (Carstensen L. L. , 1992).The fourth, gerotranscendence theory, was developed by Lars Tornstam to address a â€Å"perpetual mismatch between present theories in social gerontology and existing empirical data† (Tornstam, 2010). Gerotranscendence claims successful aging results from frequent contemplative thought, a decrease in materialism, and transcendence of primary aging processes (Adams & Sanders, 2010). In support of this theory a Change in Activities and Interest Index (CAII) was created to â€Å"examine empirically the perceived changes that occur in the lives of older adults† (Adams & Sanders, 2010).The CAII is a 30-item questioner optimized to examine â€Å"self-perceived change in investment in and attitudes about social and leisure pastimes among older adults† (Adams & Sanders, 2010). As a result of the research by Drs. Kathryn Adams and Sara Sanders (Adams & Sanders, 2010) using the CAII, providers of health care to the elderly can better design ways to elevate direct engagement in valuable, desired activities and social relations as they advance within the aging process. As stated earlier, all four theories hold truth, but none the whole truth.Each theory describes certain individuals but leaves out others. Because we are an ever changing species and constantly growing population more studies are needed in understanding the causes of healthy aging and defining quality of life. Gender Studies have shown that in later life numerous physical benefits, as well as, psychological benefits are a result of participation in social activity, â€Å"such as the promotion of happiness (Menec, 2003), reduction of the risk of depression (Hong, Hasche, & Bowland, 2009), reduction of the decline of motor function (Buchman, et al. 2009), and even reductions in mortality (Lennartsson & Silverstein, 2001)† (Li, Lin, & Chen, 2011). â€Å"Research to date indicates that participation in social activity exerts positive and psychological health effects among th e elderly and that the pattern of activity participation differs by gender† (Li, et al, 2011). Numerous studies and literature report general differences in the social activities of men and women, but only one study â€Å"considered gender issues and social activity among the elderly (Arber, Perren, & Davidson, 2002).When exploring the outcomes of healthy aging and quality of life in regards to social support and physical activity, gender cannot be overlooked. Changes take place throughout the lifespan and gender affects social and cultural relations to these changes. In the expansion of associations and community contacts the distinct social settings that men and women live in lead to dissimilar behaviors (Barer, 1994; Carstensen L. L. , 1991). Dr. Kate Bennett (Bennett K. M. 1998) did an 8-year longitudinal study on physical activity in the elderly. The results showed that women were more likely to occupy themselves with indoor activities (e. g. , housework) and men with ou tdoor activities (e. g. , walking or cycling) (Bennett K. M. , 1998). Involvement in activities, whether readily available or not, is also gender specific. Elderly women are more likely to attend or be involved with religious services and activities than elderly men (Arber, et al, 2002).For men, staying in touch with what is going on through formal and informal associations or engaging in social activities such as volunteer work helps them maintain self-identity within their society (Arber, et al, 2002). Cultural context also plays a part in the construct of gender roles. In most societies, Western and non-Western, the male role is that of bread winner and the female role is that of homemaker (Li, et al, 2011). Western society mindset has changed over the years to the point where these roles are often reversed or completely annihilated.In Asia, however, a study done between 1988 and 1997 of people aged 60 or older found that women were more likely to rely on their family for financi al support and men were more likely to have their own source of income (Ofstedal, Reidy, & Knodel, 2004). However, a study of â€Å"5,294 noninstitutionalized elderly adults†¦concluded that working for a living was associated with high rates of depression among the elderly† (Hong, et al, 2009), most likely due to Asian traditional social value (xiao) which reflects bad on the family of children who cannot support their parents (Li, et al, 2011).Facilitators and Barriers The earth’s populace of 60+ year olds has doubled since 1980 and will achieve the 2 billion mark by 2050 according to the World Health Organization (World Health Organization, n. d. ; Gilbert, et al, 2012). Catherine Gilbert, Debra Hagerty and Helen Taggert generated a study â€Å"to explore the factors associated with healthy ageing through personal interviews†¦giving voice to the elders regarding their impression of facilitators and barriers to healthy ageing† (Gilbert, et al, 2012).T he results found the elderly perceive three main facilitators to healthy ageing: â€Å"taking care of self; meaningful activity; and positive attitude,† and three main barriers to healthy ageing: â€Å"giving up or giving in; environmental limitations; and the ageing process† (Gilbert, et al, 2012). Empathy is a facilitator and plays an important role in healthy ageing and quality of life through social interaction and is a requirement for enduring social commitments (Bailey, Henry, & Von Hippel, 2008). Empathy has been described as the; ‘capacity to understand others and experience their feelings in relation to oneself’ (Decety & Jackson, 2004). Few studies have been done to reveal whether empathic capacity diminishes with age (Bailey, et al, 2008). Phoebe Bailey, Julie Henry and William Von Hippel researched the â€Å"possibility that age-related reductions in social functioning might be mediated by declining cognitive empathy† with results testif ying â€Å"cognitive empathy was significantly reduced related to younger adults,† but â€Å"there were no age-related differences in affective empathy† (Bailey, et al, 2008).Thus empathy as a facilitator to healthy aging and quality of life bares much weight in functional relationships. A social network also facilitates healthy aging and quality of life. Social support, created by relationships, both formal and informal, provides one with emotional, affective and material help, with information, and with positive social interaction (Ostergren, Hanson, Isacsson, & Tejler, 1991). It has been proven by studies that adequate social support is a efensive aspect in functional disability and cognitive compromise in the elderly (Golden, Conroy, & Lawlor, 2009; Bennett, Schneider, Tang, Arnold, & Wilson, 2006; Stuck, Walhert, Nikolaus, Bula, Hohmann, & Beck, 1999). Autonomy and independence within family and social circles is maintained through social supports and is essential to cognitive functions and psychological well-being (Golden, et al, 2009; Bennett, et al, 2006; Stuck, et al, 1999). On the other hand, barriers to healthy ageing and quality of life include physical ability and cognitive alterations.Barriers â€Å"reported by older adults are physical health problems and frailty, resultant injury and falling, lack of motivation, feeling low, time constraints, social barriers, past seentary lifestyle, feeling too tired, and environmental restrictions such as transportation, weather, neighborhood safety, fatigue and having no one to exercise with† (Belza, et al. , 2004; Bird, et al. , 2009; Chen, 2010; Conn, 1998; Lees, Clark, Nigg, & Newman, 2005; Newson & Kemps, 2007; Prohaska, et al. , 2006).Yet fear of disease and becoming dependent is a great motivator to be physically active (Welmer, Morck, & Dahlin-Ivanoff, 2012). Another barrier to healthy ageing and quality of life in the elderly is cognitive alterations. Primary aging results in a s low steady decline of mental functions. Loss of words, ability to understand and perceive, to move efficiently and smoothly, and ability to manage, control, and regulate cognitive processes all deteriorate as we get older, allbeit some faster than others (Brito & Pavarini, 2012). †¦with memory loss standing out most in the population in general.Maintenance of cognition is an important determinant for quality of life and life expectancy in old age, as cognitive decline is associated with personal discomfort, loss of autonomy and increase of social costs (Brito & Pavarini, 2012). Research and Results The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the CDC Healthy Ageing Research Network (CDC-HAN) and the European Union Active and Healthy Ageing partnership (ND) all agree healthy ageing is important and pursue educating the public through studies and research (Gilbert, et al, 2012).The mission of the CDC Healthy Ageing Research Network is: â€Å"To better understand the dete rminants of healthy ageing in diverse populations and settings; to identify, develop, and evaluate programs and policies that promote healthy ageing; and to translate and disseminate research into effective and sustainable public health programs and policies throughout the nation (CDC, 2012). By using research from these agencies, communities throughout the world can develop programs that enhance and promote healthy aging and quality of life for the elderly (Gilbert, et al, 2012).The World Health Organization is aware of the challenges in healthcare faced in the 21st century, as well as, the need for the contributions the elderly make (Gilbert, et al, 2012). In support of healthy ageing and quality of life we need â€Å"training for health professionals on old-age care; preventing and managing age-associated chronic diseases; designing sustainable policies on long-term and palliative care; and developing age-friendly services and settings† (WHO, n. d. ) Along with national re search, colligate, institutional, private, and organizational studies continue the quest for positive healthy aging and quality of life.Many studies extol the benefits of social support and physical activity upon the health and well-being, both mentally and physically, of the elderly. A study by Anna-Karin Welmer, Annika Morck, and Synneve Dahlin-Ivanoff; â€Å"Physical Activity in People Age 80 Years and Older as a Means to Counteracting Disability, Balanced in Relation to Frailty,† declares: †¦results suggest that physical activity was not seen as a separate activity but rather as a part of activities often rated as more important than the physical activity itself.Thus, when designing physical activity interventions for elderly people, health care providers should consider including time for social interaction and possibilities to be outdoors (Welmer, et al, 2012). In another study exploring â€Å"Empathy and Social Functioning in Late Adulthood,† Bailey, Henry, and Von Hippel report: †¦aging may differentially impact cognitive and affective empathy, and that the former may be of particular importance for social functioning.Given the negative consequences that loneliness and social isolation have for physical and mental well-being (House, Landis, & Umberson, 1988), particularly among older adults (for whom reduced social participation has been linked to increased mortality; (Bath & Deeg, 2005; Fry & Debats, 2006), these findings seem a worthwhile topic for further investigation (Bailey, et al, 2008). Yet another study by Gilbert, Hagerty and Taggert, â€Å"Exploring Factors Related to Healthy Ageing,† reveals the importance of environment in facilitating a healthy social and physically active lifestyle.Tom, an interviewee and participant in the study â€Å"was very articulate about the need for environmental modifications that support the lifestyles of the elderly (Gilbert, et al, 2012). â€Å"To be active, means to be able t o travel and do things. Unfortunately, when we travel, the people who claim to have handicap rooms have had the worst advice in the world. Numerous times I have been placed in situations where you can’t sit down in the shower or if you get in the tub, you can’t get out† (Gilbert, et al, 2012).In a study, â€Å"Gender Differences in the Relationship of Social Activity and Quality of Life in Community- Dwelling Taiwanese Elders,† Li, Lin, and Chen find to some degree that gender does play a role in what activities are pursued and measured as resulting in quality of life by the elderly. For the men in this study, engaging in contact with friends, informal group activity, formal group activity, and voluntary work were significantly associated with the total quality of life. Among women, our data show that fewer types of social activity are associated with quality of life domains (Li, et al, 2011).Men seemed to derive quality of life through formal groups where status and title were bestowed, whereas, women found quality of life sustained in religious activities (Li, et al, 2011). A study by Brito and Pavarini, â€Å"The Relationship Between Social Support and Functional Capacity in Elderly Persons with Cognitive Alterations,† corroborates the importance of social support in regards to healthy aging and quality of life, especially among the elderly with cognitive inpairment.Social support may protect individuals from the pathogenic effects of stressing events, as much as it may positively affect people’s health by providing resources (economic and material help and information), better access to health care and regulation of living habits (Ramos, 2002). Research and study in gerontology promote understanding of the needs of the elderly in establishing adequate structuring and implantation of pathways that contribute to social support and physical activities, which in turn corroborates healthy aging and quality of life (Brito & Pavarini, 2012).Conclusion Getting old is a fact of life and with advances in medicine and the world’s population living longer (WHO, n. d. ), coping successfully with getting older requires selective optimization with compensation; setting goals, assessing abilities, and making plans to achieve regardless of hindrances and limitations (Berger, 2011). A positive outlook, family and friends, and an active lifestyle are all deterrents of morbidity (Gilbert, Hagerty, & Taggert, 2012).Influenced by a healthy lifestyle, successful healthy ageing is clearly related to a decreased mortality risk and a postponement in, and in some cases suspension of, health deterioration (Merrill, et al, 2008). Maintaining a social calendar and routine physical activity clearly supports healthy aging and quality of life in the elderly. Bibliography Adams, K. B. , & Sanders, S. (2010). Measurement of developmental change in late life: a validation study of the change in activities and interests in dex. Clinical Gerontologist, 92-108. Arber, S. , Perren, K. , & Davidson, K. (2002).Involvement in social organizations in later life: Variations by gender and class. In L. Andersson (Ed. ), Cultural gerontology (pp. 77-93). Westport, CT: Auborn House. Bailey, P. E. , Henry, J. D. , & Von Hippel, W. (2008, July). Empathy and social functioning in late adulthood. Aging & Mental Health, Vol. 12, No. 4, 499-503. Barer, B. M. (1994). Men and women aging differently. International Journal of Aging and Hua Development, 38(1), 29-40. Bath, P. A. , & Deeg, D. (2005). Social engagement and health outcomes among older people: Introduction to a special section. 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The Effect of the Drugs in Baseball - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 3 Words: 980 Downloads: 4 Date added: 2019/04/02 Category Sports Essay Level High school Tags: Baseball Essay Did you like this example? Following the investigations on Barry Bonds and Mark McGwire for the use of performance enhancing drugs, the ethics of how the media reports on alleged crimes committed by baseball players needs to be further explored. The majority of professional sports face the potential threat of their athletes using steroids, but Major League Baseball has become generally known for rampant steroid use across the league. How did this happen? Since 1988, steroids have found their way into baseball and while some of the most prominent players in the league have out right denied the use of performance enhancing drugs such as David Ortiz and Barry Bonds, a few have come out and claimed that the majority of the league is actually â€Å"juiced up†.. Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "The Effect of the Drugs in Baseball" essay for you Create order In 2012, relief pitcher Eric Gagne, said that â€Å"It was sufficient to ruin my health, tarnish my reputation and throw a shadow over the extraordinary performances of my career†¦ I was intimately aware of the clubhouse in which I lived. I would say that 80 percent of the Dodgers players were consuming them.† Jose Canseco, who played for the Oakland Athletics at the time, wrote in his book, Juiced, that he and McGwire would apply steroids via a syringe through the buttocks. Because of how some players in recent history have tried to save face after having their careers tarnished from PED accusations, it has led many fans within the sport and beyond to believe it’s a very casual performance for a major league ball-player. After legendary seasons by players like McGwire, Bonds, Sammy Sosa, and Jason Giambi, baseball reached a new high in viewership nationwide. The game also saw a transition from the classic style of good defense and aggressive baserunning to how many players in the lineup can drive the ball over the fence. By 2002, a lot of the mystery surrounding the transition came out when the Bay Area Laboratory Co-operative (BALCO) came under fire for providing anabolic steroids to many high profile baseball players. According to Dan Deluliis, â€Å"Out of 1,438 survey tests administered, MLB commissioner Bud Selig announced that five to seven percent of these tests were positive, a total of 104 positive tests. The names linked to these 104 positive tests were leaked to the media, most recently in February 2009. The names included the New York Yankees’ Alex Rodriguez, former player Sammy Sosa, the Boston Red Sox David Ortiz and Los Angeles Dodgers’ Manny Ramirez.† It has been discovered that Selig, as the commissioner of MLB, felt the need to get steroids out of the sport, no matter what the fans may otherwise prefer. Selig has never considered other disputes from fans such as time-clocks and a limited amount of pitcher-mount visits. But when it comes to performance enhancing drugs and home-runs, there really was no opportunity for him to budge. This is precisely why Selig began to enforce such a harsh drug-testing regimen. This actually also had an impact on other profession al American sports leagues, such as the National Football League. In the current climate, the NFL has the credentials to test any player as much as 10 times per month for any substance even beyond performance enhancement. Victor Conte is the main producer of BALCO as a sporting supplement organization that became truly involved with professionally organized sports in 1996. From this, several high profile baseball players were discovered to have taken PED’s. This organization was then investigated by former United States Senator, George J. Mitchell, in what has become famously known as The Mitchell Report. High-status players like Roger Clemens, Miguel Tejada, Rafael Palmero, and Mark McGwire were called to testify in front of Congress for their use of PED’s. This was a major story on ESPN and while the network was lambasting these players for their actions, they would not at any capacity clarify that this is still an ongoing issue. Of course, no one wants baseball players to rely on steroids which in turn encourages high school and college athletes to partake as well. However, in this dark era of MLB, more than half of players were taking PED’s. The difference is that only the mos t powerful of performers were the one’s being investigated and targeted by the media. The Mitchell Report is a 409 page report that investigated all athletes in MLB that were accused of using PED’s in the league. This is a concern because the player’s association actually did not consent to having the information evolved from the investigation exposed to the public. At a certain point, it becomes clear that players actions, no matter how heinous they may be, are not in any capacity able to be kept confidential. At this time, it wasn’t clear what kind of steroids or performance enhancing drugs were illegal, so it’s reasonable to assume that these players were doing what they could to keep their positions. It is an unfortunate reality that when these baseball players were put in front of congress and became a top story for ESPN for several weeks, that the general public questioned the legitimacy of Major League Baseball. Once it became known through media that the majority of professional players were using steroids, players became analyzed in an unfairly fashion just because they performed better than they had in previous years. The main issue lies within the power that sports media has ethically when covering athletes. Sure, they have a huge responsibility to identify and call out actions that are unordinary and potentially harmful by athletes that can detriment the sport. However, to use that leverage of analyzer to accuse players across the board about who may be doing what is a slanderous act against all athletes. When players who dedicate their lives to their craft and to be blindly accused by network analysts for taking performance enhancing drugs does have a certain effect on t hat specific player’s reputation throughout the public.