Pick Your Family Essay Example for Free

Pick Your Family Essay The dictionary definition of family is: all the descendants of a common ancestor. Although this statement is true, some would disagree and say that the meaning to the word â€Å"family† goes far beyond that simple definition. Many people consider friends, schoolmates, animals, friends of a parent, and co-workers to be their family as well. Your whole family can be made up of many people that are not necessarily your real family. The relationship you share with another individual classifies them as a family member. These people may not be your relative at all, but someone you feel a strong connection to for one reason or another. Just because someone is your family member by blood, does not mean you have to have a close relationship with him or her. Your family can be extended from your nuclear family because another person may be very special to you, or makes you feel loved enough that you would consider them a part of your family. Children that lose their mother and father might have someone take care of them that are not blood related. In a situation like this, the child’s real family is not apart of the family that raises them and takes care of them. Family is more of a concept and more about the relationship that the two people share. In a case where parents have died or some other circumstance has arisen where they cannot provide for their child, strangers or friends may assist in raising that child. That would make them the caregivers; they would be the mother and father because they fill that role in the child’s life. Many people may say they have two mothers, this is because they have two people that fill the motherly role in their life and both of those people make them feel loved and appreciated. Another example where your family might not be your real relatives is godmothers or your godfathers. Your godmother or godfather can be anyone that your parents think can and will fill that role best. This may be your blood related uncle or the best man in your parents wedding. Regardless of the blood relation this person is in now classified as your family member. Family can also expand to include more than just humans as well. Most Americans have a pet dog or a pet cat that is considered a part of their family. It is very common in a household environment that animals are added to the mix. Whether it is a family of four wanting to add extra love in their lives, or a lonely college student looking for a companion. Many people add a pet into their homes to love and feel love in return. One might think this classifies that animal as a family member. Animals and humans can share a very special relationship, just like family members share. This special relationship is what makes someone or something a part of your family not just blood. Some people may have very special experiences with another individual. Growing up with a particular friend and experiencing many of life’s challenges and tribulations can make a relationship grow very strong. People that have been there for another person through tragedies, deaths, illness, hardships and times of celebration share special bonds. These people may refer to each other as brothers or sisters or second daughters or sons. It is the many experiences and the compassion and empathy that people share with one another that make them feel that closeness with one another. They will often refer to these special people as â€Å"family members†, although they have no blood relation. Many people that are not your real relatives can be more like your family than your real family. There are many reasons that families break up, or do not speak any longer. Death, distance, past arguments and sickness can all be some reasons why you are not close to your blood family. Most people know of someone who may no longer speak to their mother, father, sister, or brother; this kind of thing happens all the time. This is very common after a parent’s death, and the children have to disperse the parent’s valuables. You can’t pick your family, but you can pick your friends. Sometimes those friends treat you better than your own family. They’re a surplus of people that might fill a particular role better than others, and the relationship you share with them is what defines them as your family member.

Body Dysmorphic Disorder :: Body Dysmorphic Disorder

Northeastern University sophomore Terri* spends at least a few minutes a day critiquing her body in the mirror. â€Å"I have this extra fat on my stomach that I hate,† she said, squeezing her abdomen with both hands. Terri is an articulate, responsible, political science major and sociology minor who looks and sounds mature beyond her years. She is well-respected by peers and authority figures alike, and she recently landed a co-op job at a prestigious law firm in Boston. This girl has got herself together. Today, wearing a business-casual purple turtleneck, gray peacoat and glasses, this confident, capable woman points to the area under her chin. â€Å"I’ve just noticed this,† she said, running her fingers under her jaw, across a section of her neck that she believes is dangerously bordering on a double-chin. Like most people, she sees nothing unusual about her physical concerns. â€Å"Everyone worries about aspects of their appearance,† she said as she turns her attention away from the mirror and finishes getting dressed. Many people have concerns with the way they look, but some have obsessive, irrational concerns. Like most people, Terri has never heard of Body Dysmorphic Disorder. Although Terri’s body concerns may not constitute the disorder, there are people among us living with the secretive, shameful reality of BDD. WHAT IS BDD? Few people have ever heard of BDD, but virtually everyone has exhibited the characteristics of the disorder in its most basic form: a heightened concern with a particular part of their body that they deem â€Å"less than perfect,† something that they would like to improve upon and even something that they try to hide. Unlike normal appearance concerns, however, BDD is marked by an intense preoccupation with an imagined defect in appearance. A severe and debilitating psychiatric disorder, BDD is characterized by an obsessive fixation on one or more parts of the body that a person perceives as disgusting and unnatural. If a slight physical abnormality or inconsistency exists in a BDD sufferer’s physicality, their concern is excessive – even to the point of experiencing social withdrawal and suicidal tendencies. Dr. Roberto Olivardia is a clinical psychologist at the McLean Hospital in Boston and teaches psychology at Harvard Medical School. A specialist in BDD and Obsessive-Compulsive disorders, in general, he acknowledges that BDD symptoms are often mistaken as â€Å"normal† fears. â€Å"With BDD there are many, many people walking around in the U.S. who have it that you never know have it. For a lot of people, you don’t know what it is that you have, but you know that life is not normal,† said Dr.

Political Manifesto

Political Manifesto â€Å"Let the people rule† was the slogan of former United States President and first Democrat of the people of the United States, Andrew Jackson. Democracy was made for the people, but not many Americans know a lot about the political party they support and what it does to help them. First I’m going to discuss some of the issues like gun control, Health care and the environment and also a brief history of the Democratic Party.Next I will tell you about a few leaders that not only influenced my following of the Democratic Party, but also supported a lot of the same views and morals I follow every day. And finally I will discuss some of the social movements like, the Students for a Democratic Society, which affected Democratic students around the United States. The Democratic Party was formed from Anti-Federalist factions that were against fiscal policies in the 1790s and was then founded in the modern era in 1828 and led by Andrew Jackson.The party h as the lengthiest record of continuous operation in the  United States and is among the oldest political parties in the world. (Encyclopedia Britannica Inc. , Democratic Party) The Democratic Party is one of the two major contemporary political parties in the United states along with the Republican Party and current President of the United States Barack Obama is the 15th Democrat to hold the office of the Presidency. (â€Å"American Presidents: Life Portrait. C-SPAN. Ret-Jan 12, 2009) There are a lot of issues in our society that Democrats are trying to take care of as well, such as the environment.Many Democrats believe that the government should protect the environment by favoring expansion of conservation lands and exploring new means of alternative energy sources. The Democratic Party also encourages open space and rail travel to relieve highway and airport congestion and improve air quality and economy. Another issue that is taking a toll on Democrats today is health care re form. Democrats call for affordable and quality health care and many advocate an expansion of government intervention in this area.More Democrats favor national health insurance or universal health care in a variety of forms to address the rising cost of modern health insurance. The Progressive Democrats of America, a group operating inside the Democratic Party, Has made single-payer universal health care one of their primary policy goals. (â€Å"Progressive Democrats of America-Priorities (Health Care for All)† Pdamerica. Org, ret-2010-06-07) Now when we talk about the issue of gun control, that can be a touchy subject with certain people Democrat or not.With a stated goal of reducing crime and homicide, the Democratic Party has introduced various gun control measures. Some Democrats, especially rural, Southern, and Western Democrats, favor fewer restrictions on firearm possession and warned the party was defeated 2000 presidential election in rural areas because of the issu e. (Abramsky, Sasha (2005-04-18). â€Å"Democrat Killer? † the Nation. Retrieved 2006-10-10) Many men in the history of the Democratic Party have influenced the way many of us live today.A few of these men, like Andrew Jackson, who was the first President of the United States that was a Democrat, helped shaped the party for future Americans. Andrew Jackson’s followers went on to create modern Democratic Party. The period during which this happened, 1830-1850, became later known as the era of Jacksonian Democracy (Wilentz, Sean. â€Å"Andrew Jackson† (2005), p. 2, 35) I believe Andrew Jackson was a great Democratic figure because of his appeal to the common citizen and how he supported states and federal rights.Franklin D. Roosevelt was also a key Democrat in American history. His efforts as President of the United States were very crucial in helping the society grip together during very enduring times. He was a dominant leader of the Democratic Party and was the only American president elected more than two terms. He built a New Deal Coalition that realigned American politics after 1932, as his domestic policies defined American liberalism for the middle third of the 20th Century. In 1944 Franklin D. Roosevelt signed the G. I.Bill-a historic measure that provided unprecedented benefits for soldiers returning from World War II, including low-cost mortgages, loans to start a business, and tuition and living expenses for those seeking a higher education. And our current President of the United States Barack Obama is also a Democrat who was involved in many economic issues in America at the time of his inauguration. Mainly I choose to support Barack Obama because he was my former Commander in Chief, but also because of his involvement in foreign policy with enacting the draw-down of troops from Iraq in December 2010.During its tenured history in America, the Democratic Party has seen its share of social movements, mainly of the few is Environm entalism. Environmentalism is a broad philosophy, ideology regarding concerns for environmental conservation and improvement of the health of the environment. It advocates the preservation of the natural environment, and may be referred to as a movement to control pollution. (Environmentalism Definition; Merriam-webster. com. 2010-08-13. Retrieved 2012-06-20) Also having a big effect on Democratic students in America was the Students for a Democratic Society.This group was a student activist movement in the United States that developed and expanded rapidly during the mid-1960s before dissolving at its last convention in 1969. The group centered mainly on the issues of direct action and student power within the nation. In the early 2000s the 9/11 Trust movement is ongoing and many conspiracy theories have surfaced during this time as well. These social movements were such an integral part of our history and in some way had an effect on our nation, no matter how little the issue may h ave seemed.Picking the Democratic Party says a lot about a person and the morals they abide by. Aside from being one of the oldest political parties in the world, the Democratic Party has lots of issues that have affected the way they live their lives, like gun control across our nation, reform of a new nationwide healthcare plan and the effect we are having on our environment and what we can do to improve and/or preserve its current conditions not only across our country but around the world as well.There were many big political figures like former United States President Franklin D. Roosevelt, the current and 44th President of the United States Barack Obama and the first Democratic President of the United States, Andrew Jackson, that helped not only influence my choice in the Democratic Party, but also in the way America was shaped.Beyond the many figures that paved the way for Democracy to flourish in America, we had lots of social movements that also added to the way people live . Environmentalist movement, the 9/11 truth movement and the Students for a Democratic Society are just a few of the social movements that played a role in not just the Democratic Party, but the history of our great nation, the United States of America.

Is Albert Desalvo An American Sex Offender - 906 Words

Albert DeSalvo was an American sex offender who displayed a history of mental issues that stemmed from being introduced to criminal and sexual acts as an adolescent. In February of 1965, DeSalvo was committed to Bridgewater State Hospital until further instruction by the court. Albert DeSalvo exhibited â€Å"one of the most shocking sexual drives that psychiatric science has ever encountered† (Anglin, 1967). Before each of the alleged murders of DeSalvo, a burning sensation, described as â€Å"little explosions†, would emerge within the individual motivating him to commit the heinous crimes. The conclusion of the research on this odious individual, the criminal patterns exhibited, and the contributing factors leading up to the criminal behavior are quite significant in the field of criminology and psychology. As a criminology and psychology major, I highlight the importance of the influence of each department on the other which is the reason why I chose to focus on this individual. In many instances, the application of psychological elements to criminological components are necessary to gain a meticulous understanding and build precise theories. The main instance is creating a connection with violence or criminal behavior and mental illness to validate previous theories pertaining to this topic. In the case of Albert DeSalvo, a great mixture of psychology and criminology were applied in order to determine the motivation behind the individual’s criminal behavior, display theShow MoreRelatedThe Criminal Justice System Biased? Law Enforcement2004 Words   |  9 Pageslocation, and demographic or biographic descriptors of an offender based on the characteristics of a particular crime† (para.1). Simply explained, specialists such as crime scene investigators look at the crime and try to fit a suspect to that crime based on a number of factors. Those factors could be what the crime scene looks like, the victim, and the area where the crim e was committed. Based on those factors a profiler could predict who the offender may be and additional information regarding personality