HIV and Pregnancy Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

HIV and Pregnancy - Research Paper Example Transmission occurs through body fluids like blood, semen, cervical or vaginal discharge and breast milk (Reynolds, 2004). Vertical transmission is thereby possible during pregnancy, labor and breast-feeding period. The gravity of the problem is indicated by the statistics which tell us that 15-20% of infants born to HIV positive women not on retro-viral treatment will be infected during the last trimester of pregnancy and more so in labor. This paper deals with the methods of managing and preventing this incurable disease being transmitted from mother to child during the pregnancy period, during labor and during the infancy period and the role of nurses in this function. The HIV has an affinity for the CD4 cells or the T helper lymphocytes which are the key role players in the body immune response (Reynolds, 2004). HIV later develops into AIDS. The symptoms of the illness are actually symptoms of the opportunistic infections, associated tumors and encephalopathy. Children born to HI V positive women may carry the antibodies for one year. They cannot be considered positive till above one year of age. The Department of Health in UK recommends an HIV test for all pregnant women so nobody can claim lack of awareness of their condition (Hawkins et al, 2005). The ethics of providing treatment for infertility had previously been questioned but now centers are reviewing their policies (Hawkins et al, 2005). Vertical transmission may be facilitated during pregnancy by malnutrition, high viral load in the first trimester, reactivated herpes simplex infection, genital infections and illicit drug use (NAM, 2004). Prevention may be targeted at these focal points to reduce the vertical transmission. Malnutrition may be prevented by ensuring that pregnant women consume sufficient nutritious food, compensating for diarrhea by more potassium-containing foods, nausea by taking small frequent meals and loss of weight by nutritional supplements (Reynolds, 2004). Mouth ulcers and c andidiasis may be corrected similarly. Avoiding infection and providing timely and apt treatment would help in controlling infection. However this becomes a problem if other children are in the family. Regular blood tests like CD cell count and other tests could indicate the immune response status. Exposure to blood-borne infections like herpes simplex and cytomegalus viruses and toxoplasmosis must be noted as they could be activated again when the immunity reduces. Prophylaxis is possible by instituting anti-retroviral therapy when the CD4 count lowers from 250cells/cu.mm. Prognosis is facilitated by the three-drug HAART therapy of nevirapine, lamivudine and zidovudine (AVERT, 2002). These are avoided in the first 14 weeks as they could produce terratogenesis. Problems like drug resistance and side-effects like nausea, vomiting and diarrhea are expected. Opportunistic infections may be treated but they too produce similar side-effects and thrombocytopenia. Support may be provided t o those who use illicit drugs and wean them away. The women may be given oral zidovudine in the last 26 weeks of pregnancy and intravenous zidovudine (AZT) during labor and oral AZT syrup for the infant for the first six weeks when breastfeeding is avoided (Reynolds, 2004). Bloodless Caesarian Sections could be planned for delivery. Invasive procedures need to be avoided. A difficult labor should not be permitted to happen. The doctors and staff

Apple Inc. Total quality managemnt Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Apple Inc. Total quality managemnt - Term Paper Example Quality is can be defined as anything that is in accordance with the need of the time and up to the desired satisfaction level of customers and clients (Bose). Since the customers hold the position of pivot towards the success or failure of any organization, therefore definition of quality and its subsequent implementation is very vital for the survival of any organization. The total Quality management is a separate discipline in the field of management which if implemented in the appropriate manner ensures productivity and desired results. The scope of T.Q.M is very broad and it takes into account all the necessary components of the organizational structure and thereby highlights the areas of improvement and areas of strength. The concept of T.Q.M has introduced new dimensions in the field of management and industry businesses and it has ended the old culture of dependencies on each other. T.Q.M allows adoption of a framework which ensures independence of various components of the system. The prime goal behind the T.Q.M is increased productivity and customer satisfaction (Grigoroudis and Siskos). It provides a detailed descriptive method of adopting and implementing it. This concept is equally implacable to the services as well as product manufacturing industries. In recent times many industries have benefited from its implementation. Apple Inc being an international brand is no exception to this rule and the definition of quality and its implication equally applies to this organization. Apple enjoys the name of a market leader amongst its competitors. Whatever has been achieved by Apple Inc is the result of adherence to the total quality management. It has ensured that each of the three necessary components of the T.Q.M are present in the organization and its products (Blocher). Apple is confronted with continuous challenge in form of the block of competitors both in the domain of mobile phones and operating systems and computers. According to Wall

BRIEF OF CASE Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

BRIEF OF CASE - Essay Example The petitioner appeals but the Court of Special Appeals concludes that the Circuit court’s decision in favor of the Bank is legally correct. FACTS: The plaintiff Jeff E. Messing sued the Bank of America in court for refusal of a cash withdrawal over the counter through a check drawn on the bank because of the bank’s Thumbprint Signature Program for non-customers. Under the Thumbprint Signature Program, a bank requests non-customer presenters of checks over the counter to place an ‘‘inkless’’ thumbprint or fingerprint on the face of the check as part of the identification process. HOLDING:  § 3-501b (2) and (3). (2)Upon demand of the person to whom presentment is made, the person making presentment must (1) exhibit the instrument, (2) give reasonable identification and, if presentment is made on behalf of another person reasonable evidence of authority to do so, and (3) sign a receipt on the instrument for any payment made or surrender the instrument if full payment is made. (3)Without dishonoring the instrument, the party to whom presentment is made may (1) return the instrument for lack of a necessary indorsement, or (2) refuse payment or acceptance for failure of the presentment to comply with the terms of the instrument, an agreement of the parties or other applicable law or rule. RATIONALE: The reduction of risk promotes the expansion of commercial practices, bringing to the conclusion the direction of  § 1-102 (2) (b) that a bank’s requirement of a thumbprint placed upon a check presented over the counter by a non-customer is

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) We have now had ten years of the Essay

Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR) We have now had ten years of the Woolf reforms and experience proves that - Essay Example The exchange of documents must take place beforehand and no evidence can be allowed to be produced at the end of the trial to cause embarrassment to the opponent and leave him bewildered with no instant answer. Apart from this, the new requirement literally results in the trial being conducted twice. Any deficiencies on the part of the disputing parties are liable to be penalized by extra cost for having wasted court’s time and the other party’s time. This development has driven the litigants to seek redress out of court or suffer without their dispute being resolved. For example, as against 350,000 new cases filed in 1990 and 1991 before the Queen’s bench, cases filed after the reforms were 150,000 each year especially after the expansion of jurisdiction for country courts. And now since the year 2002, new claims have dropped to less than 20,000 per year. He says that this is a reflection of litigation being settled by other than legal means. The new CPR has led to judges’ over-involvement in the case management which increases only the litigation cost with ninety percent unsure whether a case would be tried at all.1 Immediate reaction from Judge Charles Harris QC on April 16, 2009 notes that Lawrence’s comments are exaggerated. He points out that the interim report of June 1995 on Access to Justice was concerned with three evils obstructing the way to justice. They were â€Å"delay, complexity and cost†. According to him Woolf reforms have reduced delays by virtue of case management by the judiciary which prevents litigators from prolonging their cases. As for complexity, unlike old Sale of Act 1979, modern day legislations like Consumer Credit Act 2006 are not fully comprehensible to both the lawyers as well the litigants. This complexity had crept in into criminal law and civil procedure as well. Hence, Lord Woolf aimed at simplicity for the Civil Procedure Rules (CPR) so that they are easily comprehended by both th e lawyers and litigants. He therefore introduced shorter expressions like â€Å"claimant† â€Å"statement of the case† and â€Å"part 20 defendant†. The rules empower a judge to do what is fair and appropriate. As for its complexity, it has become more complex going by the fact that the CPR prior to 1997 which ran into 3,933 pages is now 5,827 pages which included a supplement and further 287 pages of guidance. As against Lord Woolf’s objective of reducing the multiplicity of practice directions, the opposite has happened. While the fast track rules for straight forward cases run into seven pages, practice directions consist of nine pages. He says that well drafted rules do not require practice directions and they do not make sense to the litigants either. As for access to justice, Judge Charles Harris says that it depends on how quickly and easily proceedings could be commenced. Prior to CPR, it was very simple with a mere letter to the opponent for whic h if there was no reply, straight away case could be filed with a

A Theory of Cross-Cultural Communication Essay Example for Free

A Theory of Cross-Cultural Communication Essay Cultures here are minimally seen as large-scale systems of assumed shared references, linguistic or otherwise1, used for the purposes of reducing complexity. 2 Cultures themselves may idealize one or several centers, where the shared references are felt to be so dense that communication would be without any need for reductions of complexities. Away from such ideals, cultures have peripheries, where references are sparse, or sparsely shared, or mixed with references shared by other cultures. The terms â€Å"center† and â€Å"periphery† are not to be understood geopolitically. (cf. Even-Zohar 1990, Toury 1995) The differences between centers and peripheries are operative fictions rather than primary empirical facts. The very belief that one is in a central position may be enough to curtail complexity, just as the false impression that one is lacking in context may increase complexity. (Pym 1998) The difference between center and periphery may also be characterized in terms of effort. When shared references are believed to be dense (all else being equal), the reduction of complexity requires less effort than when the references are believed to be sparse. Effort here is understood as being on both the sending and receiving sides of messages, as well as in any mediating position or investment in the channel. A text sent and received near a perceived center will thus require less investment of effort than the same text sent from a center to a periphery (assuming that the reduction of complexity is 1. 3. 1. 4. 1. 5. to be to a similar degree in both cases). And further supplementary effort will be needed if the text is to be received in another culture. (Pym 1995) 1. 6. The lines between cultures are marked as cross-over points where the communication act receives supplementary effort of a mediating and discontinuous nature. Such points are usually where translations are carried out. (Pym 2001a) Cross-cultural communication thus marks the points of contact between cultures, although it alone will not join up the points to form any kind of line. (Pym 1998, 2001a, cf. Chatwin 1987) On complexity and its reduction Texts are inscribed objects that can be interpreted in different ways and for different functions, quite independently of any original intentions. The plurality of possible interpretations is what we are calling complexity. The reduction of complexity does not imply any discerning of a true or primal meaning. For example, a reader at this point might interpret the term â€Å"reduction of complexity† as â€Å"understanding†, but such a reading will hopefully be deviated by the following paragraphs. In this sense, the reduction of complexity does not entail an act of understanding in any idealist sense. Nor must effort be expended only to reduce complexity. Effort can also be used to make texts more complex, preparing them for a greater plurality of interpretations. Such might be a certain conception of aesthetic pleasure, diplomatic ambiguity, or communicative mechancete. The degree of appropriate complexity is in each case dependent on the success conditions of the communicative act concerned. On success conditions Success conditions are criteria that make the communicative act beneficial for all or some of the participants concerned. 4 Such criteria may be simple, as in the case of a business negotiation to reach mutual agreement on a sales price: the success condition might be that a price is agreed to by all participants.

Ghana, the mixed capitalist Essay Example for Free

Ghana, the mixed capitalist Essay Gold Coast, now Ghana had his independence in 1957 after a long struggle with our colonial masters, the British by Kwame Nkrumah and others who helped in diverse ways such as â€Å"the Big Six† and others. Colonized by the British, Ghana has gone through a lot of systems of governance; Monarchical, autocracy and now democracy. So is with economic systems which go with any form of governance system. Currently there are about four (4) economic systems in the world which are; socialist, capitalist, mixed economy (Socialist and Capitalist) and Islamic economic jurisprudence. The Economic Systems All these are economic systems and it is defines those who controls and owns the economic resources which forms the â€Å"means† in economics. Every economy is measured by the usage of its means and the nature of the â€Å"means† owners determines the kind of economic system the country runs. Socialist system of economy is a one that has its resources highly controlled by the central government. E. g. USSR (Russia, Ukraine, Yugoslavia etc), the Capitalist economy is that whose resources is highly owned and controlled by private individuals or a body other than the government. E. g. USA, UK, part of Europe etc. The Mixed economy is that which combines both the socialist and the capitalist economic systems to run the country’s economy. In that, the central government controls part of the economy whiles the other part is controlled by private participation. Functions of the Economic Systems There are multiple components to economic systems. Their interaction may be coherent or result in instability. Decision-making structures of an economy determine the use of economic inputs (the factors of production), distribution of output, the level of centralization in decision-making, and who makes these decisions. Decisions might be carried out by industrial councils, by a government agency, or by private owners. Every economic system represents an attempt to solve three fundamental and interdependent problems: What goods and services shall be produced and in what quantities? How shall goods and services be produced? That is, by whom and with what resources and technologies? For whom shall goods and services be produced? That is, who is to enjoy the benefits of the goods and services and how is the total product to be distributed among individuals and groups in the society. E. g. the current load management by the VRA and the ECG. Thus every economy is a system that allocates resources for exchange, production, distribution and consumption. The system is stabilized through a combination of threat and trust, which are the outcome of institutional arrangements. An economic system possesses the following institutions: Methods of control over the factors or means of production: this may include ownership of, or property rights to, the means of production and therefore may give rise to claims to the proceeds from production. The means of production may be owned privately, by the state, by those who use them or be held in common. A decision-making system: this determines who is eligible to make decisions over economic activities. Economic agents with decision-making powers can enter into binding contracts with one another. A coordination mechanism: this determines how information is obtained and used in decision-making. The two dominant forms of coordination are planning and markets; planning can be either de-centralized or centralized, and the two coordination mechanisms are not mutually exclusive and often co-exist. An incentive system: this induces and motivates economic agents to engage in productive activities. It can be based on either material reward (compensation or self-interest) or moral suasion (for instance, social prestige or through a democratic decision-making process that binds those involved). The incentive system may encourage specialization and the division of labour. Organizational form: there are two basic forms of organization: actors and regulators. Economic actors include households, work gangs and production teams, firms, joint-ventures and cartels. Economically regulative organizations are represented by the state and market authorities; the latter may private or public entities. A distribution system: this allocates the proceeds from productive activity, which is distributed as income among the economic organizations, individuals and groups within society, such as property owners, workers and non-workers, or the state (from taxes). A public choice mechanism for law-making, establishing rules, norms and standards and levying taxes. Usually this is the responsibility of the state but other means of collective decision-making are possible, such as workers’ councils. The Ghana’s Economy Ghana’s economy is purely a mixed type with the resources sharply divided between the public and private participation. The service sector is highly controlled by the government while the production sector is dominated by private and group participation. Decision making, which determines the direction of the economy and the type system, is done a lot of the times, through consultations with stakeholders of the economy. Example; when the power and water companies wanted to review utility tariffs to a certain percentage, there was a lot of consultations thereby; getting the rate we have now. Ghana, before the independence was purely capitalist. After independence, the then government focused on turning the economy into a communist/socialist system. They invested so much in agriculture which was the only sector controlled by the government and also reached out to industrialize the economy. Currently, Ghana is well-endowed with natural resources and agriculture accounts for roughly one-quarter of GDP and employs more than half of the workforce, mainly small landholders. The services sector accounts for 50% of GDP. Gold and cocoa production and individual remittances are major sources of foreign exchange. Oil production at Ghanas offshore Jubilee field began in mid-December, 2010, and is expected to boost economic growth. Finally, I may agree with the statement but require more facts to completely justify its truth. Ghana is a mixed economy but capitalist oriented on the face assessment value of the various sectors. But can justify, if all percentages of public/private participation of the economic sectors are well defined. This will couple with the clear policy direction of the present governments which has state on record as being social democrats and has manifestoes seeking to provide a lot for the people.

Two sociological theories and two psychological theories

Two sociological theories and two psychological theories The Johnson family Scenario In this assignment I will explore two sociological theories and two psychological theories impacting on the Johnson family. I shall begin by exploring sociological theories analysing and defining them and in the second half of this assignment will then explore psychological theories. I will also look at the professional interventions available in social work. I shall endeavour to indicate their strength and weaknesses incorporating their relationships to issues of class, race, culture gender and sexuality. I will then reflect on the influence of these theories on my own development to achieve social work professional status. Max Weber defined consensus as existing when expectations about the behaviour of others are realistic because the others will usually accept these expectations as valid for themselves, even without an explicit agreement. For Marxists, consensus is a highly ideological concept used to perpetuate class rule by attempting to disguise the extent of conflict within society. (Answers.com) Durkheim is known to have drawn an analogue of the functionalist perspective view in which he said that society is a system of interrelated parts each of which relies upon the other parts for efficient functioning.'(Cunningham, J Cunningham,S).These institutions are essential for maintaining that society works harmoniously and orderly. The view of the functionalist is that the use of power is acceptable and generally beneficial to society. They share norms and values which help them to determine the right from the wrong. There is an acceptance from the functionalists positions that conflicts will occur but will only be temporary and can quickly be resolved. Society should be adequately prepared to deal with instances of anti social behaviour so that society as a whole benefits. In the functionalist perspective schools first role is to emphasise proper behaviour and knowledge that is necessary to maintain a civilised society. According to the functionalist, the children in the Johnsons should therefore be sent to school to be equipped with this weapon and the fact that they are truanting could easily be viewed as anti social behaviour. Karl Marx did not at all agree with capitalisms theories of consensus and in his writing highlighted the conflict theory, although acknowledging structural integration of societys institutions such as political, legal or religious which he described as the superstructure. His view was that workers in the class system like Desmond a car mechanic and Mary a cook at a primary school were being exploited and that there should be equality on control, power, wealth and the best education. Marxists felt that it was those with the means of production that had the power and therefore significantly influenced the rest of the society. This causes a difference of interest among social groups which in turn causes conflict. As both Desmond and Mary are working this creates pressure on parenting skills and has probably forced Desmond to decide sending Eustace to a residential home. Marxists perceive functionalists as deceiving as they say the norms and values which they claim are the backbone of society are infect their norms and values that only help to strengthen their positions perpetuating the unequal social system. Marxists argued that the workers were being replaced by machines in their roles of employment and this resulted in them loosing their skills, assuming monotonous jobs, separated from each other by the noise and would return home dehumanised and physically exhausted. Marx believed the proletariat would realise the exploitation, join together and revolt overthrowing the system and establishing true systems . The Marxists view of social work is that it is an agent of the state and as such reinforces the interest of the ruling class. Their view is that the state in capitalists societies saves the interests of the ruling classes and do not treat their citizens equally even in cases of welfare services. They further state that the image of caring that they create is only a myth which serves to enhance the profits of the capitalists that the social workers serve through the state. The Marxists do not see the necessity of the social control role of social work but an agent of state bent on socially controlling those that are already marginalised and excluded. In this view social workers tend to be ignorant of the poverty they are meant to be addressing from the society by empowering service users to take action and bring about change. The Johnson family appears overcrowded in their residence and this is associated with poverty. Social workers have found themselves working with tied hands as th e system is tightly regulated and procedural thereby restricting social workers from exercising their knowledge. Functionalists viewed the institution of family to be the best organisational basis for society. Talcott Parsons (1955) insists that the family retains two basic and irreducible functions. These are the primary socialisation of children and the stabilisation of adult personalities. So this view will explain that for the family to maintain stability, it needs support to ensure normality. This perspective then explains that if there are signs of antisocial behaviour such as truanting then the family unit needs to be supported. According to Murdock (1949) family performs four important functions i.e. providing new members of the society by reproduction, providing stability for adults through sexual gratification, providing for the economic well being and educating the young to socialise into societys norms and values. Eustaces wondering and confusion could be viewed as hindering by the functionalists because it is affecting Mary who they expect to be participating in the society both as a mother and a worker as it is the institute that will influence good behaviour of children. Functionalists believed that the family is a positive institution, a view that meets well with the needs of an advanced industrial society. The functionalists would view Eustaces confusion as costing the society in terms of health care for Mary and himself. Eustaces problems must be rectified in order to get Mary functioning well again and become productive in the society. Functionalists highlight the ideal family type in a modern society, as the nuclear family. The view of the nuclear family comprises of a breadwinner husband ( in the scenario this would be Desmond) and dependant wife and children. Mary cannot be classified as dependant as she is also working and earning. The functionalist view of the family as ideological is criticised as a conservative stance. Some feminists criticise this view as being unrealistic as it does not recognise the oppression of women in families. However, they defend the claim that the functionalist view of family life is shared by many people, if not only as an aspiration. The nuclear family is seen as traditional and positive. Marxism states that the family is a product of capitalism and is therefore an exploitative institution. They argue that families are not built upon love but are founded from necessity. Women therefore become the property of men and all roles within families exist in order to maintain a capitalist state. There are two classes in the society according to Marxism. One is the ruling class and the other is the subject class. The Johnson family would be classified as a subject class and their employers like the garage owners where Desmond works would be the ruling class. This is opposed by functionalist who claims that there are many classes in society and points to a division of labour. Eustaces situation is also causing friction between Desmond (a father and mechanic) and Mary thereby threatening the institution of family. However a Marxist would hold a different view putting the blame on Mary being over worked and thereby causing her to be depressed. They highlight the lack of care from the employers who do not pay well enough keeping most of the profits to themselves prompting Mary to work long hours. Desmond is said to be impatient with Eustace who he sees as stressing his wife at home while trying to do her job. This appears a functionalist view where Desmond is concerned about Mary being disrupted in doing her job hence not able to contribute to the income. Mary and Desmond might have moved to the UK in response to the big drive for workforce after the world war. They were promised better lives with luxurious facilities only to realise when they arrived in the UK that it was not the case and they had to work extremely hard to earn a living. Desmonds role would be to provide and Mary also performing this role as she also works. Caring for Eustace could be seen by Desmond as preventing Mary from performing the task expected within her role, a view that the feminists would regard as oppressive. Whilst various sociological school of thought tries to explain family circumstances and possible interventions that may assist families it is not adequate in itself. In this context I will now turn to psychological perspectives. The essay will examine psychological theories of behavioural approach, which developed through the works of Thorndike (trial and error learning), Pavlov (classical conditioning) and Skinner (operant conditioning) who all believed that the environment controlled behaviour. Behavioural theory is based on a scientific method (Banks, 2001. p. 73) and on what can be observed, studied, measured and reliably changed (Feltham, 1995; cited in Adams R, Dominelli L Payne M, 2002. p.144). It argues that internal states such as thoughts, intentions and feeling are not observable and replicable, hence are not open to scientific analysis, it aims to eradicate or reduce behaviours that are deemed problematic while positive behaviours are encouraged, an agreement between the service user and the practitioner through the process of positively reinforcing and rewarding consequences that a service user consider valuable. Payne (1997) in his token economies (Payne, 1997. p.133) argues that this helps reinforce and strengthen the desirable behaviour. This theory sees the behaviourist assuming that most behaviour is learned as a result of our interactions with our environment, including emotional development, perceptions of the external world, social behaviour and personality. Milner and OByrne (1998 p112) describes Classical conditioning occurring when there is an association of conditioned and unconditioned stimulus such that the former stir up a response previously evoked only by the later. This was similar to Pavlovs (1911) conclusion in his famous Dog-Salivation-Experiment. If applied in this case study it would first try to identify the original stimulus, in this case, the loss of a loved one Susan, the response, Eustaces confusion and Marys anxiety and depression. Those associated with unpleasant or stressful feelings may become conditioned stimuli for feelings of anger and anxiety later on. (Birch A, 1997, p139). Another theory of behaviour Operant conditioning claims that learning occurs when voluntary behaviour arises from an individual and becomes more or less likely to be repeated depending on its results as demonstrated by Skinner (1953) in his Skinner-Box-Experiments with a cat and a pigeon. In the Johnson family scenario, Mary is a service user with depression and anxiety which Milner and OByrne argues ABC Approach (Milner and O Byrne, 1998. p.114) is necessary in identifying and analysing the behaviour that needs modification in agreement with the service user. Mary has gone to see the doctor on her own accord and therefore there is an agreement. This would involve establishing the Antecedent (caring for her father and the family), and the consequences (depression and anxiety). The consequences will either strengthen or weaken behaviour by reinforcement or punishment (Payne, 1997. p. 114). In Marys case it is the depression and anxiety that is undesirable. The distinctive characterist ic of operant conditioning relative to previous forms of behaviorism is that the organism ( Mary) can emit responses instead of only eliciting response due to an external stimulus (the practitioner). It is likely that Mary would respond positively if the right responses have been reinforced. Behaviourism models are advantageous due to their easy adaptability and practicability by inexperienced practitioners without extensive training than would be expected of a psychodynamic approach (Adams, R, Dominelli, L and Payne, M, 2002. p. 144) in facilitating an effective outcome. Payne (1997) also argues that the prescribed explicit, structured guidanceà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦and assessment instruments employed (Payne, 1997. p. 134) gives unskilled practitioners the confidence to apply behavioural theory and procedures in interventions. My perception is that as behavioural intervention focuses on negative behaviour that needs modification, it is empowering the service user to choose and self determine the behaviours that need modification in partnership and therefore the practitioner is recognising and respecting individuality. The role of the practitioner is to facilitate and support the service user. Thus, labelling and making judgement on the service user is avoided and is then direct ed to the behaviour. Behavioural approaches have been criticised by some practitioners as being excessively mechanistic (Banks, 2001. p.73) and non-human (Payne, 1997. p.122) in some of its methods, conducts and terms used, as they do not take into account service user individuality and will to choose. It is true that Mary would be different from other service users who would have used the same theory. The behavioural approach overall intervention emphasis is on the need to change or modify the client behaviour rather than those around the client who may be the problem. In the case scenario it is probably Desmond who we need to convince that Mary and Eustace need his understanding and cooperation as well as dealing with the fact that the family were not offered support to grieve and move on with life after the death of a loved one. Milner and OByrne (1998) point out that social workers tend to do as they find easier to change an individual than challenge the status quo (Milner and OByrne, 1998. Attachment has been defined as an affectionate bond between two individuals that endures through space and time and serves to join them emotionally Kennell 1976. John Bowlby described attachment as a lasting psychological connectedness between human beings (Bowlby, 1969, p. 194). Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers had an impact lasting throughout their lives. Adult attachment theory helps Social Workers understand how people feel and act within close relationships, particularly in stressful situations.  Attachment is not different in adulthood and in childhood as they all will give and receive support. Attachment relationships can be secure or insecure.  Attachment is clearly influential in both professional and personal settings.   As a Social Worker knowing about the attachment theory can help to make the right steps in order to protect the child and the family. Mary Ainsworth expanded greatly on Bowlbys original work with behaviour experiment which she named Strange Situation. In the study children between 12 months and 18 months were left alone with a stranger with the mother returning a moment later. The study revealed three major styles of attachment: secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure attachment and avoidant insecure attachment. A fourth one was later added on by researchers Main and Solomon called disorganised insecure-attachment. It is clear that Mary has a bond with her father and hence his condition is affecting her psychologically. The fact that Mary and Desmonds relationship seemed to be strained by having Eustace living with them shows that they are experiencing lack of intimacy support for one another. The scenario mentions the death of Susan in the family and appears that Eustace, Mary and the Kids have been affected. Loss through death is a normal part of life experienced by everyone. The grief process varies in length and this also depends on the strength of the attachment. This period is usually very painful as the affected seek to adjust or cope without their loved one. Collin, Murray-parkes (1972) describes bereavement as an illness, thus in turn prompted Mary to see her doctor for help. The Johnson family appears not to have gone through the grieving process. Eustace is showing a lack of interest in normal life by wondering and could be his way of searching for his wife. The grieving process involves psychological suffering ( Birch, A ,1997 p251) Grief is defined as the process of psychological, social and somatic reactions to the perceptions of loss (Rando, 1984). This explains that the individual is affected mentally, physically as well as socially. Bereavement is defined as the state of having suffered a loss (Rando, 1984). According to Balwby excessive separation anxiety is usually the result of adverse family experiences, such as repeated threats of abandonment or rejections by parents, or to parents or siblings illnesses or death for which the child feels responsible. The truanting of the children could be a result of the feeling that they felt abandoned after the death of Susan who at one stage raised them for three years when their parents moved to the UK and could have bonded with the children. They have been living in the same house and this could have kept them close. A key principle of an attachment based practice is the acknowledgment that young children develop a range of adaptive strategies that are designed to help them cope with, survive and function in whatever situations they happen to find themselves, The children could be truanting as way of coping with the loss. As Eustace is wondering and possibly searching for his wife, it could be that he is thinking of joining her wife where ever she is. This brings Erikssons stages of development Integrity v Despair. Integrity is contentment with what you have achieved and Despair is the feeling that you have achieved nothing. As Eustace could be nearing the end of his life he will probably look back with integrity. He had his child who also got married and had her own family. He has lived for more than sixty years and although it does not look like he lived a porch life he was not homeless and up to this day still has a loving daughter taking care of him. Eustace will probably be looking forward to dying with contentment. Applying sociological and psychological theories as well as social work values has been a challenge for me considering my ethnic background of African origin as much as the Johnson family who travelled to settle in the UK, a country with different norms, cultures and values. I feel I empathise more with the Johnson family, in relation to the impact of new norms, culture and a new way of living. Studying social work has challenged some of my beliefs and prejudices and hence the toleration of others, provide recognition and ability to challenge discrimination. Adherence of work values have provided me with further understanding of being respectful of other peoples, views, religion, culture and preferences which is of paramount significance to become a social work practitioner. (GSCC 2002).