The Increased Competiveness And Agression Of Businesses

The Increased Competiveness And Agression Of Businesses In the authors perspective, Increasing competitiveness and aggression in the business environment has necessitated transformation of business practices to keep up with the dynamic environment. For instance, an organization needs to develop key skill (core competencies and strategic capabilities) needed as the basis for resource-based strategies (John Thompson Frank Martin 2005). Strategic capabilities are defined as the resources and skills available to an organization that needed to survive and win its competitors. The resource-based view of strategy: the competitive advantage and superior performance of an organisation are explained by the distinctiveness of its capabilities Johnson, SK., Whittington (2008, ch3, p94). This paper will critically analyse how eBays strategic capabilities might provide sustainable competitive advantage. Proposing and justify a structural type for which would maximise its strategic capabilities Making eBay work as a case study by Jill Shepard, Segal Graduate School of Business, Simon Fraser University, Canada. This essay will begin by explaining the concept of strategic capabilities, strategy capabilities using an analytical framework, core competencies, competitive advantage, how organisations strategic capabilities can be analysed and measured using marketing tool called SWOT. The second section will briefly discuss what organisational structure is all about and types of organisational structures, present eBays structure, proposing and justifying a structural type for eBay which would maximise its strategic capabilities. Thirdly, implications and conclusions based on findings of the chapters and case study. The sensitivity of strategic capability is particularly necessary since it is concern with whether an organisations strategy continues to modify the environment and the opportunities and threats that exist. However, an organisations capabilities may be found the edge of strategic development, in the manner of creating new opportunities by stretching and exploiting the organisations capabilities such a manner which competitors get it or in genuine difficult to copy or create a new ability. This requires organisation to be innovative in the way they develop and utilize their capability. This is the resource-based view of strategy. Capabilities refer to the organizations ability to utilise its resources effectively. The author shall be discussing strategic capability considering the similarities and differences between resources and competencies. Strategic capability could be defined as the combination of resources and competencies of an organization that it requires to survive and participate in the industry. Strategic Capabilities and Competitive Advantage As regards resources, tangible resources are visible and physical assets of an organization such as building and people. Intangible resources are invisible asset of an organization such as knowledge. Physical resources are the visible resources of the organization comprising of machines or production components e.t.c. while financial resources are the resources used to operate the organization on a daily basis includes cash, creditor e.t.c. Human resources are the combination such as training and recruitment, skills and knowledge of an organizational networks. Intellectual resources are intangible resources that involve patents, brands, business system, and customer database. Resources is vital to an organization because they provide the organization to produce at lower cost or create a superior product or service. Resources such as tangible and intangible of an organisation are not enough to survive and competition in a dynamic environment. It depends on the organizationals ability to deploy their resources of its capacity and competencies in an efficiently in the organizational activities and processes. Threshold resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ IT server platforms and space à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Offices and facilities à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Appropriate personnel à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sufficient customers and suppliers Threshold competences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Account management à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ All other general managerial skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Sophisticated ICT skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Customers and suppliers who are competent Unique resources à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The biggest on-line electronic exchange platform à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ The eBay brand à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ First mover advantage à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ An active and vocal community of users à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Learning from experience Unique competences à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ A unique form of account management that balances central control versus decentralised community involvement à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Leadership in terms of ability to renew the Board and keep a sense of consistency à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Electronic platform management skills à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Partnering on the internet (deciding when and how to compete) à ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¢ Web 2.0 management skillsThere are various capabilities (resources or competencies) that are in Threshold and Unique resources explained below: Threshold resources could be termed to be the basic resources required to meet customers basic requirements in order to exist. Unique resources are resources that strengthening and stabilizing competitive advantage which are devilishly difficult to cope imitate and obtain by competitors in the market. Threshold competencies are activities and processes required to meet customers basic requirements in order to exist in a given market. Unique competencies are activities that strengthening and stabilizing competitive advantage which is extremely difficult to cope, imitate and obtain by competitors in a given market. Threshold Capabilities are capabilities required/ need to exist/ remain in the market. Firms having threshold capabilities are less innovative, little focus on current customer requirements, and do not welcome changes. Competitive Capabilities are capabilities required/ needed to get a competitive advantage. Firms having competitive capabilities welcome changes, mad to acquire new technologies before competitors (These days software to facilitate sales workforce collaboration software are new arrivals in the corporate world), coping with current customer requirements pursuing the environment of continuous improvement in their organizations. Competitive Advantage It can be defined as the ability of an organisation to out-perform its competitors (Campbell, Stonehouse and Houston, 2000, p. 324). Measurement is possible in terms of superior profitability, increase in market share, return on investment, etc. (Stonehouse et al., 2000). However, it is a fundamental aim of business strategy to maintain competitive advantage over certain given of time called sustained competitive advantage (SCA). Johnson and Scholes (1999) suggest low-price, differentiation or switching cost strategies to build up competitive advantage and hold it over time. Core competence are the skills and abilities by which resources are deployed through an organisations activities and processes such as to achieve competitive advantage in ways that others cannot imitate or obtain ( Johnson, Scholes Whittington, 2008, ch. 3 p.97). Sources of Cost Efficiency: Managers of most organisations currently lead management of cost as source or key to Strategic capabilities advantage. In order to maintain low cost, attention must be paid to these key drivers such as economics of scale, supply cost, products product design, experience, Growth, unit cost should down slopping and first-mover advantage. In order to sustaining competitive advantage over time as a manager while managing cost efficiently and continuously, other vital criteria are of immense importance namely: 1. Value: Organisation must be able to build capabilities that are of value to its customers. 2. Rarity: For an organisation to sustain competitive advantage, it should possess unique capabilities. There are just three important key points to consider about the extent to which unique competence might provide sustainable competitive advantage: Transferability: Rarity to a great extent depends on who own the competence and difficulty of transferring it. Sustainability: How long will the manager be able to sustain it unique competencies? Most time is temporary and competitive transfer it over time. So an organisation must be dynamic by nature by look out for other bases of sustainability. Core rigidity: This is another case of redundancy. 3. Inimitable: It all involves identifying capabilities that likely to remain for a reasonable time and impossible or very difficult to imitate or copy. So, in order for an organisation to achieve and sustain advantage and core competencies the following factors must be considered below: (1). They pave ways for higher level of performance more than rivals own. (2). They are in most cases very hard and difficult to imitate. There are two reasons for core competencies of an organisation to be imitated because they are complex. Complexity: (a.) Internal linkages. This is as a result of linking the activities and processes that together deliver value to customers. (b.) External interconnectedness: This can best be termed as co-specialisation. Culture and history: It involves core competencies may be embedded in an organisational culture. Causal ambiguity: This is another good reason why core competence cant be imitated by competitors. It is very difficult to discover the causes and effects underpinning organisations advantage. There are two types of ambiguity namely characteristic ambiguity and linkage ambiguity. Non-substitutability: adding and providing value to customers that are complex and ambiguity making it impossible / very difficult to copy. To sustain competitive advantage over, an organisation must strategically position itself in such a way that capabilities in ways that activities and resources and competencies are deployed as to sustain competitive advantage over it competitors. Diagnosing strategic capability: If an organization is to achieve competitive advantage by adding value to customer, the following must be understood below: Value Chain: Describes the in and out categories of activities of an organisation that both create a product/ services. It is more directly concerned with the creation and delivery of a product/ services. Value Network: Describes the inter-organisational link and relationship needed to create a product. Activity Maps: It shows how the various activities are linking together in an organisation. Benchmarking: It deals with comparison of both programs strategic position of rivals. SWOT: Summarises analysis of Business environment (Opportunities and threats) Strategic capabilities (Strengths and weaknesses). Brief History of eBay EBay Inc. is an internationally recognized e-commerce company that manages eBay.com, an online auction and shopping website in which people and businesses purchase and sell globally a variety of goods and services to a wide range of clients (Filley Aldan, 1980 p 56). Currently, eBay is a multi-billion dollar company with physical infrastructures of operations in more than thirty countries. EBay website was founded in San JoseHYPERLINK http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/San_Jose,_California, California, on September 3, 1995, by French-born Iranian computer programmer Pierre Omidyar. Millions of collectables, interior decorations, appliances, electronics, furniture, trappings, equipment, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, or sold daily on eBay. EBay expanded from its original set-time auction format to include Buy It Now standard shoppings online advertisements; online event ticket trading; online money transfers and other services. In addition, eBay launched its Bu siness Industrial category in the year 2006 breaking into the industrial surplus business (Whitten, 1987 p 6). Analytical framework analysis of eBay Inc To strategically maintain as well as promoting its success level, eBay has a highly motivated human capital. This is through provision of a favorable working environment comprised of satisfaction of physiological needs, provision of safety within the work, availability of career growth opportunities for self actualization as well as self esteem. This has made eBay working force to be oriented to the organizational goals and objectives. This has subsequently accrued substantial benefits to the organizations performance (Cameron Whitten, 1983 p 67). Apart from internal customer satisfaction, eBay has embarked on satisfying its external customers in a number of ways. For instance, a diverse range of products as well as services can be accessed by their customer by just a click of the button (Yukl, 2010. P 43). EBay has a collection diverse range of product. The probability of any customer with a given unique needs for a given product or service lacking the desired need or service is significantly low. Subsequently, eBay serves a central or a core point area where all customers with diverse needs as well as wants can integrate into their satisfaction. According to statistical reports which were collected in the United States of America, the satisfactory level of customers accessing or conducting their business through eBay platform is significantly high. Consequently, the organization has managed to acquire a high market share (Hedger, Nostrum Starbuck, 1976 p 67). The risks associated with ecommerce trading activities have been significantly reduced by the open communication strategies and channels which have been adopted by the eBay organization. For instance, eBay has a well conversant informed customer care services which equip their customer with necessary information on any information concerning the Internet trading. For instance, eBay has a safe online payment channel which can be adopted or used by its customers. Online payment and other fiscal transactions processes have reduced risks associated with check payments as well as travelling with liquid cash (Meyer, 1977 p 81). SWOT analysis of eBay Inc SWOT analysis entails the evaluation process of the organizations internal and external environmental elements which are likely to induce a change in the operations of the business entity. Consequently, SWOT analysis comprise of evaluating external factors such as opportunities and threats which are known to face the organization as well evaluating the internal elements with mainly focus on weaknesses as well as on the organizations strengths. EBay Inc is an organization which has adopted technological elements into its mode of operation. Consequently, a number of strengths, weaknesses, opportunities as well as threats may dominate it area of operation (Hedger, Nostrum Starbuck, 1976 p 89). Evaluating on the strengths which are possessed by this organization, eBay has developed a vast and an immense number of clients or stakeholders who largely contributes to it overall performance. These stakeholders include current customers, supportive client such as financiers as well as reliable employees. In addition, it has developed a strong financial backbone which has been supportive to it overall goal achievement. Also, eBay has developed a strong customer-organization bond through the creation of high confidence level between the organization and its clients. This is through customer analysis and delivery of services and ordered goods in the appropriated needed time. Bearing in mind ninety nine percent of eBay transactions are carried out through online platform, people are generally afraid to deal with virtual elements especially on matters concerning their fiscal status. However, eBay has secured a substantial number of such customers by creating a high confidence level (Zammuto, Cameron, 1985 p 6). Another eBays dominance, it is the first-mover advantage as regards online auction site. Consequently, most of its customers felt no worries about going about buying goods physically. Therefore, this triggered most customers to come back. Ebay has a very strong business model and updating it. Just as it was redefined by Meg Whiteman by establishing strong linkages of activities in the operational aspect of the organization. eBay also had a very strong technological base e.g. leveraging ICT. Using Pay pal account as means of payment made every transaction be secured and easy. Nevertheless, eBay is faced by a number of weaknesses, it has a poor organizational structure which limits it contact with it clients. Maintenance of customers usually requires an intimate contact which sometimes involves reading of facial expressions. In addition, though eBay website can be accessed in almost all parts of the world through the Internet, customers in some geographical regions cannot be served with eBay services. This is contributed by poor distribution channels which limit the eBay services to some specific regions only. A part from these weaknesses, the organization is also faced by a number of emerging threats. For instance, the barriers to entry in the Internet based trading systems are relatively low a factor which has led to a high number of entrants. This has posed as a threat to the operations of eBay Inc (Gallos, 2008. P 68). Despite these weaknesses and threats being faced by eBay Inc, there are a number of opportunities which the organization can effectively utilize in order to maximize it profits. For instance, the technological advancement which has been witnessed in the electronic world can be utilized to enhance the customer base. In addition, eBay has an opportunity of merging with a number of suppliers and other stakeholders to boost its overall performance. This is usually based on the fiscal status which eBay has obtained since it times of operations in the Internet based services (Kast Rosenzweig, 1972 p 78). Capabilities that have provided eBay with a competitive advantage This organization has a strong financial background which enables it to embark successfully on new profit generating strategies. In addition, it has embarked on product diversification as one strategy to promote its profit generating factors. EBay is a multi-billion dollar company with physical infrastructures of operations in more than thirty countries. Millions of collectables, interior decorations, appliances, electronics, furniture, trappings, equipment, vehicles, and other miscellaneous items are listed, bought, or sold daily on eBay (Pierce, 2003 p 6). Strategic capabilities of the eBay in a nutshell might include: Business model creation and updating:- The business model of eBay is brilliant and simple. They facilitate a service of enabling transactions between millions of users. They also have no inventory. eBay does not have to consider production, packaging, and shipping of the goods sold. There is no need for a large number of employees at achieve their organizational goals. The main source of costs for eBay is technical. They perform tasks as maintenance of servers and networks. This is the marketplace Internet business model being used to much of its potential. Revenue is generated in both business to consumer and business to business transactions. The auction and transaction revenue will continue to rise as the number of users rises. Ebay has a very strong business model and updating it. Just as it was redefined by Meg Whiteman by establishing strong linkages of activities in the operational aspect of the organization. Managing growth: eBay reported record consolidated Q1-07 net revenues of $1.77 billion, representing a growth rate of 27% year over year. GAAP operating income was $468 million, an increase of 45% year over year, and represented 26.5% of net revenues. Non-GAAP operating income in Q1-07 was $593 million, representing a 33.6% operating margin and a 29% year-over-year increase. Leveraging ICT:- ICT as both strategic and operational at the same time. So getting the server up and running initially would have been strategic but now managing traffic would be considered operational, whereas incorporating any new versions of the Internet and its functionality would be considered strategic. Accommodating different high speed broadband penetrations within individual countries would currently be strategic but become less of a strategic issue over time. Knowledge management:- Knowledge in organisational terms does not mean data and information alone. It means experience both of individuals and between individuals (i.e. of groups or across an organisation). This sharing takes place, not least, through the day to day activities and routines in organizations. If strategic capability is conceived of in terms of competence (i.e. activities as well as resources), then the relationship of strategic capability to organisational knowledge. So, it darned close. It becomes even closer if robust (non- imitable) competencies are conceived of as linked and embedded competencies. Account management:- eBays technology allow every particulars of users both sellers and buyer to be traced since very users must first register to again access to buy or sell. This create a great deal of trust among users. Customer involvement:- ebay managers listen to all their customers and always meet the needs as regards what they want to sell/ buy and how they want to do it. And more so, the management involves their customers by inviting 10 sellers and buyers all over the country to their main office every few months to discuss the company in dept. Service and shareholder management:- eBay has developed a vast and an immense number of clients or stakeholders who largely contributes to it overall performance. These stakeholders include current customers, supportive client such as financiers as well as reliable employees. In addition, it has developed a strong financial backbone which has been supportive to it overall goal achievement. Rather than, be critical:- Meg might look to the challenges that the company faces ahead of time. These might include not becoming complacent about success, how to keep customers passionate about the company and how to expand into new geographical areas. Sustainability and dynamic capabilities The attainment of any eBays goals and objectives is directly reflected by the kind of leadership and environment found in that organization. Different managers and human resource organizers embrace various forms of leadership. Nevertheless, their overall aim objective is to adhere to the stipulated mission with no signs of complacency and a subsequent attainment of the organizational goals. Being a leader in any form of business entails a set of processes connected to directing and guiding employees towards the attainment of stipulated goals. This endeavor of assure that the business entity is heading towards its vision comprise of effective employee motivation, embracement of appropriate leading structure and strategies and timely effective communication among the internal and external members affecting the business entity (Clark, 2010). EBay has been dynamic to embrace technological measures which are aimed in maintaining a lead in the field of it operations. For example, incorpora tion of new modern software, use of Internet security tools as well as developing future oriented goals to cater for its customers (Gallos, 2008 p 34). Frequent trainings and seminars for it employees can effectively boost the competence level for employees in eBay Inc. In addition, online training and guidance manuals can highly boost the performance level for the eBay operations. Organisational Structure The organising process leads to the creation of organisation structure. Organisation structure can be defined as the framework in which the organisation defines how tasks are divided, resources are deployed and departments are coordinated (Samson Daft, 2009, p. 328). The structure of an organisation should be set up in such a way as to help the organisation accomplish its mission in an efficient and effective manner. The mission of an organisation can be defined by its mission statement. A mission statement is designed to answer the most fundamental questions for every organization: Why do we exist? What are we here for? What is our purpose? As such, mission statements form the corner-stone and the starting-point for any major strategic planning initiative (Christopher K. Bart, 2001, p. 19). An organisations structure can be represented visually with an organisation chart (Samson Daft, 2009, p. 328). Structure has three components: complexity, formalisation and centralisation. Complexity refers to the degree of specialisation of an organisations employees, how labour is divided, the number of levels and geographical dispersion. Formalisation is concerned with the degree of rules and procedures, and centralisation refers to levels of decision making (Holtzhausen, 2002, p. 325). The characteristics of organisation structure include work specialisation (the degree to which organisational tasks are subdivided into individual jobs; also called division of labour), chain of command (An unbroken line of authority that links all individuals in the organisation and specifies who reports to whom), authority (The formal and legitimate right of a manager to make decisions, issue orders and allocate resources to achieve organisationally desired outcomes) and responsibility (The duty to perform the task or activity an employee has been assigned), span of managerial control (the number of emplo yees who report to a supervisor), and centralization (The location of decision authority at a single point, usually near top organisational levels) and decentralization (The dispersed location of decision authority, usually near lower organisational levels). These dimensions represent the vertical hierarchy and define how authority and responsibility are distributed. Departmentalization describes how organisation employees are grouped (Samson Daft, 2009). Types of structures The three most common generic organizational structures are the functional structure, the divisional structure and the matrix structure. There are also hybrid structures consisting of network structure and team structure. Functional Structure The functional structure is a direct descendant of the bureaucratic structure. It is based on a groups function or dedicated activities in an organization such as sales and marketing, finance and operations. The structures effectiveness is based on this division of labour. Smaller to medium-sized organizations with limited product ranges tend to favour the functional structure (Martinsons Martinsons, 1994, p. 24). Advantages of functional structure: Efficient use of resources economies of scale In-depth skill specialisation and development Career progress within functional departments Top manager direction and control Excellent coordination within functions High-quality technical problem solving Best with one or few types of products Disadvantages of functional structure Poor communication across functional departments Slow response to external changes, lagging innovation Decisions concentrated at the top of hierarchy, creating delay Responsibility for problems is difficult to pinpoint Limited view of organisational goals by employees Limited general management training for employees Less innovation (Samson Daft, 2009) (Duncan, 1979) Divisional Structure This structure is used as companies become larger and begin to diversify their product line. The company is divided into separate units based on different products or markets. The company breaks up its operations into manageable units or little companies which then operate under a mechanistic structure (Martinsons Martinsons, 1994, p. 24). Advantages of divisional structure: Fast response, flexibility in an unstable environment Fosters concern for customers needs because product responsibility and contact points are clear Excellent coordination across functional departments Easy pinpointing of responsibility for product problems Emphasis on overall product and division goals Development of general management skills Best in a large organisation with several products Disadvantages of divisional structure Duplication of resources across divisions Less technical depth and specialisation in divisions Poor coordination across divisions Less top management control Competition for corporate resources Eliminates economies of scale in functional departments. Makes integration and standardization across product lines difficult (Samson Daft, 2009) (Duncan, 1979) The Matrix Structure The matrix structure was the structure of the 1970s (Miller, 1986). It was seen as a way of bridging the advantages of the functional and divisional structures. The matrix structure is based on a dual chain of command. The functional departments are used to gain economies of specialization while the project teams focus on particular products or markets. Each employee in the matrix structure is responsible for one functional department and one project manager, hence the dual chain of command (Martinsons Martinsons, 1994, p. 25). Advantages of matrix structure: More efficient use of resources than single hierarch Flexibility, adaptability to changing environment Development of both general and specialist management skills Interdisciplinary cooperation, expertise available to all divisions Enlarged tasks for employees Best in medium-sized organizations with multiple products Disadvantages of matrix structure Frustration and confusion from dual chain of command High conflict between two sides of matrix Many meetings, more discussion than action Human relations training needed Power dominance by one side of the matrix. Team-based structure With a team-based structure, the entire organisation is made up of horizontal teams that coordinate their work and work directly with customers to accomplish the organisations goals (Samson Daft, 2009, p. 344). Advantages of team structure: Reduced barriers among departments, increased compromise Less response time, quicker decisions Better morale, enthusiasm from employee involvement Reduced administrative overhead Less absenteeism Increased performance Higher quality products Reduced turnover Disadvantages of team structure Dual loyalties and conflicts Time and resource spent on meetings Unplanned decentralisation (Samson Daft, 2009) (Harris, 1992) Network structure: Advantages: Global competitiveness Workforce flexibility/challenge Reduced administrative overhead Disadvantages: No hands-on control Can lose organisational part Employee loyalty weakened Analysing eBay current and the best organizational structure for the eBay Inc eBays organizational structure is a source of competitive advantage as it is the basis for the companys ability to process information

Ethics: How Should I Live My Life Essay

April 15, 2011 How Should I Live? Immanual Kant vs. Jon Stuart Mill In their works â€Å"Principle of Utility† and the â€Å"Categorically Imperative† the philosophers Kant and Mill have addressed one of the most prominent questions humans have asked ourselves since the beginning of time; what are the fundamental moral principles that we should base our lives on? My intent is to show how each of these philosophers in their approach this subject yielding totally different results. I will compare and contrast and ultimately determine which of their philosophies I personally find better suited to my own way of life. I will also point out when sometimes you can have circumstances when they do not contradict each other. â€Å"Actions are right in proportion as they tend to promote happiness, wrong as they tend to produce the reverse of happiness. By happiness is intended pleasure and the absence of pain; by unhappiness, pain and the privation of pleasure† Classics of Moral and Political Theory, 3rd edition p. 398). The purpose of the above passage is to define that the moral choice according to Mill. According to him when presented with a choice of actions to take, the correct and moral action is to choose the one which will produce in its consequences the greatest amount of pleasure and the least amount of pain in the world. To help understand his concept I present the following scenarios in which we would need to make a moral choice according to the above framework. Let’s suppose that while driving we are stopped at a traffic light and a couple of young kids ask you for a donation to help them make a trip to another state for their National Little League Championship. The outcome seems to depend on how much you need the money. If you were out of a job, struggling to make payments on the rent or food for example giving away your money will definitely decrease your own happiness more than it would increase the happiness of others. However if you have some disposableincome giving it away to the little league of baseball players would who need it more it would definitely increase their happiness, therefor increasing the total amount of happiness in the world as the Principle of Utility demands. Another scenario would be as follows. Imagine that you are harboring a fugitive that committed a petty crime but that you know without any doubt that he has the cure of a disease that currently kills hundreds of thousands of people worldwide. If this person gets caught by the police he would never have the chance to develop the cure. The police go to your house and ask you if you have seen the person in question. Now if you are following the Principle of Utility you have to consider the impact on the total amount of happiness each of the two possibilities, telling the police the truth or you telling them something else will bring about. If we examine what could happen if you tell the police the truth, we can see that the police’s happiness will be increased as the lack of pain from future victims of the fugitive’s crimes. But when we compare this against the happiness of the people whose lives will be saved by cure that the fugitive will be helping create we can see that in this case the greatest good will be done by telling the police that you have not seen the petty thief. In this case the long term effect of the decision helps make it a clear choice according to Mills. Long term consequences are also evident in the third scenario. In this scenario you find yourself witness of a horrible crime being committed, let’s say a rape. At first considering the demands of the Principle of Utility the choices are a little difficult to discern for if you choose to end the life of the rapist you are denying him much pleasure of the long term and causing him a lot of pain in the short term. Not doing so will also bring overall loss of pleasure by the victim and increase of pain would occur. Nevertheless if we consider the consequences of not only the short term but also the long term the death of the rapist would most likely spare many in the future from pain and trauma and preserving their opportunity for pleasure, and thus the Principle of Utility would demand that you take the rapist’s life to spare the lives of his victim and his other future ones as well. Let’s continue now to examine Kant’s Categorical Imperative. The first formulation of which is something that reminds me somewhat to the Golden Rule, â€Å"Do Unto Others as You Would Have Others Do Unto You. † (except the Golden Rule does not make for example a duty to be benevolent to others) â€Å"Act only according to that maxim by which you can at the same time will that it would become a universal law. † (p. 851) Kant explains this by a series of example one of which goes something like this. If I run out of money I might be tempted to borrow some, even though I know I would be unable to repay it. I am acting on the maxim â€Å"Whenever I believe myself short of money, I will borrow money and promise to pay it back although I know that this will never be done† I cannot will that everyone should act on this maxim because if everyone asked for money but then would never pay it back nobody would believe the promise of the borrowers. A promise would lose its meaning. Therefore we could not borrow money under this circumstance as doing it would violate the categorical imperative Kant defines perfect duty as those which must be fulfilled under any circumstances and dictate a specific course of action; he defines imperfect duties as those which are more subject to circumstances and allow a certain degree of freedom in deciding how to comply with it. I see the difference between these duties as the one where are required by a society to function and those required by a society to be good and civil. Some actions are so constituted that their maxims cannot without contradiction even be thought as a universal law of nature, much less willed as what should become one. In the case of others this internal impossibility is indeed not found, but there is still no possibility of willing that their maxim should be raised to the universality of a law of nature because such a will would contradict itself. † He is trying to say that if it would be against o ne’s own interest for everyone to act on a particular maxim one cannot will the maxim to be universal as to make it universal it would go against one’s own interest. Let’s revisit the examples I gave earlier to see how our behavior would change if we let our actions be dictated by the Categorical Imperative. In the first scenario, whether to donate to the little league baseball team, it would seem that the fate of the team would be to never be able to travel as (assuming most of their finances come from donations) if people were never to donate to them any money, but none of that would prevent anyone who does have money from not donating to this club. This seems to indicate that donating to the little league baseball club is not a perfect duty. However it would be against one’s own interest for the whole world to be so stingy towards all little league baseball clubs or any other amateur sports clubs for that matter, so one could not will that to be the case and so donating to this club would be an imperfect duty. In the second scenario, whether to lie to the police about the hidden fugitive, following Kant’s Categorical Imperative is that one has a perfect duty to never lie, even in such situation. Let’s analyze that. According to Kant if everyone were to lie in an attempt to achieve some desirable result, even one as benefitting as saving hundreds of thousands of lives, the meaning of language would cease to be as people would start lying for anything they can think would be for the greater good at the end. The maxim in that case would be that you could lie as long as it was to save someone’s life (in this case the large number of sick people that would have been cured). If that maxim would become universal then we could no longer tell if anyone was telling the truth. Everyone would become untrustworthy communication between people would cease and therefore we would be unable to lie; in this case the categorical Imperative demands that we refrain from lying, even if doing so prevents from bringing about undesirable results. At the same time this still does not required us to always tell the truth; we can simply refrain from saying anything if telling the truth would violate another imperfect duty, and in my example it most definitely would since not speaking in this case (even though it may raise suspicion from the police) would be curing people of a disease all over the world a most noble imperfect duty. We can also apply the same line of reasoning to my third scenario, whether to kill a criminal to stop him from committing a horrible crime, in this case a rape. To allow killing to achieve a greater good would result in much killing all around, possibly resulting in oneself getting killed in the process and thus making impossibly for one to act at all. It seems that no one could will such anarchy to take place. Wecould modify the maxim here to say that killing is allowed if only to prevent another death, but what we are talking about ere is about the preservation of life, and as with the case of lying to the police, many people could by such a maxim feel themselves justified in killing others to achieve other ends that have nothing to do with stopping a crime. This would result in the anarchy described above so we cannot make it according to Kant a perfect duty but instead at least an imperfect one to not kill even when faced with the opportunity of preventing a crime. Kant’s second formulation of the Categorical Imperative is: Act in such a way that you always treat humanity, whether in your own person or in the person of any other, never simply as a means, but always at the same time as an end. † (p. 855). Here Kant states that if a maxim diminishes the freedom of choice of others, which he proclaims is one of the unconditional values of humanity, as a means to obtain other goods then that makes it an immoral maxim violating the definition of perfect duty. Anyone who uses deceptive or coercive methods to undermine the freedom of choice and action exercised by others also violates perfect duty. Looking at the first scenario again, whether to donate to the baseball club. If nobody donated any money it would not mean that you are using other people as a means to an end, you would be just ignoring them not using them at all, so donating is not a prefect duty as the failure of not doing so does not involve misusing other people. However refusing to donate to the little league is a failure to account for other people as ends themselves. People need to have means in order to exercise their will, so limited means makes it much harder for people to exercise their free will. Therefore if not donating would deprive them of resources, it would be a failure to account for the club’s members ability to freely act as an end of one’s own actions and so it makes it an imperfect duty to donate money to the little league baseball club. In the second scenario whether to lie to the police about the location of the fugitive, resource here is information. For an individual to act freely, he must have accurate information which means that if you lie to someone you are giving them information that is not valid thus not only depriving them of the resource they need to act freely but you are taking away the power they have to exercise their will. In this scenario lying to the police even with such good motive as getting a cure to a disease that will save hundreds and thousands of lives is to treat the police as a means to an end disregarding the right to exercise their free will. This make in this example a a perfect duty not to lie. However we can also see how there would be an imperfect duty not to tell the police where the fugitive is, for doing so would be a failure to take into account the fugitive as an end in themselves, getting caught and sent to jail would impede his ability to exercise his free will so according to Kant the correct choice in this case would be to refuse to talk to the police even when this would bring about suspicion and possibly further actions from the police. If we apply the second formulation of the Categorical Imperative to the third example it seems clear that killing another person, even a rapist, would certainly limit his ability to exercise their own will, so the Kant’s second formulation would require as a perfect duty not to kill the criminal even to save another person from being raped. So as we can see when we apply the principles from Kent and Mills we find ourselves following different path of actions. In my first example donating to the Little League Baseball Club both Kent and Mills proclaim that donating is the correct choice to make. But when analyzing the second and third example their philosophies start to disagree as what is the right thing to do. The Categorical Imperative is more rigid insisting that we must not lie to the police and we must not kill the rapist as it is a perfect duty in all cases. The Principle of Utility in contrast allows more room to apply our rational to consider the consequences. It allows certain actions such as lying and killing if it is for the greater good. What is the correct moral framework on which we should base our lives on? Even though I find aspects of each these systems commendable I believe that neither system has been perfectly created. The Principles of Utility relies heavily on the consequences of one’s actions to flag a course of action as correct or incorrect. Only by looking our action and their consequences in retrospect we can truly determine if the course of action taken was the correct one. If we had the luxury of foreseeing all consequences then it would be a perfect system but since we always have to make decisions without knowing the ramifications of our actions and most times we only have partial information it does not seem that one should base one’s life solely on the principles that Mills dictates. What is needed is a set of rules we can use to adapt our actions to that will always produce the biggest benefit or the least amount of harm in the long run even if in the short term produces consequences that are not as good as other course of action. The Categorical Imperative at first seems to be a good standard for behavior but at the end of my analysis I do not feel comfortable with the absolute rules where by following them we can find ourselves in a scenario where one cannot even lie to save a life let alone kill to prevent it. It just seems too open for abuse with great benefits by those who did not obeyed the laws akin to what I think would happen if our right to carry arms was taken away so law abiding citizens would not possess any arms but the criminals would, putting the rest of us in a very precarious situation unable to defend ourselves. At the end I align myself a little more with Mills, I would like to think that if I ever in the situation of the last example I gave I would have enough courage to try stop a rape from happening and any action up to an including killing the rapist would be defensible in court, of course I would prefer to be able to stop it from happening without to resorting to such extreme measures. If the basis of a free society is the right to liberty and property then our duty should be not just to not impede others to have it but to also defend others when their rights to either are being taken away. I have a have a personal duty to defend those in danger and to give those in need and even if not everyone adheres to thesemoral guidelines we will all be as a society better off as the general happiness will certainly reach a higher level.

Cbt Case Study

CBT – Case Study Identifying Information For the purposes of the case study the client will be called Jane. Jane is a 22 year old single white British female who lives with her parents in a house outside the city. She is heterosexual and has had a boyfriend for seven years. She feels unable to discuss her issues with her boyfriend. Her parents both have mental health issues and Jane does not feel able to talk to her mother about her problems. She has an older brother she has a good relationship who lives with his girlfriend, a four hour drive away.Jane is educated to degree level, having studied Criminology and is currently working part-time for her father managing his client accounts for a business he runs from home. A typical day involves organising all receipts and creating spreadsheets for each client’s accounts. Jane states she would like to get a full time job and be normal like her friends. Jane has a small circle of friends from university who she states have al l gone onto full time employment. Jane also has a puppy she spends time looking after and taking for regular walks.Assessment Jane was referred following a health check at her GP surgery. She had been prescribed Citalopram 20mg by her GP for anxiety symptoms and panic attacks she had been having for two years. Jane has no previous contact with mental health services. Jane’s father had a diagnosis of Bi-Polar Disorder, her brother has Depression and her boyfriend has a diagnosis of Obsessive Compulsive Disorder which he is continuing treatment for. Jane’s anxiety/panic has increased over the past two years.She had read about Cognitive Behavioural Therapy on the Internet and was willing to see if it was help ease her anxiety symptoms. Jane stated that the problem started due to family issues in 2007. Her brother and father were estranged due to a financial disagreement and this resulted in Jane’s brother leaving the country with his girlfriend, causing Jane to bec ome very distressed. Also during this time she was taking her final exams at University, Jane states this was when she experienced her first panic attack.She had spent the evening before her brother left the country, drinking alcohol with friends, she remembers feeling ‘hung-over’ the next day. While travelling in the car to the airport, with her brother and his girlfriend, Jane states she started to feel unwell, she found it difficult to breathe, felt hot, trapped and felt like she was going to faint. Jane stated she felt â€Å"embarrassed† and â€Å"stupid† and had since experienced other panic attacks and increased anxiety, anticipating panic attacks in social situations.Jane had reduced where she went to, finding herself unable to go anywhere she may have to meet new people. Her last panic attack happened when Jane visited her GP for a health check and fainted during the appointment, Jane has blood phobia and she stated she had not eaten since the day before and was extremely anxious about the any medical interventions. Jane believes it was a panic attack that caused her to faint.The GP prescribed her 20mg of Citalopram, a few weeks prior to her initial assessment with the therapist. When Jane and the therapist met for the initial session Jane described herself as feeling inadequate and as if she was trapped in a cycle of panic. Although Jane felt unhappy she had no suicidal ideation and she presented no risk to others. Jane stated she had become more anxious and that she had panic attacks at least twice a week. Prior to and during therapy, Jane was assessed using various measures.These enabled the therapist to formulate a hypothesis regarding the severity of the problem, also acting as a baseline, enabling the therapist and Jane to monitor progress throughout treatment. (Wells, 1997). The measures utilised in the initial assessment were a daily panic diary, Wells (1997) and a diary of obsessive- compulsive rituals, Wells (1997) a self rating scale completed by the client Jane. Other measures used were, The Panic Rating Scale (PRS) Wells (1997), the Social Phobia Scale, Wells (1997), used by the therapist to clarify which specific disorder was the main problem for Jane.Having collated information from the initial measures, a problem list was created so the therapist and Jane could decide what to focus on first. This list was based on Jane’s account of the worst problems which were given priority over those problems which were less distressing. Problem List 1. Anxiety/Panic attacks 2. Obsessive hand washing. 3. My relationship with my family. 4. Not having a full time job. 5. My relationship with my boyfriend Having collaboratively decided on the problem list, the therapist helped Jane reframe the problems into goals.As the problem list highlighted what was wrong, changing them into goals enabled Jane to approach her problems in a more focused way (Wells, 1997), the therapist discussed goals with Jane and she decided what she wanted to get from therapy. It was important for the therapist to ensure that any goals were realistic and achievable in the timeframe and this was conveyed to Jane (Padesky & Greenberger, 1995). Jane wanted to reduce her anxiety and expressed these goals:- 1. To understand why I have panic attacks. 2. To have an anxiety free day. 3. To reduce the amount of time worrying . To reduce obsessive hand washing at home. Case Formulation Jane stated that for about a year she had been repeating certain behaviours, which she believed prevented her from having panic attacks. This involved Jane washing her hands and any surrounding objects at least twice. Jane had a fear of consuming alcohol/drugs/caffeine/artificial sweeteners, she stated she had had her first panic attack the day after drinking alcohol and had read that all these substances could increase her anxiety. Jane had not drunk alcohol for 18 months as she felt this caused her anxiety and made her nable to control the panic attacks. Jane stated she feared that if any of these substances got on her hands and then into her mouth she would have a panic attack and faint. These beliefs increased Jane’s anxiety when Jane was exposed to any environment where these substances were present. This unfortunately was most of the time, Jane stated that every time she saw any of these substances consumed or even placed near her, she became anxious and had to wash her hands and any surrounding items which she may come into contact with again.These safety behaviours maintained the cycle of panic, Jane would always continue the routines that she believed prevented a panic attack. The worst case scenario for Jane was â€Å"the panic would never stop and I will go mad, causing my boyfriend to leave me†. Jane felt this would make everyone realise what she already knew, that she was worthless. Her last panic attack happened when Jane had visited her GP; this caused Jane feelings of shame. â⠂¬Å"There’s all these people achieving, doing great things and I can’t do the most basic things†The therapist used the Cognitive Model of Panic (Clark, 1986), initially developing the three key elements of the model to help socialise Jane to the thoughts, feelings and behaviour cycle (see diagram below) Cognitive Model of Panic Bodily sensations Emotional response Thought about sensation Clark (1986) Using a panic diary and a diary of obsessive-compulsive rituals, Jane was asked to keep a record of situations during the week where she felt anxious, and this was discussed in the next session.Jane stated she had not had any panic during the week, when discussing previous panic attacks during the session, Jane became anxious and the therapist used this incident to develop the following formulation. Heart beating fast/increase in body temperature Fear/dread I feel hot, I can’t control it Clark (1986) Jane stated she felt like she was sweating, she had diffic ulty breathing; felt faint, had feelings of not being here and felt like she was going crazy.All these symptoms suggested that Jane was experiencing a panic attack and Jane met the criteria for Panic Disorder, defined in the DSM IV and states that â€Å"panic attacks be recurrent and unexpected, at least one of the attacks be followed by at least one month of persistent concern about having additional attacks, worry about the implications or consequence of the attack, or a significant change in behaviour related to the attacks† (APA, 1994). During the sessions the therapist continued to socialise Jane to the model of panic (Clark, 1986); together Jane and the therapist looked at what kept the cycle going.The therapist continued to use the model formulation, with the addition of Jane’s catastrophic interpretation of bodily symptoms, to illustrate the connection between negative thoughts, emotion, physical symptoms. Social situation I will be unable to stay here Everyone will notice I am not coping I’m going to faint Sweating/breathing fast/dizzy Clark’s (1986) Cognitive Model of Panic.Progress of Treatment The therapist hypothesised that Jane’s symptoms continued due to Jane not understanding the physiological effects of anxiety. The results were a misinterpretation of what would happen to her while being anxious, and this maintained the panic cycle. Although Jane tried to avoid any anxiety by using safety behaviours, she eventually increased the anxiety she experienced. Session 1 After the initial assessment sessions, the therapist and Jane agreed to 8 sessions, with a review after 6 sessions.Jane and the therapist discussed that there may only be a small amount of progress or change during the sessions due to the complexity of Jane’s diagnosis and agreed to focus on understanding the cycle of panic (Clark, 1986) From the information gained from the formulation process, the therapist tried psycho education. The therap ist was attempting to illicit a shift in Jane’s belief about what, how and why these symptoms were happening. The therapist discussed with Jane what she knew about anxiety and from this the therapist discovered that Jane was unsure of what anxiety was and the effects on the body.For the first few appointments the therapist knew it could be beneficial to concentrate on relaying information about anxiety, (Clark et al, 1989) focusing on Jane’s specific beliefs anxiety, the therapist wanted to try to reduce the problem by helping Jane recognise the connection between her symptoms. As Jane believed, â€Å"she was going mad†, the therapist was trying to help Jane understand the CBT model of anxiety and to alter Jane’s misunderstanding of the symptoms. The therapist and Jane discussed Jane’s belief that she would faint if she panicked, Jane had fixed beliefs about why she fainted.The therapist attempted to enable Jane to describe how her anxiety affected her during a ‘usual panic’. Instead Jane began to describe symptoms of social anxiety, this suggested to the therapist that the main problems could be a combination of /social phobia and obsessive behaviours; the following dialogue may help to illustrate this. T. When you begin to become anxious, what goes through your head? J. I need a backup plan; I need to know how to get out of there. Especially if it’s in an office, or a small room. T. What would happen if you did not get out? J. I would panic, and then pass outT. What would the reasons be for you to pass out? J. Because I was panicking. T. Have you passed out before when you have panicked? J. I have felt like it. T. So what sensations do you have when you’re panicking? J. The feeling rises up, I feel hot and I can’t see straight. I get red flashes in front of my eyes, like a warning. My vision goes hazy. I think everyone is looking at me. T. Do you think other people can see this? J. Yes. T. What do you think they see? J. That I’m struggling and I cannot cope or, I try to get out of the situation by pretending I feel ill before they notice. T.What would they notice, what would be different about you? J. I stick out like a beacon, I’m sweating, loads of sweat and my face is bright red. T. How red would your face be, as red as that â€Å"No Smoking† sign on the wall? J. Yes! I’m dripping with sweat and my eyes are really staring, feels like they stick out like in a cartoon, it’s ridiculous. T. How long before you would leave the situation? J. Sometimes the feeling goes, like I can control it. But I could not leave. There would be a stigma and then I could not go back, the anxiety would increase in that environment or somewhere similar.The therapist persisted with this example and tried to use guided discovery to help Jane get a more balanced view of the situation. (Padesky and Greenberger, 1995) T. So you would not go back? J. I would if I felt safe, like with my boyfriend or I could leave whenever I wanted to. It’s the last straw if I have to go. It makes it even harder. T. You say that sometimes it goes away. What’s different about then and times when you have to leave? J. It’s like I just know I have to leave. T. What do you think may happen if you stay with the feelings? J. That I will pass out. T. hat would that mean if you passed out? J. It would be the ultimate. It would mean that I could not cope with the situation. T. If you could not cope what would that mean? J. I can’t function, I can’t do anything. I‘m just no use. T. How much do you believe that? Can you rate it out of 100%? J. Now. About 60% if I did faint it would be about 100% T. Have you ever fainted due to the sensations you have described to me? J. No. I have fainted because I’m squeamish. I don’t like blood. Or having any kind of tests at the GP. T. So do I understand you? You have never fa inted due to the panic sensations?J. No. I’ve felt like it. T. So you’ve never passed out due to the symptoms? What do you make that? J. I don’t know, that would mean that what I believe is stupid. It’s hard to get my head around it. Session 2-3 The therapist used a social phobia/panic rating scale measures to ascertain the main problem; this was increasingly difficult as throughout each session the patient expanded on her symptoms. The therapist managed to understand that the patient avoided most social situations due to her beliefs about certain substances; this caused the obsessive hand-washing.This then had an impact on Jane’s ability to go anywhere in case she could not wash herself or objects around her. Jane also believed fainting from blood phobia had the same physical effects as panic, and she would faint if she panicked. It was complicated and the therapist attempted to draw out a formulation. I SEE A PERSON DRINKING ALCOHOL IT’S G OING TO GET ON MY HANDS AND INTO MY MOUTH I FEEL SICK, I’M GOING TO FAINT I FEEL DREAD, I FEEL ANXIOUS, SWEATING I MUST WASH MY HANDS TO STOP THE PANIC GETTING WORSE.Session 4 The formulation shows the extent of Jane’s panic and how her safety behaviours were impacting on all aspects of her life. The therapist attempted again to use information about the causes of anxiety and its effects on the body. The therapist explained what happens when you faint due to blood phobia, this was an attempt to supply Jane with counter evidence for her catastrophic interpretations of her panic. The therapist also used evidence to contrast the effects on the body when fainting and when panicking.After two sessions, the therapist continued to provide and attempted to relay the facts about the nature of anxiety/panic/fainting with the inclusion of behavioural experiments. Educational procedures are a valid part of overall cognitive restructuring strategies, incorporated with questioning e vidence for misinterpretations and behavioural experiments (Wells, 1997) The therapist asked Jane to explain to the therapist the function/effects of adrenalin, to see if Jane was beginning to understand and if there had been any shift in her beliefs about panic.The following dialogue may help to illustrate the difficulties the therapist encountered; T. Over the last few sessions, we have been discussing anxiety and the function of adrenalin. Do you understand the physical changes we have looked at? Does it make sense to you? J. Yes. Something has clicked inside my head. I feel less insane now, I understand more about what’s going on. It makes things a little bit easier, but it takes time for it to sink in. T. Do you think you could explain to me what you understand about anxiety/adrenalin? J.As I interpret it is, I like to think of it as, â€Å"I’m not anxious it’s just my adrenalin, It’s just the effects of adrenalin effecting my body† but itâ₠¬â„¢s hard to get from there, to accepting the adrenalin is not going to harm me. I know logically it’s not. But it’s still hard. T. That’s great you’re beginning to question what you have believed and are thinking there may be other explanations for your symptoms. J. Yes. But I still think it’s to do with luck. I have good or bad luck each day and that predicts whether I have a panic or not. I think I’ll be unlucky soon.Session 5-6 The therapist continued to try use behavioural experiments during the sessions to provide further evidence to try to alter Jane’s beliefs about anxiety. The therapist agreed with Jane that they would imitate all the symptoms of panic. Making the room hot, exercising to increase heart rate and body temperature, hyperventilation (ten minutes) Focusing on breathing/swallowing. This continued for most of session 5. As neither the therapist nor Jane fainted, they discussed this and Jane stated it was different in the session than when she with other people.Jane also stated she felt safe and trusted the therapist, she did not believe she could be strong enough to try the experiments alone, as it was â€Å"too scary† The therapist asked Jane to draw a picture of how she felt and put them on the diagram of a person, this then was used to compare with anxiety symptoms, while talking through them with the therapist. The therapist and Jane created a survey about fainting and Jane took this away as homework to gain further evidence. The survey included 6 different questions about fainting e. g. – What people knew about fainting/how they would feel about seeing someone faint, etc. Treatment Outcome The treatment with Jane continues. The next session will be the 6th and there will be a review of progress and any improvements. There has been no improvement in measures as noted yet. The therapist intends to use a panic rating scale (PRS) Wells, (1997) during the next session. The thera pist will continue to see Jane for two more sessions, looking at what Jane has found helpful/unhelpful. Discussion Overall the therapist found the therapy unsuccessful.Although Jane stated she found it helpful, it was difficult for the therapist to see the progress due to the many layers of complexity of Jane’s diagnosis. The therapist has grown more confident in the CBT process and understands that as a trainee, the therapist tried to incorporate all the new skills within each session. The therapist was disappointed that they were unable to guide Jane through the therapy process with a better result. The therapist would have like to have been able to fully establish an understanding of Jane’s complex symptoms earlier on in the therapy.The therapist believes that Jane’s symptoms were very complex and the therapist may have been more successful with a client with a less complicated diagnosis. The therapist would then be able to gain more information via the appro priate measures to enable the formulations in a concise manner. This has been a huge learning curve for the therapist and has encouraged them to seek out continuing CBT supervision within the therapist’s workplace. This is essential to continue the development of the therapist’s skills.The therapist feels that although this has not had the outcome that the therapist would have wanted, it has been a positive experience for Jane. There appeared to be a successful therapeutic relationship, Jane appeared comfortable and able to communicate what her problems were to the therapist from the beginning of therapy. The therapist hopes this will encourage Jane to engage with further CBT therapy in the future and the therapist over the final session hopes to be able to support Jane in creating a therapy blueprint, reviewing what Jane has found helpful.Certificate in CBT September – December 2009 CBT Case Study Panic/Social Phobia/OCD WORD COUNT 3,400 References APA (1994). Diagnostic Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Revised, 4th edn. Washington, DC: American Psychiatric Association Padesky, C. A & Greenberger, D. (1995). Clinicians Guide to Mind Over Mood. New York: Guilford Padesky, C. A & Greenberger, D. (1995). Mind Over Mood. New York: Guilford Wells, A (1997). Cognitive Therapy of Anxiety Disorders. Chichester, UK: Wiley

The Between Mind And Body - 1056 Words

There is no real answer for the question about if mind and body are the same or different, a person is made of mind and body and the both have different characteristics. Rene Descartes asked the question what am I. he gives and answer to the question by saying he is a thinking thig, if the body and mind are different from one other, mind can also continue with no body because it is not import for what he is. Moreover body is breakable and extender and mind is not breakable and non-extended, that is a reason they are different in nature. Rene Descartes settled the metaphysical differences between the body and mind, but he also have to think about the relationship between mind and body. Mind and body are two different substances with many properties. Moreover the mind and body communicate, its and everyday experience, the actions that we do every day is from our thoughts. The relationship between the body and mind is much more close and special, it cannot be regenerated with any other physical substances. When anywhere in the body is wounded we feel pain and tries to not get injured again. Desires and thoughts have a connection with how the body behaves but the mind is able to take control of the body Descartes assumes that if it is possible to conceive of one thing without the other, then those two things are not identical. The self is not a body, it’s not a physical thing without a body. He also argues that we can conceive of ourselves as existing. Thinking isShow MoreRelatedRelationship Between Mind And Body929 Words   |  4 PagesIn philosophy, Mind–body dualism is any theory that states that the mind and body are two distinct kinds of substances or natures. The problem of the relationship of the mind to body arose from the works of Renà © Descartes, a French philosopher and mathematician of the 17th-century who gave dualism its classical formulation or made it to be what it is today. Conceived from his famous â€Å"Cogito, ergo sum† (Latin) meaning â€Å"I think, therefore I am,† he developed a theory of the mind as a nontangible andRead MoreA Conversation Between Mind And Body1288 Words   |  6 Pagesin ones own mind. However in 65b Socrates states that in the search for knowledge, the body is not an ally but actually an obstacle, and that senses are never clear and cannot be trusted. However the body is the mean in which our mind obtains knowledge. Without the acquisition of senses as well as human interaction the mind is useless. The same goes to say that without a sound mind, the body itself is nothing more than a vegetable. 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Just as some people believe that meditation can clarify or synchronize the mind and body, my work is a process that symbolically expresses trauma, disease, and death, beyond what is apparent from a physical body, bringing about a similar synchronization. Recently, I have been exploring Francisco J. VarelasRead MoreThe Relationship between Mind and Body1005 Words   |  4 PagesThe relationship between mind and body seems like an important key to understand more about whether a person has a mental state or not. Many philosophers have developed many branches of philosophy to study the nature of mind and its relationship to body. From the conversation, the doctors’ positions actually represent one of the branches when they are discussing the mental states of the patient. Each branch has their own defenses. In the following paragraphs, I will argue that it is more reasonableRead MoreThe Complex Relationship Between Body And Mind1729 Words   |  7 Pagescomplex relationship between body and mind is a delicate one, for both systems work together by providing sustenance for one another. The brain is responsible for sending messages to the body by deciding what the body needs and dictating how the body should act upon these said n eeds. On the other hand, the body is held accountable to provide the brain with adequate energy in order for the brain to perform basic cognitive functions. For example, when one consumes breakfast, the body uses the process ofRead MoreDescartes on the Distinction Between Body and Mind1181 Words   |  5 PagesCourse Date Descartes Premise for Distinguishing Body and Mind In the Meditations on First Philosophy, Descartes discusses the nature of the body and mind. By drawing from three lines of thought, Descartes launches a powerful premise that the body is something distinct from the mind. He conceptualizes his argument by using the uncertainty of knowledge argument, appealing to God’s omnipotence, and describing the indivisibility of the body and mind. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to discussRead MoreTheoretical Relationship Between The Mind Body1193 Words   |  5 PagesAccording to different theories; the human mind and body may or may not have a correlation. In other words, there are explanations that concur that the mind and the body have a relationship of some kind. Yet there are other explanations that may disagreed and appose the fact that there is such an idea of the mind and body correlation. In this paper I will discuss the history of theories regarding the relationship between mind and body, as well as my understanding o f this relationship. I will alsoRead MoreThe Distinction between Mind and Body Essay605 Words   |  3 Pagesdistinction between the physical world, and the non-physical world. Within Descartes Meditations, he explains the fundamental differences between the mind and the physical world. The distinction is that matter is an unthinking, doubtable, and extended substance, meaning it extends in space. Whereas the soul is a thinking and unextended substance that cannot be doubted. My thoughts do not take up space, do not have a mass, and cannot be divided, unlike matter. Descartes concludes that mind and body areRead MoreDescartes: Relationship Between Mind and Body922 Words   |  4 PagesReal Distinction between the Mind and Body†, one important thing Descartes explores is the relationship between the mind and body. Descartes believes the mind and body are separated and they are two difference substances. He believes this to be clearly and distinctly true which is a Cartesian quality for true knowledge. I, on the other hand, disagree that the mind and body are separate and that the mind can exist without the body. First, I will present Descartes positi on on mind/body dualism and his