Referent Power Examples

Executive Summary There are five main sources of power and these include; coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power and referent power. This paper focuses on referent power only. Leaders who have referent power are in a position to influence their followers and this is because, the followers trust and admire them and also desire to be like them.Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Referent Power: Examples specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Acquisition of referent power is realized by a leader who has extremely strong â€Å"interpersonal relationship† skills. The leaders that have referent power engage in showing respect for other people. By looking for ways to serve and have a common ground, these leaders are able to connect with other people. Such people as Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Mother Theresa are found to be among the leaders that had high levels of referent power. Cons idering Martin Luther King, it is found out that, his experience as a â€Å"socio-political thinker† and also as a writer, enabled him to play a leadership role. The unique position that this leader maintains in history offers him lifelong referent power. Nations across the world engage in international negotiations. The governments of these nations understand how imperative it is to send individuals who are found to possess referent power, to go and take part in negotiations. People with referent power have the necessary skills and knowledge that can enable them to make negotiations to be fruitful. Further more, it is also important for the business managers to get to understand sources of influence and power. This is for the reason that, they have to rely on the cooperation of employees for them to perform their management activities effectively. The managers that portray strength do not just put their dependence on authority, but they as well utilize leadership skills they have for them to receive the highest level of output from the employees. Managers who have referent power are able to influence employees in order for them to be motivated and work effectively to increase productivity and improve customer satisfaction Introduction Power is found to be a very important part of our society. Power can be either be social or political, or even physical. Basically, power originates from authority that can, either positively or negatively, influence people. According to French and Raven (1959), there are five main forms of power and these include; coercive power, reward power, legitimate power, expert power and referent power (French and Raven, 1959). The focus of this paper will be on referent power. This form of power is normally referred to as â€Å"charisma or a personality that makes subordinates want to follow† (Fiore, 2004, p.12). In this paper, a literature review on referent power is going to be presented and this will be followed by the findings section. The paper will end with a conclusion section in which a summary of the main ideas in the discussion will be presented.Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Literature Review According to Coon (2007), there are several authors who have written about Leadership, and James Macgregor is one of them. This author points out that, not every person that has power is able to demonstrate leadership; but on the other hand, all leaders have power (Coon, 2007). However, the issue that comes in is in regard to how power can be utilized to offer support to the leaders’ efforts in order to realize a positive influence on their own lives as well as on the lives of other people (Coon, 2007). This issue can be resolved by using referent power. Five forms of power were outlined by John French and Bertram Raven in the year 1959 and among these, one of them was referent power (French Raven, 1959). Referent power is found to exist in a situation where followers hold their leader in high esteem, identify themselves with him or her and they are very much willing to follow him or her. This form of power comes into play â€Å"when the essence and the character of the leader are attractive to those who would follow† (Coon, 2007, p.1). Among the scholars, there are those who hold a belief that only public figures as well as celebrities possess referent power. However, the fundamental principles are entrenched in the daily action that each and every person carries out (Coon, 2007). The leaders that have referent power engage in demonstrating respect for other people and they also respect the personal value of an individual (Coon, 2007). By looking for ways to serve and have a common ground, these leaders are able to connect with other people, not considering the differences or similarities that they may have with the people. Moreover, leaders that have r eferent power are always willing to be accountable and engage in mentoring those whom they lead. Therefore, â€Å"by respecting, serving, and mentoring, referent power can be developed† (Coon, 2007, p.1). Referent power is acquired by that leader who has very strong â€Å"interpersonal relationship skills† (Thomas, 2002, p.5). A list of ways through which a leader may gain and be able to maintain referent power is presented by Yukl (2002). The first way is by a leader showing acceptance and positive consideration. Moreover, a leader has to act in a supportive and helpful way and should also use â€Å"sincere form of ingratiation† (Yukl, 2002, p.150). Moreover, for a leader to acquire referent power, he or she should engage in defending people and supporting them when necessary. He should also do voluntary favors and engage in making self-sacrifices to exhibit the concern that he or she has. In addition, for a leader to gain referent power, he or she should be ab le to keep the promises he or she makes to the followers (Yukl, 2002).Advertising We will write a custom essay sample on Referent Power: Examples specifically for you for only $16.05 $11/page Learn More Caring for other people in a genuine manner serves to build referent power. Gaining and also maintaining referent power â€Å"requires more than flattery, favors, and charm; ultimately it depends on the leader’s character and integrity† (Yukl, 2002, p.150). Referent power matches with the â€Å"leader-follower† relationship’s strength (Yukl, 2002). Taking the case in an organization’s setting, the source of referent power is found to lie in the respect that the employees have for a manager and their aspiration to try to be like the manager or identify themselves with him or her. This kind of power is greatly based on trust. In most cases, it influences the employees, especially those who have awareness that they are â⠂¬Å"modeling their behavior on that of the manager and using what they presume he or she would do in such a situation as a point of reference† (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012, p.1). It may take some time for this type of power to develop and this implies that, the referent power may not be found to be effective in a situation where there is a high personnel turnover (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012). There are some errors that are made in applying referent power, especially in the cross-cultural settings. For instance, such errors may come in misunderstanding the manner in which the â€Å"employees identify with their superiors† (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012, p.1). Since employees identifying themselves with their leaders, in the United States of America, this is hindered by the legitimate power symbols such as dress and titles. Those who support the use of referent power recommend that the m anagers should engage in dressing in the same manner as the employees and make use of such terms as â€Å"facilitator† or â€Å"coach† instead of using such intimidating terms as â€Å"boss† or â€Å"subordinates† (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012). Findings It has been found out that, the leaders that have referent power have a personality which attracts respect and followers are pulled towards them. Moreover, it has been found out that referent power may come out from the relationship that the leader may be having with another powerful person in the organization (Fiore, 2004). For instance, taking the case of a school setting, there are some deputy principals that may have referent power. This follows the perception that the members of staff have, that the deputy principals have a close relationship with the principals and they often carry out duties on behalf of the principals. People like Martin Luther King Jr., John F. Kennedy and Mother Theresa among others, are found to be individuals that had high levels of referent power (Fiore, 2004).Advertising Looking for essay on business economics? Let's see if we can help you! Get your first paper with 15% OFF Learn More Taking the case of Martin Luther King Jr., this leader â€Å"connected to transcendental and moral power of great spiritual teacher†(â€Å" Martin Luther King†, n.d, p.1). He convened meetings and engaged in influencing the national policy. As on one hand he did not â€Å"hold office in the sense of French and Raven’s legitimate power† (â€Å"Martin Luther King†, n.d, p.1), on the other hand, he had the referent power that he used to bring an influence on the American political process. The experience he had as a â€Å"socio-political thinker† as well as a writer enabled him to play a leadership role. The unique position that Martin Luther King Jr. maintains in history â€Å"gives him continuing referent power†(â€Å"Martin Luther King†, n.d, p.1). True charismatic individuals are those that have a distinctive mix of â€Å"physical traits, speech, mannerisms and self-confidence† (â€Å"Referent power information experti se†, 2012, p.1). These people have the capacity to influence a large number of people through their actions. Referent power is found to be a form of power that is normally considered as being one of the most effective in the process of negotiations. The governments that engage in international negotiations have the knowledge about how important it is to send individuals who have special referent power qualities, to go and take part in negations on these government’s behalf. In case referent power is not used well by those engaging in negotiations, the outcome could bring about a great level of mistrust. Referent power is rarely linked to negative tactics of any form, and this is for the reason that people who have enough referent power will mostly look for ways to come up with agreements which could favor the two parties to avoid having one party losing because this could make these leaders to lose the attractiveness they have to the people (â€Å"Referent power inform ation expertise†, 2012). Personal uprightness of the people who are engaging in a negotiation forms a stable base for having a level ground in the negotiation. A large number of people who engage in negotiations use the parties’ integrity as well as the established â€Å"relationship between individuals as the strongest bond that exists between negotiating parties† (â€Å"Referent power information expertise†, 2012, p.1). That bond that originates from the integrity they have gives encouragement to the parties to engage in finding solutions for whatever conflict that may come up (â€Å"Referent power information expertise†, 2012). It has also been found out that, in such countries as Mexico and Argentina, the legitimate power symbols may not actually hinder identification but on the other hand, in a country like the United States, the â€Å"American-style egalitariasm† may serve to lessen the employee’s respect for their leader or mana ger (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012). In other words, the employees in the United States are more likely to engage in identifying themselves with their manager by having a personal liking for the manager and having a feeling of being liked back. But on the other hand, the employees in Mexico as well as in Argentina have high likelihood of engaging in identifying themselves with their managers by having respect for them and having a feeling of being respected back. This implies that referent power may vary much across cultures as compared to other forms of power. Imberman (2005) describes the way in which specialized training is currently utilized within the grocery industry to offer training to the Latino immigrants â€Å"in the democratic supervisory techniques of U.S managers† (Imberman, 2005, p.267). Earlier, when these people received promotion and acquired the supervisor positions, they seemed to be very much depend on the â€Å"Latino model of authoritarianism under which they were raised† (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012, p.1). This kind of administrative approach held back their capacity to supervise the employees in an effective manner or to receive the respect they were looking for from the employees. In order to save this situation, an initiative was taken which involved coming up with training programs. This resulted in having supervisors that were confident and also effective, and employees that were motivated. This increased productivity and improved customer service (â€Å"Leadership styles and bases of power†, 2012, p.1). It is imperative for managers to have knowledge about sources of power as well as influence because they have to depend on the employee cooperation for them to be successful in their management activities. The managers that portray strength do not just put their dependence on authority, but they as well utilize leadership skills they have in order to recei ve the highest level of output from the employees. Among the five forms of power presented by French and Raven (1959), referent power tend to be a form of power that is most influential and which is affected least by change (Argenti, 2002). For instance, as Argenti (2002) points out, it is found out that coercive power depends on a person’s rank within the organizational hierarchy and the reward power is effective only on condition that followers value the rewards given to them. Moreover, legitimate power depends on a person’s rank in the organization’s hierarchy and it is pointed out that the events that took place recently like â€Å"white-collar downsizing† have given an indication of how rapidly that can be changed for whatever management level (Argenti, 2002). Considering expert power, this form of power lasts only on condition that no any other person knows as much as one who possesses this power does. It is only referent power that tends to be main tainable (Argenti, 2002). Moreover, Gilbert Fairholm points out that â€Å"the authority of managers is often more a function of their personalities and personal charisma than is of their official positions† (Fairholm, 2001, p.iv). This does not imply that managers do not need to have recognized authority. However, as it is pointed out by Locke (1986), bringing together referent power and authority can facilitate creation of remarkable influence on the followers or employees. The prospect of having greater influence ignites the aspiration to have clear knowledge about referent power; how this form of power can be acquired, its effects on performance and what the risks associated with its use are. Conclusion Referent power is found to be a very important form of power in our society. For instance, leaders who have referent power are able to influence people, such as employees in organizations, for them to be motivated and work effectively to increase productivity and improve c ustomer satisfaction. Referent power may also be used in negotiations in order to reach a consensus or it can also be used to influence a country’s political process positively. In general terms, our society needs leaders that have referent power to effectively deal with issues that affect us, since it is only this form of power that tends to be maintainable. References Argenti, P. A. (2002). The fast forward MBA pocket reference. New York, N.Y: John Wiley Sons. Coon, D. W. (2007). Creating referent power in your own life. Web. Fairholm, G. W. (2001). Mastering Inner Leadership. West Port, CT: Quorum Books. Fiore, D.   J. (2004).  Introduction to Ed. Admin: Standards, theories, and practice. New York, N.Y: Eye on Education. French, J. P. R. Raven, B. (1959). The Bases of Social Power. Michigan, MI: University of Michigan Press, 1959. Imberman, W. (2005). Managing the Managers. Progressive Grocer, 84(3),267. Leadership styles and bases of power, (2012). Web. Locke, E. A. (1986). Toward a Theory of Task Performance and Incentive. Organizational Behavior and Human Performance, 3(2), 157-189 Martin Luther King – Time power and agency. Web. Referent power information expertise, (2012). Web. Thomas, C. J. (2002). Leadership effectiveness of referent power as a distinction of personal power. Web. Yukl, G. (2002). Leadership in Organizations. Upper Saddle River, N.J: Prentice-Hall. This essay on Referent Power: Examples was written and submitted by user Savanna Riley to help you with your own studies. You are free to use it for research and reference purposes in order to write your own paper; however, you must cite it accordingly. You can donate your paper here.

Guidelines for Using Double Possessives in English

Guidelines for Using Double Possessives in English Take a good look at the following sentence: Natsaha is a friend of Joans and a client of Marlowes. If this sentence strikes you as extremely possessive, youre on the right track. The combination of the preposition of and a possessive form- either a noun ending in -s or a possessive pronoun- is called a double genitive (or double possessive). And while it may appear overly possessive, the construction has been around for centuries and its perfectly correct. British novelist Henry Fielding used the double genitive in A Journey From This World to the Next (1749): At seven years old I was carried into France . . . , where I lived with a person of quality, who was an acquaintance of my fathers. Youll also find it in Anne Brontà «s second (and final) novel: Shortly after, they both came up, and she introduced him as Mr. Huntingdon, the son of a late friend of my uncles.(The Tenant of Wildfell Hall, 1848) American writer Stephen Crane slipped a double genitive into one of his short stories: Oh, just a toy of the childs, explained the mother. Shes grown so fond of it, she loves it so.(The Stove, in Whilomville Stories, 1900) And in a recent novel, author Bil Wright doubled up on the construction: Hed already proved he was a liar. And he had a girlfriend even though he wasnt divorced. No, not a monster. But definitely an enemy of my mothers and mine.(When the Black Girl Sings, 2008) As these examples demonstrate, the double genitive is generally used for emphasis or clarification when the possessor is human. But watch out. If you stare at it too long, you may convince yourself that youve found a mistake. Apparently thats what happened to one of the original language mavens, James Buchanan. Back in 1767, he tried to outlaw the double genitive: Of being the sign of the Genitive Case, we cannot put it before a Noun with (s) for this is making two Genitives.(A Regular English Syntax) Keep in mind, as pointed out in Merriam-Websters Dictionary of English Usage, that the 18th-century grammarians simply had a horror of anything double, because such constructions did not occur in Latin. But this is English, of course, not Latin, and despite its apparent redundancy, the double genitive is a well-established idiom- a functional part of the language dating back to Middle English. As Theodore Bernstein says in Miss Thistlebottoms Hobgoblins (1971), the double genitive is of long standing, idiomatic, useful and here to stay. Finally, consider Martin Endleys demonstration of how the double genitive can be used to draw distinctions: (59a) I saw a statue of Queen Victoria in the park.(59b) I saw a statue of Queen Victorias in the park.Sentence (59a) can only mean that the speaker saw a statue depicting the great British monarch. On the other hand, the double genitive in (59b) would most naturally be understood to mean that the speaker saw a statue that once belonged to Queen Victoria but which depicted someone else.(Linguistic Perspectives on English Grammar, 2010) All the same, if the double genitive troubles you, just follow the example of linguists Rodney Huddleston and Geoffrey Pullum and call it something else: The oblique genitive construction is commonly referred to as the double genitive. . . . [H]owever, we do not regard of as a genitive case marker, and hence there is only one genitive here, not two (The Cambridge Grammar of the English Language, 2002).

Human Behavior and the Environment Seminar UNIT 6 Research Paper

Human Behavior and the Environment Seminar UNIT 6 - Research Paper Example Nevertheless, the risk before such success is very thin. In other words, the study has ended into a conclusion that children with divorced parents stood either in a normal life or in a rebellious life. For example, a child, who had seen his or her parents within a marital conflict, has a tendency to lead a life under financial insecurities, failure in academic aspect, alcohol, cigarettes, and unemployment. Moreover, McLanahan would eventually point out the economic instability of households facing divorce as one of the main contributors of the adjustment deficiency of a child. In other words, the study claims that rebellious children are neither the cause nor reason of marital conflicts; rather, there is a huge possibility that 8 out of 10 rebellious children were products of marital conflicts. With such gravity of the consequences of marital conflicts, teenagers must be given value and a lot of understanding within their family and institutions they are into. Basically, most of their time when classes start was being spent in schools. During summer, holidays, or other vacations, most of their time was being spent together with their family. These times are very crucial and delicate. Hence, these moments must never be put to waste. In other words, these times will be beneficial if parents and institutions will put it in good use. Otherwise, such moments of development will pass by without emotional or psychological positive effects to the children. A lot of resources and studies were made in order to use such delicate time towards the development of each and every child. A lot of experts, such as the APA President Dr. Norine Johnson, have invited every parent to take time in reading various brochures that are full of information. Such information includes topics about adolescence, peers, self-esteem, sexuality, moods, preventing rebellion, and a lot more. These resources must be taken advantage in order to guide teenagers nowadays.

Parents Role in Our Life Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Parents Role in Our Life - Essay Example It is on the basis of these points of view that early American kindergartens normally involved parents in nursery activities including participation in clubs inside the school. (Grolier Encyclopedia of Knowledge [1999] [Vol.15 p.202], United States of America; Grolier, Inc.) In the literary memoir "In this Boy's Life", the arguments that support parental persuasions in the upbringing of a child are clearly evident. The son (Toby who later on became Jack) is bitter because the mother is bitter. There is hatred in the heart of the young because there is hatred in the heart of the old. And as far as concerning the father who left the home, the abandonment had created a strong rebellion inside the forsaken son. This went to the extent of a change of name to forget the runaway parent. Going back to the mother who resorted to finding some luck in quick solutions to get rich possibly in retaliation to what her estranged husband did, the son was there overly eager to help the isolated and lonely mama. This is validated by the child's account of his fondness toward the mother when he recalled that "for the rest of the day, she kept looking over at me, touching me, brushing back my hair" (Wolff 4) and of his sharing in her dreams when he observed that he "was caught up in my mother's freedom, her delight in her freedom, her dreams of transformation" (Wolff 5). Another man later came into the life of Jack's mother. But while the stepfather gave some comfort and company to the duo, the young boy was not totally convinced to believe in the offered help of the stranger. The journey about the mother and son hopping from place to place also demonstrated the negative effects of the unstable pursuits. We later see the son himself without firm convictions and controlled personal dispositions. In his juvenile years, he pretended to be obedient but he was not. He pretended to be a fine gentleman yet he was rough. His attempts were shown by the multi-paged letters which he sent to a pen friend. The number of pages only meant how much he yearned to prove to the world that he was not what he actually was. He pretended to be a rich fellow or tried to be so. When he did this, he was just actually following into the footsteps of his poor mother who tried to do all the best she could, bad or good, to give herself and her son a certain level of success. Unfortunately, everything was in vain. In sum, children become what they are on the foundations that were inculcated into their minds during the early stages of life. At this period, whatever observations impressed on the youth will leave lasting marks. Toby or Jack in the story, for example, was told by his mother of tales of fame and wealth in her own childhood. As he grew, the son became obsessed by the imagination of affluence or the ambition to gain fortune, no matter how to. The imprint on the youthful mind almost always comes from the parents. This is logically so because of the physical association that starts from birth. Except in unusual cases like adoption, the bonding of parent and child is solidly built and developed in the passing of time. In the case of Jack, he stayed on with his mother, although this did not appear to be his own choice. Their day-to-day encounters were thus inevitably present, in sad or happy moments and under great challenges or

Electronic and Digital Media Industry Assignment

Electronic and Digital Media Industry - Assignment Example One of the historical and contemporary roles the media plays is it acts as a surveillance for the society. Media broadcasts and passes down information about the happening s in the society including any threats hence making people make counterplans. In the past, media played a role of educating the public about ethics but the issue is not so pronounced in the contemporary times. The media in the brink of company competitions in this contemporary times acts as a marketing channel where companies advertise their products in the different media forms hence making their consumers aware of the different products. They also participate in social awareness campaigns, political campaigns and other forms of campaigns aimed at teaching the society.Photography before the 1960s was not electronic but used chemicals and hence the quality of the image was questionable. The contemporary times however have led to photography becoming digital and the images clearer and hence lowering the cost of phot ography in general and even the cost of purchasing the cameras that are consumer friendly. Recording has also moved from use of gramophones and other cylinder devices to the crystalline CDs, cassette tapes and to now DVDs and iPods among others. Transmission of the radio waves has also evolved from the use of multiple channels and relying on cable transmission that were RF-based to the current use of fiber optic cables.The mass media uses the transmission, photography and recording for purposes of marketing.

Palliative care: Clinical experience

Palliative care: Clinical experience The purpose of this assignment is to reflect on a clinical experience in palliative care and demonstrate the knowledge and skills associated with this. The symptoms, symptom management and government guidelines and standards will also be discussed in relation to how this will impact the care of the patients who are experiencing life threatening illnesses. This will be achieved through using Gibbs (1988) model of reflection. I chose this model of reflection because it is clear and cyclical model which allows the reflector to revisit the same problem and also to examine my practice which will help me to develop and improve in the future. Description As an adult nursing student, I will be reflecting on an experience with a patient who was receiving palliative care that I encountered during my community placement. The patient received palliative care and required management of symptoms to help maintain their quality of life for the patient and their family. This involved a patient, who will be named Mr. Jones for confidentiality reasons. Mr. Jones was an elderly patient who had been diagnosed with bowel cancer along with liver metastases, the cancer was in the advanced stages. Mr. Jones was being cared for at home by his wife and carers who visited him at home twice a day to help with getting him up, washing and dressing and helping him back to bed. The district nursing team also visited him on a regular basis. When meeting with the patient his main concern was his pain control and available options which he would be able to receive to manage this. Feelings Initially when I heard about the diagnosis I was intrigued and wanted to find out more about the patient and their condition. When I met the patient I felt sympathetic towards him and the family and upon discussion he revealed that he felt like ‘giving up and ‘ending it all. A mixture of thoughts entered my mind, although I could understand why he would want to give up, the only reason was because he was worried about the pain he was starting to experience. When the nurse and I discussed the pain control options he appeared to be more positive about the situation and apologized for what he had said. On reflection it was a positive experience as it allowed me to see how people cope differently with terminal conditions, and the impact it has on the family and carers. Evaluation During this experience I thought that the nursing team had built a good professional relationship with the patient and their family. The patient had plenty of time to discuss any concerns or issues that he had .The issues discussed such as symptom management were all assessed and prioritized well; how the patient is feeling is important and needs to be taken into consideration. This would also need to be discussed with his wife alone, to find out how she is feeling and to offer her support. When discussed further, the feelings of ‘giving up related to his pain management. This is why the Visual Analogue Scale was used for a couple of weeks to monitor the progression of his pain (Crichton 2001). I found the tool to be beneficial for effective management of pain because it was a good indicator as to when we would need to adjust his analgesia using the World Health Organization (WHO) analgesic ladder (WHO, 2005). This aims to give the correct drug, correct dose, given at the corre ct time and proves to be inexpensive and 80-90% effective (WHO, 2005). This ensured the patient was in the least amount of pain which enabled them to carry on with activities of daily living. Analysis The World Health Organization (1990) has defined palliative care as: â€Å"The active total care of patients whose disease is not responsive to curative treatment. Control of pain, of other symptoms, and of psychological, social and spiritual problems is paramount. The goal of palliative care is the achievement of the best quality of life for patients and their families.† Caring for those receiving palliative care in the community during the end stages of life requires an extraordinary commitment from the nursing team, not only human resource but also competence, compassion and focus in anticipating the needs of the patient and family. It is a complex activity involving a holistic approach, building relationships together with expert professional skills and decision making processes (Melvin 2003). As well as pain, other common symptoms during advanced cancer are nausea and vomiting, with rates ranging from 50-60% (Kearney and Richardson, 2006). It is important to treat the reversible causes of nausea and vomiting before resorting to antiemetics. This can be achieved by appropriate assessment and documentation of symptoms which evaluate the effect of treatment given and can be completed and reviewed quickly to utilize less patient energy and nursing time (Kearney and Richardson, 2006). Cancer patients also experience psychological or affective symptoms of fatigue which include lack of energy and motivation, depression, sadness and anxiety, the sense of willpower and ‘fighting spirit is often lacking and personal resources that have usually kept a person going in the past are ineffective (Juenger, 2002). Fatigue can take away the ability to do things that the patient and family want to do or need to do. The control over life events reduces, further affecting the persons qu ality of life. An essential part of nursing care for fatigue includes returning some of that control. Giving information can be a positive way to do this. Nurses can explain that the person is not alone in the experience as fatigue is an expected occurrence in advanced cancer and discuss the causes of fatigue, effects and side effects of treatment and the impact of stress and depression, this will help the patient to manage the fatigue more effectively (Porock, 2003). Mr. Jones was prescribed oral slow-release Morphine Sulphate for his pain, however he was beginning to experience break through pain, nausea and vomiting which was making it difficult for him to take his morphine. We suggested he kept a record of his pain over a couple of weeks using a visual analogue scale (VAS). When we visited him again we were able to use the VAS to assess his pain and make changes to analgesia as appropriate using the analgesic ladder. From the assessment it was appropriate to increase his analgesia to step 3 of the analgesic ladder (WHO, 2005). A syringe driver was prescribed to administer morphine and an antiemetic over a 24 hour period which could be increased or decreased as required. Providing drug compatibilities have been checked, a combination of three drugs can usually be administered safely with the advantage that vomiting will not affect absorption, as it is given subcutaneously and the gut is not involved (Thompson, 2004). Although using a syringe dr iver improves symptom management with minimal inconvenience, complications can arise and nurses should be able to recognize these quickly and solve the problems efficiently (Lugton, 2002). The disadvantages of using this equipment is the painful injection site, infection risks and infusion rate problems (Thompson, 2004). Mr. Jones commented on ‘giving up and after further discussion, we found this related to his pain. Evidence shows that there is a link between chronic pain and depression as they share similar physiological pathways, whilst social and psychological factors appear to affect the severity of it and when they co-exist the severity of both conditions appears to worsen (Gray, 2001). Ineffective management of psychiatric disorders can be caused by failure to recognize, diagnose and treat appropriately in palliative care settings with 50% of psychiatric disorders being undetected (Payne et al, 2007). Patients with cancer should have access to appropriate psychological support and should be assessed regularly by trained professionals as recommended by National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE, 2004). Many people may wish to try complementary and alternative medicines to improve symptoms of their cancer, the reason being many feel dissatisfied with conventional medicine and feel the desire to experience holistic health care for symptomatic relief with a sense of well being (Nayak et al 2003). Auricular acupuncture (acupuncture to the ear), therapeutic touch, and hypnosis may help to manage cancer pain, whilst music therapy, massage, and hypnosis may have an effect on anxiety, and both acupuncture and massage may have a therapeutic role in cancer fatigue (Mansky and Wallerstedt 2006). However there is a lack of evidence to support that complementary and alternative medicine treatments are effective, the risks associated with them are unknown and can potentially be harmful. There has been increasing concern with the use of botanicals and dietary supplements by cancer patients because of the potential interaction between them and prescription drugs (Mansky and Wallerstedt 2006). During this experience, I realised just how important communication is, not only in this situation, but any situation that includes the patient, relatives, carers and multi-disciplinary team. Communication is an essential part of good nursing practice and forms the basis for building a trusting relationship that will greatly improve care and help to reduce anxiety and stress for patients, their relatives and carers (NMC 2008). Groogan (1999) acknowledges that communication is not something that people to do one another, but it is a process in which they can create a relationship by interacting with each other. From Mr. Jones perspective, patient-focused communication can be the most important aspect of treatment, due to its capacity to exacerbate or relieve the fear that often accompanies cancer, with evidence of effective communication resulting in decreased anxiety, greater coping ability and adherence to treatment (Dickson 1999). Communication can be divided into three types; cogn itive, emotional and spiritual. Cognitive communication involves the giving and receiving of information, emotional communication involves the feeling and expression of psychological responses and spiritual communication involves the expression and feeling of thoughts relating to existing issues beyond the person (Fallowfield Jenkins 1999). When speaking with Mr. Jones and his family the language used was clear and easy to understand. Stress, emotions and fatigue that accompany a terminal illness make it necessary for the information to be repeated to ensure the patient and family have absorbed it and feel reassured (Latimer 2000). Mr. Jones was given enough time to discuss his concerns and issues without feeling like he had a limited period or that the nurses had many other patients to see, however, what often matters is the quality of interaction rather than the length of time. Giving a few moments of time which are totally focused on the patients communication needs can often limit the amount of time spent communicating later when further explanation or clarification is needed (Faull et al, 2005). Mallet and Dougherty (2000) suggested that patients tend to be more dissatisfied with poor communication than with any other aspect of their care and concluded ineffective communication continues to be a major issue in health care. The Department of Health has produced the End of Life Care Strategy (DoH 2008) which promotes high quality care for all adults at the end of life which is the first for the United Kingdom and covers adults in England. Its aim is to provide people approaching the end of life with more choice about where they would like to live and die. In addition, the Macmillan Gold Standards Framework (2003) is another way of combining many different practices. The framework includes 7 Gold Standards which relate to key aspects of care, and guidelines for best practice on teamwork and continuity of care, advanced planning, symptom control and support for patients and their carers. Primary Health Care Teams who join the programme are guided and supported through a combination of workshops, resource materials and networking (Macmillan Cancer Relief 2003). In place is also the NICE clinical guidance on supportive and palliative care (NICE 2004) which advises those who develop and deliver cancer service s for adults with cancer about what is needed to make sure that patients, their families and carers, are well informed, cared for and supported. These initiatives had a positive impact on Mr. Jones as the nurses were able to use these guidelines to offer Mr. Jones the best care suited for him and he was then able to make informed decisions regarding the care he would like to receive. These initiatives also have a positive impact on health care professionals as they are supported and encouraged to improve their knowledge through workshops and resource materials. Action Plan/Conclusion My reflection of this experience has taught me how complex it is caring for someone receiving palliative care. It requires a holistic approach to ensure the patient and the family receive the best possible care in accordance with the guidelines and standards, in which they must remain empowered and make informed choices regarding their care and treatment with the help of health care professionals. I now understand how complicated symptom management can be; cancer patients experience many symptoms from their condition and also side effects from their medication. Assessments are vital to ensure the appropriate treatment and management of symptoms. The importance of communication has been brought to my attention once again, in my future nursing practice I will focus on my communication skills as this is an essential part of good nursing practice and plays a vital role in palliative care. Although this was an upsetting experience it has also been a positive one as this will affect my fut ure nursing practice a great deal as I have gained vital skills to look after those receiving palliative care and I am now aware of the various strategies and frameworks in place to ensure patients and families receive a high standard of care.

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Essay -- Epic Gilgamesh

Love and Death in The Epic of Gilgamesh Abstract: The most interesting stories invariably are about love and death. These two themes underlie the Epic of Gilgamesh, a mythic tale of the quest for immortality. Gilgamesh, profoundly affected by the death of his friend Enkidu at the hands of the gods, questions the injustice of life. Finding no answer, he of course tries to change—indeed, eliminate—the question by seeking immortality. The following essay examines Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s relationship, and the effect of Enkidu’s death on Gilgamesh. Gilgamesh’s failure in the end attests the intertwining of love and death in a relationship. Woody Allen once stated, â€Å"It’s not that I’m afraid to die. I just don’t want to be there when it happens.† Even the most stout-hearted soul would admit the truth of that statement. Death—like life—is a mystery. It is also a test. Acting as an immutable deadline, death forces us to confront its inevitable reality. But not everyone deals with it in the same way. Those who lack the strength to cope are consigned to a life of unconquerable fear and insecurity and are the stuff of tragedy. Others, however, do succeed in attaining a measure of immortality, though the journey is long and difficult. These are the culture-makers of society: its painters, composers, and poets. Their common link is the warrior spirit, the part of them that struggles, succeeds...and struggles some more. The Epic of Gilgamesh reflects this spirit of the warrior. Although Enkidu’s death indicates that mortals seemingly are at the mercy of the gods and death is inevitable, Gilgamesh nonetheless embarks on a quest for godhood: Enkidu has to die so Gilgamesh can live. Gilgamesh and Enkidu’s friendship prefigures G... ...venture onto the stone walls of Uruk. The irony is that the story is about his failure rather than success. His quest started when he realized â€Å"[he had] not established [his] name stamped on bricks as...destiny decreed† (70). He presumably thought his story would be one success after another, victories of strength and fury. How ironic that his tale is of the failure to find immortality, a quest prompted by Enkidu’s death. But as irony takes another twist, his failure is also a success. Gilgamesh learns, one presumes, that although death inevitably comes, one must attempt to foil its icy grasp. That is why Enkidu must die for Gilgamesh to live: his death launches Gilgamesh toward a hopeless task, one that results in a valuable lesson set in stone for all to see. And the stone still stands. Reference The Epic of Gilgamesh. London: Penguin Books, 1972.