Concept of suicide

Concept of suicide 1.0 Concept of Suicide 1.1 Background Sir Thomas Browned originates the word suicide in 1642 in his Religio Medici. It was derived from SUI (of oneself) and CAEDES (murder).since then, this word has caused much controversy and evoked many professionals to continuous research and debate upon its definition in various ways from every aspects: medical, social, psychological, administrative, legal, spiritual and religious purposes.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Suicide is no longer uncommon in the society and every day, there are people from many walks of life living under the same roof without us knowing what problems they are plagued with. Back centuries, suicide was a taboo subject to be discussed and yet, many are engaged in such behavior although it is believed that most suicide cases are unreported. To some, suicidal actions are glorified especially to cults and religion purposes. As time progresses, the mentality of the society changes along with time and the stigma of suicide is slowly undergoing much debate and understanding. Now, suicide is regarded more of a tragedy instead of ritual because part of the reason is that the society undergoes globalization and no longer practices scarification. Even if there is a minority of tribes who endorses scarification, the groups are negligible throughout the globe. Also, suicide in this era more often is done due to personal reasons; be it mentality, spiritual etc. In 1763, the first attempt was done scientifically by Merian to understand the rationale behind suicide. It is believed that suicide was not perceived as a sin or a crime. Instead, suicide has been regarded as a disease of mankind. After the death of Jean Jacques Rousseau in 1822, which had sequentially and graphically described circumstances of his death, Farlet manages to conduct a first in-depth examination on suicide. This enables better understanding on suicide with broader perspective. A famous psychiatrist, Dr R. Gaupp, says that amongst people committing suicide they possess unique and bizarre personality traits. For the past 50 years, it is concluded by series of researches that suicide begins from the state of mind, coupled with external factors, resulting in suicide. Herein, we will look in depths of suicide amongst Malaysian school students. 1.2 Definition A suicide idea is when one thought of ending ones own life. One thing leads to another, suicide ideas often leads to suicidal attempt and suicidal behaviour. Suicidal behaviours are thoughts or tendencies that started off a person and put them at risk for committing suicide. Simply said, suicide is an intentional or voluntary determination to end ones life, as defined by the World Health Organization (WHO). A suicidal person often closed ones options in life, and looks at another darker side of negativity. To them, dying is a pre-requisite for the end of all sufferings. A famous sociologist, Emile Durkheim whom not only proposes the theory of functionalism but also studied on Suicide, states that: the term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result (1982, p. 110 [excerpt from Suicide]). 1.3 Description Suicide is not an uncommon issue these days and it is widely discussed in institutions although it is still condemned by the society. Much about discussing facts and truths behind this dark sentiment of life, there are common myths about suicide which we need to eradicate in order to comprehend the problem better we are able to curb this issue. When we listened to people whom talks about suicide, we assumed that these people would not do it since they are open to discussion. To include, people who are open to discussion should not be overlooked because they might also consider the options of suicide since the minds of a person is incomprehensible. In addition, the society views the troubled ones as people whom cannot be saved and are unwilling to seek help. Since they intend to commit suicide, nothing can stop him. These misconstrued assumptions are proven wrong because they are lost and sometimes hope for care and understanding. Indeed, these are individuals whom should not be segre gated. Another notion that should be avoided is that people believed that suicide indicates lack of faith in religion. This is incorrect because there are certain religions which encourage suicide in the name of faith. Thoughts and attempts of suicide as well as committing suicide are major concerns throughout the world and it is still a growing concern amongst the society. Very much obvious, most suicidal case involves adolescents and young teens. The teenage years are one of the most difficult stages in life, as identified by psychologists. Although teenagers are thought to enjoy life without worries of financial stability and mid-life crisis, suicide seems way an inconsiderable option to them since they ought to have no problems at this phase of life besides studying. But many changes in the mind which takes place during puberty can change their identity and their vulnerable self if they may have to cope with a broad range of personal and social obstacles. Since young people are so fragile, they may experience difficulty in dealing with stress. Children prior to puberty had hardly been bothered by suicidal behavior, probably due to their inability to envisage or execute a suicide plan. When puberty hits adolescence, risky psychiatric factors, such as depression and drug abuse become imminent and play a part in contributing to the causes of frequency in suicidal behaviour. Some children especially girls, view the transition from primary to middle school stressful. In addition, as one gets older parental supervision decreases, so teenagers are more likely to engage in unhealthy behavior without their parents consents. Suicide is divided into several commonly used terms to identify its symptoms and causes. Here are the descriptions provided by the World Health Organization (WHO) regarding suicidal terms that needed to be taken into account:- Suicide: a planned act of killing oneself intentionally. The act can be performed by the person with or without the full knowledge or expectation of any fatal outcome. Suicidal attempt: A medical intervention is required in this case, after the person whom intended to end his or her life committed a life-threatening act with a conscious intent. Suicidal gesture: A series of self-threatening behaviour on display, which may be detrimental or non- detrimental. Suicidal idea: The power of mind to thought or set up the process to end ones own life. Suicidal risk: The tendency of ending ones life depends on this characteristic, depending on its presence or absence. Suicidal pact: Two or more people in agreement to die concurrently by committing the act of suicide. Suicidal cluster: People who gather in groups to commit suicide together, usually for a common objective. Suicidal counters: To prevent suicide, this set of factors operates within the individual, family or society. 1.4 Facts and Figures With many reasons believed to be the causes for suicide, facts and figures of statistics below are generally shown to highlight suicide from methods of ending life in different ethnic groups (inference is drawn from analysis of data from suicidal cases from the University Malaya Medical Centre mortuary ) to why it is committed : It is estimated that 450 million people suffered from mental of behavioral disorder. Every year, close to 1 million people committed suicide and 1 in 4 families have at least a member with mental disorder. There are 25 million schizophrenic patients and 50 million who suffer from epilepsy, which About 40 million or 80% are assumed to live in developing countries Most of them lived for 33% of the years with disability are due to neuropsychiatric disorders (depression, alcohol-use disorders, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder). From 2000-2004, University Malaya Medical Centre found suicides of 164 male (65%) and 87 female (35%) victims with their ages ranging from 15 to 80 years. The age group with the highest total of cases between 21 to 30 (83 of 251; 33.1%) The highest rate of suicide was among Chinese (ethnic groups) with a total of 120 cases (120 of 251; 47.8%) by using the common method; jumping from height (41%). Whereas, Indians commonly commit suicide by hanging themselves (49 of 87) and poisoning (20 of 37; 54.1%); and Muslims had shown the lowest cases of suicide (18 of 251; 7.2%). 1.5 Types of suicide Collective tendencies have an existence of their own; they are forces as real as cosmic forces, though of another sort; they, likewise, affect the individual from without (Thompson, 1982, p. 109 [excerpt from Suicide]) To separate true suicides from accidental deaths, Durkheim proposed this definition of suicide: the term suicide is applied to all cases of death resulting directly or indirectly from a positive or negative act of the victim himself, which he knows will produce this result (1982, p. 110 [excerpt from Suicide]). Then, Durkheim proposes four types of suicide: 1) Egoistic suicide Minimal social integration allows outcasts and segregation of individuals who are not considered fit to be bounded to specific social groups. These individuals are left with little social support or guidance. Thus, tendency to commit suicide increases. For example, students especially girls in schools wanted to belong in groups or so-called cliques. Most of the times, the ones whom are shunned off are the ones to be laughed at and criticized. 2) Altruistic suicide The opposite of egoistic suicide. This type of suicide results from too much of integration. Self-sacrifice is the prominent trait and members of the group were so integrated that they lost their individuality and ever so willing to sacrifice for the groups interest. For example, black metal groups in school do underground sacrificial methods at times in their act of worshipping. 3) Anomic suicide (of moral regulation)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  When means were unable to fulfill needs, an imbalance of means and needs arise. i. Acute economic anomie Traditional institutions such as religion and government failed to practise moral restraints on a capitalist society. Hence, the ruling of private individuals to determine ones fate in life. This type of suicide does not apply in Malaysia because it is a democratic country where everyone has the equal rights to flourish in their own ability. ii. Chronic economic anomie Social regulation gradually diminishes after a revolution or urbanization. As a result, traditional social rules deteriorated. Wealth and property was not enough to make individuals happy, as was demonstrated by higher suicide rates among the wealthy than the poor. For instance, richer students gain easier access to drugs because of their high allowance making it affordable for them. Later on, usage of drug substances will lead to suicide (will be discussed later in this topic). This also explains why students in urban schools are more prone to suicide instead of rural area students. iii. Acute domestic anomie   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The inability of an individual to adapt to sudden changes in life results in this suicide. For instance, a student who could not cope the loss of his or her family members might consider suicide as an option to end the suffering. iv. Chronic domestic anomie The way marriage is seen in different regulations and needs for each gender. Bachelors tended to commit suicide at higher rates than married men because of a lack of regulation and established goals and expectations. On the other hand, bachelorettes are lower risk to commit suicide because without marriage, they are not confined to boundaries set by the household. This is not an issue for students in Malaysian schools unless if young girls are married off during schooling. Such cases are rare in Malaysia unless in rural areas like in Sabah or Sarawak. 4) Fatalistic suicide This type of suicide did not receive much attention because it is a rare phenomenon of the real world. People who are over regulated and receive unrewarding lives like the slaves or childless married women might consider suicide. Their future is relies on others to determine. Cases do happened like prostitution or human trafficking, but this type of suicide does not relate much to the field of education. 1.6 Warning signs Rarely, suicide spurs a moment of intense decision, says Dr Suarn Singh, Head of Psychiatry, Ministry of Health Malaysia. More often, there are many clues to look out for to identify school students at risk of mental and social distress and signs leading to the actual attempt, such as: A change in behavior- speech or actions such as constantly saying that I cant go on or I want to end it all. Attitudes or appearance takes a toll on health and individual becomes recluse and not care of how they look usually by not grooming. Behaving recklessly by not taking safety measures, e.g.: crossing the road without looking. Giving away prized possessions and valuable items. Individual may be accompanied with unpredicatable mood swings like crying, self-mutilation and impulsiveness. Identify the distress and dramatic change that affects the students performance in school (e.g.: attendance and behavior) Lack of interest in school, overall decline in performance, misconduct in class, unexplainable absence or truancy. Abuse of substance, smoking or drug (including cannabis). Violent behaviour which sometimes involves the police. 1.7 Risk Factors and Risk Situations When accessing suicide patterns amongst students, all parties including school staffs, families and friends should be aware of the victims behaviour. Repetitive self mutilation should also be taken into note because distraught teenagers tend to repeat their acts. Particular suicide behaviour under circumstances is interdependent with the environment and genetic factors. Various states or neighbouring countries that features factors of cultural, political and economic differences may play a role in risking the youths decisions of suicide. On the other hand, risk situations are hurtful or injurious events which are experienced by the victims. These occurrences may wound the victims personal dignity and self-image. Example, a suicidal student may encounter with peer pressure in school, bullying, disappointment and failure in academic or high expectations from parents during examination. Suicide has become an intense debate, yet, it still remains as an ambiguous subject to fully grasp. A normal person will never understand to what extent these youth will do just to end their lives. Researches were done and found that major risk factors are linked to young people who are plagued with these causes that might have been the reasons leading them to suicide. The major risk factors to include are: Cultural and sociodemographic factors Family pattern and negative life events during childhood Cognitive style and personality Anxiety disorders Substance abuse Eating disorders Psychotic disorders Current negative life events as triggers of suicidal behavior Cultural and sociodemographic factors Different countries are linked to different cultures and demographic structures. In the third world countries, low socioeconomic status, lack of education system and unemployment are risk factors for suicide. Although Malaysia is a developed country and cannot be compared to third world neighbours, suicide still happens rampantly in urban areas, which is developed and suicide rates are expected to be lower instead of a drastic statistics to show. When urbanization enforces competitions, psychological impact of torture may lead to self-conflict between oneself and the society. One is expected to perform to the standards of societys customary demands. Likewise, in Malaysian schools, students are very academic inclined. This is a powerful risk factor for students to be depressed and may resort to self-destruction. Also, students and adolescents whom lack of self-identity and cultural roots may opt for this choice of suicide under stressful environment. That said, Each individual young p ersons growth is intertwined with collective cultural tradition, as stated by World Health Organization (WHO). Since Malaysia is a multiracial country, there are more than one race that plays a greater attribution of gender nonconformity and identity issues. Imagine an Indian girl being placed at a Chinese school with the majority of Chinese, she is hardly accepted into the culture of the majority. When a student begins to fear a serious acceptance problem, they will lack of support in order to experience an optimum growth during that phase of life. Family pattern and negative life events during childhood Personal loss and conflict, associated with parents or romantic attachments are one of the commonest reasons for suicide amongst students. Physical or sexual abuse, family feud played a part in suicide contemplation as well. Usually, suicidal youth will leave a note or tracks that they are about to suicide. Like the diary, short notes of apologies, so on and so forth. More often, suicidal students want to escape the pressure from demands of the environment or from psychological aspects that the truth is a painful unbearable fact to handle. Broken families and traumatic experiences e.g. rape, mental torture, etc. leave a scar for life in the child especially when the child is unable to manage with the aftermaths of trauma. There are evidences that suggest suicidal students often come from destructive families with more than one factor risks. The effects are cumulative and these problems are usually not known because suicides are more likely to refrain from seeking help from others. He re are a few negative aspects to take note of a dysfunctional family that often characterizes cases of suicidal students: Family with the history of suicide. Alcohol and substance abuse member in the family. Abusive family (physically, mentally or sexually). Divorce and separation of family Very high or very low demands of standards from the parents. Lack of attention and care from family members. Cognitive style and personality It is arguable between the relationship of a certain suicidal trait and an array of cognitive style and personality that risk suicides amongst young people. It is generally equivocal and ambivalent because suicidal patterns vary amongst different individuals. The following traits are observed in a suicidal youth, particularly students during adolescence: Instability in mood. Aggressive and needs anger management. Anti-social High impulsiveness Inability to grasp realities and rigid mentality, often in their own world of illusion. Great feeling of worthlessness and despair. Anxiety and inferiority. Provocative behaviour towards others including family and classmates. Ambivalent relationships with the society (family, friends, people). Suicidal behaviour is overrated amongst school children and adolescents with the following psychiatric disorders: Anxiety disorders and Depression It is known from studies that have proven the connection between anxiety disorder and suicide. Whilst traits of anxiety appear to be independent of depression, its effect always leads to psychosomatic symptoms if not treated. Unlike depression, anxiety disorder is prominent to detect and victim will always shows signs of worries and unhappiness with themselves.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Discussion about depression should be taken seriously. Depression is often beyond recognition. Students may seem fairly disappointed or angry at minor disturbances and may never considered suicide. But if the symptoms of depression last for more than a week or so without improvement, help is needed. The signs of depression noticed amongst students or youth include: Utter degree of sadness Gradual withdrawal from everything. Student becomes recluse and isolated. School performance dropped with no apparent reasons. Loss of interest in activities that student used to enjoy. Feelings of worthlessness, hopelessness, helplessness Lack of motivation. Differences in sleeping habits and fatigue. Change in appetite and eating patterns. Self-neglect and self-hatred. Physical complaints, sad thoughts or death. Anger management needed for reckless attitude and temper. Substance abuse. Restlessness and agitation with one self or others. School students with depression symptoms oftentimes present anti social behavior and both are precursor to suicide. It is noticed that depressed female student will be more silent and withdrawn from others, whereas on their male counterpart, students of that gender becomes aggressive and disrupted and seek a great deal of attention. Prior to that, students can kill themselves too without having to be depressed and they can also be in a state of depression without killing themselves. Substance abuse   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Students who abused alcohol and drugs are often linked to suicide. Teenagers are oftentimes found to have committed the act of suicide after consuming the substances. Sometimes, students used these substances to ease their stress and depression. In another case, youth whom have never thought of suicide may have done so after taken alcohol because alcohol suppresses rationale thinking. Simply, their actions are based on an impulsive act which leads them to ending their lives even so they might never have contemplated suicide when they are sober. Eating disorders Eating disorders happen mostly to the female genders whom are dissatisfied with their own bodies. In the eye of the society, thin slender girls are objects of desire. The media often portrays catwalk models, who are skinny and scrawny. In schools, fat students are always being sneered and jeered as well as being outcast. Anorexic and bulimic girls are susceptible towards depression and suicide risk for anorexics are as much as 20 times more than youth in general. Psychotic disorders Albeit, we hardly heard of Malaysian students suffering from severe psychiatric disorders like the schizophrenia or manic-depressive disorder, those affected are still in jeopardy with suicide risks. But most psychotic youths started off with other risk factors, such as excessive smoking and substance abuse. Current negative life events as triggers of suicidal behavior As aforementioned due to inherited genetic factors, destructive families and negative aspects in life, students of this age find themselves susceptible towards suicide because when current negative life events happen in concurrent with their condition they find it difficult to cope furthermore. This susceptibility makes it difficult to cope with negative life events adequately, and that said, stressful life events precede suicide. They reminds of the student of sense of hopelessness and despair. 2.0 How Schools can Prevent Suicide Usually, suicidal students hardly attempt suicides within the school compound. But when the outbreak of a students suicide takes place, even off schools territory, the news will shock others, causing extreme emotional distress amongst students, staff, and parents whilst school activities will come to halt for weeks before it is resumed. Hence, schools play an important role for preventing suicides. Many young students whom are affected by mood disorders or substance abuse later on contemplate suicide. Whilst the other emotional setbacks linked to suicide includes conduct disorders, aggression, split personality disorder, and intense feeling degree of hopelessness (Berman, Jobes, and Silverman, 2006). Here, the schools responsibility and roles to play are summarized by the National Association of School Psychologists (NASP) (Poland and Lieberman, 2003): 2.1 Detection/ Awareness School administration and staff personnel should take note of students behaviour for signs of suicide. Interaction on a regular basis is encouraged amongst the school and students. School counselor must play his or her responsibility in helping problematic students before any occurrence of suicide. 2.2 Parent notification When awareness is created, any changes in attitudes or suspicious acts arise the school should update the parents or guardian of students. Face to face discussion is recommended to come about ways of preventing the student from suicide, which includes close supervision or referral to professionals. Also, a record of victims parent and victim should be kept confidential. 2.3 Support for students at risk of suicide The school, psychologists and counselors, should monitor and support suicidal students. Counseling and follow-up services shall be recommended. 2.4 School-Based Suicide Prevention Programs Schools should train teachers and staffs to help recognize students at risk of suicide. This can be done through training and appropriate mechanisms necessary. These mechanisms include a series of programs specially designed to counteract suicidal risks. Schools must heed these vital steps to control suicide among their students: Ø School-based suicide prevention program and school-based mental health services Health screening, mental health survey and educational activities are carried out at school level to help students recognize and seek help when needed. Programs like health promotion program and risk prevention can be effective if made comprehensive to students. Ø Suicide prevention gate keeping program People who have regular interaction and contact with students in school are teachers. They need to know how to recognize students behavioural patterns and warning signs. Also, teachers need to be actively involved in dialogue to explore the risk of suicide amongst students and to ensure that the victim must receive proper guidance and treatment when it is necessary. Records must be kept up to date and problematic students must be scrutinized. Ø School crisis preparation and response plan This prepares the school in the case of emergency, from natural disaster to violence within the school. The school crisis preparation plan should include procedures of preventing self-destructive students as well as students in the midst of contemplation. Also, guidance must be taken into account as a reference for teachers and staffs to respond such cases when such tragedy arises. Ø Postvention Such term is used to measure preventions to be implemented after a tragedy takes place. The purpose of this program is to lessen the risk of those witnesses to be affected directly after the incident. Suicide or unexpected death of another student can result in a traumatized individual. This program includes grief counseling for students and school party. Postvention helps to identify other students whom may be at risk after a trauma, and to support students. Sometimes, school works with the media to ensure such coverage of news does not lead to additional risks of suicide. 3.0Suggestions: A guide for Teachers and School Staffs It takes time for a student to attempt suicide. Rarely, suicide occurs out of sudden with no warning. Most cases, teachers and members of the society who observe the victim on a daily basis is able to distinguish a behaviour of norm and suicidal. The following are three (3) steps of prevention: before, during and after a suicide: 3.1 General prevention: before any suicidal incident Early recognition helps save lives. Experts advised that it is not a wise approach to teach about suicide explicitly. Rather, they recommend tackling this problem by replacing issues of suicide with a positive mental health approach. a) Mental health of schoolteachers and other school staff Teachers are the role model in any causes. A positive teacher is able to change the outlook of a persons perspective in a brighter light. Hence, strengthening the mental health of a teacher only can he or she guides the students into the correct path in life. b) Students self-esteem Positive self-esteem is vital to protect students against suicide. One with topnotch of esteem will cope better with stress even how difficult ones situation may be. To nurture positivity amongst the students, a few rules should not be taken lightly. Firstly, students must never been pressured constantly to fare better than other students. They must always look on the brighter side of life experiences in order to forge a positive identity. Every student should be cherished as who they are and be accepted for what they are. In addition, the school should work on introducing life skills by having experts giving talks and later on assimilate a positive workshop as part of the curriculum. Most importantly, the programme is able to send out messages of knowledge to peers on how to be supportive and seek help if necessary. Plus, the school should revise and review the education system to enhance the development of every student holistically. c) Emotional expression Students should learn on how to express their emotions appropriates and to take charge of how they feel seriously. When things gone awry, they should confide in parents, teachers, adults, doctor, friends or even religious advisors. d) Bullying and violence at school Issues on bullying have been a serious matter for ages since bullying make suicide seemed more pleasant to students to escape from humiliation and personal dignity. Because the victim could not determine what others had done to him/her, the victim had only his own life to control. Thus, specific skills should be taught in schools to prevent bullying and violence. This way, only the school can provide a sanctuary for safety and intolerance of the negative aspects. e) Information about care services In Malaysia, Befrienders are not unfamiliar to the society these days. Students should be aware about the availability of these services and by making it accessible to the young people, so that they can utilize the help lines in the case of crisis and psychiatric emergency. To include, there are over 240 Health Centres nationwide in Malaysia that have psychiatric units and also counseling unit for help. The latest news up to date, Prof Hu

Era of Globalization

This century is an era of globalization and with the high technology and transformation. As of 2011, one-third of the 2.26 billion of the world's population are having internet access and this will be risen up to 40% by this year 2016 as projected by the Broadband Commission (Dron, J. ; Anderson, T., 2014:3). The development of technology today and the integration of this modern technology into the learning process lead to educational evaluation and enhancement (Ataie F. et.al, 2015:47). The impact of the technology in the education of today is not new in the education process. The internet and other related technologies bring information, research, and literature direct to the classroom (Fewkes A. M. ; McCabe M., 2012:93). Technology gives the students free access to information and resources twenty-four hours in seven days (24/7), that enables them to create multimedia content and share it with the world, and that allows them to participate in online social networks and communities where people from all over the world share ideas, collaborate, and learn new things (U.S. Department of Education, 2010). Most of the students today are defined by their reliance on social media, their technological multitasking capabilities, and their propensity toward all things new (Mills N., 2011:345).The social media has become an integral part of modern society (Web Designer Depot staff, 2009) and also known as Web 2.0 (Dewing M., 2010 ; Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T., 2011).). Social media are computer-mediated technologies that allow individuals, companies, NGOs, government, and other organization to view, create, and share information, ideas, career interests, and other form of expression via virtual communities and network (Wikipedia contributor, 2016). There are many kinds of social media, social networking (Facebook), micro blogging (Twitter), video sharing (YouTube), news aggregation (Google reader), social search (Google), and instant messaging (Yahoo! Messenger, Skype) (Zafarani, R., Abbasi, M. A., ; Liu, H., 2014). These social media tools produce information every day (Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T., 2011; Al-rahmi, W. M., Othman, M. S., Yusof, L. M., ; Musa, M. A., 2015:267) and provides collaboration learning process by looking at the contributions of other students in the collaborative working space and by reflecting on their own contributions as well (Hopkins B., 2016, Balakrishnan, V., 2016:36). Through social media the students are able to interact with one another, build a sense of community, develop content, as well as require students to be active in their own learning through participating, thinking, and contributing (Casey and Evans, 2011; Al-rahmi, W. M., Othman, M. S., Yusof, L. M., ; Musa, M. A., 2015:265). The students are able to upload their ideas in a social media sites and receive feedback from others (Balakrishnan V., 2016:35). Social media become both medium of formal and informal learning process (Balakrishnan V., 2016:35).Collaboration becomes easy because social media makes connection and interaction of one another easily anytime, anywhere and it provides the chance to understand individuals and human behavioral patterns (Zafarani R. et.al, 2014). Learning through social media with others, therefore, is an opportunity, Dron J. ; Anderson T., 2014:9). Facebook specifically can be considered as way of communication for learners to exchange information (Al-rahmi, W. M., Othman, M. S., Yusof, L. M., ; Musa, M. A. 2015:266). Facebook is a social networking service launched on February 4, 2004 and was founded by Mark Zuckerberg. He founded Facebook while studying psychology at Harvard University (Phillips, S., 2005). Facebook has gained extreme popularity among the internet users over the past few years. This social network was intended for personal communication among individuals yet today many other organizations use it for their advantage (Alhomod, S. M., ; Shafi, M. M., 2012:52). In the first quarter of 2015 Facebook revealed that it had more than 1.44 billion monthly active users (up 13 percent year-over-year). Of those, 1.25 billion were mobile users; an increase of 24 percent year over year (Protalinski, E., 2015). Facebook was the first social network to surpass 1 billion registered accounts and currently sits at 1.59 billion monthly active users (Statista site, 2016). As of the fourth quarter of 2015, Facebook had 1.59 billion monthly active users. In the third quarter of 2012, the number of active Facebook users had surpassed 1 billion (Statista site, 2016). Mostly, people use Facebook for chatting, for sharing photos, for posting videos, for staying in touch and sharing personal news, plan meetings and get-together, do homework and business to gethers, find and contact long-lost friends and relatives (Collier, A., ; Magid, L., 2010:2). For the young users, they use Facebook for day-to-day news about their friends, acquaintances, relatives, and peer groups, collaborating on school work, validation or emotional support, self-expression and the identity exploration and formation that occurs in adolescent development (Collier, A., ; Magid, L., 2010:2). There are a lot of studies already conducted to know the connection between Facebook and educational process and these studies have established that Facebook can act as a tool of communication in the modern educational system (Alhomod, S. M., ; Shafi, M. M., 2012:52). Facebook, as social network, provides positive impacts in the educational sector. It creates a group or network, builds educational, integrates into current educational tools, and develops an educational application, shares topic information with other users of the Facebook (Alhomod, S. M., ; Shafi, M. M., 2012:53).A recent study of the attitudes of 107 students toward Facebook provides some insights and this study found out that Facebook was preferred over eLearning Commons as a classroom supplement. Many of the students were already familiar with Facebook, used it frequently and found it easy to navigate (Barczyk, C.C. ; Duncan, D.G., 2013:2). This means that one contribution of Facebook in the educational system is it serves as the source of knowledge and information outside the classroom where formal education process is done. Furthermore, the study provided that if used appropriately, Facebook may help to increase student engagement by cultivating classroom community and stimulating intellectual discourse, (Barczyk, C.C. ; Duncan, D.G., 2013:2). This means that Facebook can be used effectively for academic discussions (Barczyk, C.C. ; Duncan, D.G., 2013:2).Facebook enhances the learning process. This is the reason why most Facebook widely used by college students and colleges. As we mentioned already, the students can upload videos, pictures, post to bulletin boards, and participate in communication via e-mail and instant messaging (Toland, R., 2013:41). Then Facebook is a social network that connects students with other students and creating an indirectly learning community which is vital components of educational process (Toland, R., 2013:41). Finally, Facebook can be used as learning tool to develop cognitive learning skills of the students (Toland, R., 2013:41). How does collaboration happened in social media, in Facebook to be specific? According to Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T. (2011) collaboration in social media involves academic research cycle, namely:Identification of knowledge,Creation of knowledge,Quality assurance of knowledge, and  Dissemination of knowledge.Cann A., Dimitriou K. ; Hooley T. (2011) defined collaboration as the work of all the people who might be involved in research including researchers, librarians, funders and the general public. Identification of information in social media is possible because of the connection with other people. Information also can be obtained through comments coming from the people you are connected through social media. Creation of knowledge is possible in social media through share ideas and/or advices coming from learned individual. Quality assurance of knowledge in social media is possible because of peer scrutiny and/or peer review. Dissemination of knowledge involves communication and/or engaging with the public and discussing related controversial issues.

Citizens Rights and Responsibilities Essay

Rights and Responsibilities of Citizens In today’s society, the responsibilities of the citizens are to know their rights. Citizens are expected to; understand the rules that our government has presented to us, abide by these rules for our own well being and freedom, and serve our communities and government back. In 1789, the Constitution of the United States was ratified. Many people were not pleased with this constitution; they felt as though it did not protect their rights to the fullest extent and wanted to amend the constitution. On December 15, 1791, the Constitution of the United States was amended and we were given ten amendments, known as The Bill of Rights, to protect our freedoms. The Bill of Rights is a list of the most important rights citizens have and value. The purpose of the bill is to protect against any infringement from the government, so the citizens can live in a free nation and have control over their communities and lives. The first amendment on the Bill of Rights states, â€Å"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances. † This amendment protects the right to fallow whatever religion one chooses to and be able to safely practice that religion. The amendment also grants one the freedom to say whatever they want, as long as it does not cause an out break of danger and chaos. Freedom of the press allows one to write and publish anything appropriate to the community. Freedom of assembly is the individual right to come together and collectively express, promote, pursue and defend common interests at certain times and places. Lastly, to petition the Government for a redress of grievances, this specifically prohibits Congress from abridging the right of the people. The second amendment; â€Å"A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed. This amendment guarantees a strong, well trained military to protect the United States. This amendment also protects the right to own a firearm and the government can’t say otherwise. â€Å"No Soldier shall, in time of peace be quartered in any house, without the consent of the Owner, nor in time of war, but in a manner to be prescribed by law. † The third amendment states that soldiers are not allowed to be plac ed and granted access to live in ones home with out the owner agreeing to it first. The government may ask the owner, and with permission the soldier may take residency. The forth amendment states ; â€Å"The right of the people to be secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures, shall not be violated, and no Warrants shall issue, but upon probable cause, supported by Oath or affirmation, and particularly describing the place to be searched, and the persons or things to be seized. This amendment protects the right of ones possession. Any representation of the government is not allowed to go though ones possessions and/or make an entry to ones living environment with out a warrant that allows such activities; then the government may search and take away personal belongings. No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation. The fifth amendment give one the right to refuse to answer a question because the response could provide self-incriminating evidence of an illegal conduct punished by fines, penalties or forfeiture. It also states that no one is to be denied the right to life, liberty, and property. Ones private property may not be taking by the government and used for the public without a higher consent. The sixth amendment of the Bill of Rights states; â€Å"In all criminal prosecutions, the accused shall enjoy the right to a speedy and public trial, by an impartial jury of the State and district wherein the crime shall have been committed, which district shall have been previously ascertained by law, and to be informed of the nature and cause of the accusation; to be confronted with the witnesses against him; to have compulsory process for obtaining witnesses in his favor, and to have the Assistance of Counsel for his defence. This gives everyone convicted of a crime the right to a trial by jury in the district where the crime was committed. â€Å"In Suits at common law, where the value in controversy shall exceed twenty dollars, the right of trial by jury shall be preserved, and no fact tried by a jury, shall be otherwise re-examined in any Court of the United States, than according to the rules of the common law. † The seventh amendment codifies the right to a jury trial in certain civil trials. The eighth amendment prohibits the government from excessive bail and from harsh, unlawful punishment. â€Å"Excessive bail shall not be required, nor excessive fines imposed, nor cruel and unusual punishments inflicted. † â€Å"The enumeration in the Constitution, of certain rights, shall not be construed to deny or disparage others retained by the people. † The ninth amendment addresses rights of the people that are not specifically enumerated in the Constitution. The last amendment, the tenth amendment; â€Å"The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people† restates the Constitution’s principle of federalism by providing that powers not granted to the federal government nor prohibited to the states by the Constitution of the United States are reserved to the states or the people. The responsibilities of the citizens are also to vote, attend jury duty and to attend to community participation. Voting is not only a right, it is a privilege; by voting, the people have a voice in the government. If one is presented with the task of jury duty, they are expected to take off from work and attend. Jury duty is an important way to participate in government, unique to America and fundamental to preserving our commitment to government by the people. These are all rights for us, the citizens, as a way to retain control of our own lives and communities with out the infringement of the government so the government doesn’t have complete control. Work Sited: http://www. kids. gov/6_8/6_8_government_rights. shtml http://www. archives. gov/exhibits/charters/bill_of_rights_transcript. html

My Mortgage Freedom Company Marketing Strategies Free Essay Example, 2250 words

The business has to publish catalogs, brochures, press releases through financial magazines and other print media, print adverts, and any other media that can reach to the general public. Mortgage loan advertisement or brochures are more efficient in attracting customers, including eye-catching posters or mailers (Pinkowish, 558). Moreover, treating the current customers with great respect and diligence promote business loyalty in such customers would be an ideal way of attracting more offline customers. A survey by J. D. Power and Associates in 2005 revealed that at an average rate, a satisfied customer has much higher chances of bringing at least three other people to the business. This implies the current customers are a viable means through which the business can get more prospective customers. In attracting referral partners, the company has to use professional bodies and professional press releases and media in reaching out to such professionals. One way to earn reputation fro m professional refers would be to offer loan programs that they are attractive and to change with time as the customer s practices and preference change (Pinkowish, 563). The use of professionals such as real agents to refer customers to a My Mortgage Freedom company would have a large impact on customer confidence in taking such a mortgage. We will write a custom essay sample on My Mortgage Freedom Company: Marketing Strategies or any topic specifically for you Only $17.96 $11.86/pageorder now The plan would be to form collaborations with a leading company at a commission where the reputable company will help in advertising mortgage services. Customers seeking for assets or real estates to buy will then be referred to My Mortgage Freedom Company for loans to finance such transactions. The idea will be developing a mutual relationship between the two companies. The same arrangement will be used with financial planners who will refer customers to My Mortgage Freedom Company at a commission. The commission for such refers can be about 0.25% of the entire Mortgage loan taken by referred customers. Such an arrangement can be made for one year upon which the company switches to different companies for similar arrangements.