HUMANBEHAVIOUR

The 7 Human emotions: The Secret to an extraordinary life

2011-05-14T09:16:00.001-07:00

"Nothing in life has any meaning except the meaning you give it. If you don't like the way you're feeling, change the meaning." - Anthony Robbins
What are emotions? Emotions are nothing but feelings or a state of mind where your conscious focus generated a certain mental and physical state. The way we feel is arguably the most important aspect of life. No matter what we want whether it be more money, better relationships, more time or a better body, it all comes down to emotions. Huh? Yes! See it is not a better body or more money you are really after but rather the feelings you associate to having more money or a better body. Emotions form the core of our lives and more specifically the 7 human emotions that drive our behaviour.
All the emotions we experience are not only rooted in our own minds, but they are even "created" by us. Some people think that the emotions they experience are entirely out of their control and that emotions are spontaneous reactions to the events of our lives. If we are going to take control of our emotions, especially the 7 human emotions, then we need to understand that avoiding, denying or ignoring emotions will harm you more than actually dealing with them.
There are those that believe that there are 7 human emotions that drive all human behaviour. In reality there are only two human emotions that drive us. These two emotions are Pain and Pleasure. Everything we do in our lives we do either out of our need to avoid pain or our need to gain pleasure. These two categories of emotions contain all of either the positive or the negative of the 7 human emotions. Jeremy Bentham said it best: "Nature has placed mankind under the government of two sovereign masters, pain and pleasure...they govern us in all we do, in all we say, in all we think: every effort we can make to throw off our subjection, will serve but to demonstrate and confirm it"
The positive spectrum of the 7 human emotions will drive us to pleasure and that is why we pursue them. The negative spectrum of the 7 human emotions will drive us towards pain and that is why we will do anything to avoid it. It is also important to notice that we will do more to avoid painful emotions than we will do to gain pleasurable emotions as this is instinctive to our nature as human beings.
The 7 human emotions of Pain are:
1. Fear
2. Hatred
3. Anger
4. Greed
5. Jealousy
6. Revenge
7. Superstition
These are the emotions we are all trying to avoid as the experience of them will inevitable be a painful emotion.
The 7 human emotions of pleasure are:
1. Love
2. Sex
3. Hope
4. Faith
5. Sympathy
6. Optimism
7. Loyalty
"The secret of success is learning to use pain and pleasure instead of having pain and pleasure use you. If you do that you are in control of your life. If you don't life controls you" - Anthony Robbins.
All emotions serve a purpose and a very important purpose as such. We all want to experience the positive side of the 7 human emotions and often we seek for it in the wrong places. Drugs, alcohol, smoking ex. are all devises we use to get out of pain and into pleasure. They are things we do to instantaneously suppress the negative emotions we may experience. The truth is that suppressing or ignoring an emotion will only amplify it until you deal with it. If we heed and utilize the signals that emotions give us we can change the quality of our lives and experience of life immediately.

How To Become A Sexual Magnet Using Human Pheromone Products

2011-04-27T11:22:00.001-07:00

What is the best pheromone product on the market? Is there one product that out strips the rest and guarantees you success with the opposite sex, or for that matter, the same sex?
Human pheromones have made an impact on today's society as their role in human behaviour is better understood. The pheromone product industry has grown rapidly as savvy marketers realise the potential to make money from a public audience looking for shortcuts to "nail" there next sexual conquest.
Can Pheromone Products Guarantee Sexual Success?
Those people buying human pheromone products thinking it's the answer to attracting a sexual mate should really understand the role this invisible chemical actually plays in human interaction. Will a dab of pheromone cologne guarantee you success in the sexual stakes? No it won't. Why? Because as it was put to me by a manufacturer recently, "somebody can give you the light switch but you still need to turn it on!"
Wearing a pheromone product is designed to instill an air of confidence in the "wearer." Don't think for a minute guys that by simply having it on and then walking into a night club is going to see you mobbed by dozens of ravenous women. Sure, you'll probably get noticed but the main action of the pheromone product is to help you "break the ice" and once you do, it's then up to you to continue to create an impression.
The Best Pheromone Product On The Market
So what is the best pheromone product on the market. Well I'm not too sure there is a best product but one of the safest ways in finding the best legitimate products are by concentrating on those companies who produce and manufacture their own oils, cologne and spray in house. Why? By producing their own products, they've obviously spent crucial time and money in testing what works and what doesn't work with the end creation a result of this research. And you can bet they won't be resting on their laurels as they continually refine and test different combinations.
Does Price Matter?
Products come in a variety of forms including cologne, spray, oils and enhancers. One thing that continually amazes me is the price differences between the various products. Is a pheromone cologne worth $30 less effective than a cologne being promoted at over a hundred dollars? This is often the problem facing many prospective consumers.
More is not always best and by following the earlier strategy of sticking with those in-house produced products, your pheromone experience should generally be a happy one. Also, look for companies who provide on-going support; they may have a newsletter you can sign up for. It's a sure sign that they are in it for the long haul and not just a fly-by-nighter. You'll also find that they are loyal to their regular customers providing deals such as two-for-one or buy a bottle of this cologne and receive a complimentary dab brush.
Remember, the best pheromone product won't get you "mauled" by the opposite sex but it can help you get off the "batting plate." Then it's up to you to negotiate your way around the diamond.

Human Pheromones - Fact or Hype?

2011-04-20T08:44:00.001-07:00

Deciphering the question of what effect pheromones have on human behaviour is a little like watching the battle between pro and non UFO believers. Do they really exist? For the last three decades, despite the research and studies conducted on whether we as humans attract by pheromone, there is still nothing "set in stone" about whether they are real or just a lot of marketing hype.
Do Pheromones Really Work?
The debate between pro pheromone advocates and non believers continues. The problem is, there is no official evidence they actually play a part in human behaviour. Certainly research has pointed to evidence suggesting they may be evident in our day-to-day behaviour but until somebody comes out and produces concrete, unrefutable evidence they exist in humans, then we can only surmise they exist.
Examples of studies include such things as human pheromones being linked to the reproductive system in men an women. Also, they've been associated with the relationship between a mother and child. Who doesn't have an attachment to their mother in an instinctive way? Is this pheromones at play?
Did You Know?
Animal pheromones were well understood more than three decades ago. In fact, pheromones were used by manufacturers as pest control to lessen the incidence of damage on crops in horticultural areas.
Pheromone Studies
Studies suggest human pheromones not only exist but they are gender targeted. What does this mean? Basically it means they affect heterosexuals and homosexuals individually. So heterosexual to heterosexual and homosexual to homosexual.
Dr. Winifred Cutler was the first to suggest pheromones could be marketable as a perfume or spray. Her findings made people sit up and take notice during the 1980's and what followed was the beginning of the pheromone enhanced product. She produced some interesting findings including the ability of the male pheromone to have an effect on the well being of women. Dr. Cutler heads up the Athena Institute and visiting the website makes for some interesting reading.
Despite the research being conducted the fact remains, there are still skeptics out there who are yet to be convinced about the validity about pheromones having an effect on human behaviour.
Pheromones Instill An Air Of Confidence?
There has been a school of thought surrounding the air of confidence brought on by wearing a pheromone product. Quite simply, some are suggesting that by simply knowing you are wearing the stuff, this inner confidence can equate to an outward confidence thus making a person more attractive to be around. To me, that makes sense. Wouldn't you rather be around someone confident as opposed to someone "down in the mouth?"
Another school of thought surrounds the business and work environment. Pheromones have been suggested as a possible "weapon" for business and sales people to help their work endeavours. With the sales area in particular being a very competitive environment, wearing a pheromone product could help a salesperson gain a little more confidence in himself and then making them more attractive to the buyer. What do you think? Do sales people need any more confidence than they already have?

Understanding What Directs Human Behaviour - How To Cure Pee Shyness

2011-02-24T10:18:00.001-08:00

Every decision we make, or action we take, is ultimately the result of the twin forces; pleasure and pain. Now forgive me if this sounds a little simplistic, but give me an opportunity and I will explain how this is so.
Let's take a Paruresis related example. "John" enters a public toilet. He looks at the set of urinals and wishes he could simply stroll up to them and do his business. However, he also notices that there are several other guys in the toilet, there are no dividers between the urinals, and there's a strong possibility that he won't be able to go. He then looks over to the stalls; they have locks on the doors, they give him complete privacy, and he's confident he'll be able to use them. "John" decides the stalls are the better option for him.
Now, when "John" was assessing the urinals the following things went through his head:
"Other guys may notice I'm was unable to go, therefore causing me embarrassment."
"The toilet is fairly busy so I know I'd struggle to go, therefore evoking anxiety."
"There are no urinal dividers, therefore there's no privacy."
"I really need the toilet and if I froze up, the next opportunity to pee wouldn't be for some time, therefore causing uncertainty and discomfort."
Would it not be fair to say that the feelings of embarrassment, anxiousness, lack of privacy, uncertainty and discomfort all cause emotional pain? If you're embarrassed, that isn't a pleasurable feeling; it's a painful one. In essence, pain is the umbrella term for all our negative emotions.
Now, when "John" was assessing whether he should use the stalls, the following things went through his head:
"The door will be locked, therefore I can completely relax and do my business."
"I don't have to worry about anyone seeing if I struggle to go, giving me peace of mind."
"I'm in the privacy of my own stall."
"I'm completely confident I'll be able to go, therefore freeing me up as soon as I leave. No worrying about finding another toilet, or making up excuses to the people I'm with."
Obviously, the feelings of relaxation, peace of mind, total privacy and confidence are pleasurable ones. Therefore, the umbrella term for all our positive emotions is pleasure.
So why did "John" choose the stalls over the urinals? Simple! It is inherent in our human nature to pursue pleasure and avoid pain; it's our survival mechanism.
Now the example I've described doesn't tell the full picture, it's a snapshot of "John's" emotional state at one moment in time. In truth, "John" has suffered from Paruresis for years and years. He desperately wants to overcome it, it's ruining his life. He's even read my article on 'Systematic Desensitization' and is listening to my Hypnotherapy course day-in, day-out. (If you're unsure of what Systematic Desensitization is, it's a method of gradually exposing oneself to your phobia, so it becomes less scary).
So, if "John's" ultimate pleasure would be to cure his Paruresis, and his ultimate pain is to continue letting it cripple his life, why when we walked into the toilet, did he opt for the stalls?... (Even with the method mentioned above and the hypnotherapy?)
Answer: Because whatever is most real to you in that snapshot in time will determine your actions. "John" wasn't focusing on the pain of continuing to live with Paruresis, he was focusing on the pain of the potential embarrassment, anxiousness and discomfort of the moment.
If he focused on the pain that his Paruresis causes him every single day, or the pleasure he'd get from being able to use a urinal in any scenario, "John" would have walked straight up to that urinal and put what he'd learnt into action. Why? Because the notion of not attempting to overcome his condition is just too damn painful. He'd feel like a coward for not trying, he'd feel guilty, he'd feel like a failure; which ultimately means pain.
If you're serious about overcoming Paruresis, you need analyse your associations...
Do you link pleasure or pain to the thought of actively getting out there are practising in public?
Do you link pleasure or pain to the notion of telling a family member about your condition and asking them for help?
Do you link pleasure or pain to committing to listen to hypnotherapy sessions everyday?
Do you link pleasure or pain to the idea of joining a Paruresis support group?
Do you link pleasure or pain to applying the method of Systematic Desensitization?
If your answers to the above are 'pain' (which for the majority, this is quite likely), let me ask you two questions...
What will be the pain if you don't apply these solutions?
A lifetime of hidden embarrassment maybe...
The shame of your son asking you why you don't pee at the urinal like other men...
A chain of humiliating scenarios where you're so desperate to go, but you just can't...
And what will be the pleasure if you do apply these solutions?
The empowered feeling of taking action to cure yourself once and far all...
The satisfaction that practice is the mother of skill and you will get there...
The feeling that a burden has been lifted from your shoulders and you no longer have to live in secrecy...
The key is to change your associations. Remember: What's most real to you in the moment, determines your actions. If your associations facilitate your desire to overcome Paruresis, not hinder it, your actions will follow suit.
Use pleasure and pain, instead of pleasure and pain using you.

Reducing Masturbation can make You Healthier

2011-01-19T10:50:00.001-08:00

Masturbation is something that comes naturally to boys when they reach a certain age. It doesn’t require any teaching; it is usually a naturally learnt activity. And in some cases, it could continue well into adulthood, and may persist throughout the lifetime of the male. It is so popular among boys because it provides them a very convenient respite to their sexual frustration; it is not associated with the social and the hygienic risks of acquiring a partner. Moreover, it is a secret activity; no one need know how active the person actually is in his own bathroom.

Doctors and medical journals have indeed advocated it for a long time now, though the parents have been dissuading their children from doing so. Parents are more concerned of the social ridicule that goes with a masturbator rather than the health of their children. But now, the health aspects of masturbation have also come to the fore. So, parents must now stop their children from it not just because it is an offending act, but also because it may actually spoil the health of their children in future.

Statistics have shown that at least 87% of all women and 95% of all men have tried it some time or the other in their lives. It is so common a phenomenon that people tend to ignore its health implications. However, in people who masturbate too much in excess, there are bound to be some serious problems in the future. These problems are not confined to the penis and the reproductive system, but they also extend to the brain and the nervous system.

Let us first try to understand the chemistry behind it. When you do it, the brain arouses the sexual organ. This is done by activating the parasympathetic nervous system. The parasympathetic system triggers the nerve endings of the reproductive organ, which makes it responsive to touch. This sort of communication between the nerves of the penis takes place by the chemical known as acetylcholine. Hence, OM can cause over-stimulation of the acetylcholine, which will in turn over-stimulate the peripheral nervous system.

The liver comes into the picture too. One of the functions of the liver is to secrete chemical transmitters to allow the functioning of the nervous system. These chemicals are known as the neurotransmitters. The liver secretes neurotransmitters such as dopamine and serotonin, along with acetylcholine. Now, it is common sense that if the liver over-secretes these neurotransmitters, then it will not be able to perform its main function, which is to release enzymes to aid in several tasks of the body, including digestion of food and hormone production. The brain and adrenal glands also secrete excessive hormones and neurotransmitters during this act, such as epinephrine, norepinephrine and dopamine.

If you masturbate once in a while, this chemical discharge returns back to its normal state after a few minutes of achieving orgasm. However, it is the OM that causes the problems. When there is such a surcharge of hormone and chemical production in the body, there are bound to be problems. The parasympathetic nervous system will not be able to return to its normal state after it has been continuously stimulated with so many chemicals, and the result is that there could be permanent damage. The hormones that are so abundantly and repeatedly secreted will also not be able to reach back to their normal levels.

Naturally, when the parasympathetic nervous system gets impaired, it will not be normally able to arouse the penis any further. Or, at least there will be some kind of impairment. The most common thing that can happen is impotence. Impotence is very common in older men, and that could be due to other medical conditions. But an impotence that occurs in younger men can usually be ascribed to their habit of OM.

And impotence is not all. Continuous triggering of the biology that governs the sexual system can have more long-lasting effects. There could be a loss of libido, which could lead to non-performance of the man during the act. Men could suffer from premature ejaculation. Excessive jerking action of the penis could also damage some of its tissues, which could lead to disfigurement and even shrinkage. In some people, the parasympathetic nervous system could be so impaired that it could lead to arousals at the wrong time, leading to embarrassing erections in public, or also a continuous seminal discharge.

While these things happen with the reproductive system itself, there could be impairments in the functioning of the brain also. The brain may get impaired due to releasing chemicals so frequently and may not function normally. Brain damage will be evident if the masturbator has lack of concentration, loss of memory, sleeplessness, etc. which are very commonly observed conditions in boys who have just begun masturbating.

It may be good, but excessive masturbation is definitely not. Experts prescribe two to three times in a day to be within safe bounds, but anything more than that is dangerous to the overall health of the system.

How Human Behaviour Shapes Successful Business Strategies

2010-12-25T05:53:00.001-08:00

People are fundamentally sheep - isn’t that what we’re always told? Sure, everyone likes to think that they are an individual and that they make individual decisions about what they do and how they choose to act, but the reality is that most of what we do is heavily influenced by the behaviour of others.

This is human behaviour, which is herd-like. As social creatures, what we do or don’t do is often based on what others are doing or not doing. People don’t really think about their actions. In fact, Mark Earls, a leading human behaviour and strategy expert, would argue that very often thinking comes after the fact - people act and process it later. He would also say that there’s not much point in asking people why they do what they do, because they don’t actually know.

Now, the trick is to harness the power of human behaviour to create successful business strategies and to build powerful brands. If you consider the power of crowd mentality in your strategies (which perhaps goes a little against conventional wisdom about how people make choices) you are virtually guaranteed to have a strategy that will succeed. Why? Simply because you will be able to develop strategies that work by understanding peoples’ behaviour. You will understand how new ideas really catch on and are disseminated, and how to create momentum and longevity behind your strategic objectives - whatever these may be.

Considering people are the number one resource in business today, it’s surprising how little we consider the true nature of human beings within the scope of business strategy. A century ago, the main resource of a business was capital which bought the things a business needed to thrive such as land, materials, transport and so forth. Today though, up to 85% of the economy in developed countries is based on human interaction at a variety of levels.

This is why it’s important to understand human behaviour and to shape strategy around it - because people (staff, customers, suppliers and distributers etc) are an essential resource in today’s business world.

Mark Earls challenges strategists to really think about things. In an eBook entitled Understanding How Behaviour Shapes Strategy, he discusses his thinking on the subject of people and strategy. Thing is, our misconceptions about human behaviour and why people do things is what fundamentally undermines most strategies. A different view of people may just change the rules for forward-thinking businesses.

Earls contends that while Marketing attempts to shape mass behaviour, its attempts are poor. This is shown by the fact that most new products fail within the first year, and the ones that survive struggle to make any long-lasting or substantial impact on the consumers’ behaviour. He goes on to say that the reason for this is perhaps that our interpretation of what causes human behaviour and how to shape it is wrong.

Earls says there are two views that are fundamentally flawed in our understanding of what shapes behaviour. Firstly, we think that to change behaviour we need to change minds when in fact the opposite is true. The second mistake we make is thinking that ideas and behaviour spread through “the corridors of influence”, through ‘The Few’ when in fact it is ‘The Many’ that really make the difference.

When you consider the relationship between attitudes and behaviour, how new ideas and habits get formed and how to create the momentum that creates real and lasting change you will find that the best strategies take human behaviour into account. Strategies in fact only work if they change human behaviour. Whether you are dealing with staff, customers, investors or others, you first have to understand how people work and how new ideas catch on to appreciate what makes for successful business strategies.

20 GOOD THINGS MEN SHOULD ALL MEN SHOULD KNOW ABOUT RELATIONSHIP

2010-10-20T08:40:00.000-07:00

There are approximately twenty things that all men should know about love, sex, dating and marriage.

1. Persistence is Flattering… Then it becomes annoying, and finally, downright creepy. Men don’t like to be considered quitters, but sometimes we’ve got no other option.

2. Women’s Lib Does Not Include Going Dutch. Most women still appreciate a guy to pick up the check. If she insists on paying half, let her, otherwise you’ll risk appearing inflexible, chauvinistic, and disagreeable.

3. Women Love a Man Who Talks About His Family. It means he is close to them and cares about them, and even more importantly, it means he might one day be into having one of his own. But don’t take this as an invitation to be a mama’s boy!

4. Women Love a Man With a Plan… One who is not afraid to hold a baby, and one who can pull off wearing a clean white t-shirt.

5. Don’t Push Her Off of the Porn Train. Some women don’t like pornography, some do, and some feel left out (cheated on) because he hides it from her like some sort of dirty secret. Sometimes sharing is the best policy.

6. If She Cuts the Night Short… She might really need to cut something else. Men and women are both human after all, so if she calls the night short, don’t just assume she doesn’t want you to call again. Sometimes emergencies do come up.

7. Women Don’t Want Us to Solve All Their Problems… Sometimes they just want us to listen, repeat and understand!

8. If She Cheats, You Deserved It (In Her Mind). Cheating is shaky ground for any relationship, but research shows that women who cheat do so as a direct result of feeling unloved, unappreciated and entitled to happiness. Now you know, and now you know how to do something about it.

9. Squeezing Her Breasts is Not Foreplay. Most women prefer a touch and gentle caress.

10. Women Have Hair in Strange Places. If your girl doesn’t have any of the signs of being a disciple of Bigfoot, appreciate the time she has spent to get rid of it.

11. She Knows You’re Lying. Women have the uncanny ability to read people, according to some research, which comes from the motherly necessity to read her baby’s needs by looking at facial expressions and vocal patterns. Women know when we’re lying, so why bother?

12. When She is Feeling Down and Irritable… Give her a big hug, rather than busting her hump for being grumpy. This is an instant invitation to her good side (assuming you didn’t cause the bad feelings in the first place).

13. Thank You Goes a Long Way. Studies suggest that in lopsided relationships, the overworked partner will remain satisfied as long as the other partner remembers to say “Thank you.” This isn’t about telling you how to take advantage of her, but rather about appreciating her for everything she does.

14. Women Still Like… Being asked on a proper date. Don’t get lazy in today’s age of information technology. Sometimes the best way to do things is the old fashioned way!

15. A Woman’s Breasts Swell Up to 25% During Good Sex. This is her body’s way of seducing/attracting/urging the man to finish with a finale… so don’t disappoint her. Interestingly, some research also suggests the smaller the breasts, the more dramatic the size increase will be.

16. Don’t Mention PMS… Unless asking to buy her pads at the store. Don’t use her biology to explain her bad mood. This is just simple common courtesy.

17. Women Prefer Macho to Date and Sensitive to Marry. Men can actually dictate the types of women they attract by how much they express their masculine side vs. their sensitive. Who knew that dodging commitment could be so easy!

18. Women Like Spontaneity. Whisking her away on a weekend trip on short notice is spontaneous. Showing up fifteen minutes late and asking “So, what do you want to do now?” is not!

19. She is Less Excited About Receiving Lingerie Than You Are About Giving It. They say that women love shiny things, but when it comes to glimmering showgirl costumes, not all are as excited to climb aboard your fantasy train.

20. Cleaning and Doing the Dishes… Is one of the sexiest things you can do to get her in the mood. Try it. I swear, I’m not being paid to tell you this stuff!

Can Any one Predict Human Behaviour?

2010-10-16T13:24:00.000-07:00

Did you know there is a scale by which you can predict human behaviour, and what a person will do under certain given situations in life?
It was developed by L. Ron Hubbard and written about in his book Science of Survival, The Prediction of Human Behaviour.
Let me summarise it very briefly. Have you noticed that when a person is angry they are not that truthful? How much truth comes out of the mouth of an angry man? Very little. Well, anger is an emotional tone. So is antagonism, cheerfulness, grief, boredom and many more. These emotional tones range up from around body death to cheerful and even to exhilaration, and down again.
They go in order something like this: up from body death, to apathy, grief, fear, anger, hate, antagonism, boredom, conservatism, cheerfulness, enthusiasm, exhilaration, action and higher. There are some emotions in between these but the above are the major divisions of the emotional tone scale.
People down at the bottom of the scale, such as fear, grief, and so on, have less courage, less truthful behaviour, than someone higher in conservatism, cheerfulness, or exhilaration. A person in fear is more likely to lie for example. He is also more likely to get ill, care less about his partner and so on.
There is an entire chart of human prediction from these different emotional tones, and if you spot someone on one of these tones you can plot out that person's behaviour on things you have not even seen them experience yet. This can help you decide who would make a good spouse, who would look after and care for children, who takes greater responsibility and so on.
Here is an example of how this can be used. Say there is a couple. One partner is in the higher tone of cheerfulness and the other is in the lower tone of fear. The cheerful spouse will be loyal, have courage and likely have honour. But the lower spouse can be predicted to not be as truthful, be promiscuous, have less responsibility for the marriage and children. This marriage will be hell as the two will have different expectations.
Ideally a person would be best to seek a partner of a similar emotional tone.
These emotional tones are also on a scale with numbers, but the numbers are not that important here. I am just pointing out that people have emotional tones. The tone of the individual can also move up and down, and that does happen with life. But what is important here is the chronic tone, that tone which the person generally settles into.
Now, there is one last point and that is that someone can usually move a person up the tone scale by communicating with them in the same tone they are in or a tone above. That is, if someone is in grief, such as a child, and someone was to communicate to that child in grief or anger, but directing the communication away from the child, not at it, the child would likely improve. For example, if a child was snapped at by an animal and the parent held the child and got angry with the animal, the child would likely start to get better. The child would stop crying and maybe also be angry at the animal. And if the parent was next antagonistic at the animal, the child would again follow. Soon there would be boredom, conservatism, and finally cheerfulness. This is just a tip, try it. It does work.
However this is not necessarily going to move someone up who is stuck in a chronic lower level. But if you find yourself in such a lower tone, it is not all lost. You can always get hold of a copy of the above book, as it also gives you several ways to get up from lower chronic tones if you find yourself stuck in them.

Islam, Jihad, and Terrorism

2010-09-07T03:28:00.000-07:00

"Islam" and other various Islamic terms and concepts are grossly misunderstood in the West. Muslims can hardly find anyone to blame but themselves because (a) they have failed to live by the Islamic tenants in our times, and (b) they have failed to promote understanding of Islam in the West through outreach projects. This brochure is a humble attempt to briefly explain the terms given in the title. The Institute of Islamic Information & Education (III&E) has published almost fifty brochures and several articles for promoting understanding of Islam among Muslims and non-Muslims equally. Please write to the III&E or visit their web site for more information.
Some of the Islamic Terms
Islam: means a commitment to live in peace through submission to the Will of God (Allah).
Muslim: is a person who makes a commitment to live in peace through servitude to Allah.
Jihad: means "struggle" and "strive" against evil thoughts, evil action and aggression against a person, family, society or country. Jihad may be a "justifiable war", borrowing the Christian term.
Mujahid: is a person who engages in Jihad for the sake of Allah according to the Quran (Muslim's source book for guidance) and Sunnah (the teachings of Prophet Muhammad (peace be upon him). Mujahidin is the plural of Mujahid.
"Islamic terrorism": There is no such phrase or term in the Islamic source books of the Quran or the Sunnah and has no place in Islam.
Sunnah: Sunnah is the preferred way of the Prophet Muhammad that includes his teaching. The sources of the Sunnah are authentic Hadith (reports of the Prophet's sayings, doings and approvals) collections.
The True Meaning of "Jihad"
Jihad is usually associated with Islam and Muslims, but in fact, the concept of Jihad is found in all religions including Christianity, Judaism and political/economic ideologies, such as, Capitalism, Socialism, Communism, etc. Islam defines Jihad as striving and struggling for improvement as well as fighting back to defend one's self, honor, assets and homeland. Also, Jihad is interpreted as the struggle against evil, internal or external of a person or a society. Jihad, in Islam, means doing any or all but not limited to the following:
Learn, teach, and practice Islam in all aspects of one's life at all times to reach the highest and best education in order to benefit oneself, family and society.
Be a messenger of Islam everywhere, in every behavior and action.
Fight evil, wrongdoing, and injustice with all one's power by one's hand (action), with one's tongue (speech), or at least with one's heart (prayer).
Respond to the call for Jihad with money, effort, wisdom and life; yet, never fight a Muslim brother, a Muslim country, or a non-Muslim society that respects its treaties and harbors no aggressive designs against Islam or Muslims.
Suicide under any pretext is not condoned as Jihad in Islam.
Converting people to Islam by force or coercion is never Jihad but a crime, punishable by law.
The concept of Muslim men rushing out to kill themselves to get "70 dancing virgins" in Paradise, is really quite silly.
The fact of the matter is, the "companions of Paradise" are mentioned as being pure and so much above anything we might imagine on earth, so as to indicate to us they are perpetually "virgin" and are not "touched" by men or devils.
The words "perpetual virgin" even in English, should give anyone the understanding these are not such as we have known on earth.
There can be no mistaking the meaning in the Arabic language as to the purity and innocence of these companions.
The Levels of Jihad
A personal struggle within one's self to submit to Allah, fight evil within one's self, achieve higher moral and educational standards - Inner Jihad.
Jihad against evil, injustice and oppression within one's self, family and society - Social Jihad.
Jihad against all that prevents Muslims from servitude to God (Allah), people from knowing Islam, defense of a Muslim society (country), retribution against tyranny, and/or when a Muslim is removed from their homeland by force - Physical Jihad or an armed struggle.
The Quran defines physical Jihad as being the highest level of Jihad that one can undertake. Its reward is eternal Paradise. Muslims also know that all humans are accountable for what they have done during their life on this earth. Muslims will be asked about what they did with their lives and their level of submission to Allah on the Day of Judgment.
Does Jihad mean Holy War?
In Islam, there is no such thing as holy war. This terminology was generated in Europe during the Crusades and their war against Muslims. Islam recognizes Jews and Christians as the "People of the Book" because they all follow the Prophet Abraham, believing in Moses' and Jesus' teachings. For many centuries, Muslims have peacefully coexisted with Christians, Jews, and people of other faiths, maintaining social, business, political and economic treaties. Islam respects all humans and faiths as long as there is no religious oppression, forbidding Muslims from serving Allah, preventing others from learning about Islam, and not respecting treaties. For more information on the topic of Jihad see the brochure Jihad Explained or request brochure #18 from the III&E, the publisher of this article.
Who is authorized to call for Jihad as a war?
Jihad must be performed according to Islamic rules and regulations and only for the sake or in the service of Allah. The physical or military Jihad must be called by a Muslim authority, such as, a president or head of a Muslim country after due consultations with the learned leadership.
What Does Islam Say about Terrorism?
The term "terrorism" does not exist in the Quran or the teachings of the Prophet Muhammad. If the terms "terrorist or terrorism" are derived from a verb used in the Quran, such as 5:33 describing a "Muslim's" terrorist acts, it is in condemnation and prescribes most severe punishment. Islam is a religion and a way of life that does not separate politics from religion. Islam is a religion of mercy, unity and most importantly peace with one's self and others, to defend not to fight. Allah said in His Book the Quran:
"God does not forbid you from showing kindness and dealing justly with those who have not fought you about religion and have not driven you out of your homes, that you should show them kindness and deal justly with them. God loves just dealers." [Noble Quran 60:8]
"Fight in the cause of God against those who fight you, but do not begin aggression, for God loves not aggressors." [Noble Quran 2:190]
"If they seek peace, then seek you peace and trust in God for He is the Hearer, the Knower." [Noble Quran 8:61]
" and let not the hatred of others make you avoid justice. Be just: that is next to piety; and fear Allah, for Allah is well-acquainted with all that you do." [Noble Quran 5:8]
"But (remember that an attempt at) requiting evil may, too, become an evil: hence whoever pardons (his foe) and makes peace, his reward rests with Allah- for, verily He does not love transgressors." [Noble Quran 42:40]
"The good deed and the evil deed are not alike. Repel the evil deed with one which is better, then lo! He between whom and thee there was enmity, (will become) as though he was a bosom friend. [Noble Quran 41:34]
Some of the Prophet Muhammad's Teachings (Sunnah)
He prohibited Muslim soldiers from killing women, children and the elderly, or cut a palm tree, and he advised them, "do not betray, do not be excessive, do not kill a newborn child."
"Whoever has killed a person having a treaty with the Muslims shall not smell the fragrance of Paradise, though its fragrance is found for a span of forty years."
"The first cases to be adjudicated between people on the Day of Judgment will be those of bloodshed." Killing is the second major sin in Islam.
"Truly your blood, your property, and your honor are inviolable."
"There is a reward for kindness shown to every living animal or human."
Islam and Human Rights
The Quran and Sunnah encourage Muslims to respect the life and property of all mankind.
In an Islamic State these rights are considered sacred, whether a person is Muslim or not.
Islam protects honor, forbids insulting others, and/or making fun of them.
Islam rejects certain individuals or nations being favored because of their wealth, power, and/or race.
All Muslims believe that Allah created all humans free and equal, only to be distinguished from each other on the basis of God-consciousness or piety and never on the basis of race, color or ethnicity.
Islam is a practical religion that respects all human beings and it was revealed for all mankind. Its message is that of peace and submission to Allah. Muslims believe in all the Prophets mentioned in the Bible, and the Quran. The Quran shares many moral teachings of the Old Testament and the New Testament. These three religions (and their books) were founded upon the revelations by One True God, Allah. For more information on this topic please see the brochure Human Rights In Islam or ask for brochure #7 from the III&E, the publisher of this article.
Jihad in the Bible
Let us see what the Bible has to say about Jihad in the meaning of war and violence. The following verses are from the Bible, New International Version (NIV), 1984
"Do not allow a sorceress to live. Anyone who has sexual relations with an animal must be put to death. Whoever sacrifices to any god other than the LORD must be destroyed." [Exodus 22:18-20]
"This is what the LORD, the God of Israel, says: 'each man strap a sword to his side. Go back and forth through the camp from one end to the other, each killing his brother and friend and neighbor.' The Levites did as Moses commanded and that day about three thousand of the people died." [Exodus 32:27-28]
"The LORD said to Moses, 'Take vengeance on the Midianites for the Israelites. The Israelites captured the Midianite women and children and took all the Midianite herds, flocks and goods as plunder. They burned all the towns where the Midianites had settled, as well as all their camps. (Moses ordered) "Now kill all the boys. And kill every women who has slept with a man, but save for yourselves every girl who has never slept with a man." [Numbers 31:1-18]
(Jesus said) "But those enemies of mine who did not want me to be king over them - bring them here and kill them in front of me." [Luke 19:27]
"He (Jesus) said to them, 'But now if you have a purse, take it, and also a bag; and if you don't have a sword, sell your cloak and buy one." [Luke 22:36]
Differential treatment
Muslims follow a religion of peace, mercy and forgiveness. If an individual Muslim were to commit an act of terrorism, this person would be guilty of violating the basic tenants of Islam.
When Timothy McVeigh bombed the Oklahoma City building, no American or Christian was labeled as a terrorist or was the target of hate crimes. When Irish Christians carry out acts of terrorism against each other and on the British Isles, the Christian religion is not blamed but individuals or their political agenda. Unfortunately, the same is not true for American Muslims and Arabs. The vast majority of Muslims or Arabs have no association with the violent events around the world yet Islam is invoked with terrorism. It is unfair to 1.5 billion Muslims of the world and religion of Islam.
Criteria of guilt
Innocent until proven guilty in an open court is an accepted universal principle of justice along with liberty and freedom for all humankind. However, the U.S. failed to practice the same principles for those who are not U.S. nationals. Even worse, the U.S. is creating military tribunal for secret trials because there may be inadequate evidence to prove Arabs and Muslims guilty in open courts.
May Allah bless us all and purify our hearts from all misunderstanding, malice, hate and anger.
by M. Amir Ali, Ph.D.

Love Psychic Reading

2010-09-05T05:32:00.001-07:00

Psychic readers are performing important roles in the lives of individuals. Psychics emerged in the first place to enable people find solutions to their problems. Since human beings continue to exist and in this earth the work of the psychics must continue to be in high demand because humanity will continue to have problems which psychics must be called onto resolve. Perhaps one of the most important thing one needs in life apart from life itself is the issue of love. Everybody needs to love and to be loved. Where the need to be loved becomes more manifested is when it comes to marriage, because love remains the basics and foundation of any marriage arrangement. That is why psychic love is very important. People are always on the look out for the services of love psychic so that they can find solution to their love problem and their marriage life.
I do not know of anybody who does not need the services of love psychic. Psychic help people manage and stabilize their love and even their marriage life. Perhaps a speciality that is more often consulted is the love psychic practitioners. Their services are in high demand because nobody is in a hurry to do away with the relationship he or she has made with a loved one. Love provides the therapy which lovers need to strengthen their love life for their common good. Where love psychic services have become more compelling is in a situation where couples are engaged in a relationship that may lead to marriage or co habitation such couple do seek the services and advise of psychics on what type of behaviour they will put up to strengthen and enhance their love life.
Coming in contact with the services of psychic is no longer a big deal these days. Because their services are often sought for, a lot of people can easily tell where they can be contacted and which of the practitioners offer reliable and trusted services. There are great psychics one easily consult and enjoy the services they offer. A very notable place where one can engage the services of love psychic is in the UK. In short psychic network known as Psychic Realm offer the best of psychic services one can ever think of. It is a trusted network with many qualified psychics of all abilities and skills. They are available twenty four hours and their support team are always online also twenty four hours a day.
Trust psychic network like the Psychic Realm are available in the internet. With an internet connection one can get connected to Psychic Realm network and any of the other reliable and trusted networks available in the internet. There is always a toll free line which one who is in need of love psychic can dial and get connected for those that want to do the consultation through the online phone psychic. The internet is of course the most popular channel through which clients get in touch with psychic and other psychic skills and abilities. The internet features provide cost effective methods as one can even undertake psychic readings for free and those who decide to go for a paid service pay what can be considered as a peanut. The services of love psychic can also be enjoyed through internet chat. Internet has several chat features provided by the different search engines. These search engines chat features are effectively used by the love psychic such that any interested person can be online with any of them in real time.
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Human Behaviour and Depression

2010-08-22T00:53:00.001-07:00

Each one of us has his or her own personality and several characteristics that we believe are unique to us, but human behavior is not controlled by our will. Behavioural programs that work automatically according to the stimuli that we receive from the environment are the primary controllers of human behavior. The human being is an animal and his rationale is not active most of the time. On the contrary, the majority of our decisions and actions are made based on these automatic behavioural programs rather than based on our own thoughts.

We have to also consider the existence of several characteristics in our psychic sphere that are peculiar to our psychological type. There are four psychological types which depend on the most developed of the four psychological function in each person's psychic sphere--the four psychological functions are thoughts, feelings, sensations, and intuitions. However, since each person's attitude is either introverted or extroverted, the psychological types become 8--4 each of introverted and extroverted types.

The introverted types tend to judge everything according to their personal opinion while the extroverted types tend to accept the general opinion about reality. Their previous disposition affects their judgement, which is always one sided, since each type completely despises what the opposite type considers important. This way, neither one nor the other can perceive all the existing points of the objective reality or of the inner reality when they judge them.

The automatic behavioural programs decide on our behalf what we will do all the time, even though we think we are doing everything we do because we ourselves have decided to do so. We can't really perceive that our reactions are automatic and we think that we can control our behaviour completely.

However, some stimuli can make us "lose our head" and without understanding how, we may get involved in very strange situations.

So, the strong stimuli and the automatic animal reaction combined with the one-sided vision of each psychological type and with the peculiar characteristics that determine their behaviour depending on which psychological function dominates them the most, are responsible for each person's behaviour.

This way, what happens is that each person makes several mistakes, without understanding what they are really doing. They may even do several things that are completely in opposition to their character because they are dominated by the wild side of their conscience, where psychological functions that were not developed through consciousness remain.

The result is a suffocating feeling, an unbearable and unexplainable depression that intrigues very much the person that feels this way, because they can't understand what is wrong.

Their psychic condition becomes worse with time and some day they feel so completely lost in a labyrinth of problems that cannot be ever solved that they think about committing suicide, as if this was the unique solution left for them.

Otherwise, they start taking treatment to cure their depression and their frustration increases because they realize that they are feeling worse instead of better, because their real problems remain unsolved...

This is when the free and safe psychotherapy through dream interpretation can save their life! Only the unconscious that resides inside the human psychic sphere is very well aware of the exact mistakes each person made and how they can be corrected.

The unconscious is a free doctor that sends us very helpful messages through our dreams everyday in order to help us overcome all the problems provoked by our wild nature. Dream decoding is the safest solution for desperate people, who cannot understand why they feel so sad and cannot bear their existence. It is a miraculous solution that can save anyone, no matter how awful they may feel and however impossible the solution for their problems may appear.

However, the unconscious is a very demanding doctor and its psychotherapy depends on the patient's cooperation. This is not a magical way through which a human being can get rid of all his or her problems without doing anything, but a miracle he himself has to create, by exactly following the wise orientation received in dreams, even when the person doesn't agree with the suffering through which one will have to pass in order to be cured. One has to change one's behaviour and learn how to be calm and always wise. This is like a very delicate and dangerous surgical operation. Its success is guaranteed only if the patient exactly follows the doctor's orientation.

Prevent Depression and Craziness through the scientific method of Dream Interpretation discovered by Carl Jung and simplified by Christina Sponias, a writer who continued Jung's research in the unknown region of the human psychic sphere.

secret human-behaviour-strategy-deals-with-relationship-problems

2010-08-11T07:38:00.000-07:00

When relationship problems strike, there are key steps you can take to get your relationship back on track.

It's very likely that your partner will not want to participate, so if your partner is not interested in getting involved and has given up, just by changing your behaviour you can start to change theirs without them knowing.

It is very likely that if you and your partner are in conflict for whatever reason that you have been holding back on all the things you know they will like. This is your way of punishing them for hurting you.

The problem with punishing your partner is that this behaviour will get you less of what you really want, your partner will attach bad feelings to you and this can really damage your relationship because all these little problems can build up in a persons mind.

Understand what you really want before you decide to take action.

What you probably really want is to feel love, security and significance. Punishing your partner will just drive them even further away resulting in you feeling worse with the possibility of the conflict escalating.

So what you do is the reverse, but in this special way.

Decide what behaviour you want from them and every time they behave the way you want, you'll reward them with love or a kiss, something you know they will really like, of course you don't tell them your plan.

You do this every time they do what you want.

What you will discover is this act of love is a thousand times more powerful than any partner repelling punishment. If you have found something they really like receiving from you'll notice that they'll look for more ways to attach doing what you want to their great feelings.

Remember if you feel reluctant to try this, ask yourself how do you feel when your partner has a problem with your behaviour. Do you respond well when they become cross with you, do you want to help them and give them what they want? Of course not…

Suicide Signs Identify Them Before They Defeat You

2010-07-08T02:49:00.000-07:00

Bullying is not only present in schools, but can be found all around us. Bullying can destroy peoples live and may even lead to an end in some peoples lives. Words are just as hurtful. Bullying can happen to anyone, no matter what age. Bullying can occur in schools, offices and in your own home.
It is common for adults and children to suffer in silence. The bullying slowly eating them up inside, until they can't take no more. Bullying is often untreated as schools and businesses, commonly fail to spot the signs. Schools and businesses commonly fail to prevent bullying, even when they are aware that it is occurring. This can prove to be very frustrating for any individual suffering from bullying. This can lead to a poor education, no job or even moving house, due to the lack of support.
There are different types of bullying. Firstly we have physical bullying, where a child is physically attacked. Weapons and the human body can both be used to cause physical harm. Verbal bullying includes name calling and harrassment and this is where people often suffer in silence. Verbal bullying does not just occur face to face, but people can be tormented and abused through cyber bullying. Cyber bullying is present through the use of electronic devices such as instant messaging services and the internet.
Some serious cases of bullying, can sadly lead to cases of suicide. It can be hard to identify the suicide signs, especially when you are not aware of any problems. Suicide is very unpleasant and most bullies, do not realize how badly their bullying is affecting others. The suicide ways are not very pleasant and no family should have to go through the pain, of knowing a member of their family was left feeling helpless. Imagine how hard it is to cope with bullying, day in day out. However those that suffer in silence and don't talk about their problems, will often be the ones who are worst hit.
Suicide warning signs can be difficult to identify, with many people suffering in silence. Suicide can affect friends and family leaving them confused. Suicide has been on the up rise in many countries. By having and understanding of the warning signs of suicide, more cases can help be prevented. Below are some of the following signs that people should be aware of:
1)People mentioning they want to kill, or hurt themselves. 2)Sudden bursts of rage or anger. 3)A feeling of being hopeless and trapped. 4)Unusual and risky behaviour. 5)Withdrawing themselves from people. 6)Disturbances in eating or sleeping patterns. 7)A lack of interest in hobbies. 8)Dependence on drugs or alcohol.
These are just a few of the signs that may become apparent. If a family member, work colleague of friend, who is close to you, is acting strange, it is important that you talk to them to try and understand the cause. This may help them to let out their feelings and help you to discover the problem. There are a large number of suicide warning signs which may be identifiable, so if you suspect someone is acting strange, you should look into the possible causes.

Maximizing Your Personal Energy Supply

2010-06-26T00:46:00.000-07:00

Different governments, officials, environmental agencies exhort us to conserve the energy we use in order to save the environment and sustain our continued existence on the planet.
On a personal level I think that we also need to know how to conserve, focus and maximise our own personal supply of energy. We unconsciously dissipate and waste our energy on people, situations, thoughts, attitudes and events which do not serve us well. This leaves less space and energy for creating and attracting the kind of abundance that we want in our lives.
Interestingly enough I've also found that as I conserve, focus and thereby maximise my energy, I tend to use less energy on craving and acquiring "stuff", but more energy focusing on what is truly important to me, thereby helping the environment.
So here are 5 Ways to Maximise Your Personal Energy Supply.
1. Release Resistance
Releasing resistance will affect a profound change in your level of energy and how you view the world. Resistance often feels as though we are going against ourselves in order to satisfy some internal authority or a myriad of "shoulds" "oughts" and "have tos". It takes a tremendous amount of energy to be resistant.
Related feelings and behaviour include: procrastination, using willpower and discipline to effect change (otherwise known as "I Have To Struggle To Achieve What I Want"!), stubborness, inflexibility, wanting to be right rather than happy (a very popular one:), holding onto self limiting beliefs way past their sell by date.
Releasing resistance can be as easy as just making a decision to let go of whatever you are holding onto. Energy therapy also helps release resistance at a very deep level.
2. Reduce time watching TV
Watching TV unconsciously is very exhausting. Haven't you noticed that when you watch TV continuously and do little else, you become extremely tired? That's because you are merely a passive recipient of information that you're not fully engaged with. On an energetic level, taking in all of those rays from the TV (similar to a computer) is overstimulating on a physiological level. Of course while you are watch TV, it means that you're not doing something more productive.
Am I saying that you stop watching TV altogether? No, but to be more selective and watch only those programs that you are engaged with. I'd also say that stop watching the TV news - all of that manufactured fear really affects you on a cellular level. I find that my mindset, moods and overall energy improve significantly when I watch less TV.
3. Consciously create vacuums
Ever heard of the saying: "Nature abhors a vacuum". If you clean out an area of your life, you are giving the Universe a message to bring in something to replace it. This is otherwise known as energetic and/or physical clutter clearing. Start with either. Most people find it easier to start with clearing out the physical which has an effect on their energies. You are consciously creating the space for change to occur and inviting what you want into your life. This is much much easier than efforting to make things happen.
4. Avoid/deal with Energy Vampires
One of the quickest ways to get an energy boost is to disassociate yourself from those with those whose energy drains you. It is very effective. Unfortunately, it also becomes a little more difficult if they are your partner, member of your family, work colleagues or boss. It helps to develop a stronger set of boundaries and energetic protection, so that they are less likely to affect you in this way.
5. Create quiet time for yourself every day.
Not to do anything (unless it relaxes you), but just to clear and refresh your mind. We are human beings, not doings. There are times when our crowded schedule and minds don't allow space and time for the creative to be welcomed in. Einstein liked to go sailing in the afternoons after working in the morning. Okay, most of us don't have this opportunity, but you get the point.
If you only do one of the above, then your life will undergo a profound change.

Divorcing God

2010-06-09T11:10:00.000-07:00

Divorcing God isn't easy-especially after a lifetime thinking you had a monopoly on truth. Truth you embraced as absolute simply because someone told you it was. It is even more difficult when you've spent the last twenty-eight years up on a pedestal inside a fishbowl.
Sometimes, divorce is the only way out of an unhealthy relationship. A woman has to get out, get her head screwed on straight, and then start over. I didn't divorce God, I divorced my husband, but at the time it felt like the same thing.
In a way, it was.
I've heard that Catholic nuns consider themselves married to God. I wasn't Catholic, I was Southern Baptist, but I'd married God all the same. Looking back on it now, if I'd known God wasn't a man, I wouldn't have felt like I had to. Most divorces don't occur overnight. Instead, a disconnect causes a crack. Over time the crack warps, widens, and finally an inciting incident pushes it over the edge. When, then, did my disconnect begin?
In her book Writing a Woman's Life, Carolyn Heilbrun defines the unambiguous woman as one who puts a man at the center of her life, allowing only to occur what honors his paramount position. Her desires, dreams and wishes are forever secondary.
I risked nothing to become such, for I'd spent my first seventeen years learning the "godly role" of a sanitized, unambiguous woman-and it is a short step from that to wife-yea, preacher's wife. For the sleep dust sprinkled in my eyes by my mother, who was herself, a captive of the times, had anesthetized my spirit.
Add to that the self-serving 'will of God' preached by a patriarchal religion, and enforced by my husband, a self-proclaimed 'man of God,' and my spirit, the essence of who I am, was sacrificed as surely as though I'd been nailed to a cross.
Even from conception my world was a wild combination of advance and retreat, then advance again. My body knew things long before my mind did. Even my birth was an on-and-off again affair, battered back and forth by the drama unfolding within my parent's relationship.
My mother never questioned nor modified life's answers given to her by others, for she believed in a world of certainties.
Do this, get that.
But when she did this, and that didn't pan out, she never doubted, for it didn't mean the answer wasn't correct. It just meant she had not done enough of that. She would redouble her efforts, believing that even in the failure, the problem wasn't in the answers she'd been given, but the effort she'd put forth. And since her husband, my father, marched to the beat of his own drum, he forever changed the equation.
Put simply, the problem wasn't the answers she'd been given, the problem was in the doing, or the lack thereof, so she tightened her hold on the answers while the questions of the world multiplied and sucked her down into the mire of dysfunction. My first glimpse that something was wrong, terribly wrong, came the morning after my wedding. Other than a severe downpour, my June 1957 church wedding went off without a glitch. Friends and family gathered with congratulations and celebration. The three-tiered wedding cake baked by my aunt tasted delicious. At the appropriate time-God forbid that I'd do anything inappropriate-I escaped to the bedroom, slipped out of the damp, white gown, and into a sky-blue suit and stood before the mirror. The girl staring back questioned whether it was true; had the wallflower really married the town's most eligible bachelor-the handsome twenty-three-year old preacher-boy? What a coup!
I was a kid playing grown up.
Barely seventeen, with another year of high school ahead of me, I had successfully fulfilled the expectations of my parents, of my peers, and of my church leaders. All was right with my world.
Until the next morning.
As we dressed, my husband sat tying his shoes. "There's one thing I need to tell you," he declared, glancing up at me, authority in his eyes. "God will always come first in my life. You'll be second-but God will be first." Then he stood, pulled his Bible out of the suitcase and opened it. "And we will read the Bible and pray together every day."
His well-intentioned words shattered something inside me, and the pieces tumbled to my feet, pieces of something undefined, yea unborn. I felt slapped, shoved aside. My role in the marriage would never be as an adult, but as a child with a male parent telling me what I would do-yea believe. The pious statement clearly defined the submissive wife. I was secondary. Further, when I needed an opinion, he'd give it to me. Our life together would be his life-not mine.
The disconnect had begun.
Before marriage, I had believed I was important to God and to him, but not now. Now, he and God came first, or his view of God, which, unquestionably, was the patriarchal Him. I came in a distant third.
What then was our marriage? Sacred? How could it be sacred, I wondered, when it is on the bottom of some pecking order.
A seed, a husk of that precious young woman burrowed deep into my soul, shut away from the sun, awaiting the call of the now.
Twenty-three years later, my preacher-foreign missionary-husband and I lived in El Paso, Texas, the cross-cultural city where drug pushers and gang members create their own 'axis of evil.' Where creators of graffiti compete with the majestic Franklin Mountains for attention, for immortality. Where, on the continuum of light and shadow; black and white; right and wrong, there is truth, not only on the ends, but at each point in between.
The day started no different than any other Monday for stay-at-home moms. My two oldest sons were at high school, my daughter at the junior high just blocks away, my husband at his office, and my toddler at home with me. Piles of laundry awaited their turn in the washer. Dirty dishes lay piled in the sink.
After forty years of self-doubt I had garnered courage and enrolled in community college the semester before. Now, at the end of my second semester, an upcoming final exam nagged me to study while I sat in a rocking chair cradling my limp two-year-old son, sick with bronchitis and asthma, his breath raspy, coughing.
From my vantage point I looked up to see my distressed-looking husband open the screen door and head back to the den. He didn't speak until he reached my side, but I knew bad news headed my way.
"My brother just called-your dad-just-just dropped dead of a heart attack," he finally choked out.
I pulled my sick baby to my heart and held him tight, numbness obliterating reality. "Why didn't he call me?" I finally asked, feeling slighted-wounded-that I hadn't received the call.
"He knew you and the baby were here by yourself," my husband explained.
"But it's my dad! He should have called me!"
Someone will call-Mother, my sister, brother, someone. I ached for the phone to ring, for my family to bring me into the loss. No one did. I strangely felt abandoned, cut out of the family. Everyone else was there in my hometown, but no one thought of me, 900 miles away. Neither my mother, nor my sister, nor my brother brought me into the family circle of grief by calling me and telling me my dad was dead-come home.
I recalled when I'd sat with the woman next door after her husband had dropped dead from a heart attack. How the neighbor had insisted on calling their only son, telling him, herself, of his dad's death. "No, no, that's my job," she'd said when the police offered to call. "He needs to hear this from his mom." How comforting, how loving that must have felt for the son.
I waited, not even understanding why the call was so important to me, but eventually I gave in, picked up the phone and called Mom. "Yeah, he's gone," she mumbled. "Are you coming?"
We loaded ourselves, four kids, suitcases and funeral clothes, into a small Chevy Citation and headed across desert at five o'clock that evening.
Earlier that day my father had gone home for lunch, quickly 'inhaled' his food, as always, and left again. It was May, in southeast Texas. Hot. Humid.
He always wore long sleeve khaki shirts and pants, and even died dressed in a pair while sitting in a boat in front of a bait shop.
I wanted to bury him in a suit of khakis, but Mom chose a blue suit, her one chance, she said, to dress him her way. Handsome, he was too, with his red hair and ruddy complexion. But rock hard and cold when I placed my hand on his cheek.
I didn't recognize the event for what it was-the beginning-the first day of my estrangement from God. The day my soul wrinkled when I overheard my mom talking to friends and family who called their regrets.
"I just really feel Jesus helping me get through this; if it wasn't for Jesus, I don't know what I'd do," Mother would say.
I didn't "just really feel Jesus helping me." Instead, I felt sucked into black, soul-crushing nothingness.
Jesus helped her-why not me? Perhaps this compassionate God I'd declared existed-didn't. Or maybe I wasn't worthy enough.
All I felt was pain, abandoned by my father, the one man in my life that I desperately wanted to love and accept me. And now my chances were gone.
Forever.
I'd done all the right things. I'd married a preacher-a good man-making the family proud, receiving my father's blessing, a blessing based not on me, but the marriage. A marriage that raised the family's worth in the community and church. A marriage that ended up making my father feel guilty, for years later I learned that when we came to visit, he hid his beer under the bed so he didn't offend my husband.
So, at 41, I took the first halting steps down off the pedestal of preacher's wife, yea-foreign missionary-and into wilderness, into the dead end of me.
It seemed the sun came up each day in a different corner of the sky. The pieces of bread I'd dropped along the way now became boulders blocking my path. I grieved alone. Family and friends offered comfort, but it didn't bring my father back, nor did it bring back this god-person who seemed to be there for everyone except me.
For the last 41 years, I had sacrificed me to become another person's definition of who I should be. I had gained a halo when I'd married the preacher-boy, and then later the halo had grown bigger and brighter when we became foreign missionaries. But now, after assisting hundreds of people in their spiritual journey, or telling myself I had, when I needed God the most, He wasn't there. I felt deserted and disillusioned. God didn't exist. I felt no Presence or love. No comfort, nor compassion. I felt no empathy, no heavenly understanding.
Smack in the middle of wilderness I began questioning what I'd been taught by the church, by my husband, by Christian scripture, by well-intentioned church members, other missionaries. At first I questioned in secret, still convinced there was something wrong with me, not God.
I enrolled as a freshman at the University of Texas at El Paso and a whole world opened up, a world I'd never known existed. I learned to think autonomously, analytically. I began raising questions about "truth." Questions that threatened my husband and his authority over me.
I began to see how I had bought the patriarchal myth and allowed my husband to be my authority figure-my parent-yea, my God-and, if not God, then definitely God's spokesman with a straight line to truth and divine will.
So I tried telling my story, but what I said threatened folks in my world, no one wanted to listen. I grew so exhausted from trying to be heard that finally I walked out past everyone, unnoticed. My body didn't leave, so they thought I was still there, but my heart was long gone.
Over time I learned to stand up for myself, claim what I believed, what I stood for, what I didn't stand for, and what I absolutely would not stand for and, as you might expect, this took a severe toll on my marriage.
One day my husband confronted me, asking, "Can't you go back and be like you used to be?"
I could try, I thought, but if I did, I'd die. Oh, my body may last a little longer, but my soul, already in a death-throe, would wither and blow away.
"I can't!" I cried, "I like me so much better now-for the first time in my life I like me!" "But I like you less!" he said, pain crawling down his face in deep deadening lines, overflowing, spilling onto the floor, creeping towards me. "I always felt superior to you," he continued, "but I don't anymore! Now I feel inferior!"
I knew his words to be true, always had, even felt it myself, but I didn't realize he did-or would admit it to himself, much less to me.
I got in my car and drove to White Sands National Park, climbed atop a dune of sparkling sand and watched the wind whip the 270 square acres of sand-piled desert. Watched the grains blow into the air, scatter, and then sift down in new locations. They ever advanced, ever changed, yet remained within the confines of their primordial plot. I squinted off into the distance, still hoping for God to top the dunes on a big white stallion and carry me off to glory.
No one came.
I shut my eyes, gritty against dashed hope, knowing what I had to do. Knowing if I didn't, I would surely die.
Years of guilt, passivity, submissiveness and domination had taken its toll. After a lifetime spent in the midst of a high-demand theology that proved unhealthy for me, my spirit felt chewed up and spit out, mangled, desiccated. Theology that taught me I was only complete when I served my husband, and yes obeyed; that I must submit to his control as if I too, were a child needing a watchful parent. A lifetime filled with holy-sounding platitudes and meaningless clichés.
It is unauthentic to pass off as Truth, experiences not yours, simply because other people tell you it is. I had spent a lifetime doing so. Actually, I didn't know I had a choice, and to stay in my marriage-I didn't.
But when you learn you've glibly handed out pat answers to life's most complicated questions; when you learn, despite sincere effort, you're the phony; that the answers, yea, the 'truths' you'd given weren't yours at all, but those given to you within a patriarchal world view, you must go back to the beginning.
And go back, I did. My wilderness wandering would last several more years, years spent reading, creating questions, discovering my own connection with God-as-I- Know-God. Not the patriarchal God of my past, but as a woman also created in the image of God. Through it all, I've learned that wilderness is a sacred place, and that while divorce is an end-it is also a beginning.

Abnormal Psychology - Human Behaviour

2010-05-29T08:55:00.000-07:00

Common psychologists simply describe the psychological diseases and their manifestations. However, through dream interpretation you have a clear explanation of why your disease appeared in your psyche and more importantly, how you can be cured and stop having abnormal behaviour.

What is normal is not always what is balanced and really good for each person, but abnormal behaviour is certainly far from the known behavioural patterns and causes damage to the person and their environment.

A wild and violent conscience is inherent in the human psyche . I discovered this when I continued Carl Jung's neglected research in the dark region of the psyche through dream interpretation. The human being cannot have a balanced behavior, even when one follows the common behavioural patterns of society, which are considered normal.

When we observe abnormal behaviour and we try to understand its psychology and how we can eliminate what causes problems, we observe that the wild conscience invades the human part, with several strange ideas, sensations and feelings. This is how the craziness inherent in the primitive conscience starts causing violent behaviour in the human side, and the person becomes aggressive.

This invasion can have many forms and appear camouflaged in many guises. The first signs of the invasion are usually the appearance of fear and suspicion. Neurotic patients are afraid of other human beings.

The craziness existent in the anti-conscience is a result of the disorganized development of the conscience since its formation. In order to reach a stage where the conscience would be happy, it would have to work very hard and organize its reactions, but it has not been programmed and it was developed without planning, which is why the result was the formation of chaos.

The unconscious psychic sphere that creates dreams is a completely developed human conscience that reached sanctity and can cure us from the craziness inherent in our psychic spheres. Once cured, we will develop all our capacities, be peaceful and always do what is good for us and our community.

The wild anti-conscience and the wise unconscious are constantly fighting in our psyche. The anti-conscience wants to destroy our human conscience, while the wise unconscious tries to save and develop our human conscience to the fullest, so that we may live free of the horrors of craziness.

Psychological health, balance and wisdom can be found only in goodness, forgiveness and piety. However, the human being doesn't forgive one's enemies and is totally cruel in front of those who need support and help.

The behaviour that is considered normal is actually not healthy because we are selfish, and selfishness is pure craziness. The wild anti-conscience manages to influence and invade the conscience using the person's ego as a channel.

Only when the human being learns how to be sensitive and reasonable will one live peacefully and happily, having a truly balanced and wise behaviour.

We need guidance to cultivate sensitivity and develop all the psychological functions, since three of them do not function as they should and only one psychological function dominates our psychic spheres. The wise unconscious knows exactly how to help us and this is why it sends us messages through dreams.

These messages are incomprehensible for the conscience because they could be distorted by the anti-conscience. This fact proves that there are two parts in the human conscience and one of them shall not understand what the unconscious tells the human part because these are instructions about how to transform the wild part in human.

If the wild conscience learned what the unconscious explains to the human side, it would distort these messages. This is why you have to learn how to interpret your dreams, in the same way you learn how to translate one language to another.

Abnormal Psychology - Human Behaviour

2010-05-15T01:10:00.000-07:00

Five Ways to Irritate People Using the DISC Model of Human Behavior

2010-05-06T06:45:00.000-07:00

Here are five sure-fire ways to irritate other people using the DISC model of human behavior:

Tell them how they're feeling or what they're thinking.
Explain to them why they did what they did or said what they said.
Decide for them what they will want from a given situation.
Analyze them and their behaviors.
Help them to be more like you.
I could continue with the list, but I'm sure you see the point. Any time we do any of the above using the DISC model, we are using the model as a weapon against the other person rather than as a tool to understand them more completely.

I teach the DISC model. I use the DISC model. I like the understanding it gives me of people with other viewpoints and perspectives. And, I recognize that it only reveals general patterns of behavior that apply to populations of people rather than absolutes that apply to individuals.

The model and the terms used as descriptors in the model come from statistical averages of population behaviors and perspectives. Using it to define, label, or box-in another person violates one of the first things I learned in my college statistics class: Never use a population statistic to describe an individual observation.

I encourage you to learn how to understand other people. I even encourage you to study the DISC model as a simple way to learn how to see the world from another person's perspective. I strongly discourage anyone from using the model as a weapon to harm, judge, or manipulate others.

DISC Model of Human Behavior - A Brief Summary

2010-04-28T09:56:00.000-07:00

As a teenager and young adult, I thought people were totally irrational and unpredictable. In my thirties, I learned about patterns of behavior that people tend to follow in many areas of their lives and in many situations.

Understanding these patterns helped me to realize that people are not totally irrational. Most people simply see the world, prioritize their activities, communicate with others, and act according to relatively predictable patterns of behavior.

The model I learned, and eventually studied to the point of becoming a master trainer, is the DISC model of human behavior.

Before we even get into this article too deeply, I want to emphasize the statement that people tend to do things in predictable ways. I do not mean anything in this article to box people in, label people, or to imply that any of us can know everything about any other person merely by understanding their primary behavioral style (actually styles). Still, understanding the model can form a strong basis for learning to communicate with and understand other people in better and more effective ways.

That being said, here's a brief summary of how the model describes normal human behavior.

The foundation for the DISC model comes from the work Dr. William Moulton Marston in the 1920's. Dr. Marston was, at the time, a Harvard psychologist. From his research, he developed a theory that people tend to develop their self-concept based on one of four factors - Dominance, Inducement, Steadiness, or Compliance. This theory is the foundation for the DISC theory as it is usually taught today.

Over the years, other psychologists and behavioral specialists developed a number of different assessment, teaching tools, and models to apply Marston's theory in practice. If you search the web for DISC assessments, you will find a large number of assessment and measurement tools based on the DISC model readily available.

The founder and president of Personality Insights, Inc of Atlanta, Georgia, Dr. Robert Rohm, has developed a fantastic collection of practical resources based on the the DISC model with a positive focus.

As taught by Personality Insights consultants, the DISC model is described by a circle divided into quadrants to represent the full range of normal human behavior.

First, divide the circle in half horizontally to give you upper and lower halves to represent the "motor" or "pace" drive. The upper half of the circle represents outgoing or fast-paced people. The lower half represents reserved or slower-paced people. In general, outgoing people move fast, talk fast, and decide fast. And, more reserved people generally speak more slowly and more softly than outgoing people. Reserved people also often prefer to consider things more thoroughly before deciding.

Next, divide the circle vertically to give you left and right halves to represent the "compass" or "priority" drive. The left half represents task-oriented people. The right half represents people-oriented people. Task-oriented people tend to focus on logic, data, results and projects. People-oriented people tend to focus on experiences, feelings, relationships, and interactions with other people.

Combining these two ways of dividing the circle gives us four quadrants that break the circle into four broad descriptors for normal human behavior...

D-type individuals are represented by the upper left quadrant. They are outgoing and task-oriented. They tend to be Dominant and Decisive. They usually focus on results and the bottom-line.

I-type individuals are represented by the upper right quadrant. The are outgoing and people-oriented. They tend to be Inspiring and Influencing. They usually focus on talking and having fun.

S-type individuals are represented by the lower right quadrant. They are reserved and people-oriented. They tend to be Supportive and Steady. They usually focus on peace and harmony.

C-type individuals are represented by the lower left quadrant. They are reserved and task-oriented. They tend to be Cautious and Conscientious. They usually focus on facts and rules.

In practice, very few people exhibit behavioral patterns that fall neatly within any single quadrant. The vast majority of people generally exhibit at least two of the four basic traits in their everyday behaviors. Considering all of the different ways to combine the four traits and the varying intensities of the traits, a typical 24-question personality profile assessment can create 19,680 distinct and different profile types.

Describing the full range of application of the model is far beyond the scope of this article. In practice, simply understanding the four different basic behavioral styles creates a map for understanding ourselves and others more completely so that we can connect, communicate, and cooperate in more effective and productive ways.

Abnormal Psychology - Human Behaviour

2010-04-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

How Human Behaviour Shapes Successful Business Strategies

2010-03-31T10:39:00.000-07:00

The Earths Geomagnetism Its Effects on Human Behaviour

2010-03-18T06:17:00.000-07:00

No two days are ever the same for any event that takes place. This has a major impact on planning, holding events, sales and advertising, seminars, fundraising and other events where a large group of people get together. We've all had times where a party, fundraiser or other group event turned out poorly and yet we hold the party a different day, everything works out perfect. Science is now starting to prove that the general mood of the population is being governed by two major factors; the amount of geomagnetic activity taking place on the earth and the amount of activity coming from the sun. Not all active solar activity is negative, at the right times, this activity can be a major boost to mankind in general. Examples of this in earth's previous history demonstrate that at peak sunspot cycles, major scientific discovery and achievements have occurred. Alternatively increased solar activity has been shown to make people irritable and decrease the overall well being of the population. It is the delicate balance between the earths geomagnetism and negative ions in the air that account for whether these levels of activity are going to be positive or negative in nature. We all know the positive benefits that negative ions provide, both for health and well being. These negative ions also occur naturally around the earth and at certain times are more increased and at other times their levels are lower.

The new science starting to describe and interpret the behavior of humans based on the earth and sun's behavior is known as the Behavioral Response Indice. By using software algorithms, science is now starting to find the perfect balance of negative ions, the right level of earth's geomagnetic activity and the future amount of activity the sun will project onto the earth and create a forecastable index. Just as satellites have forecast systems warning of future dangerous electrons that can destroy communications systems, a Behavioral Response Indice warns of days where holding large events or seminars would be unadvisable due to the solar and geomagnetic climatic conditions occurring on that date. This can have a major impact on industry, education and society as a whole. It can boost productivity by allowing a more smoother flow of ideas and innovations to occur at seminars, conventions etc. It can create a stimulating and positive atmosphere for attendees and improve morale for public speakers and other exhibitors who speak at corporate events, venues and other events. We already use weather forecasting and space weather forecasting to plan ahead, on the horizon is behavioral response forecasting.

Eight Great Human Behavior Science Projects

2010-03-13T08:25:00.001-08:00

Human Behavior Science Projects explore the fascinating ways that human beings behave. Behavioral projects are a popular choice for kids headed to the science fair. While gathering enough test subjects can be tricky, these projects can be a great way for students to learn about testing, meet interesting people, and have fun. There are so many things to discover, that the hardest part may be simply choosing a topic. Here's a list of ideas to get you started.

1. Determine the soothing effect of music by taking the pulse before and after a five minute session of classical piano.

2. See if more people are visual learners or auditory learners by having humans memorize a telephone number that they only see, then a different one that they only hear.

3. Discover if wearing glasses helps or hurts a salesperson's profit. Have a salesperson wear glasses for a series of days, then go to work without the glasses. Compare their total sales for the two periods.

4. Find out if yawning is contagious behavior by watching a group of children before and after the group leader yawns. Note that because it is such a primitive reflex, yawning is a very popular human behavior science project subject.

5. Are younger children more inclined to like their teachers than older students? Rate the popularity of teachers that teach different ages of kids.

6. Measure the time it takes for children to learn a poem set to music or not set to music.

7. Find out if the scent of lemon helps attention by calculating test scores of people who have or have not sniffed a lemon. This is a great science project that might help ADHD students!

8. Find out if two ears or one are better at localizing a sound by hiding an object, and timing how long individuals take to find it. (Get a complete project guide for this project at Online Science Projects.)

Of course, you don't need a study of human behavior to know that students like to come up with new and unique ideas. So put on your thinking cap and come up with your own human behavior science project!

The Sociology of Human Behavior - External Influences on Perception of Others

2010-03-10T08:12:00.000-08:00

This evening I decided that I would try a small experiment to test the theory that we all tend to "judge" others based on appearnace and come to some conclusions about the way that person is from those perceptions.

For the past 6 months I have been network marketing and have had a rather conservative picture on my Facebook profile. Tonight I changed that to a photo that was of me 3 years ago when I had my Wiccan shop running full time. The Witches Haven in Cedar City Utah.

I was not so surprised to see what the result was. The immediate result was that I received comments of shock...one even saying...WOW! Others were less "shocked" and ranged from a thumbs up to "I didn't have any clue". This is not a negative thing and my theory was not to show negativity versus positive resulting reactions but to see raw reaction...period.

I placed a status statement shortly after placing the picture on my profile that stated, "I changed my profile picture here to make a point. Whether you call your clergy Bishop, Father, Rabbi, or High Priest,etc...never judge by the cover as we are peaceful and only wish to assist our fellow man."

I am happy to state that while my theory was proven that we all make judgments or we tend to have pre-conceived ideas of one another we also have the intelligence to think about these ideas and notions and make informed decisions about our final judgment.

I hope that we all will take the time to think about how we are judging others based on appearances only and that we will stop and think about all of the reasoning and conditions that played into the way they appear. I may have looked like a "hippy" to some. A "satanic" person to others...neither of which would have been any where near accurate.

This article will be appearing in a post on my blog and by the time this is posted the picture on my FB profile will have been changed back. I neglected to mention that apparently it did have the affect that people were no longer friend requesting me and some chose to leave and that was also expected. I have left it on my blog as it portrays who I truly am...away from the politics...and out of the "lime light" as it were.

May we all be cautious about the way we are treating one another because of the language we may speak, the clothing we may wear, the creed we may hold ourselves to, and just treat one another with the respect that deep down we all deserve. In the end nothing else matters but the fact that we are all here on earth and we are all human and have feelings, emotions and frailties.

Until next time take care of yourselves and each other. Brightest blessings

How Human Pheromone Products Can Give You The Sexual Edge

2010-03-03T09:40:00.000-08:00

What is the best pheromone product on the market? Is there one product that out strips the rest and guarantees you success with the opposite sex, or for that matter, the same sex?

Human pheromones have made an impact on today's society as their role in human behaviour is better understood. The pheromone product industry has grown rapidly as savvy marketers realise the potential to make money from a public audience looking for shortcuts to "nail" there next sexual conquest.

Can Pheromone Products Guarantee Sexual Success?

Those people buying human pheromone products thinking it's the answer to attracting a sexual mate should really understand the role this invisible chemical actually plays in human interaction. Will a dab of pheromone cologne guarantee you success in the sexual stakes? No it won't. Why? Because as it was put to me by a manufacturer recently, "somebody can give you the light switch but you still need to turn it on!"

Wearing a pheromone product is designed to instill an air of confidence in the "wearer." Don't think for a minute guys that by simply having it on and then walking into a night club is going to see you mobbed by dozens of ravenous women. Sure, you'll probably get noticed but the main action of the pheromone product is to help you "break the ice" and once you do, it's then up to you to continue to create an impression.

The Best Pheromone Product On The Market

So what is the best pheromone product on the market. Well I'm not too sure there is a best product but one of the safest ways in finding the best legitimate products are by concentrating on those companies who produce and manufacture their own oils, cologne and spray in house. Why? By producing their own products, they've obviously spent crucial time and money in testing what works and what doesn't work with the end creation a result of this research. And you can bet they won't be resting on their laurels as they continually refine and test different combinations.

Does Price Matter?

Products come in a variety of forms including cologne, spray, oils and enhancers. One thing that continually amazes me is the price differences between the various products. Is a pheromone cologne worth $30 less effective than a cologne being promoted at over a hundred dollars? This is often the problem facing many prospective consumers.

More is not always best and by following the earlier strategy of sticking with those in-house produced products, your pheromone experience should generally be a happy one. Also, look for companies who provide on-going support; they may have a newsletter you can sign up for. It's a sure sign that they are in it for the long haul and not just a fly-by-nighter. You'll also find that they are loyal to their regular customers providing deals such as two-for-one or buy a bottle of this cologne and receive a complimentary dab brush.

Remember, the best pheromone product won't get you "mauled" by the opposite sex but it can help you get off the "batting plate." Then it's up to you to negotiate your way around the diamond.

The Secret to Understanding Human Behavior

2010-02-28T06:04:00.000-08:00

The success of The Secret, Dan Brown's The Lost Symbol and the newly released movie Avatar offer strong evidence that everywhere and in every way people are realizing that our planet is composed of interconnected systems of energy and consciousness that extend far beyond the connections that we imagined in the past. At the center of this new understanding is the idea that every thought and everything is a bundle of potential energy, and that thoughts can become things. Unfortunately, this new understanding does not extend to our insights into human behavior. Today's managers, parents and other authority figures have not yet let go of their archaic cause-and-effect ways of thinking about human behavior. Thinking like this leads people to boxing and labeling, diagnosing, treating and quick fixing techniques for influencing the behavior of others. While managers have developed the understanding that stimuli such as needs and desires are inside of us, they have not moved away from stimulus-response thinking. Few have embraced a different way of understanding human behavior known as Perceptual Control Theory, PCT for short. PCT is the human behavior corollary to systems thinking about and understanding of the world around us.

In the late 1950's, William T. Powers recognized that our increasing skill at building mechanical control systems really revealed a deeper understanding of the ins and outs of human behavior. Control systems thinkers realized that a person was, in fact, a closed loop negative feedback system. These thinkers defined behavior as the control of perception. This revolutionary concept has yet to gain widespread understanding and acceptance, and it has yet to lead to a change in thinking about how we manage ourselves and others. Once we understand human behavior through this different paradigm, we recognize that punishments, rewards, threats, guilt, praise, shaming, and bullying are forms of coercion that will not work long term and often create severe damage along the way to the individuals involved, to the relationships between or among them, to the organization of which they are members, and to society as a whole.

Control is a simple process involving action, perception and comparison. Action results when many internal signals trigger the firing of neurons that affect muscles and glands. Typing (which is the action I am taking right now) is created when billions of neurons fire and signal muscles which create movement in my fingers. The only evidence I have that this internal signaling and firing is happening is the perception of letters that form words appearing on the screen. I am controlling for specific letter combinations to appear on the screen in front of me. To know if I am accomplishing this result, I am constantly comparing the letters I see to the letters I desire. I am in a relationship with my environment at all times. I am attempting to create the world I want.

The complexity and interconnection of the system reaches beyond 'me and the environment;' it extends to multiple levels inside of me. On one level I am controlling for specific letter combinations, on a higher level I am control for grammar, punctuation and spelling, and on a higher level yet I am controlling for a message. Just as the roots of a tree interact with the environment in which they are embedded, I interact with the world around me. Moreover, like the tree whose roots are in relationship with the wood, the bark, the branches and the leaves, my system has multiple layers of relationships and interconnections. What at first seems simple becomes more complex, and beyond the complexity, there remains one simple answer to the question: why we do what we do. We do it because at that moment what we want and what we perceive do not match. Conscious awareness of what we want and how we perceive the world are essential ingredients in understanding ourselves and others.

Once we understand and integrate an understanding of PCT into how we live and interact with others and our environment, we view all living systems as bundles of potentiality which are constantly involved in the process of controlling. All we can be to each other is disturbance; a helping or hindering force in the environment. In your relationships with others, which do you want to be? To be a helping force, recognize and seek to understand what the person wants by asking, "What do you want?" Instead of making all sorts of assumptions about what would help, simply ask, "How might I help?" Operating with a PCT attitude embraces the potential within everyone and honors an individual's ability to manifest what he or she desire. The secret to understanding human behavior is to recognize and understand the natural process of control.

Environment and Human Behavior

2010-02-16T08:28:00.000-08:00

The current vision of the world on environmental issues enables a greater scope and detail about what happens to the environment where they are all living beings. Disasters, tragedies, plundering and exploitation of the natural assets have been increasingly explicit in the face of human society, causing environmental imbalances leading to fatigue and the nature. The purpose of sustainability is that human beings are considered part of nature, being able to develop their actions in balance with the environment in which they live.

Considering the evolutionary history of human thought, it is noted that the thinking of man are becoming throughout history, where it hangs a clash of the old Cartesian paradigm and the new paradigm, that of sustainability. Knowing the evolutionary process of human thought can be pointed as cause for the problem diagnosed: environmental problems not bother enough people so that they act, there is no motivation or personal initiative to trigger environmental action, awareness does not necessarily trigger changes of attitudes, not the accountability of people before the environmental issue.

The solutions to the problem of the programs and projects already working on environmental perception, awareness and consciousness, causing an emphasis on emotion in people that have been sensitized to promote the changes necessary to achieve sustainability.

Considering the parameters that influence the analysis and results of this work, it remains within its objectives, but to propose new ideas for influence in overcoming the processing of environmental awareness in active movement. Building new cultural values, social, political and economic then contributing to formation of a new global consciousness in favor of life and all the diversity in nature.

The actions committed for the environment today does not match that of people aware. We stopped on the concrete action to minimize the impacts that cause. Timid political movements and the majority are electioneering (Search by votes) try to convince people that we work with nature as a small part of the city's trash is separated for recycling, and when changes are government projects past are overlooked or neglected, start another program as environmental be the first to worry about the environmental issue. The search for the reasons that make the conscious action of the generator attitudes and processes that can begin to mitigate the environmental problems is significant, considering the inconsistency of people aware of the existence and the lack of permanent environmental actions.

Working for a healthy environment, the effective action of a company organized and concerned to know, understand and exercise their responsibilities. Referring to the Medical Education, (KIKUCHI, 1991 p. 166) warns: You can not compare to the action self cure therapy with conventional medical therapy. The purpose of self cure therapy is to empower the healing of patients who must be an act essentially self-educational and not medical. The expropriation of health, holding to the doctors, the exclusive right to treatment for patients and difficult to author, using for that the law, follows, essentially, to ignorance and financial interests. This is one of the main factors that cause disease in troubled modern world. The disease is like a fire and the doctor is like the firefighter.

Although the total mobilization of the entire capacity of the doctor (firefighter) and the use of all equipment, there are still many serious diseases (large fires) that develop in parallel with the rapid development of science and mechanical technology of today. No use looking only technological progress and the practical with their firefighter equipment and instruments, if we strengthen and warned against the fire. We must protect us from disease flare of individual children as well as major fires (epidemics and wars). The disease appears as a possibility for growth, as a barrier that helps us to raise awareness that the imbalance is crucial for maintaining the relative balance. So what if search is not clear how the fire, because if you do not know, just study it and is the most effective method for this. What you want is the self facing the environment. The expropriation of nature is what is bad, compared to the previous reference Kikuchi health. Treat evil is not enough, we must prevent it and that is necessary to investigate what was lost and bring back the habit to return the balance to maintain, and also get the natural balance of ecosystems.

Looking under the same parameters of the search for balance you can cite other examples of the confusion in other segments such as: violent authorities want to stop the violence, doctors want to stop the cancer producing more cancer, educators want to promote education transmitting a fragmented vision and escravizante of reality. Clearly, something is wrong.

There is the need to replace the Cartesian-Newtonian paradigm, consolidated by the positivist doctrine, which still governs our lives. There should be a change in view of the world, considering that the greatest crisis affecting humanity is the crisis of perception, as a warning Capra (1996).

Education has strategic role in the process of environmental management, training of children and young people, incorporating environmental and human values, emphasizing the sense of daily practices with the theory initiated in the classroom, leading to a culture of sustainability, a culture the harmonic coexistence between human beings and between them and nature. The pursuit of sustainable development seems utopian, but the utopian ideas are to build something you dream, and dream is to generate hope. It is the desire to abstract a concrete reality, to stop rambling on firm ground to tread. Developing sustainability means being focused not only on production, is to think and solve small to condescend to the proposed logical natural process, or find the answers in nature to solve the problems. Issues that were created by humans, when we forget that the natural, the organic, and that depends on it. We must go back to origins to rethink the way of human life. Look what has been lost to fit the missing piece of to return to participate in the life cycle of the earth.

Sustainable development as its basic resource elect the creative initiative of individuals and as a fundamental objective the welfare of the material and spiritual. In communities that work well, even when there is poverty, there are also ingenious strategies for survival. (BARROS, 2002, p. 4) According Lerípio (2001, p. 2), the environment and development must cease to be confrontational to become a partnership relationship. The key point of the issue becomes the need for a peaceful coexistence between the quality of the environment and economic development.

What actions have been geared to protecting the environment is needed desvencilhar the mystery of consciousness and their ability to bring actions aware, committed and responsible for spreading solutions of problems and significant environmental improvements. You can not just plant trees in the gardens each year the week of the environment and to worship at that moment as if representing large effect on people and the environment. We must grow conscious attitudes in people, it is important to environmental awareness is no action to mitigate environmental impacts. The continuation of underdevelopment in environmental continuity is the act of playing the remains of food in the same brass in which recyclable materials or as forests are devastated areas equivalent to a big stadium every day, eliminating several endangered species of both flora as fauna, and authorities are not pressured to make this safeguard.

Understanding the basis of generating actions is very important to reach people aware so they can have their attitudes consistent with their way of thinking. Finding the factor for the actions has been a tool much more than just awareness. If awareness were large enough there would be concerns about the environmental issue, as is evident in the company to be established there, in various segments of multipliers of environmental awareness. Maybe the majority did not see the seriousness with which environmentalists have seen, hence the need for treatment of shock, or see the reality that hits on the emotionally and be done with nature and the like. Considering the importance of these aspects, this paper attempts to point out answers or solutions to the inertia of rest where people park conscious and not aware, to have the factor or factors instigators to a state of movement for activities beneficial to the environment, a inertia of movement of environmentally conscious heads.

If every person endowed with environmental awareness still lacks reason to act on the environmental issue is instigated in the right spot to develop attitudes that same individual to remedy environmental damage or prevent them, work is more than a contribution to environmental education, but yes, the trigger that fires every person other than his desire to make their way of life today, to more healthy attitudes from a particular, emotional, psychological, actor in major changes necessary for preservation and conservation of an integrated world of humans and nature as it always was, one thing only. To search for the guideline have research that points to a single direction desvencilhando of the nuances that may be involved in your real objective is therefore necessary to infer the problem question: Why do many people, although being environmentally aware, yet have no rational attitudes that are taking actions environmentally sound?

Interior Design and Human Behavior

2010-02-09T09:38:00.000-08:00

A science or an art

Do you think of interior design as a science or an art? Well, it might be a quiet difficult question; but in fact a combination of both. Interior design can be defined as an applied art where creativity skills and technical knowledge provide solutions. These solutions are applied to achieve a more convenient habitat.

Interior design provides answers that are both functional and attractive and enhance the quality of life. Interior design reflects and interacts with the cultural background and traditional heritage of the occupants.

The design process itself runs through a systematic and interactive methodology to create an innovative and functional design solution whereby the needs and resources of the occupants are satisfied.

To achieve a well designed environment many elements contribute together thus innovating the overall theme e.g. color, light, texture...etc. interior design provides solutions for residential, commercial, educational, healthcare, office and hospitality projects consequently affecting our daily way of living or in other words; our behavior.

However interior design leans on our cultural heritage, yet it still can directly or indirectly shape our behavior and definitely it influences our reactions. For instance a room painted in red feels warm than another painted in blue! However it's the same environment but the color which is an important design element has altered our behavior and way of thinking. The same color itself can trigger different emotions depending on its reference to either symbolic or psychological functions considering the linkages that vary with time, place and cultural background. While white color is worn at weddings and may represent purity, sterility, virginity and peace for some nations, it was the color worn at funerals for others during certain periods in history.

Another noteworthy proof of how interior design can affect our behavior is light! It has to be customized according to the function performed by the occupants. That major element can ensure and highlight a certain frame of mind! For example in a work environment an inadequate light amount would cause annoyance and discomfort. On the contrary you would enjoy a nice dinner or a romantic movie on a dimmed light.

I do believe that the relation between mass and space creates the greatest impact on human behavior. Minimalism where the work is stripped down to its most fundamental features and the subject is reduced to its necessary elements was an approach for better living environments. A cluttered habitat is definitely irritating while fine organized minimal but yet function environments promote serenity and comfort. A good design coordinating mass and space can elevate the sense of creativity and innovation.

Again cultural variations transform occupant's vision to surrounding space. For instance a minimal designed interior seems less and for some nations less reflects poverty.

The influence of interior design on human behavior is apparent while working for instance on educational projects like nurseries where children experience a phase of mind shaping. Color, light and texture integrate together to encourage creativity. Safety is another dimension that could be enhanced.

From my point of view a global standard design code for interior environments is not applicable since occupants respond in a different way in accordance with several factors such as cultural background, social heritage or climate conditions. Interior design could effectively develop the quality of life in accordance with formerly mentioned factors; focusing on the basics of creating an ideal habitat for living.

Is Human Behavior Learned?

2010-01-28T07:14:00.000-08:00

Yes! Human behavior is past down from generation to generation. Human behavior is learned behavior. What do you think about that? Just remember that an explanation is not a justification. Crime is a reality in our country whether we like it or not. Poor family values, poverty, poor education, these are the contributing factors that lead many men and women to crime. There are some well read and educated persons who believe that the human brain is wired for violence.

What if I told you that violence was learned? Violence is past down from generation to generation, like wealth and heirlooms. Do you find that hard to believe? What if I told that when human beings lived in caves and ate raw meat, a man and a woman had to be as aggressive and violent as the animals around them in order to survive. "Wow", human beings had to be as aggressive and cunning and primal as the other animals!

Now look at human history, (world history). Now ask yourself, can you see in our world history and the different systems of government. We can see democracy, monarchy, dynasty, tyranny, and empire; all of these forms of government were created by violence, blood shed, or revolution. It is hard to believe that every democracy started with revolution! We value this system of government so much that we will force other countries and people to adopt it.

We are appalled by violence and criminal behavior. We see movies with men in masks cutting up, and torturing and then ultimately killing a naked girl. We read comic books and see violent images on television. Now if you compound these things with children who have never been nurtured or taught how to inter-act with other human beings in a healthy manner. We get what we have now, large prison populations and high crime.

Is human behavior learned? Yes! A child's mind is open and is like a fresh piece of clay. A child's mind is programmed by what he or she hears and sees. We can stop crime completely, with our youngest generations. We can teach positive and edifying social skills. Children are unfortunately taught fear, pride and prejudice and hatred. Children can also be taught to love, and respect themselves and others.

Human Behaviour and Depression

2010-01-24T04:40:00.000-08:00

Each one of us has his or her own personality and several characteristics that we believe are unique to us, but human behavior is not controlled by our will. Behavioural programs that work automatically according to the stimuli that we receive from the environment are the primary controllers of human behavior. The human being is an animal and his rationale is not active most of the time. On the contrary, the majority of our decisions and actions are made based on these automatic behavioural programs rather than based on our own thoughts.

We have to also consider the existence of several characteristics in our psychic sphere that are peculiar to our psychological type. There are four psychological types which depend on the most developed of the four psychological function in each person’s psychic sphere—the four psychological functions are thoughts, feelings, sensations, and intuitions. However, since each person’s attitude is either introverted or extroverted, the psychological types become 8—4 each of introverted and extroverted types.

The introverted types tend to judge everything according to their personal opinion while the extroverted types tend to accept the general opinion about reality. Their previous disposition affects their judgement, which is always one sided, since each type completely despises what the opposite type considers important. This way, neither one nor the other can perceive all the existing points of the objective reality or of the inner reality when they judge them.

The automatic behavioural programs decide on our behalf what we will do all the time, even though we think we are doing everything we do because we ourselves have decided to do so. We can’t really perceive that our reactions are automatic and we think that we can control our behaviour completely.

However, some stimuli can make us “lose our head” and without understanding how, we may get involved in very strange situations.

So, the strong stimuli and the automatic animal reaction combined with the one-sided vision of each psychological type and with the peculiar characteristics that determine their behaviour depending on which psychological function dominates them the most, are responsible for each person’s behaviour.

This way, what happens is that each person makes several mistakes, without understanding what they are really doing. They may even do several things that are completely in opposition to their character because they are dominated by the wild side of their conscience, where psychological functions that were not developed through consciousness remain.

The result is a suffocating feeling, an unbearable and unexplainable depression that intrigues very much the person that feels this way, because they can’t understand what is wrong.

Their psychic condition becomes worse with time and some day they feel so completely lost in a labyrinth of problems that cannot be ever solved that they think about committing suicide, as if this was the unique solution left for them.

Otherwise, they start taking treatment to cure their depression and their frustration increases because they realize that they are feeling worse instead of better, because their real problems remain unsolved…

This is when the free and safe psychotherapy through dream interpretation can save their life! Only the unconscious that resides inside the human psychic sphere is very well aware of the exact mistakes each person made and how they can be corrected.

The unconscious is a free doctor that sends us very helpful messages through our dreams everyday in order to help us overcome all the problems provoked by our wild nature. Dream decoding is the safest solution for desperate people, who cannot understand why they feel so sad and cannot bear their existence. It is a miraculous solution that can save anyone, no matter how awful they may feel and however impossible the solution for their problems may appear.

However, the unconscious is a very demanding doctor and its psychotherapy depends on the patient’s cooperation. This is not a magical way through which a human being can get rid of all his or her problems without doing anything, but a miracle he himself has to create, by exactly following the wise orientation received in dreams, even when the person doesn’t agree with the suffering through which one will have to pass in order to be cured. One has to change one’s behaviour and learn how to be calm and always wise. This is like a very delicate and dangerous surgical operation. Its success is guaranteed only if the patient exactly follows the doctor’s orientation.

Prevent Depression and Craziness through the scientific method of Dream Interpretation discovered by Carl Jung and simplified by Christina Sponias, a writer who continued Jung's research in the unknown region of the human psychic sphere.

The Human Behavior in Organizations

2010-01-08T23:54:00.000-08:00

The worker's activities are activities of humans and are therefore an essential part of humanity.

These activities have at least five dimensions, on the main aspects that must be considered in the analysis of work, and all the employee needs to be entrepreneur and feel accomplished for production:

a) Technical aspects - involves issues relating to place of work and adjustment physiological and sociological.

b) Physiological aspects - is the degree of adaptation man - place of work - Physical environment and the problem of fatigue - the human being is not a machine and does not work like a machine.

c) Moral aspect - considers the skills, the motivation, the degree of awareness, satisfaction and the intimate relationship between work activity and personality - the work is an extension of personality, is how a person measures his worth and his humanity.

d) Social aspect - considers the specific issues in the working environment and external factors such as family, social class, etc..

e) Economic aspect - as the production of wealth - the work is a way of life.

Businesses is evaluated by the following requirements:

1) Environment of the business - credibility, respect, fairness, pride and camaraderie;

2) Profile of the company - benefits, compensation, ethics and citizenship, professional development and balancing work and personal life

"There is ways that discover and adopts measures of how to maximize the work efficiency.

- Every person is influenced exclusively by rewards wage, economic and material, not considering the needs of staff achievement and promotion.

The humanism considers the improvement of development, welfare and dignity as the ultimate objective of all human thought and action - above ideals and values of religious, ideological or national.

The commitment to humanism defends the adoption of the following three fundamental principles:

a) Philosophical, consisting in the design of humans - men and women - as be autonomous and rational and respect fundamental to all human beings while endowed with free will, rationality, moral awareness, capacity imaginative and creative.

b) Social policy, which consists of a universal ethic of equality, reciprocity and human solidarity and a policy of pluralistic democracy, fair and human.

c) Educational, consisting of the commitment to help all individuals in implementation and improvement of its potential.

So, with the humanistic approach, "the concern with the machine, the working method, with the formal organization and the principles of administration applicable to organizational aspects give priorities to the concern with man and his social group: the technical aspects for the formal psychological and sociological aspects.

The school of human relations was born from the need of reducing the dehumanization of work and at the same time, increasing the efficiency in business.

The informal groups can communicate with ease, and find supportive environment for the majority of their problems. The formal organization is the organizational structure - organs, functions, hierarchical levels and functional relationships - and informal organization is the set of interactions and relationships that are established between the workers - uses and customs, traditions and social norms.

The informal organization is reflected by attitudes and provisions based on the opinion and sentiment. The expression of the need to 'join up' and do not change quickly or make the logic: relate to the sense of values, the lifestyles and the acquisition of social life that a person strives to preserve and defend of which is willing to fight and resist.

The social man, which is based on the following aspects:

a) Employees are complex social creatures, with their feelings, desires and fears. The behavior at work - as the behavior in any place - is a consequence of many motivational factors.

b) People are motivated by human needs and achieve their satisfaction through social groups with whom they interact. Difficult to participate and connect with the group cause elevation of turnover of people, lowering of moral, psychological fatigue, reduced levels of performance,

c) The behavior of social groups can be manipulated by an appropriate style of supervision and leadership (human abilities).

d) The social norms of the group act as regulatory mechanisms of the behavior of members. The levels of production are controlled by the rules of the informal group. This social control takes both positive sanctions (stimulation, social acceptance, etc..) And negative (mockery, isolation from the group, etc.).. The employee is seen as a being creative and thinking, and issues such as integration, social behavior and participation in decisions.

The theory of bureaucracy was born from the work of Max Weber, in the 1940s, he studied the organization as part of a social context, influenced by changing social, economic and religious.

The bureaucratic model is proposed as an efficient administrative structure for complex organizations, governed by the rules and inflexible hierarchy. Bureaucracy is a form of human organization that is based on rationality.

The characteristics of bureaucracy are:

a) Legal nature of the rules and regulations: it is an organization bound by rules and regulations established in writing in advance.

b) Formal communications: they are recorded in writing by forms, so that the bureaucracy is a formally organized to a social structure.

c) Rational: division of labor, where the tasks are set for each participant.

d) Impersonal: relationship in terms of positions, not people.

e) Hierarchy: each post below is under the supervision of the superior officer.

f) Routine: the employee must do what is the boss bureaucracy, he is not independent.

g) Meritocracy: the choice of people is based on merit and technique competence.

h) Administration of expertise: separation between ownership and management.

i) Professional.

j) Predictability: assumes that the behavior of all members is perfectly predictable.

As the concept of informal organization is not rational, it is not accepted by the bureaucracy, so the worker is seen only as occupier of a position that needs to respond by the set of tasks that are under its responsibility.
To stimulate the work discipline, the bureaucrat's official life is planned for him in terms of career, promotions, pensions and wages, and in exchange, it is expected that he adapts his thoughts, feelings and actions to the needs of the organization.

However, these factors increase the conformism and lead to exaggeration in the strict observation of rules, which results in conservatism and technicality. In the bureaucracy are considered the goals of the organization and not the people.

This means that the more bureaucratic an organization is, more people are parts of the bureaucratic machinery, settled for their purposes, without creativity, initiative, and resistant to changes in their routines.

To be successful in all organizations, the organizational man must have the following characteristics of personality:

a) Flexibility, given the constant changes that occur in modern life, and the diversity of roles in various organizations, which can get a reversal, the sudden shutdown of organizations and new relationships.

b) Tolerance to frustration, to avoid the emotional distress arising from the conflict between organizational needs and individual needs, the mediation is done by rational rules, written and comprehensive, seeking involve the entire organization.

c) Ability to rewards and compensate the routine work on the organization, accordingly personal preferences and vocations, and other types of work.

d) Standing desire to achieve, to ensure compliance and cooperation with the rules that control and provide access to the career positions within the organization, providing social rewards and sanctions and materials.

These characteristics of personality vary in degree depending on the organization and position held.

Does Solar Flare Activity Affect Human Behavior and Psychology?

2009-12-24T07:47:00.000-08:00

You can ask any highway patrolman in just about any state about this interesting fact; when it gets extremely hot outside, or it's very hot with high humidity, road rage is much more prevalent. Any dispatcher of any police station will tell you the same thing. And, I'm sure we've all heard that full moons bring out all the crazy people, and that anytime there is a full moon it's important to put more police officers on duty that evening.

Now then, what about solar flare activity? Does it affect human behavior and psychology? We know a full moon does, and we know extreme temperatures do, and with a solar flare you have increased atmospheric heat, and increased solar radiation. Now then, let me give you a quick little theory.

We also have a Solar Maximum on the way, and it seems humans get in a tizzy the more solar flares erupt, so, we should expect increased human violence and bad behavior for the next decade, during the solar maximum cycle. And during days when we have high solar flare activity, we should expect more violent acts by human beings.

During the last solar cycle, I used to track conflicts in the world and time them to the solar flares, the charts line up too coincidentally for chance probability. Now then, this was not a scientific study, just something that I worked on itself every time I saw something pretty insane in the newspaper, or on TV; I then checked the solar flare activity for the day.

We need to do more studies on this, because it appears that many human scientists are not looking here, and when I go onto the Internet and try to search these things, I don't come up with much. Nevertheless, I am personally convinced that there is a correlation, so, I hope you will please consider this.

Mental Illnesses and Human Behavior

2009-12-12T02:30:00.000-08:00

All mental illnesses are reflected in human behavior because they are provoked by the domination of the wild side of the human conscience, which has very violent behavior, without any sensitivity. When someone acquires a mental illness, this means that they are over-dominated by the anti-conscience, their primitive conscience that has no human characteristics, but is evil, selfish and sneaky.

The domination of the anti-conscience is frequent in most cases, because it manages to invade the conscious field when the person accepts its absurd suggestions, which are camouflaged in logical ideas. These ideas are absurd, but in order to discover their absurdity one has to carefully examine them, which means that they are often followed by the naïve human conscience of everyone, since nobody analyzes them.

However, a mental illness is provoked by the partial destruction of the human side of the human conscience due to the constant invasion of the terrible anti-conscience. When someone is dominated by their wild side, they cannot behave like human beings, even though the anti-conscience pretends to be human in the beginning. It is a wild animal that can think and provoke much destruction, because it is schizophrenic. The content of its mind is pure craziness.

This tragedy is the result of the disorganized development of the human conscience in its first stages. We have to eliminate the possibility of the domination of the anti-conscience before it manages to destroy the human side of the person's conscience in order to prevent all mental illnesses, and transform this dangerous part into a positive part of their human side.

Since we know that the domination of the anti-conscience can be perceived in the person's behavior, we must pay attention to all the revealing signs of this domination, which are:

1. Indifference to what is bad
2. Lack of sensitivity
3. Strange reactions
4. Absence of fear before danger
5. General apathy
6. Cruelty and irritation
7. Immoral tendencies

One must pay attention to his behavior and seek treatment if any or all of the above mentioned characteristics define their behavior, because if the anti-conscience does manage to completely destroy the human side of their conscience, they won't be able to recuperate it later. Your mental health and your behavior are practically the same thing, since one depends on the other. Be very careful when your behavior is strange, and don't deny seeking psychotherapy.

Motorbike Helmet Laws, Human Behaviour & The Organ Donor Effect

2009-12-10T04:49:00.000-08:00

Should motorcycle riders have the right to choose to wear or not to wear a motorbike helmet? It is a fiercely debated topic among bikers, politicians and recently the people of Missouri.

It's a 'freedom of choice' debate for many, questioning why the legislators feel they know what individuals need better than themselves. It is also a scale issue, how extensive should laws be to protect life and where should the line be drawn? Laws state that an individual is not allowed to intentionally end their own life, helmet laws attempt to reduce the risk of death, how far will legislators go to protect life and what effect will this have on the quality of life for the individual?

Of course it isn't that simple, we're not all only individuals but together we make up a society and sometimes the actions of individuals can have positive and negative effects on other individuals and on wider society.

So the debate widens to consider costs and benefits to society. I'm not going to go into this area in detail because most of the costs and benefits have already been widely discussed previously. Considerations include the immediate loss of life to a rider who is involved in a fatal accident, any pillion rider who is unfortunate enough to be involved, and any other parties who are involved in the accident. Pillion riders, like passengers in car accidents form a sad statistic as the accident is normally completely outside of their control, yet they bear the same consequences. Considerations also include hospital services, police investigations, legal inquiries, and road clean up and repair work. Individual freedom of choice should hold strong consideration, and the fact that the use or non-use of a motorcycle helmet doesn't directly effect the health of anyone else other than themselves (ignoring the Organ Donor Effect).

The Organ Donor Effect - Mitigating the cost of motorcycle accidents on society? It isn't a new concept, but one that has received revived publicity lately following the Missouri motorbike helmet law saga. For me the relationship between motorcycle accidents and organ donations is interesting because people will use the same relationship to argue both for and against crash helmet laws. You can even find motorcyclists citing the relationship in their arguments against motorcycle helmet laws. This multi use of the same argument is interesting, any use of the argument is in fact bizarre because the effect implies different values on the lives of motorcyclists compared to humans on the organ donation waiting list. Are not the lives of all humans valued equally? Of course they are not, if they were politicians would not be sending our young men to war but be going themselves, but that is off topic. So what is the Organ Donor Effect? Statistics show a relationship exists between motorbike helmet use and the number of fatal motorcycle accidents from head trauma. Compulsory helmet laws increase helmet use, causing a corresponding decrease in rider fatalities. The Organ Donor Effect is the statistical relationship between a decrease in head trauma related motorcycle rider fatalities and a corresponding decrease in healthy organ donations. Motorcycle riders tend to be young and healthy and have an above average likelihood of providing healthy organs following death from head trauma. Statistics have shown that for every motorcycle accident fatality from head trauma, 0.33 deaths have been delayed on the organ waiting list. Note that it is not a one to one relationship, but rather three riders have to die to save one person in need of an organ.

The argument against helmet laws citing the Organ Donor Effect tends to be along the lines of that the enactment of crash helmet laws will reduce the number of organ donations every year causing a corresponding increase in the number of deaths on the organ waiting list.

An argument for helmet laws citing the Organ Donor Effect is statistically stronger, consider that for every three biker deaths, only one persons life in need of an organ will be saved (extended). So unless the lives of bikers are somehow less important than everyone else, the Organ Donor Effect as an argument for, or against motorbike helmet legislation is irrelevant.

Butterfly Effect - Actions can have reactions further away than may initially be considered. The Organ Donor Effect when considering motorcycle helmet legislation is an interesting example of a Butterfly Effect. The use of helmets don't only effect those immediately involved in a motorcycle accident, but can also effect third parties which you would not immediately consider - those on organ donor waiting lists. But just because there is a relationship, doesn't mean it is an important relationship and doesn't mean that it deserves to be considered in the debate.

More serious helmet law considerations should be around half helmets and other minimalistic helmets which offer questionable protection. If these helmet styles qualify as adequate protection under law, but do not actually adequately protect the human head in a motorcycle accident. It begs the question of whether there is any point to having the helmet laws in the first place.

In most debates that consider individual choice versus legislative control I personally favour individual choice.

But in this debate I considered two ideas, firstly whether motorcycle helmets are a good thing for people to wear and secondly whether individuals have the capability to choose for themselves uninfluenced by other people. In this situation after much thought I decided that given the choice I would vote in favour of compulsory helmet laws for all ages. Because when helmet use becomes the norm there is no longer a question of whether it is cooler to ride with or without a helmet, everyone just wears one. Ideally I would like there to be no helmet laws and every individual able to make his or her own choice, but unfortunately I don't believe the individuals would be able to make their own choice, but rather be influenced too heavily by media, other riders, and the individual's perception of what is 'cool'. Peer pressure is commonly considered a child and teenager issue but I believe it is simply a human characteristic. To want to do as others do, the desire to be accepted, desire to fit in, desire to stand out. I believe that the majority of riders given the option of wearing a helmet or not would base their decision on what they believe others would think of them (what image they will portray). It is this unfortunate human characteristic that moves me in support of compulsory motorbike helmet laws.

Jesus Took the Child in His Arms

2009-11-21T04:36:00.000-08:00

Then they left that place and were passing through Galilee. Jesus didn't want anyone to know it, for he was teaching his disciples and saying to them, "The Son of Man will be betrayed into human hands. They will kill him, but after being dead for three days he will be raised." They didn't understand what this statement meant, and were afraid to ask him.

Then they came to Capernaum. While Jesus was at home, he asked the disciples, "What were you arguing about on the road?" But they kept silent, for on the road they had argued with one another about who was the greatest.

So he sat down and called the twelve. He told them, "If anyone wants to be first he must be last of all and servant of all." Then he took a little child and had him stand among them. He took him in his arms and said to them, "Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

Q: What did John the Baptist, Atilla the Hun and Alexander the Great all have in common?
A: They all had the same unusual middle name - 'the'.

It's not a common middle name any more ('the'), and neither is Alexander's surname ('great'), though it's not hard to come up with a goodly number of 'great' historical figures: 'Herod the Great', 'Peter the Great', 'Alfred the Great' and a host of other 'great' men (and perhaps some women).

Perhaps there are some who stil aspire to the name, for the truth is that deep down all of us, even if we don't aspire to the title, would nonetheless like to be 'great'. And not just great at what we do, but 'great' in the sense of perceived as being great, in the same way the disciples in today' Gospel reading wanted to be 'great'. It's sorta natural.

Sigmund Freud was a brilliant man. I know he doesn't get a lot of good press in church circles, but as R.D. Laing said of Freud, "no one went down further, stayed down longer, or came up dirtier than he did".

Freud, as you may know, believed that the lust for pleasure was at the basis of all human behaviour. Human beings naturally move towards pleasure and away from pain, and this is the basis of all human behaviour, said Freud. And I'm sure that there is indeed a great degree of truth in Freud's analysis.

Alfred Adler though, who came somewhat after Freud, suggested that there was an even more fundamental driving force at work in the human psyche - greater still than our natural desure for pleasure, and it is the lust for power!

We human beings want to be significant. We want to be 'somebodies'. None of us wants to live his or her life as a 'nobody' and die in obscurity and be remember for nothing. No, we want to be 'somebodies'. We want our life to count for something. We want to achieve something, and ultimately, get the recognition and authority and greatness that comes with being a somebody. In the end we want to be powerful. This, Adler suggests, is the fundamental driving, motivating force behind all human behaviour.

Now it's not my place to promote the teachings of Freud or Adler of course, and yet I think we do well to recognise that there is a great degree of truth in both analyses, and perhaps especially in Adler's recognition of the role our individual yearning for significance (or lust for power) plays in our behaviour.

We want to be great. We would like to be the greatest. And so we hang out with important people. We aim at securing big jobs for ourselves so that we can earn big salaries and live in big houses, because we want to be big!

And that's not just true for us, but has been true for every human being throughout human history which is why it should not surprise us to find Jesus' disciples (even in the midst of a discussion about their masters impending suffering and death) discussing amongst themselves which one of them was to be the greatest.

And how does Jesus respond to this? He presents a child to them and says, "Whoever welcomes a child like this in my name welcomes me, and whoever welcomes me welcomes not me but the one who sent me."

What an odd thing to do! Why a child? Was Jesus trying to break their concentration by focussing them on something cute? That's probably not it..

Was He wanting to offer the child as an example to them? He does that elsewhere ("Unless you become like little children, you cannot enter the Kingdom of God" - Matthew 18:3). But the exhortation here is not to be like little children but to accept them - not to emulate them but to be open to them.

For the whole point of the child is that the child is not great - not in the society in which Jesus was teaching especially. Children are weak, vulnerable, needy, and they contribute nothing to the social process.

In the society of Jesus' day children were not worth very much. Infant mortality rates were high, and children were always the first to suffer from famine, disease, war and dislocation. According to one study I read, up to 60 per cent of children in those regions did not make it to their 16th birthday! Hence a minor was on par with a slave, and only after achieving maturity could they become a full human being and inherit the family estate.

Yet Jesus says 'this is the person I identify with. This is the person you need to be spending time with. She is the one who needs you. She is the one you need to receive and welcome, for when you receive her you receive me (and when you receive me, you receive not only me but Him who sent me!).

We want to be powerful. We want to be significant. But Jesus' bias is always towards the marginalised, the powerless, the vulnerable and the insignificant.

"When you do something for the least of these, my brethren", says Jesus, "you do it for me" (Matthew 25:31ff) and when you receive one of these you receive me.

Here we are, wanting to be great and engage ourselves in important things and hang with great and important people, while Jesus urges us to hang with the weak and the vulnerable, and tell us that "If anyone wants to be first he must be last of all and servant of all."

And Jesus, of course, doesn't just teach us this in words. He modelled it. And the proof of that is the fact that He was able to produce a child at all!

I don't know how you envisage the scene. We're told at the beginning of the passage that Jesus had been travelling with his disciples and that he didn't want everybody knowing where they were, as He was spending some private time with them, and yet, in the middle of His teaching them something, he suddenly produces a child!

Where does the child come from? Does he produce the child like a magician pulling a rabbit out of a hat? No! Evidently there were children there. Even when the multitudes had gone home and it was just Jesus and his closest group of followers with Him, there were evidently still children in the group, (and women no doubt).

Only the twelve get an explicit mention by the Gospel writer, but evidently it went without saying that wherever Jesus was there would always be children and women, and any number of other persons that society would not have deemed worthy of mention, but who were in fact the very persons that Jesus most identified Himself with!

Now, I appreciate that some pieces of Scripture are difficult to understand. This piece of Scripture is NOT one of them, is it, and yet we somehow continue to fail to get the message!

Salvador Dali said, "At the age of six I wanted to be a cook. At seven I wanted to be Napoleon. And my ambition has been growing steadily ever since!"

We want to be faithful to Jesus, but we want to be great too - to be successful, to be significant, to be winners - to move in the winners circle, hang with the great ones, and be remembered as somebody who was really somebody. It's only natural! The only problem is that this is not compatible with the Gospel. In fact it is something more akin to Nazism!

Now I know 'Nazism' is a provocative term, and I know when we hear the world 'Nazi' we think of murder and violence, the people who tried to kill my grandfather and perhaps, most especially, the horrors of the holocaust.

What we are prone to forget though, I think, is that before Nazism developed into a worldwide machinery of death, it was, in essence, a simple philosophy that, exulted the strong and despised the weak.

Beware! Exulting human strength and despising the weak - this is the path of Nazism, and the road to the cross runs in exactly the opposite direction.

Those of us who would follow Jesus down that road must disavow worldly ambition and the lust for power, and instead we must open our hearts and our homes to the weak and the vulnerable, recognising that when we open ourselves to these little ones, we receive Jesus in the process!

For the first will be last and the last will be first, for He is bringing down the mighty from their thrones and lifting up the lowly! And so "If anyone wants to be first he must be last of all and servant of all."

Interior Design and Human Behavior

2009-11-17T02:45:00.001-08:00

The Human Behavior in Organizations

2009-11-10T10:29:00.000-08:00

Jesus Took the Child in His Arms

2009-10-10T06:46:00.000-07:00

Human Behavior Issues in a Future Virtual Reality World

2009-09-22T07:52:00.000-07:00

Let's say that in the future Virtual Reality becomes so real that it is a secondary option for folks for entertainment or even a vacation. In such a Virtual Reality system, you could be anything that you wish to be, do anything you want to do, and have no "real" social society norms to deal with. In this case would that mean you would break tradition with your ethical values?

Some modern day psychologists have been asking this question. And since the future of VR would include social networks of people sharing the system with each other, would this mean that crime, rioting and bad or unethical behavior might run ramped; and if it did then what?

The reality that a VR environment is not real and therefore there are no "real consequences" to evil behavior, this might spur on some to think that it is okay to act out. And it would be a reflection of the actual thoughts of humans playing out in the VR environment.

Would this have complications on the real world and over all society in our current life experiences as flesh and blood? What do I mean, am I suggesting that like the current human internet that, such a collective communication system that we find in online social networks have implications that are quite different and therefore serious to all those that participate.

Thus, it does affect the overall attitude of humans in general and their behavior and feelings towards others in either of the two worlds; online or actual community. The implications of future robust artificial intelligence running super computer Virtual Reality environments changing the way humans live forever, may be a realism that many may not wish to talk about. Think on this.

The Earths Geomagnetism Its Effects on Human Behaviour

2009-09-15T04:04:00.000-07:00

Environment and Human Behavior

2009-09-05T10:09:00.001-07:00

Mental Illnesses and Human Behavior

2009-09-02T09:53:00.000-07:00

Study Psychology Courses As a Career Or Hobby

2009-08-30T05:42:00.000-07:00

Psychology is a very popular subject. As humans we are always curious and want to understand more and more in life. One of the fascinations is human behaviour and why people act in different ways in certain situations. What makes it even more interesting is that none of us are the same. If every human was the same it would be a very boring world as we all understand each others behaviours and what we would likely do in various situations. So the fact everyone is different makes it that more interesting. Because everyone is different to you then your more likely to want to understand their behaviours. This is why psychology is one of the most popular subjects around. Poker players are very interested in this subject as they are always looking for tells and trying to work out if the players bluffing or not.

There are many psychology courses out there. You can learn at your local college or education centres. There are a number of distance learning courses out there to choose from if you prefer to study from home. Many courses out there lead to recognised qualifications like OCN (open college network) a leading UK awarding body recognised by the UK Qualifications and Curriculum Authority. This will help you if you want to use Psychology as a career move.

Generally the home study psychology courses come in two levels, beginners and advanced.

The objectives of these courses is to teach you to understand the nature of psychology, distinguish between emotional experience, expression and psychological responses, to evaluate how we form impressions of people and much, much more.

Environment and Human Behavior

2009-08-22T06:53:00.000-07:00

Mental Illnesses and Human Behavior

2009-08-15T09:52:00.000-07:00

The Human Behavior in Organizations

2009-08-08T03:56:00.000-07:00

Environment and Human Behavior

2009-08-05T13:28:00.000-07:00

"7 Easy Steps to Improve Your Interviewing Skills"

2009-08-02T05:41:00.000-07:00

"7 Easy Steps to Improve Your Interviewing Skills"

In the midst of technological advancement nowadays, the "back-to-basics" rule still applies when it comes to getting hired for a job. It does not matter if you are planning to apply for a million-dollar company or a small, independent firm. When you face an interviewer, it all boils down to how you present yourself. This is the deciding factor whether you will get hired or not.

So you have distributed your resume to prospective employers and you have determined the correct job to apply for. The next step is to schedule the job interview.

You can make the acquaintance of the assistant or the receptionist when you schedule for the interview, either by phone or personally. Be friendly and polite, as these people might provide information that can be essential to getting that job or, even just give you a background of the company or your prospective boss.

Finally, you show up for the interview.

The basic traits of being prompt, how you speak and carry yourself and even how you dress are all factors that contribute in making a lasting impression that will eventually get you hired.

Here are 7 easy steps on how you can improve your interviewing skills:

1.) Prepare for the interview.

First, dress appropriately. Once the interviewer walks into the room, or once you walk into the room to be interviewed, your appearance will be the first thing to make the impact. Dress appropriately, check your grooming and mind your posture.

Second, practice basic courtesy. Know where the interview will be held and be there with ample time to prepare yourself before the scheduled interview. Turn your phone off to avoid unnecessary distractions.

2.) Research.

Use all your resources to make sure that you know the basics about the company. You would not want to be caught unprepared when asked about how you heard or what you know about the company that you are applying for.

Learn about your potential employer. In your mind, develop a clear picture of the company profile.

Make sure that you prepared answers to a few basic questions, but do not sound scripted. This happens when you rehearse what you will be saying word for word. It is enough that you have an overview of what you will impart to the interviewer, and it is better to be spontaneous.
"7 Easy Steps to Improve Your Interviewing Skills"

In the midst of technological advancement nowadays, the "back-to-basics" rule still applies when it comes to getting hired for a job. It does not matter if you are planning to apply for a million-dollar company or a small, independent firm. When you face an interviewer, it all boils down to how you present yourself. This is the deciding factor whether you will get hired or not.

So you have distributed your resume to prospective employers and you have determined the correct job to apply for. The next step is to schedule the job interview.

You can make the acquaintance of the assistant or the receptionist when you schedule for the interview, either by phone or personally. Be friendly and polite, as these people might provide information that can be essential to getting that job or, even just give you a background of the company or your prospective boss.

Finally, you show up for the interview.

The basic traits of being prompt, how you speak and carry yourself and even how you dress are all factors that contribute in making a lasting impression that will eventually get you hired.

Here are 7 easy steps on how you can improve your interviewing skills:

1.) Prepare for the interview.

First, dress appropriately. Once the interviewer walks into the room, or once you walk into the room to be interviewed, your appearance will be the first thing to make the impact. Dress appropriately, check your grooming and mind your posture.

Second, practice basic courtesy. Know where the interview will be held and be there with ample time to prepare yourself before the scheduled interview. Turn your phone off to avoid unnecessary distractions.

2.) Research.

Use all your resources to make sure that you know the basics about the company. You would not want to be caught unprepared when asked about how you heard or what you know about the company that you are applying for.

Learn about your potential employer. In your mind, develop a clear picture of the company profile.

Make sure that you prepared answers to a few basic questions, but do not sound scripted. This happens when you rehearse what you will be saying word for word. It is enough that you have an overview of what you will impart to the interviewer, and it is better to be spontaneous.
Wrap things up by summarizing your strengths and pointing out your positive traits. Finally, as you end the interview, make sure to thank the interviewer again for his or her time, thus leaving a lasting impression.

7.) Follow up.

Send that all-important thank you note after the interview. Thank the interviewer for the time that he took with you and for giving you that opportunity. Make sure that you know who to contact for follow-up of the results.

A lot of research has been made about the interviewing process. Here is a brief run-through:

First, you make a schedule for the interview.
Then, you are there in the office and you are seen by the interviewee.
The interview itself then transpires.
Next is the closing, then you follow-up with a thank-you-note.
You eventually get accepted and you discuss, negotiate for and sign-up the job offer.
You may notice that the interviewing takes up a great deal of the getting-hired process, so you might as well polish up your interviewing skills on your way to getting that dream job.

P.S. When preparation meets opportunity, then success is inevitable. The information detailed above is part of the preparative process in getting a job.

Zwani

2009-08-02T04:52:00.001-07:00

Myspace Animated Comments & Graphics

Is Human Behavior Learned?

2009-07-29T11:53:00.000-07:00

Environment and Human Behavior

2009-07-26T02:00:00.001-07:00

Managing the Human Being Behind the Business

2009-07-18T14:04:00.000-07:00

It’s a common problem and we’ve all seen it - business owners that are just ‘too busy’ all of the time, and as a result, do not enjoy the success in business they had hoped for. Let’s not kid ourselves, there is a lot to focus on: technology, employees, sales, marketing and so on. These functions are essential and need to be well organised and managed.

But there is a second aspect to business success that is often overlooked – the effectiveness of the person running the show. Businesses are a reflection of the people who run them. If those people are ‘too busy’, stressed, or poorly organised, then these characteristics are reflected back in the business. The underlying behaviour and values of the business owner drive how much control they need, how they will delegate and how they use their time.

Growth of the business and the business owner need to match up
Any business that does not grow will ultimately decline. This may sound black and white but it is true. Growth can mean different things depending on the owner. For some it may be growth in revenues, for others it may be expanding product lines, or increasing the distribution channels. Whatever the definition of growth is, if it is not well thought out and planned, the business will soon become marginal and eventually fail, dragging the owner with it.

If the business is to grow, then the owner has to take the necessary time to learn the new roles and skills that a growing business will demand. Imagine for one moment where you would like your business to be in 5 years time. Then ask yourself: “Is it possible that I can be exactly the same person in 5 years that I am today and fulfil that growth strategy for my business? The answer has to be no. Business owners need to be prepared for new learning and taking on new, different, and bigger responsibilities - without fear or hesitation. The reality is the owner will be the limiting factor in growth - the business can only grow to the extent to which the owner grows.

When owners feel out of sorts, overworked, and like they are running faster and faster, it is almost always because they have fallen victim to the reactive "let's go faster" management approach. They are forced to live from problem to problem, and as a result are unsuccessful and may become unwilling to see their own (lack of) self-management as part of the problem.

The major reasons that business owners don’t manage themselves better are:
Being comfortable - we all do what we are comfortable with – it’s human nature. So we keep doing what we have always done.
Not knowing what else is possible.
Not knowing that there are other ways to do what they are doing.
Actually getting energy (and maybe some identity) from being stressed and overworked.

There are 5 steps to take in the road to better self-management:

1. Clarify personal goals for the future.
Many business owners lose sight of these as they get immersed in the day-to-day running of the business. Articulating your personal goals can reveal any issues about whether these support or conflict with their business goals. These goals need to cover both the immediate and future plans. What do you want to achieve personally in the next 1 to 2 years. And where do you want to be in ten years time?

2. Clarify the business goals.
Having spent some time expressing personal goals for the future, take a look at your business goals and rethink them. Are your personal and business goals working together, or are they working against each other? If they do seem to be mutually exclusive, what choices will you make next? Putting the business goals ahead of your personal ones will inevitably lead to stress and feelings of overwhelm. Determine instead whether the business goals can be re-oriented or modified to support what you would like to achieve personally.

3. Identify the owner's ideal role 3 years from now.
Think about who you want to be - what role you want to have in the business – in 3 years time. Will you still be doing the majority of work? Will you have others doing the work and your capacity is more advisory? Or perhaps you would like to remove yourself completely from the operational parts of the business and focus on product or business development?

Thinking about what you want as an owner in the future can give you great insights into what strategies you may need to put in place now.

4. Conduct a detailed personal time analysis for a one-week period.
This is where the rubber hits the road. If you really are true to yourself when you do this exercise you will learn a lot about where the potential lies for making changes. How are you really spending your time? Break your day down into at least half hour slots and write down exactly what you do in each 30 minutes.

5. Create a plan of action for the next 30 days.
Based on the data from steps 1-4, create an action plan to cover the next 30 days. Your plan should include:
• steps to align personal and business goals
• strategy for moving to the role the owner wants to play in the business in the future
• analysis of the results of the one-week detailed monitoring exercise
• deciding which activities add the most value and planning to spend time on those
• identify how much time is spent on low value activity and planning to delegate or stop doing those things

There is never a better time than right now for planning to do things differently. Take charge of yourself and your business by choosing a direction that allows you to meet both your personal and business goals, and still retain your sanity!

Mental Illnesses and Human Behavior

2009-07-11T10:30:00.000-07:00

Consumer Buying Behaviour

2009-07-04T12:06:00.000-07:00

Wm Morrison Supermarkets (Morrison) is UK's fourth largest supermarket chain and is primarily engaged in the operation and management of a chain of supermarkets across the UK. The company in early 2004 acquired one of its larger competitors, Safeways. The company operates primarily in the UK. It is headquartered in Bradford, UK and employs about 150,000 people.

However, this company faces a collapse in profits that will see it fall into the red for the first time in its 106 years history. Although, this company has many difficulties and continued problems relating to the integration Safeway, research shows that Morrison does not really understand consumer behaviour.

The purpose of this report is analyse the importance of consumer behaviour in marketing decision-making and recommend how Morrison can try to better understand its customers.

The importance of understanding consumer behaviour

“Consumer behaviour is the dynamic interaction of affect and cognition, behaviour and environmental events by which human beings conduct the exchange aspects of their lives.” (Olson & Peter, 1994, p.13) Companies are interested in consumer behaviour because they can develop marketing strategies to influence consumers to purchase their products based on consumer analysis. The success of a company’s marketing strategy will depend on how buyers react to it. To find out what satisfied customers, marketers must examine the main influences on what, where, when and how customers buy goods and services (Dibb, Simkin, Pride & Ferrell, 2001). By understanding these factors better, marketers are better able to predict how consumers will respond to marketing strategies. Ultimately, this information helps companies compete more effectively in the marketplace and leads to more satisfied customers.

Consumer decisions can be classified into three categories (1) routine response behaviour, (2) limited decision-making and (3) extensive decision-making. A consumer uses
routine response behaviour when buying frequently purchased, low cost, low risk items that require very little search and decision effort (Dibb at el, 2001). Customers for Morrisons and food retail industry are in this category.

Which elements of consumer behaviour do Morrison need to understand?

Morrison faces a collapse in profits of £74m into the red in the six months to 24th of July, compared with the £122 million profit last year (Finch, 2005). Morrison merged with Safeway and spent £3.3 million to complete this acquisition. However, the main issue for Morrisons is loss of customers and loss of their main investors. 4% of shares have been sold off. Therefore, shareholders are worrying about losing their main customer base the top socio-economic group AB1 because the Morrison strategy is not providing high quality ready meals which the AB1 socio group wants. Another criticism is that Morrisons after consolidation appears to have such a limited product and price range. A UK consumer body has criticized Morrisons over the healthiness of their products. Consumers have become more health conscious however, Morrisons own label brands contain more salt, fat and sugar than other retailer products (Field, 2005). The AB socio-economic group pays more attention to health issues and spends more money on healthier products. This may be another reason they are losing the AB1 socio group customers. ABs are forecast to increase in numbers by 36.8% of the population between 1998 to 2007, to 13.4 million adults (Mintel, 2004) therefore, losing the AB group is a major threat to the company’s future. All these issues indicate that Morrisons needs to be more customer-centric.

For the food retail industry, market segmentation is one of the most important factors in consumer behaviour analysis. Market segmentation is the process of dividing markets into groups of similar consumers and selecting the most appropriate groups and individuals for the firm to serve (Olson & Peter, 1994). Consumers vary in terms of product knowledge, involvement and purchasing behaviour. The Five-Stage Model of the Consumer Buying Process is described by Kotler as a model of the 'typical buying process' (2005) and is a way to explain how consumers make their purchases. The five-stage process includes problem recognition, information search, evaluation of alternatives, purchase and post-purchase evaluation. However, a consumer does not necessarily go through all the steps and can in some cases even reverse the order (Kotler, 2005). When a consumer buys a low-involvement product that is considered to have a low risk s/he usually has a preferred brand and will stick to this, even though there might be a broad selection of other brands. In that case the consumer goes straight from the problem recognition stage direct to make the purchase decision, skipping the information search and evaluation of alternatives (Kotler, 2005). There are also several other situations where this model does not fully apply, such as when consumers make spontaneous purchases, are under a time constraint or have a certain attitude towards the product. Companies find it difficult to control the consumer buying decision process, however, they can get hints from consumer segmentation analysis because marketers’ group consumers are similar in some dimensions therefore a particular product will appeal to and satisfy them better. Olson and Peter (1994) identified five major types of segmentation including geographic segmentation with bases including city size and population. Companies can research areas in order to find out the social make – up of the area then select suitable products to match the social make – up. For example, the majority of Japanese people living in London live in Golders Green, St John’s Wood and the Acton areas, therefore the company can offer Asian or Japanese products in nearest branch. If the company knows the number of people living in particular area, it will help it in considering whether to open a new branch or not as the case may be. Demographic factors such as age, sex, race, ethnic origin and family life cycle can also be considered. Socio-cultural segmentation can be categorized into four major areas (1) roles and family, (2)reference group, (3) social class and (4) culture and sub-culture. Psychographic segmentation includes motives, learning and attitudes. Behavioural segmentation looks at brand loyalty and usage rates. Morrisons have to link all these elements when considering their marketing strategies.

Consumer needs and wants change all the time in context with the issues raised above. The next stage for the company is to analyse the marketing mix based on consumer segmentation analysis. The marketing mix consists of product, price, promotion and channels of distribution. These are primary elements marketing managers can control to serve consumers. The aim is to develop a consistent mix where all the elements work together to serve the target market. Selecting target markets and developing marketing mixes are related various tasks.

These are the important elements that Morrison should be considering if it wants to improve

Product

Ø How many variations, models and sizes of the product are needed to satisfy the various target customers.

Ø In order to launch new own label products, what types of packaging and labelling information would best serve consumers and attract them to purchase the product.

Price

Ø How much are consumers in a target market willing to pay for a particular product?

Ø What kind of price range is needed for that particular area.

Promotion

Ø In order to achieve a successful advertising campaign, the company need to know which would be the best media format for reaching the target market.

Ø What image should advertising try to create about the company.

Distribution

Ø What types of distribution channels would the consumer prefer to purchase a product in? Stores or other channels?. Morrisons is not currently offering online shopping. However, competitors such as Tesco, Sainsbury and Waitrose all offer online shopping and their sales of ecommerce are rapidly increasing.

Ø What kind of atmosphere might influence consumer preferences? Store layout, signs and display formats all influence consumer cognition.

Conclusion

According to market researchers TNS, around 85% of UK households have at least one loyalty card (Shabi, 2003). Tesco launched first loyalty card in UK in 1995. Today, the Tesco Clubcard has 10 million active households (Mesure, 2003). There are two main reasons companies to issue loyalty cards. The first reason is consumers who have loyalty cards literally become more loyal and therefore become repeat customers. The research shows that when consumers were given a choice between two stores, they were more likely to shop at the one where they could earn rewards. The second reason is that companies can analyse consumer behaviour via the loyalty card database. Each time the card is swiped, companies get information about what customers bought, where and how customers paid. All this goes into a databank profile of individual purchase history. The data gained from each transaction can turn companies into “customer-centric” businesses. In addition, when the people signed up for the card, they gave personal information about their address, how many people live in the house, employment status, number of children and so on. Companies can analyse consumer segmentation based on this database.

In addition, retailers use loyalty card knowledge to find new markets, such as planning new range rollouts and managing fresh food. In the process they can save a fortune in costs. Another benefit is companied may save in advertising and outsourcing market research costs because now the company has its own database to analyse the individual customer.

Recommendation

UK food retail industry is one of the most competitive in the world and also oligopolistic in nature with the top four or five accounting for around 60% of the market (Shabi, 2003).

The focus of customer relationship management has evolved from customer satisfaction to the creation of values for the customer. It is important to look at customers from the customers’ point viewpoint and not from the product or multiple channels. Consumer behaviour is affected by many uncontrollable factors therefore issuing loyalty cards can help in understanding consumer behaviour.

Morrisons is now facing severe problems. It has to become more customer-centric in in future in order to survive. Morrisons is poised to make a U-turn on its decision to shun
loyalty schemes, and is in talks with suppliers about possible options. In the past, Sir Ken Morrison, has said that the company would never offer a loyalty card as customers are interested in 'pounds not points'. However, it is now believed that the combination of added value for consumers and the useful data that can be gathered has persuaded the supermarket to introduce a loyalty scheme. Secondly, using this database to analyse consumer segmentation can help match consumer needs and wants. Thirdly, this database can be used to create a new marketing mix strategy in terms of the right product at the right price through the right channels and promoted in the right way.

References

Dibb, S., Simkin, L., Pride, W.M & Ferrell, O.C. (2001) Marketing Concept and Strategy, 4th Edition, Houghton Mifflin Company, Boston

Field, J (2005)
First Safeway became Morrison, is change driving shoppers away?, Sunday Herald, Glasgow, 3 April, p.5

Finch, J (2005)
First loss at Morrisons but Sir Ken intends to stay on for three years, The Gardian, London, 21 October

Mowen, J.C & Minor, M (1998)
Consumer Behaviour, 4th Edition, Prentice-Hall Inc, New Jersey

Olson, C. J & Peter, J.P (1994)
Understanding Consumer Behaviour,

How Massage Therapy Benefits Autistic Children

2009-07-01T10:36:00.000-07:00

The massage therapy is a well-loved session of many. Celebrities, public officials, workers, students, and people from all walks of life succumb to their cravings to experience the soothing effect that massage promotes. Imagine a day of hard work, stress, and pressure. Wouldn't it feel so nice to be subjected to the therapeutic human touch? However, it has been found out that massage doesn't only benefit the normal individuals. Studies show how helpful and therapeutic it can be to the autistic children. This may be new to you but it is a fact. After all, these children also deserve the best that life may offer. Autism Explained Autism is a kind of brain disorder which normally gets tracked when the child is aged 2. The symptoms become recognizable at such a tender age basically because he falls short in developing the language along with the pertinent social interaction skills. Children should be able to start saying a few words and socializing. If they don't, then there is a reason for the parents to start panicking. Among the common indicators of autism are withdrawal from the surrounding people and some other abnormal behaviour. There are some people who believe that this is a circumstance that can be cured while some strongly refuse to accept this possibility. Whatever is the case, concerned parents normally travel far and wide to discover the proper alternatives and treatment to address such condition. Autism's Impact on Parent-Child Relationship There is nothing more painful for the parents than to see their children being heaped on with a very challenging disorder. They usually end up thinking that their children are innocent and that they don't deserve it. Who deserves such illness after all? It is truly heartbreaking. A child who is said to be autistic fails to understand the difference between what is acceptable and what is not. He is unable to express his thoughts and feelings by means of words, gestures, or even facial expressions. He has his own world wherein no one can penetrate. Thus, there is no parent-child relationship that gets bonded. Again, studies reveal that an autistic child can get attached to his parents yet he fails to react and respond properly. Many of these unfortunate children are even confronted with the tactile and sensory issues so they don't readily respond to the sounds, sights, touches, and smells. They often seem oblivious with what is going on. The Role of Massage in Cases of Autism A large number of autistic children are being subjected to the therapeutic method of massage. In fact, many therapists and parents are finding out good results so far. These children react positively to massage and they are able to establish their connection to their parents because they love being touched by them. However, there is an exception. Not all autistic children respond in a similar way. It is advisable that parents learn the basic techniques and a lot other methods which they may use prior to starting with the massage session. The mood of the child has to be set by letting the word "massage" sink into his consciousness. It has been discovered that those children who are given the therapy show lesser unacceptable behaviour and are turning socially attentive. They are less likely to withdraw from their environment too. Autism may be very frustrating but give the massage therapy a chance too. It can do wonders on the child.

Golden Silence For Human In Our Life

2009-06-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

A PERSIAN SAYING -"It is good to know about the Truth and to talk about it, but it is better to know about the Truth and to talk about palm trees."
ADI GRANTH -"Devotion to God's name is my lamp; In this lamp is put the oil of suffering; The light of God's name burns away that oil, annulling yama's encounter. Listen, people of the world! Lest any carp at his faith: Vast heads of firewood are reduced to ashes by a tiny spark of fire. Devotion to God is my ritual charity; God's holy name my ceremonial; In this life and the next, this alone is my sustenance. Lord! Thy laudation to me is the holy Ganga and Banaras, Wherein my soul takes the holy dip. True holy bathing is when devotion to God abides in the heart day and night. Saith Nanak: The charity of God's grace is an exhaustible store."
ANCIENT EGYPTIAN INSCRIPTION -"Listen to your conviction, even if they seem absurd to your reason."
ANONYMOUS -"Though no one can go back and make a brand new start, anyone can start from now and make a brand new end."
ARCHBISHOP WILBER -"I plead for the beasts and birds that you will help to shield them, first; from the thoughtlessness of ignorance; secondly; from the senseless cruelties of fashion; thirdly; from the thoughtful barbarities of science."
ARTHUR SCHOPENHAUER -"Every truth passes through three stages before it is recognised. In the first, it is ridiculed, in the second it is opposed, in the third it is regarded as self-evident.."
BALZAC -"Conviction brings a silent, indefinable beauty into faces made of the commonest human clay."
BARACK OBAMA -"I'm asking you to believe not just in my ability to bring about real change in Washington... I'm asking you to believe in yours."
BASAVARAJU -"The light in the eye cannot be imagined The sound in the ear cannot be described The taste in the tongue cannot find its counterparts The central nerve vital to awareness cannot be proved; In atom, particle, in grass, in wood Subtle, without end and without bottom, Dwells lord of caves."
BHAGAVAD GITA -"The Atman, Self, is the light; The light is covered by darkness, This darkness is delusion; That is why we dream. When the light of Atman drives out our darkness, That light shines forth from us, A sun in splendour, the revealed Brahmn."
BHAGAVADGITA -"Work done with selfish motives is inferior by far to selfless service or karma yoga. Therefore be a karma yogi, 0 Arjuna. Those who seek to enjoy the fruits of their work .are verily unhappy because one has no control over the results."
BOEHME -"Son, when thou art quiet and silent, then art thou as God was before nature and creature; thou art that which God then was; thou art that whereof he made thy nature and creature; Then thou hearest and seest even with that wherewith God himself saw and heard in thee, before ever thine own willing or thine own seeing began."
CHINESE SAYING -"When Heaven sends down calamities. There is hope of weathering them; When man brings them upon himself. There is no hope of escape."
DIONYSIUS -"We worship with reveren silence the unutterable truths and, with the unfathomable and holy veneration of our mind, approach that mystery of Godhead which exceeds all mind and being."
DOUGLAS ADAMS -"Man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much -the wheel, New York, war and so on - whilst all the dolphins had ever done is muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely the dolphins had always believed that they were far more intelligent than man - for precisely the same reasons."
EUGEN LONESCU -"Ideologies separate us. Dreams and anguish bring us together."
FRIEDRICH NIETZSCHE -"The consequences of our actions take hold of us quite indifferent to our claim that meanwhile we have 'improved'."
GAUTAMA BUDDHA -"All beings tremble before violence. All fear death. All love life. See yourself in others. Then whom can you hurt? What harm can you do?"
GURU ARJAN -"I am wretched, stone-hearted, evil-minded, given to lust, Master, save me howsoever You may! You are all-powerful, You save them who seek Your protection, You look after them. Meditation, asceticism, discipline, cleanliness, and correct behaviour; None of these can obtain salvation. Says Nanak, with His grace He pulls one out of the dark well."
HELEN KELLER -"Keep your face to the sunshine and you will not see the shadows."
HENRY D THOREAU -"In a world of peace and love, music would be the universal language."
HU SHIH -"Even the absolute universality of the law of causality does not necessarily limit a person's freedom, because the law of causality not only enables him to explain the past and predict the future, but also encourages him to use his intelligence to create new causes and attain new results."
ITIVUTTAKA -"Lust, hatred, and delusion ruin the man of wicked heart, They are begotten in himself like the lush growth of pith in the stem."
J MOLIERE -"The greater the obstacle, the more glory in overcoming it."
JULIUS LIPNER -"Diwali is Deepavali, literally 'a row of oil lamps'. It is a festival of illumination. The Divine Power Vishnu overcomes the darkness of the underworld."
KENOPANISHAC -"It is the ear of the ear,/ It is the mind of the mind./ It is the speech of the speech./ It is the breath of the breathing./ It is the eye of the eye..."
KENOPANISHAD -"By whom willed and directed does the mind alight on its objects? By whom commanded does the prana (vital breath), that precedes all, start? By whom willed do men utter speech? What intelligent power directs the eye to see, the ear to hear?"
KESHAVAN NAIR -"With courage you will dare to take risks, have the strength to be compassionate, and the wisdom to be humble. Courage is the foundation of integrity."
LAO TZU -"A journey of a thousand miles must begin with a single step."
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL -"And in our garden we must have enough thyme: 1, Thyme for each other 2. Thyme for family 3. Thyme for friends Water freely with patience and cultivate with love. There is much fruit in your garden because you reap what you sow."
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL -"For the garden of your daily living Plant three rows of peas 1. Peace of mind 2. Peace of heart 3. Peace of soul."
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL -"No garden is without turnips: 1. Turnip for meetings 2. Turnip for protesting injustice 3. Turnip to help one another."
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL -"Plant four rows of lettuce: 1. Lettuce be faithful 2. Lettuce be kind 3. Lettuce be patient 4. Lettuce really love one another."
MARGUERITE THEOPHIL -"Plant four rows of squash: 1. Squash gossip 2. Squash indifference 3. Squash grumbling 4. Squash selfishness."
MENCIUS -"Only when a man invites insult will others insult him. Only when a family invites destruction will others destroy it. Only when a state invites invasion will others invade it."
MOTHER TERESA -"If you judge people, you have no time to love them."
MUHAMMAD ALL -"It's the repetition of affirmations that leads to belief. And once that belief becomes a deep conviction, things begin to happen."
OG MANDINO -"Be a self-starter. Let your first hour set the theme of success and positive action that is certain to echo through your entire day Today will never happen again. Don't waste it with a false start or no start at all. You were not born to fail."
PRAJNA PARAMITA -"I am not to be perceived by means of any visible form. Nor sought after by means of any audible sound; Whosoever walks in the way of iniquity, cannot perceive the blessedness of the Lord Buddha."
QURAN -"Glorified be He and High Exalted above all that they ascribe unto Him. Vision comprehendeth Him not, but He comprehendeth all vision."
RALPH NADER -"A leader has the vision and conviction that a dream can be achieved. He inspires the power and energy to get it done."
RAMANA MAHARSHI -"There is no Truth. There is only the truth within each moment."
REV R INMAN -"A great teacher never strives to explain her vision; she simply invites, you to stand beside her and see for yourself."
RICHARD BACH -"Here is a test to find out whether your mission in life is complete... if you're alive, it is'nt."
RIG VEDA -"Only the person having firm conviction and iron volition can attain strength and energy. At no stage of Karma does he ever hesitate."
RONALD REAGAN -"Some may try and tell us that this is the end of an era. But what they overlook is that in America, every day is a new beginning, and every sunset is merely the latest milestone on a voyage that never ends. For this is the land that has never become, but is always in the act of becoming. Emerson was right: America is the land of tomorrow."
RUKMINI DEVI ARUNDALE -"Animals cannot speak, but can you and i not speat for them and represent them? Let us all feel their silent cry of agony and let us all help that cry to be heard in the world."
SADHU TL VASWANI -"The Angels asked God if there was anything in the world stronger than rocks. "Yes/ answered God; 'stronger than rocks is iron: for iron can break rock/' Anything stronger than iron?" asked the Angels.. And the Lord answered: "Fire: for iron may be melted ill fire/" "Anything stronger than fire?" asked the Angels. And the Lord said: 'Yes, water: for fire is quenched by water" 'Anything stronger than water?" the Angels asked again. And the Lord answered: "Yes, wind: for wind may scatter water/' 'Anything stronger than wind?"' asked the Angels. "Yes;/' said the Lord; "sympathy is stronger. And nothing there be that is stronger than the compassionate heart."
SADHU TL VASWANI -"The doctrine of ahimsa or non-violence is a comprehensive one and emphasises the values of truth, self-restraint, and non-covetousness... No nation is truly free until animals are free and happy."
SENECA -"Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end."
SOREN KIERKEGAARD -"Music exists only in the moments of its performance, for however skilful one may be at reading notes and however lively one's imagination, it cannot be denied that it is only in an unreal sense that the music exists when read. It exists really only when it is performed. This might seem to be an imperfection in this art as compared with the others, whose works constantly endure because they have their existence in the sensual. Yet that is not so. Rather it is a proof that music is a higher, more spiritual art."
SRI RAMAKRISHNA -"In the theatre the audience remains engaged in all kinds of conversation, about home, office and school, till the curtain goes up: but no sooner does it go up than all conversation comes to a stop, and the people watch the play with fixed attention."
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA -"Before you speak, think - Is it necessary? Is it true? Is it kind? Will it hurt anyone? Will it improve on the silence?"
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA -"Open the gates of wisdom, tear the veil of ignorance, enter the abode of Divine Bliss. Rest in peace forever. Ego lives by getting and forgetting; Love lives by giving and forgiving; Love is expansion; Self is contraction; Self is lovelessness; Love is selflessness."
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA -"Service is the highest spiritual discipline. Prayer and meditation, or knowledge of scripture and Vedanta holy scriptures of India), cannot help you reach the goal as quickly as service can. Service has a double effect, it extinguishes the ego and gives bliss."
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA -"Start the Day with Love; Spend the Day with Love; Fill the Day with Love; End the Day with Love; This is the way to God."
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA -"The body has to be Utilised for service to others. More bliss can be got from serving others than from merely serving oneself."
SRI SATHYA SAI BABA -"You must be a Lotus, unfolding its petals when the Sun rises in the sky unaffected by the slush where it is born or even the water which sustains it!"
SWAMI PARTHASARATHY -"The teacher proceeds from the known to the unknown...We all know that we hear with our ears. But a set of ears on their own are as deaf as a post. Follow the sound vibrations through the eardrums along the nerves. It is the brain which is actually hearing those vibrations. But that is not the end of it. If the Consciousness leaves the brain you won't hear. Even if that Consciousness simply shifts the focus of your brain for a moment, the ears are still transmitting sounds to it as it ticks away but you are deafened... Consciousness is the see-er in the eye, the mind in the mind, the speaker in speech. That, says the teacher, is the source of existence, is God (Brahman). So God is the subject of all you see, hear, smell, touch, taste, feel or understand. Therefore, God can never be an object of perception or comprehension." %3

How To Make Homemade Carp Baits Using This Simple Big Fish Recipe!

2009-06-20T07:41:00.001-07:00

Not every carp water requires you to spend a fortune on top quality readymade protein baits and even on highly pressured big fish waters you can be very successful using very cheap baits. Many bait making secrets are so simple yet so effective that anyone can instantly use them so here are some more unusual but potent ones that will save you a fortune!
Many carp anglers today seem to be dependant upon readymade baits, from ground baits, pellets, boilies and many other forms. But over a year the costs of your bait can be far more than you would dare imagine especially when you are buying bait piecemeal from fishing shops just before going fishing.

Carp fishing comes at a price because it takes the one commodity no-one can replace and that is time. As we know, time equals money and unfortunately the majority of average anglers are not making money while fishing and they could well spend a lot of time doing it which is just one reason apart from the current economic climate why cutting costs and making good savings is so important!

Readymade bait has become such a booming business ever since the time around 1983 when Richworth first introduced freezers into tackle shops and began to sell frozen readymade baits for the very first time. I remember when I along with many other anglers used these baits and at first they caught so many fish. But of course when too many fish were hooked too many times on a particular flavour the effects were a drop in catches, especially in the numbers of bigger fish and these were very instant-catching concentrated flavour over-dosed baits.

The flavours sure did work though and it is highly significant that now the Richworth range of baits is far more designed with long-term nutrition in mind so the longevity of baits lasts. Over the decades I have been able to use all kinds of readymade baits and base mixes and calculate the costs in reality from using them over long periods of time while testing all kinds of baits and recipes of my own.

Ultimately making your own baits is always a winning option when you want to save money. Making your baits totally unique is no problem either and the number of bait base mixes commercially available is huge. However you need to know a bit about bait and most importantly fish senses in order to truly exploit homemade baits in ways that will most economically out-fish a large range of readymade baits.

This pretty much can mean knowing as much or even about fish senses and baits design in terms of what each ingredients and its components can affect fish in different ways in countless combinations. This takes years of experience to achieve but short-cuts are available in terms of concise specially gathered information drawn from years of testing homemade baits based on fish nutrition papers plus bait design pioneers articles and advice from nutritionists, aquaculture feed designers, biochemists and others.

When I was getting more into making homemade baits in the late Seventies and early Eighties there were a few readymade base mixes available and these were rich in amino acids and other natural feeding triggers especially and were highly successful. Duncan Kay Slyme baits and the famous Black Magic among others were available. Last week I was making a special high protein paste based on various milk and marine proteins with low levels of seedy bird foods and very low levels of 3 flavours containing a tiny amount of solvent base and packed with natural esters.

This bait was a pretty firm paste which I moulded actually around my hair rig just above my boilies just over the hook point to draw more attention to my hook baits. This was also used to obscure the hook to a degree to stop it being seen and to stop chod from obscuring the hook point (instead of using conventional water-soluble PVA foam.) While showing some anglers this homemade paste on the bank during my fishing session last week it occurred to me that it had a very similar smell and taste of one of the early readymade base mixes I had used very successfully 28 years ago. All I did in those days was add water to the mix and many readymade mixes only required this at that time and earlier because they were used as paste baits.

So in a way it has taken me 30 years to replicate in a way a bait that I knew was designed by a very experienced bait maker still during the heyday of bait making pioneers. It might be noted just how many years people like Rod Hutchinson have been making baits not just commercially but for his friends going back well before even the Seventies. I used his readymade base mixes as paste form as the mainstay of my fishing for quite a while but never truly realised the complexity of their design and the potency they had on fish senses and physiology etc.

There are many more people who have reached a very high level of big fish bait making knowledge over the decades. If you look at the Nutrabaits recipe the their Big Fish Mix designed by Richard Skidmore, or get to know a bit about the early fishmeal baits boosted with predigested fish proteins from Premier baits, find out the truth about the background behind the Nutrabaits Hi-Nu-Val milk protein mix and so on, you begin to see a picture emerging of what sticks out in many decades-proven big fish bait recipes.

Whether you are a highly skilled and experienced carp angler who can leverage instant over-flavoured baits all day long, or a less experienced newer angler wanting to establish a balanced nutritional value food type bait on a water it matter not. The principles of bait making are the same because vital details in regards to the workings and exploitation of fish senses by particular bait components used in combination are very well known now.

But science certainly has not discovered everything and it cannot even totally accurately work out the actual biological value of 2 foods when consumed at the same time by a human. This is an extremely complex area and despite all kinds of refined and re-defined specialist measure used to determine conversion whether in regards to lysine in protein as the most limiting factor or simply measuring mass gains in fish as a result of test foods, things are still not accurate enough.

To me this just shows you do not have to be a PhD marine biologist nutritionist in order to make baits that work. You have very progressive guys such as those at Vision Baits, Future Baits, Sticky Baits and a host of others, who are making the range of trustworthy readymade baits even more diverse and in a very competitive market But there is loads of room for any individual angler to exploit all kinds of information to do their own homemade thing with bait in order to cut costs.

You might say there are many very well proven principles in terms of bait design and if you do not know these then how can you possibly make a successful homemade bait. But even if you do not know what some of these are just remember that everyone has certain gaps in their knowledge which can always offer further advantages to their baits. Well over all your homemade baits will catch fish; it is in developing the experience and the skills in designing baits that will tempt the big ones consistently that takes far more personal input but inevitably pays you back big-time!

Literally no-one knows it all because bait design is a dynamite evolutionary process of feedback. It may be noticed that certain aspects of bait substances are very successful and yet scientifically speaking no bait boss that I have spoken with can explain this success scientifically accurately and speculation is all that is offered. It may be said that scientific absolutes in carp bait making do exist, but at the same time these kind of rules as it were can be bent or even broken!

Fish are reactively learning beings whose strongest instinct is for survival. If they do not want to eat you perfectly round standard sized boilies, or you cannot catch big fish on various very popular pellets there are obvious reasons why not and less well known ones too. These reasons can all be part of your armoury in making your own baits totally unique so carp have literally never experienced you bait before and will have most the confidence in actually consuming it. Of course one of the greatest strategies in carp fishing is to pre-bait. Big numbers of high profile anglers do this all the time using shocking amounts of bait, )especially boilies which are so resilient and build-up in effects over time.) But not too many of us have the time nor resources nor inclination to bait up a water for as long as 3 months without even wetting a line in order to guarantee multiple big fish success.

Fishing baits such as boilies vary widely in just how strongly they induce various feeding modes in carp as soon as they first enter the water. With some baits fish will be pulled in from a large area and with feed very intensively immediately. Other baits pull fish in more gradually and induce a more leisurely almost lazy feeding behaviour that can last for hours. Many other responses can occur and often with all kinds of homemade and readymade baits you see fish unwilling to leave a baited area, only leaving to bring back their friends which is great to watch as you imagine.

Of course it may be that you do not even see a single fish nr even get a single liner at some waters during some sessions, just getting a hittable couple of bleeps or a screaming run right our of the blue. Confidence in your free baiting is a vitally important aspect in catching more fish as is far more of a delicate skill that the majority of anglers realise. The key in many ways is to sustain the levels of triggers and attractors in the water column to maintain favourably enthusiastic feeding behaviours that induce fish to pick up you hook baits more times than usual so they make more mistakes, get hooked more and produce more caught fish.

Now for the money-saving bit! Yes you certainly can make a bait for just a couple of pounds but why not make a control bait first to measure and test your experimental baits against? This is a critical point because feedback is priceless in learning as fast as possible and you will always learn more by actually catching fish as opposed to not catching them! Bait that is not catching fish is wasted bait! This even applies to baits that pull fish really well into your swim but do not end up with you actually hooking fish successfully; they must work all the way to banked fish! With a control bait, as your bait-making knowledge and skills in choosing ingredients and so on improves, your confidence will always be high (and rightly so.)

This is because you will always have a proven and reliable homemade control bait or a range of them that will keep on catching in all fishing situations all year round. True you can use a readymade bait as a control bait but this will not give you confidence in making your own baits and totally defeats the object of guaranteeing your baits are your own and will enable you to control every aspect about your fishing baits literally for life including all costs - in advance! Many years I have totalled-up the cost of all the ready baits compared to the costs of my homemade baits and noticed I had much more awareness and control over my costs in regards to homemade baits where I have justified every single ingredient, additives, liquid, extract, enhancer, palatant etc etc.

Hook baits really do work when super-boosted and so hook baits are the thing you can focus your attention on when saving money. You can free bait with all kinds of cheap bait materials boosted with some choice more expensive ones. Pop-up baits are very successful although I do most of my fishing using critically-balanced and bottom baits. The main this is to negate the weight of your hook. The easiest thing to do is to begin with a readymade pop-up mix from a reputable company.

You might add high or low levels of betaine or betaine HCL, from 1 or 4 grams or more per kilogram of base mix, or simply add none (adding it is best!). You might add a powdered palatant and fruit or fish or diary enhancers, or add none. You might add an amino acid complex or something similar, or add none. You might use flavoured oils, essential oils, an intense sweetener, or a flavour, or add none.

You might just add a very potent powdered extract very rich in natural nutritional triggers, or add none but I certainly do recommend it. Perhaps you want to dye your bait green or red or black or white or coat it in a fluorescent gel to draw more attention to baits in turbid waters or night. (Note, much of the time, fish are feeding actively in turbid water clouded by their own activities!)

Here is just a sample of a recipe something of the like you might wish to try:

800 grams of Ccmoore fish meal pop-up mix. 10 grams of Ccmoore de-fatted green-lipped mussel extract. 5 grams of Lactose B Plus Concentrate. 5 grams of pure betaine.

You could also add instead 200 grams of whatever alternative base mix or other ingredients etc you wish. You could add Ccmoore Feedstim XP powder or Ccmoore squid liver extract powder for example, or spirulina powder for instance to make you bait green and less easy for nuisance birds to spot. The options are endless for differentiating and adapting your baits for special effects and fishing situations to keep ahead of the fish and other competing baits in dynamic ways!

Flavours are a big issue for many anglers. Some are far more productive than others. I have been doing very well using a 50:50 mixture of Ccmoore crab Essence and their Frankfurter Essence for example. This is all just a very simple introduction but will most certainly catch you big fish! For masses more information on making quality cheap carp baits and addictive baits see my biography or visit my unique bait secrets ebooks site Baitbigfish now!

By Tim Richardson.

About the Author
Now why not seize this moment to improve your catches for life with these unique fishing bibles: "BIG CARP FLAVOURS FEEDING TRIGGERS AND CARP SENSES EXPLOITATION SECRETS!" "BIG CARP AND CATFISH BAIT SECRETS!" And "BIG CARP BAIT SECRETS!" For these and much more now visit: http://www.baitbigfish.com Home of world-wide proven readymade and homemade bait success secrets bibles!

Herd Mentality - is Human Behaviour Accounted for in Your Strategy?

2009-06-17T12:01:00.000-07:00

The way that many businesses and marketers strategise is perhaps counterintuitive. One important variable is frequently overlooked. This is the behaviour of people. Would it not make sense if human behaviour were to shape the formulation and execution of strategy? Surely, this is a sure-fire way to create strategies that are more robust and destined for success.

Mark Earls, an expert in human behaviour, communications and strategic thinking has explored the link between human behaviour and successful and effective strategies probably more than anyone. He is the award-winning author of several books on the subject including Herd - How to change mass behaviour by harnessing our true nature.

This book challenges our received wisdom about mass behaviour and develops an alternative model rooted in our ‘herd’ nature. Earls proposes that each individual does what they do largely because of what other people do or don’t do (even if our brain tells us other wise). In fact Mark Earls turns the idea of thinking then doing on its head and argues that people actually act and then think about it later. He would also argue that there’s not much point in spending too much time, energy or money asking people why they do what they do because, quite simply, they don’t actually know.

We like to think that we make individual decisions and that we choose our own behaviour. However, the truth is that most of the time we are heavily influenced by the behaviour of those around us. It is a herd mentality.

Mark Earls’ approach to human behaviour and strategy is completely fresh and turns conventional wisdom about what works and what doesn’t totally upside down. He has some new ideas on human behaviour, an example of which can be seen in an eBook entitled Understanding How Behaviour Shapes Strategy.

In this work - Mark Earls poses three questions which should alter the way you look at your business planning and which will hopefully develop the way you strategise. These three questions are as follows:

What is the relationship between attitudes and behaviour?
How do new ideas and habits get formed?
How do you create momentum that equates to real and lasting change?

Finding the answers to these questions you will clearly see how strategy only works if it changes people's behaviour. Whether you are dealing with staff, customers, investors or others, you first have to understand how people work and how new ideas catch on to appreciate what makes for successful business strategies.

Smart Way To Stop Puppy Biting Behavior

2009-06-13T12:58:00.000-07:00

Bringing home a new puppy is always an enjoyable time. One of the first challenges to the thrill of the new puppy, is curtailing unseemly puppy behaviors. Stopping biting and mouthing is a typical activity for many young puppies and dogs. A puppy will naturally bite and mouth one another while playing with brothers, and they extend this behavior to their human companions.
The 1st part of training your puppy behaviour is to slow down the biting reflex. Biting could be lovable and safe with a five pound puppy, but it is neither lovable nor safe when that dog has grown to adulthood.

Therefore it's up to the humans in the baby dog's life to teach this lesson. If one puppy becomes too rough while playing, the remainder of the group will punish him for that their behavior. Thru this sort of socialization, the little puppy will learn how to control his biting reflex. Puppies that are permitted to play with other puppies learn significant socialization abilities and learn how to become better members of their human family. In addition, absence of socialization in puppies frequently causes fearful and assertive behaviors to develop.

Dogs frequently react aggressively to new scenarios, particularly if they don't seem to be correctly socialised. In order for a dog to become a member of the community as well as the household, it should be socialized to people, particularly youngsters. Dogs draw a difference between their owners and others, and between youngsters and adults. It's important to introduce the dog to both youngsters and adults. The best time to socialise a puppy to small children is when it is still terribly young, often when it is 4 months old or younger. This is particularly true with the larger breed dogs, or with breeds of dogs with a reputation for assertive behavior.

Using trust to stop biting teaches your young puppy to trust and respect. Gaining the trust and respect of your dog is the basis for all dog coaching, and for correcting problem behaviors.

It's important to never hit or slap a young puppy, either during coaching or any other time. Physical punishment is the most sure way to wear away the trust and respect that must form the root of a useful training program. Coaching a puppy not to bite is a urgent part of any puppy training program. Biting behaviors that are not corrected will only deterioriate, and what once looked like safe behavior in a puppy can quickly escalate to perilous, destructive behavior in an adult dog. Take a look at Sit Stay Fetch.. It's the ultimate resource for the intelligent dog owner, and it covers just about every subject pertaining to the care of your beloved dog that you'll ever need to know about.

Recruiters are Human Too!

2009-06-09T11:12:00.000-07:00

Humans are animals and animal behaviour is hard wired and mostly predictable. One behaviour in particular:

People always choose the easiest way to get what they need. Which doesn’t mean our needs can’t be complex or irrational or altruistic. Just that given a choice we always choose the easiest path.

Now job seekers who have had 40 unreturned phone calls would argue, but recruiters are human beings. They will find and choose the easiest path to make the money to feed their kids and to support their favourite charity.

The point of this Rant is to look at the way most employers work with recruiters: They brief 3 recruiters for the same job.

What the recruiters then do is totally predictable: All 3 focus on the low hanging fruit, the active job seekers who are doing the rounds of recruiters and applying to ALL the online job ads. They are easy to find, and each firm races to put ads up so they can find them first. The screening can be quite perfunctory as the race is to get their resumes in first.

Why is it predictable that they do this? They are all on contingent fees, so get your agency brand onto the person who is hired and it is $20000, lose the race and it’s a big fat nothing.

That’s the first hard wired, predictable behaviour. The second is the bit that seems to baffle many employers and HR managers.

None of the 3 recruiters will invest the 3 to 4 days of hard work to dig out some high hanging, quality fruit as they have only about a 20% chance of getting paid for their efforts.

Why just 20%? Because after a week of talking to candidates, other agencies have heard of the role, and they have talked to some other low hangers. And because there is sometimes an internal candidate who gets the job or perhaps the position is restructured.

As pointed out in last week’s Rant, any experienced recruiter can dig out candidates if they put the time in. Predictably they won’t bother if you brief more than one firm. Would you in their shoes? Employers think they are ‘testing the full market’ or ‘keeping the recruiters honest’.

No. Just predictably not getting value. And wasting a lot of their time looking at candidates who only barely match the brief but have been put forward because the agency wants that $20000.

Mummy Tantrums

2009-06-03T10:31:00.000-07:00

Last Tuesday morning between 8 and 9 a.m. was not my proudest hour. In fact it serves as an excellent example of the sort of uptight, stressed pickle working mums often get ourselves into. It was the sort of morning where I didn't get my own balance right, to say the least, and instead I ended up acting a bit like my two year old son Freddie when he doesn't get his own way. Yes, I had a full blown Mummy Tantrum.
I know that I'm not the first mum to have a morning like this so I'm taking a deep breath to share the whole sorry tale with you. I hope that by being upfront about my own experience, it could help you if you ever throw Mummy Tantrums yourself.

And so, the story begins. The boys and I ended up leaving the house late last Tuesday morning, so Max was ten minutes late for his holiday club football. My working day started at 9.15am instead of 9.05am as planned. Ten minutes later really isn't a big deal is it?! Who would have thought that starting the day 10 minutes late would cause such trauma?

My heart was beating fast, my adrenaline racing around at 8.30am. I took it out on Max, when, at 8.45am he said "Where's my tracksuit top?", followed by "Can I wear my new shoes?" and "I don't know where my trainers are".

I blew. I really blew. Mount Etna had nothing on me. I shouted at him, "You are old enough to make sure you've got your tracksuit top. I'm not your servant" and "find your own shoes. No, you can't wear your new walking boots. It's not fair! You should be ready to go!" I grudgingly found his trainers for him and threw them on the floor in front of him, slammed a couple of doors and sat in the car with the engine running and a face like thunder whilst I waited for him to put his trainers and his shin guards on. In short, I did a fair imitation of Freddie in one of his tantrums. Ok, so I didn't lie down on the floor thrashing my arms and legs around and screaming at the top of my voice, but I threw my own grown-up version of a toddler tantrum.

Poor Max - my little helper, my Freddie-tamer, my patient, thoughtful, kind and funny seven year old - copped for it.

Clearly, being a coach doesn't make me superhuman or perfect mummy. However, it does allow me to ask myself useful questions so that I can reach a better balance in future. Once I'd emerged from my tantrum, I asked myself:

What were the clues and warning signs this morning that I didn't notice?

After some reflection time, here are clues and warnings that I didn't take notice of at the time:

I hadn't had enough sleep (only 6 ½ hours... I need a minimum of 8).
Freddie has entered the "terrible twos" with relish over the past couple of weeks, and has been testing his newfound theory of "I'm a separate human being from you and I want to do what I want to do and it's mine, all mine, everything is mine HA HA HA!" at every opportunity. As a result, my calm and patient parental reserves are low.

I started weeping at the news on the radio that a media personality, Clement Freud, had died, aged 84. What's that about then? Hmmmm, I'm not usually this emotionally volatile. Anyone suspecting that it could have been that time of the month?
I tried to do it all that Tuesday morning:
Tidy the house
Make all the beds
Make Max's packed lunch
Do 10 mins. of yoga (Ha! That clearly didn't help, did it?!)
Made porridge for the three of us
Cleaned the porridge pan (after having burnt the porridge)
Arranged an appointment

The lesson that I learned from last week's Mummy Tantrum can be summarised in one word: RESERVES.

If you read over my self-reflection answers above, you might notice that there is a theme running through: I hadn't created enough reserves for myself.

A reserve is exactly what it implies: Something left over as spare. For example, we might have a reserve of cash that we keep in our car in case of emergency. We might have a reserve of food in the freezer or in the kitchen cupboard for those times when we might not have fresh food available for a quick meal.

In my case, and I know these are absolutely typical neglected reserves for most mums, I had run low on reserves of:

Energy
Sleep
Time
Health
Support

So, what could I do about this? Again, here are my inner ramblings. Having identified the triggers, I looked at what the corresponding low reserves might have been:

Sleep Well, the sleep is easy enough - make sure I get 8 hours tonight!

Health What about health? The hay fever gets me down every year at this time (interestingly enough, a less welcome legacy of becoming a mum 7 years ago!) and I find that it has a dramatically negative knock on effect to my energy. I've investigated an alternative treatment (Bowen Technique) and I'm waiting for confirmation of an appointment. A little too late to prevent the hay fever this year, but I can set a reminder for myself in February every year to start treatment, thus creating a health and an energy reserve for spring in future years.

Energy From today's episode, clearly there are times (!) when I'm a bit emotionally volatile, so I could mark this time in my diary as well, to act as a reminder in future, so that I can take steps to make sure that I'm rested and give myself more space.

Time I thought I'd done well by putting my clothes out and Max's lunch box out the night before, but I'd forgotten to get him to check he had everything he needed for football. All I need to do is a simple time tracking exercise and face up to just how long it takes to get the three of us launched in the morning, and allow myself 10 minutes reserve of time to allow for lost trainers, forgotten tops, missing Doggily etc, etc!

Support I always cope well on the outside with challenging behaviour from my kids, but clearly the classic toddler boundary-pushing behaviour is getting to me! I'm going to email mum and ask her to send me some reassuring "don't worry, it won't last forever, you'll cope, I remember this" type words about coping with the demands of a two year old!

The purpose of me wearing my heart on my sleeve and writing about my very flawed and very imperfect morning is to prompt you into thinking about the times when you have run low on reserves.

Coach Yourself on Mummy Tantrums and Build Your Reserves

Have you ever had a mummy tantrum? Whether you have or you haven't, the point of this article is to show you how important it is for you to create reserves in your life.

Grab a pen and paper and ponder on the following 7 questions:

What are the general causes of your mummy tantrums? What happened during your mummy tantrum(s)?

What did you learn from your last mummy tantrum?

What didn't you learn? In other words, what is the same mistake that you keep on repeating?

When will you say "enough is enough" about this and try a different approach for this mistake?

What reserves were you running low on at the time of your mummy tantrum? List them …

What can you do to create super-reserves in the future?

What will you do today to create one of those reserves?

By taking a little time to identify where you are low on reserves, you will identify triggers and come up with new ideas that will certainly be invisible to you when you are in mid-tantrum.

Happy tantrum taming!

Amanda x

About the Author
Amanda Alexander - Professional Coach supporting women in the UK/Europe/America to achieve much more than they thought possible.

About Coaching Mums: Would you like more time and lightness, with less stress and guilt in your life? Visit Coaching Mums for fabulous free coaching tips, especially for mothers. Receive our popular free monthly ezine, "Inspire" - Mums Who Want Success, Fulfilment and Balance.

Sixth Sense Located in Human Brain

2009-05-31T07:14:00.000-07:00

Human being's 'sixth sense' for danger, long dismissed by some scientists as myth, actually exists in a part of the brain that also handles conflict resolution, according to a recent report in the journal Science.
The brain region - known as the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) - actually raises the alarm about danger that fail to penetrate the consciene mind, said Joshua Brown of Washington University in St Louis, Missouri, in an interview.
The ACC is located near the top of the frontal lobes and along the walls that divide the left and rigth brains.
Brown used a computer programme that required health young people to respond to activity on the monitor, and measured their brain activity at 2.5 second intervals with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI).
The experiments showed that "our brains are better at picking up subtle warning signs than we previously thought", Brown said.
"In the past, we found activity in the ACC when people had to make a difficult decision...or after they made a mistake," Brown said.
But now the region can "actually learn to recognise when you might make a mistake...it learns to warn you in advance when our behaviour might lead to a negative outcome".
The ACC is closely associated with some serious mental problems, including schizophrenia and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Brown said the same neurotransmitter involved in drug addiction and Parkinson's disease - dopamine - also appears "to play a key role in training the ACC to recognise when to send the early warning signal".

MALARIA

2009-05-27T08:50:00.001-07:00

Malaria is one of the world's major diseases. It infects milions of people and the world health organization estimated that up to one million people die from malaria infection each year in Africa alone. Malaria is common in many parts of the tropics and can be found in some sub-tropical areas also. Since the 1950s, the world health organization has started one of the world's largest scientific projects in an attempts to eradicate malaria from the earth. The programme has mainly been based on large scale use of persistent insecticides and there have been notable successes. However, it has proved impossible to wipe out malaria from continents like Africa by present-day methods, and there are signs that the disease is spreading again. This is partly because some countries' control measures have been relaxed. It is also due to the mosquito developing strains which are immune to DDT and other persistent insecticides. Given our present state of knowledge and resources, this is best attempted by attacking the vector rather than pathogen.
The infected person has very high fever, headache, sometimes vomitting and general aches and pains. Malaria may cause convulsions and sometimes death in children and abortions in pregnant women. Due to the fact that the parasites destroy many red blood cells, malaria is a common cause of Anemia. Even if infected people are not suffering from a full attack of the diseases, they maybe generally indisposed and have no energy for their work. It is therefore important from an economic as well as a medical point of view to stamp out malaria.
Attempts to control the spread of malaria include the following:
protecting our bodies from mosqito bites by using mosquito nets at night and wearing clothes which covers our arms and legs in the evening.
Preventing mosquitoes from breeding by not providing suitable breeding places.
Grass and bushes should be kept short around houses and buildings because mosquitoes spend the day in the shade.
Inside walls should be painted a light colour so there are no dark corners for the mosquitoes to hide in during the day.
The parasite's development in the human body can be controlled by taking modern prophylactic drugs regularly.
Sufferers from the diseasecan treated with drugs.

Are You An Organ Donor?

2009-05-22T08:07:00.000-07:00

So, what do you think? Are you planning to be an organ donor when the time comes? Yup, it's a pretty blunt question and I'm betting for most everyone, there is a pretty blunt answer one way or the other. Or maybe you're undecided ... well, I guess this article is for folks like you who are sitting on the fence about whether or not this is something that you will want to do. Okay, let's take a look.
This is an extremely controversial subject. Ask 10 people and you'll invariably get 10 different reasons why organ donation is a good thing or a bad thing. At it's basest level, organ donation means that when your life ends, you will be maintained on basic life support long enough for doctors to rip you open and harvest your organs! Gross, right?! Who wants to be disected (dead or alive) and have the bits and pieces that kept you alive all these years removed?!! And yet, there is another way to view this ...

Of course, when you die, you will no longer require your organs to survive. And you won't feel a thing when they are removed. The body that has been the shell holding all the precious things that make you unique will have no further purpose and neither will your organs unless they can be successfully transplanted into another human being potentially prolonging their life or at the very least improving its quality.

We have the science now to prolong life really indefinitely by using machines to breathe for us and medications to keep vital organs functioning, but that's not quality living. You can't wander in a spring woods when you're attached to half a hospital! You can't communicate with your loved ones when you are brain dead. When this time comes, it's time to release the energy of your life into the universe and give up the shell that supported your life ... including its contents.

Your heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, brain, pancreas, tissues ... even your eyes. Any or all of these things can change the lives of others for the better ... and you get to live on in a way, through those people and their families. Wouldn't it be nice for your family to know that the heart that loved them beats on and continues to spread that love into the world? Imagine how your family might feel knowing that you are a hero! Imagine being able to change the life of a diabetic child who suffers through several shots a day with the gift of your pancreas or your eyes allowing a blind parent to see their child for the first time!

The concept of organ donation frightens many people ... but perhaps it's not the organ donation so much as the mortality that causes the fear. We all know intellectually that there is no reason for us to take our organs with us. They can be recycled just like so many things we use in our daily lives to either improve another life or through research to improve many lives.

There is also the school of thought that healthcare professionals see your organ donor card and reduce the level of care you receive in favour of someone who needs your organs. Is it possible that the sickest ones are left and those with a greater chance of survival might be favoured by doctors? Frankly, I don't think so. These people take an oath to "First, do no harm." Reducing or removing treatment from a potential organ donor would certainly contradict the core belief of their ethics system.

I'm not saying that unethical behaviour never happens in the medical community. I'm sure it is the same as any other, but I believe strongly that doctors are motivated by their ability to save even the most gravely ill or injured patients and that they take it quite personally when they can't.

Generally, those within the medical community that I have talked to on the subject have unequivocably said that, they NEVER remove care from even the most critically ill or injured patient until there is absolutely no hope available for that patient's survival without the support of machines. In most areas, brain death is the determining factor for cessation of treatment and the testing associated with that diagnosis is not cursory. Just imagine the lawsuits that might ensue if it could be proven that a doctor had arbitrarily decided to let a patient expire when there was any tenable hope at all! Malpractice would take on a whole new meaning!

For what it's worth, I am an organ donor. I believe strongly that it is the right thing to do for me and for those whose lives I may be able to save or improve by this one last act. By the time any action is taken on this decision, I don't expect I will be consulted for my opinion, but I'd like to think that I have a generous enough spirit to want that for others.

One last thing ... whatever you decide ... organ donor or not ... Tell your family, your physician and anyone else that might be in a position to be making decisions at a time when you won't be able to communicate. Make your wishes clear. It will save those you care most about the heartbreaking decision they would otherwise need to make on your behalf.

So where do you stand on this issue? Give it some thought!

About the Author
Wendy Blair, President of EMERG-e-Solve Inc. Parenting a Type 1 Diabetic and wanting to control the important decisions about healthcare for herself and her family led her to develop a user-friendly software called the LIFECompass Personal Health Record. For more information on the LIFECompass PHR and related topics, visit her blog at http://www.lifecompassphr.info or email blairwen@rogers.com

Communist dictatorship in North America!

2009-05-20T12:14:00.000-07:00

How can anyone save our earth when there is a communist dictatorship in Canada? That is a Fact!

Would you like to have a nuclear plant forced into your front yard or next door? Have no say. That is a serious Fact!

Why is it they are forcing their will and desires on the majority of the population in western Canada? This will affect the United States people as well. For God's sake man you have to help contest this and write email, phone nonstop until they listen. "24/7" Hound the SK and Alta, government 's of Canada. please do your part. We are trying with our limited means.
Please everyone stop being a couch potato and don't let these people walk all over us!

Why is it that these few dictators of a bovine schizophrenia will not listen to the rest of the population and want to continue with their agenda?

They have not got the education to be a specialist in the nuclear field and don't care what facts have been telling them.
When it is a well known fact there is a major fault under the area where they want to plant one of these nuclear facilities. Educated people with factual reports put this under their noses, But they don't want to listen. Do we have to take maters into our own hands? Before these anally retentive disorders will listen.

Then there was the nuclear plant back east in Canada, where it was held back from the public for the longest of time and Denied. This is called Lying by omission. Can anyone trust these people if past behaviour is a predictor of future behaviour?

Myself being a research investigator field of CMA energy, and knowing that nuclear is only an experimental source of energy being thrust on the human race by people like Bruce Powers.
Who's only agenda is to line his pockets.

Nuclear power is only measurable with the instruments they have devise. These instruments DO NOT tell you if there is other particles that are being radiated we do not and are not able to detect.

Please consider this very serious, this means the future life of your children they are playing dangerous games with.

Do you really want to learn how to save our earth? Then we need to stop this before it's to late. On our site you can link through to help the only known research for CMA energy every time you buy products where all the commission is donated to research, Just use our links on our site. May be we can have this energy before these bullies get their agenda to far off the ground. You can feel you are doing your part.

The following people are mentally deficient and only want their desires to be heard.
They need to be called often over and over and told to stop their agenda, They have no right to force their desires on innocent people. They need to be told nuclear power is only experimental, Not to put all your eggs in one basket. There is a better way where power failures won't inconvenience everyone.

Government of Canada
Government of Saskatchewan
Government of Alberta
Bruce powers

Cat Behaviour: Mirroring Human

2009-05-19T12:06:00.000-07:00

Do you ever notice the behavior changing in your darling feline companion these days compare to the ones twenty years ago?

I don't know whether this only happen to my feline companions, or it might happen as well to you. I used to have cats who loved to wait-chase-catch rodents as their prey, and uhm, sometimes their favorite meals. How about my prevailing cats now behave? Very unsual. The rodents run back and forth exactly in front of their noses. They just ignore them completely, as if the rats were no longer consider as threats and exciting prey. If I may translate and interpret my cats mind, "Yucckk...the rats are disgusting creatures to play with and taste so bad to be eaten. I prefer human junk food, like french fries, hamburgers, hot-dogs!"

It's amazing that everytime someone in my home buy these kind of junk food, all my cats are so anxious and eager to eat them. They wait so patiently, starring at their beloved humans, begging to be feed by this junk food. And, of course, they always 'ask' their portion when we're eating. Never wanted to miss the excitement of enjoying junk foods.

Another hilarious thing is one of my cats, knows perfectly where to sleep comfortably. In my bed, of course. But, that's not enough. Certainly, he does understand where to lay down his head, on my pillow. How about my other cats? Most of them truly aware about decency, so they sleep in the corner of my bed near my feet. Or, lay down part of their fluffy bodies near my ribs, stomach and legs. And, the best part is, when there's anyone interrupt or disturb his content sleep, he'll awake soon - starring at the perpetrator - then, with very heavy sigh like humans do, he got back to sleep with an expression of annoyed. Just like humans!

HOW TO KEEP YOUR FACE CLEAN

2009-05-13T07:27:00.000-07:00

The face as we all know is the front par of the head, from the forehead to the chin. Normally, what a person who is just meeting you for the first time looks at is your face which shows how important it is to keep your face clean. Not keeping your face clean can cause so many damages like pimples, black heads, eczema, spots and psoriasis (a skin disease that causes red rough patches).
Without overstating the obvious, here are some tips on how to keep your face clean.
1 Remember to clean and moisturize before going to bed, no matter how tired you are. Although there are no hard and fast rules about this routine. At least, try to keep your face clean by washing with a mils soap or cleansing lotion, gel or astringent. Replace lost moisture with light moisturizing lotion or cream.

2 Exfoliating is another way to achieve a clean and radiant face. However, exfoliate according to your skin strenght. Give yourself a facial scrub at least three times a week. Follow up with lotion to leave your face fresh and glowing.

3. Oily skin is supple but shinny and prone to spots and pimples. This is the major skin problem peculiar to Africa. Oily skin may not or may lead to pimples. It is crucial to distinguish between oil on the surface of the skin(which makes it look shining)and oil trapped within the sebaceous duct (which leads to inflammation and pimples). Oil within the sebaceous duct can be removed using an astringent which clears the pores, while oil on the surface can simply be wiped off with soft paper tissue or washed away with mild soap.

4. Adolescence is the time to establish a beauty routine. The action you take now will pay dividends in ten to twenty years time. Avoid crash dieting to prevent your skin from sagging. Try to keep your natural skin tone by avoiding bleaching o toning cream, lotion and soap.

5. When in your thirties, the oil on your face that glistened before may look dull and dry. Beware of this change and adjust your beauty routine.

6. In your forties, your age will be showing some effects on your face. How much depends on genes and the care you showed in previous years.
As the skin ages (due to collapes and collagen and elastic fibers which gave the skin it elasticity and tone), it becomes thinner. This process happens faster in women than in men. There is sagging, wrinkling, loss of skin tone and uneven pigmentation. Once wrinkles appear, you can not get rid of them but you can make them less noticeable. There are many anti ageing creams and lotions in the market, promising the prevention of ageing, its delay or reversal. If you have money to invest in such, goahead. Otherwise, a sensible life, treating your face with respect, plenty of sleep and with no heavy make-up will help retain your youthfulness.

7. In your fifties and beyond, menopause takes it toll on the condition of the skin as estrogen, 'the good skin' hormone gradually decreases. However, this is no reason why your skin should not be soft and supple. Exfoliate more than ever to ensure that your skin remains smooth and glowing. Put some wonderful creams on your face as it smooths away the lines which not only come from age but from tiredness and hardwork. In addition, watch your diet, avoid stress, drink plenty of water and sleep well.
It is not too late to start pampering your face if you have neglected it in the past. However, it is worth the effort because there is much to gain from it.

2009-05-09T08:19:00.000-07:00

JOB INTERVIEW QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS: KNOW WHAT TO EXPECT AND WHAT TO SAY

Although many candidates dread them, job interview questions are wonderful things! They are your greatest opportunity to prove to the interviewer that you are the best person for the job!
THE KEY TO GIVE BETTER ANSWERS THAN ANY ONE ELSE. To this you must:
(1) Anticipate likely questions;
(2) Develop excellent answers;
(3) Practice!
Be enthusiastic and confident when responding to questions. Don’t rush your answers, but don’t ramble on and on, either. Try to, um, avoid, like, using unnecessary words, right? And um, repeating your self or, like, annoying phrases, you know?
A good technique is to write out your answers to the questions you anticipate, and then edit them to make them more concise. Then practice your polished answers out loud, over and over. If you can have some one to help you do a ‘’mock interview,’’ that would be the best way to do this.
Most questions will relate either to your ability to do the job or the type of employee you will be. Here’s one that is very commonly used to help the interviewer learn about both:
‘’TELL ME A LITTLE ABOUT YOUR SELF.’’
When responding to this request, you should focus on both your personal and professional values. Always be honest, but talk about your best traits only, especially those that relate to the position for which you are applying.
Highlight experiences and accomplishments you are most proud of. Here’s an example:
‘’I’m an experienced communications specialist with extensive knowledge of public information tools and techniques. I’ve developed comprehensive communication plans for major public events, written dozens of articles accepted by worldwide publications, and created specialized educational programs for adults and students. I am always eager to learn new methods and procedures, and have implemented continuous improvement techniques in my past positions that saved money and increased productivity. I like working with people and enjoy group projects, but am also a self-starter who doesn’t mind working on my own. I’m a volunteer with the local chapter of Special Olympics and enjoy participating in community events. My goals are to complete my master’s degree and broaden my experiences with community relations.’’
Remember to tailor your response to the specific job. By studying the job announcements, you’ll get a good idea of the skills and experience being sought. Work those in your response.
Consider this your own personal commercial. If the interview consisted of only this ONE chance to sell your self, what would you say?
‘’WHAT DO YOU FEEL HAS BEEN YOUR GREATEST WORK-RELATED ACCOMPLISHMENT?’’
Choose one example from your past that was important to you and helped the company you worked for. Give specific details about what you did, how you did it, and what the results were. Try to pick an accomplishment that relates to the position for which you are applying. Employers like to hear about accomplishments that reduced expenses, raised revenues, solved problems or enhanced a company’s reputation.
‘’WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST STRENGHT?’’
This is a great chance to highlight your best skills. Don’t pick just one. Focus on your top three or four. Some examples are: leadership skills, team-building skills and organizational skills. Determine which
Strengths would fit best with the position for which you are applying. For example, if the job announcement stresses the ability to handle multiple tasks, you could say: ‘’I’m good at organizational skills, prioritization and time management. But my greatest strength is my ability to effectively handle multiple projects and deadlines.’’
‘’WHAT IS YOUR GREATEST WEAKNESS?’’
Be careful with this one. Most interview guides will tell you to answer it with a positive trait disguised as a weakness. For example, ‘’I tend to expect others to work as hard as I do,’’ or ‘’I’m a bit of a perfectionist.’’ Interviewers have heard these ‘’canned’’ answers over and over again. To stand out, be more original and state a true weakness, but then emphasize what you’ve done to overcome it. For example: ‘’I’ve had trouble delegating duties to others because I felt I could do things better my self. This has sometimes backfired because I’d end up with more than I could handle and the quality of my work would suffer. But I’ve taken courses in time management and learned effective delegation techniques, and I feel I’ve overcome this weakness!
IMPORTANT: Be sure the weakness you talked about is NOT a key element of the position!
‘’HOW DO YOU ANDLE STRESSFUL SITUATIONS?’’
Give some examples of stressful situations you’ve dealt with in the past.
Tell how you use time management, problem-solving or decision-making skills to reduce stress For example, tell them that making a ‘’to-do’’ list helps. Site stress-reducing techniques such as stretching and taking a break. Don’t be afraid to admit that you will ask for assistance if you are feeling overwhelmed.
If it’ true, say you actually work better under pressure.

Thank you for having the time to read my post.

Human Behavior Issues in a Future Virtual Reality World

2009-05-06T10:53:00.001-07:00

Sociology Schools Focus on Social Hierarchies

2009-05-03T05:09:00.000-07:00

Sociology Schools, universities, and colleges provide systematic study of societies and human social action and interaction. Sociology may focus on social rules and social processes that connect and separate people as individuals and as members of groups. The study of sociology includes examining organizational and developmental aspects of human social existence.

The field of sociology includes analysis of momentary contact between strangers and acquaintances on the street as well as the study of global social processes. Sociology Schools offering Bachelor degrees will entail the liberal arts studies, as well as concentrations in the study of social theory, research methods, social organizations, social structures, family structures, social hierarchies, psychology, statistics, and much more.

Sociology Schools cover a broad discipline that may be difficult to fully understand. Sociology studies all components of social structure: social hierarchies, caste systems, and class structure inequities; demographic sociology, i.e., population, gender, age, and race dynamics; deviant behavior, crime, and criminal behavior; political sociology as relates to governments, governmental functions, and laws; and much, much more.

New fields of sociology continue to develop. Economic sociology is one of these, which studies sociological analysis of economic phenomena. Sociology research results have affected policies in education, laws, and administration decisions with development of public policy.

Sociology Schools prepare students in careers such as, teaching or conducting research. The Bachelor of Arts or Bachelor of Science provides the undergraduate preparation for graduate work in sociology. Many other careers require a solid foundation of knowledge about social structure and human behavior. Sociology programs are flexible, allowing students to combine the sociology majors with other concentrations. The broad base of liberal arts provides prepares students for divergent career paths with advantages for a professionals in business, law, and medicine.

If you are interested in learning more about Sociology Schools, colleges, and universities, please take some time to search our site for more information and resources.

DISCLAIMER: Above is a GENERAL OVERVIEW and may or may not reflect specific practices, courses and/or services associated with ANY ONE particular school(s) that is or is not advertised on SchoolsGalore.com.

Michael Bustamante is a staff writer for Media Positive Communications, Inc. in association with SchoolsGalore.com. Find Sociology Schools at SchoolsGalore.com; meeting your needs as your educational resource to locate schools.

Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Michael_Bustamante

Eight Great Human Behavior Science Projects

2009-05-01T10:40:00.000-07:00

Is Human Behavior Learned?

2009-04-29T09:29:00.000-07:00

Psychosis Cure

2009-04-25T11:43:00.000-07:00

The first time I saw psychosis was in my adored friend Arnold, who seemed to be balanced and very clever. He was 23 years old when suddenly he started to spank his sisters and break everything in his bedroom. He had electroshock therapy.

I was in Greece, after spending 6 months in the USA. When I came back to Brazil I saw him in a clinic. He had lost his conscience forever. This case shocked me very much! I didn't’ follow the development of his psychic disease and when I came back to my country this meeting was the worse meeting of my life!

Arnold had a treatment with a psychiatrist for 5 years and after this period, he committed suicide jumping from the 14th floor, where he had an apartment. At this time I was in Greece studying the meaning of the dreams according to the method of the psychiatrist Carl Jung. In the day he committed suicide I saw in my dream the Earth sphere from some distance and a voice told me that someone was looking for the elixir of life.

He couldn’t find it though…

I continued Carl Jung’s research in the unknown region of the human psychic sphere through dream interpretation discovering the anti-conscience, the primitive, wild and evil human conscience that didn't pass through the conscious transformation of the human part of the human conscience and tries to provoke craziness to the human part.

On 1989 I met a psychotic young lady, who was a friend’s niece. She had this psychosis for 20 years and was not as young as she seemed to be. In the beginning she was very aggressive with me, but later she started to accept me because she was my son’s friend.

She would come to her uncle’s house where my son and I were spending summer vacations and play with him like a kid with the ball, fall in the floor and behave as if she was only 5 years old like my son.

With time, she became my friend, but she never talked with me about anything serious. Only after 6 years she opened her hart to me and told me what had happened with her in the past that was responsible for her psychic disease.

I wrote for her 2 poems explaining which my conclusions after examining the content of the human psychic sphere and after learning the unconscious’ wisdom were. (These are the two first poems of my ebook Wisdom) The unconscious produces the dreams in order to cure us from the craziness we already inherit in our psychic sphere, since the biggest part of it belongs to our wild conscience.

Four years later, after the psychotherapy I provided her, she was much better and she travelled with my son and with me to Brazil. It was the first time in her life that she dared to go so far without being accompanied by her parents. Of course, we had her uncle’s support, since he is Greek and comes often to Greece, but he lives in Brazil. He helped us a lot!

However, I can say that my psychotic friend didn't provoke me any problem. Her behaviour during this trip was excellent! I realized that if she would live with me and have my orientation I would perhaps be able to cure her completely…

However when she came back to Greece, to her usual life, she started behaving as she did before and I couldn't be responsible for her, she had to continue living with her parents.

She is much better now, but not as much as she could be if she had the proper orientation all the time. At least she has a behaviour according to her age and she is able to work and talk normally with anyone when she wants to.

My conclusions after 13 years treating her were very important and the result observed in her personality is very encouraging.

Psychotics can be cured and their human conscience can be half resurrected while schizophrenics cannot recuperate any part of their human conscience after losing it. Schizophrenics can only be able to understand the meaning of their actions, without human sensitivity.

Social Engineering, an Innate Human Quality

2009-04-22T09:21:00.000-07:00

The stated tenets of data security, confidentiality, integrity and availability purvey the titles of networking books. It is evident there has been a sudden awakening of the importance or lack thereof of data security. Operating systems, applications, networking and internetworking devices, are being examined for vulnerabilities. Threats and risks are no longer ignored. New specializations are being created. A few years ago anti-virus installation and updates was an added-on value.

Today it is a full time responsibility in the world of networking. Firewalls are being developed for the daunting cat and mouse game of malware detection and eradication. Viruses are presented with names that spell trouble; multipartite, polymorphic, phage, stealth; retro. Intrusion detection systems, intrusion prevention systems, and honeypots are fine tuned to provide a comfort zone for the networking professional. These devices can no longer be the one size fits all variety. IDSs are defined as network-based, host-based, signature-based, anomaly-based and the list goes on and on. Resources are being consumed more for protection than data exchange.

I am comfortable with the fact that there is this emphasis placed on data security but still concerned with the non-acceptance of the need for user training. I believe that no security device (read machine) can ever defeat the creativity and manipulative ingenuity of the human brain. Developers are still working on Artificial intelligence. We are born with it. The human's ability to reason, question, debate, infer, deduct, pretend, deceive and mislead can never be curtailed by a box running an IOS and some man-designed algorithms. Encryption technologies are competing with human intelligence. We've gone from being comfortable with 56 bit encryption to 128,192, and 256. Ciphers are stream, block, substitution, transposition, symmetric, asymmetric, yet, with time, they are quickly becoming susceptible. The much touted WPA for WLANs felt that blow last week.

The common factor that seems to defeat the attempts to create the secure network environment is human behavior. Means, opportunity and motive is all that is needed. Of the three, opportunity prevails. Most people have the means, some people have motives. Because of the growth in internet access, more and more people have the opportunity. I remember a few thousand weeks ago very few employees needed internet access to perform their duties. Matter of fact, I can count the number of people who spoke about computers. Today it's just understood. The world's population is becoming more computer savvy each day. The computers' processing power increases because of our ability to learn and improve. Way too much acclaim is given to the PC with little or no recognition of the human mind behind it's growth. Viruses, worms, Trojan horses are all man-made. We are therefore in a battle with our own intelligence. It is therefore essential that we recognize that in order to create a safer networking environment we must begin by addressing or influencing human behavior. The one attack that will never be stopped is social engineering. Our goal as security personnel is to mitigate threats. Can we truly mitigate the threat of social engineering without addressing behavior? I say a resounding no.

Social engineering is an innate human quality or skill. We are exposed to it in our everyday lives. Any parent would agree that kids, especially teenagers are master social engineers. They frame questions knowing the result they want. They extract information with questions that seem to be casual chatter. My daughter has manipulated me into an action that was beneficial to her, ashamed to say, numerous times. The network attacker has that ability. He/she is not going to study UNIX or learn C++ to compromise your network. He/she looks for the most vulnerable or "low hanging fruit". The most vulnerable entity on a network is the user, train and untrained. We can, however, create a more secure environment if we erase some human habits through training.

I remember visiting a doctor's office and hearing the receptionist openly repeating confidential information on the phone. I've seen IP addresses stuck to the monitor in a New York bank. A friend of mine, a New York cabdriver told me that he can be a social engineer with the conversations he overhear in his cab. Recently I did a training class at one large client location, there were a number of PCs in the training room. I was given access to one PC. On that PC I had access to an open email account and read what I know was confidential emails of, get this, a manager. Employees and employers need to be trained as to the art of social engineering. The attacks are carried out through telephone, online, diving in dumpsters, and shoulder surfing. One attack that is almost always successful is the reverse social engineering attack. The employer needs to assure that the end-user is aware of the new trends. Helpdesks are a favorite target for the S.E. Most helpdesks are staffed with entry level IT professionals. Not a great amount of emphasis is placed on training because helpdesk positions are normally stepping stones. A helpdesk does just that, help! If they are not educated they will help. The attacker may be aware of the quick turnover at say ABC Corp. because he worked there before. Previously I spoke about the receptionist at the doctor's office, they need to be trained not only on Word or Excel, but also on social engineering attacks.

Although we have moved positively in the direction of software and hardware testing and design, we are still behind in the most vulnerable area of the network, our staff. Employers need now more than ever to reinforce their security posture by demanding and supporting user awareness training. Policies can no longer be a static, four hundred page document that is only seen during the employment process. Policies must be current, always available and enforced. Employees must be educated as to the need for security, the effect of a compromise on their jobs, compliance issues and repercussions for non-compliance.

An untrained staff will defeat any security policy. Security training should be given as much or even more attention than procuring expensive equipment. Mobilization has increased the availabilty of network resources. Todays network creeps into the Starbucks, the airport, hotels and homes. Users are given access to more and more private information. Devices like laptops, PDAs, and phones store sensitive information that travels with the user.The attacker no longer has to gain physical access to the enterprise network. It it therefore imperative that the playing field be evened by having the user aware of the sensitivity of their work environment.

My hats off to the organizations that have already seen the relevance of employee training. Banks, hospitals, small business owners and the military have upped the ante for staff. My hope is that the practice does not end with the worker/student attaining a certification. It has been said by numerous students of security that the knowledge gained would not significantly affect the status quo at work. Information transfer should be encouraged, users should be rewarded for compliance. Again I stress that for any security policy to be successful, we must affect human behavior.

Investment Risks Rooted in Human Behavior

2009-04-18T08:24:00.000-07:00

Have you ever wondered why you do not achieve the same investment returns as others? What is driving your decisions? Are you blaming the markets or others for your results?

A starting point is that you should be addressing your behavior and how it impacts your financial decisions. A statement I have been making to many people for the last 10 years is: "Investment markets cannot be controlled, but how you manage your reaction to them can be".

Generally, for most investors the reason that they obtain returns which are on average 6% lower than market returns is because of their behavior. Investors generally make poor investment decisions because of their reactions to events and also to their own life circumstances. This can be because they do not know who they are or how to manage their emotional impulses which are driven from how they are wired to behave. The message to be emphasized is that successful investing is about managing your behavior.

If you are an advisor, it is about predicting and managing your client's behavior and also managing your own behavior. So when you talk about managing investment risk, what you are really talking about is managing BOTH human behavior and the market risks. This is fundamental to the value proposition for obtaining advice from an advisor. Clearly, it is important that the advisor also has a high degree of financial emotional intelligence. This being the ability to control his/her emotional impulses and empathetically address his/her clients needs.

Traditionally, when risk is talked about in investing, everyone talks about market risks and to some degree investor risk tolerance. The reality is that there are so many more risks which need to be addressed which all have an impact on the investment decisions made. These additional risks are behavioral. To make the point, we have prepared the following table which highlights many of the "Investment Impact Risks" that can influence investment decisions and ultimately the investment returns a person achieves. This is what needs to be managed.
So, there is a very strong case for every person to have behavioral guidance from an advisor no matter how knowledgeable or experienced they are with investments. The behavioral guide or what we call a "wealth mentor" needs to have a true understanding of a person's Financial DNA which is their financial behavioral style. The Financial DNA is shaped from genetics, early life experiences and then overall life experiences, values and education. At a broad level, the behavioral information that needs to be discovered is in the following categories of information, as they all impact the investment decisions made in some way.

Natural Behavior
Financial Preferences
Communication
Environment
Life Purpose
Values
Passions
Needs & Wants

The reason we advocate that investors and advisors (the behavioral guide) complete behavioral profiles early in the advisory process is because they provide objective and measurable insights into the complete financial behavioral style on a holistic basis. With a good behavioral profile, not only is the risk tolerance discovered, but also completely who the person is at a much deeper level than what any normal person can reliably do on their own. You truly get below the surface. Remember, no matter how evolved you are personally, we all have blind spots and biases. Very often clients "eat" the behavior of the advisor. So, the advisory process becomes dangerous if the advisor is not aware of his or her blind spots.

Which ever angle you come from they all lead to the point that investment risks are rooted in human behavior.

Hugh is the President and Founder of Financial DNA Resources, a leading international Financial Behavior Consulting firm. He has 22 years of unique and diverse financial and business advisory experience. Hugh has worked with financial advisors, professionals, and coaches from all over the world to provide client centric solutions. His educational programs and services are internationally recognized and centered on client discovery, business and personal development, practice management and improving human performance to increase ROI.

Repetitive Dreams and Human Behavior

2009-04-09T02:50:00.000-07:00

Repetitive dreams reflect behavioral disorders not well defined and visible to the outside world.

When you experience the same dream many times in your life, it is because you are procrastinating about something very important that must be done for your own safety. This is always related to your behavior; the dream is not telling you to go back to school and finish your studies for example, even though this necessity could be part of what you are procrastinating about.

The repetitive dreams are very serious. They show you that you have to understand something very important that you are ignoring and that you have to change your behavior, once you realise it. They reflect your immaturity on some levels and your ignorance as well.

Therefore, repetitive dreams reflect the repetition of your mistakes; you do not understand what you have to do, and therefore you are not doing what you must do. This is why the wise unconscious mind is trying to make you aware of it in your dreams.

Your dreams address the themes of your life and your psychical world. Later they start addressing issues about other people and the reality of where you are in your life.

If you keep seeing the same dream, this is because you still haven't learned the lesson. The unconscious mind has to show you the same thing many times, in the hope that some day you'll learn the lesson.

You have to care about the interpretation of your dreams and use the unique scientific method which exactly translates their meaning.

If you cannot understand what you are procrastinating about and what is wrong with you, don't worry. Start writing down your dreams and translating their symbolic meaning - your own dreams will show you which exactly your problems are and how you can solve them.

Repetitive dreams are very common; you are not the only one that sees them.

The bitter truth is that most people have repetitive dreams in their lives, but they never care about their meaning and this is why they never correct their mistakes or change their behavior.

Your dreams are very important messages from the unconscious mind, which is constantly trying to save the human side of your conscience from the invasion of the craziness which exists in the wild side of your conscience. Dreams are like slides with lessons and essential information for you.

If you care about their meaning and you follow the guidance you receive, you are going to correct behavioral disorders and negative tendencies before they ruin your personality and your life, and discover wisdom, self-confidence, peace and happiness.

Prevent Depression and Craziness through the scientific method of Dream Interpretation discovered by Carl Jung and simplified by Christina Sponias, a writer who continued Jung's research in the unknown region of the human psychic sphere.

Psychology - The Study of the Human Mind

2009-04-07T11:18:00.000-07:00

Why are children stubborn? Why do some people become addicted to alcohol or gambling? How do you help an abused child? All of these are difficult and challenging questions that the field of psychology is trying to answer.

So, then what exactly is psychology? There are many misperceptions created by television and movies today, but the basic answer is that psychology is both an applied and academic science that studies the human mind and behavior. Research in psychology seeks to understand and explain thought, emotion, and behavior. Psychology is applied to individuals via mental health treatment, performance enhancement, self-help, ergonomics, and many other areas affecting health and daily life.

Psychology History and Schools of Thought

While people have always been fascinated by human behavior, it wasn't until the late 19th century that psychology began to be considered an actual science. Wilhelm Wundt established the first psychology lab in Germany. He believed in a school of thought called structuralism-believing that certain structures in the mind caused behavior. Over the course of psychology's history, different schools of thought have competed for prominence. Here are the major schools of thought in psychology:

•Structuralism. The belief that there is a connection between sensation and emotion and behavior.

•Functionalism. The idea that the human brain is much like a computer, designed to carry out specific functions.

•Psychoanalysis. Created by Sigmund Freud, this school of thought believes in the rigorous probing of an individual's personal problems, motives, goals and attitudes as a way to heal the mind.

•Behaviorism. Proponents of this theory essentially hold that all human behavior is learned from one's surrounding context and environment.

•Humanism. This much more recent school of thought came as a reaction to behaviorism and Psychoanalysis, and emphasizes the importance of values, intentions, and meaning in the individual. The concept of the "self" is a central focus for most humanistic psychologists.

•Cognitivism. This branch of psychology believes that psychology should be concerned with a person's internal representations of the world and with the internal or functional organization of the mind.

As psychology moved away from its philosophical roots, psychologists began to employ more and more scientific methods to study human behavior. Today, researchers employ a variety of scientific methods, including experiments, correlational studies, longitudinal studies, and others to test, explain, and predict behavior.

Areas of Psychology

Students of psychology soon realize that the subject covers a huge range of material. The diverse topics students might study include social behavior, personality, research methods, therapeutic techniques, and much more. Because it's such a broad and diverse field, a number of different subfields and specialty areas have emerged. The following are some of the major areas of research and application within psychology:

•Abnormal Psychology is the study of abnormal behavior. This specialty area is focused on research and treatment of a variety of mental disorders and is linked to psychotherapy and clinical psychology.

•Biological Psychology studies how biological processes influence the mind and behavior. This area is closely linked to neuroscience and utilizes tools such as MRI and PET scans to look at brain injury or brain abnormalities.

•Clinical Psychology is focused on the assessment, diagnosis, and treatment of mental disorders.

•Cognitive Psychology is the study of human thought processes and cognitions. Cognitive psychologists study topics such as attention, memory, perception, decision-making, problem solving, and language acquisition.

•Comparative Psychology is the branch of psychology concerned with the study of animal behavior.

•Developmental Psychology is the branch of psychology that looks at human growth and development over the lifespan.

•Forensic Psychology is an applied field focused on using psychological research and principles in the legal and criminal justice system.

•Industrial-Organizational Psychology is the area of psychology that uses psychological research to enhance work performance, select employee, improve product design, and enhance usability.

•Personality Psychology looks at the various elements that make up individual personalities.

•School Psychology is the branch of psychology that works within the educational system to help children with emotional, social, and academic issues.

•Social Psychology is a discipline that uses scientific methods to study social influence, social perception, and social interaction. Social psychology studies diverse subjects including group behavior, social perception, leadership, nonverbal behavior, conformity, aggression, and prejudice.

Today, psychologists prefer to use more objective scientific methods to understand, explain, and predict human behavior. Psychological studies are highly structured, beginning with a hypothesis that is then empirically tested. Academic psychologists focus on the study of different sub-topics within psychology including personality psychology, social psychology, and developmental psychology. These psychologists conduct basic research that seeks to expand our theoretical knowledge, while other researchers conduct applied research that seeks to solve everyday problems. Applied psychology focuses on the use of different psychological principles to solve real world problems. Examples of applied areas of psychology include forensic psychology, ergonomics, and industrial-organizational psychology. Many other psychologists work as therapists, helping people overcome mental, behavioral, and emotional disorders.

Psychology is a broad and diverse field with a variety of related professions. If you are considering studying psychology, you are pursuing one of the most important and basic of the human sciences. You can expect to have a long, satisfying, and fascinating career if psychology is your field.