Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls Essay Example for Free

Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls Essay I encourage girls to search within themselves for their deepest values and beliefs. Once they have discovered their own true selves, I encourage them to trust that self as the source of meaning and direction in their lives† Mary Pipher, Ph. D. Clinical psychologist Mary Pipher has brought widespread attention to the loss of true-self, experienced by adolescent girls in her critically acclaimed book, Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls. Whitaker, 2006). In her book, Pihper addresses the development issues of adolescent girls, the culture they live in and how their needs are and are not being met. She explains that our failure as a society, is not giving our children good, sound advice on how to become a decent, functioning adults and our unwillingness to do so, is destroying our culture (Pihper, 2002). She also offers insightful advice as to how, we as a society can encourage our adolescent girls to remain true to their authentic selves. Reviving Ophelia: Saving the Selves of Adolescent Girls More than anything, I want to save my children from the pain and self-imposed isolation I experienced during adolescence. As a parent, I want to shelter my children, make all of the hard decisions for them and protect them from any harm that comes their way. As a realist, I understand that the experiences of adolescences are necessary to build character, strength and integrity. As a dreamer, I want my children to magically transcend into adulthood, unscathed from the trauma of their teens years. As a future psychologist, I agree that our children are growing up in a poisonous culture and without intervention; we will all suffer (Pipher, 1994). When I looked up this book and noticed its publication date (1994), my first thought was, â€Å"How relevant can this book be, it’s almost 20 years old? † The issues adolescents faced in the early 1990’s are not the same issues that my children are dealing with in 2013. American cultural has changed significantly in the last 20 years. Society as a whole, has become more aware, more understanding and more proactive; we’re willing to acknowledge the faults of past ideology and we’re eager enact positive change. We’re involved; we’re conscientious and we’re dedicated the betterment of society. Yet with all of our good intentions, our adolescent girls are drowning in vast sea of negativity and losing their true authentic selves, to an over sexed, hypercritical, media crazed culture. The most important message it took from Mary Pipher’s book, Reviving Ophelia, is how damaging and belittling our culture is to the development of adolescent girls. We are living the â€Å"information age† and there is very little parents can do to shield or protect their children from the harmful influences of the media. The internet and social media has taken over society and negatively impacted our culture in numerous ways. Children are exposed to sexual, violent content so often and from such an early age that they’ve become indifferent to it. Even the movies, music and television programs that are specifically geared towards adolescents, often advocates under-age drinking, drug use, defiant behavior and overt sexuality. As a result, our children are growing-up too fast. My twelve year old daughter is dealing with issues that were once considered to be taboo even for adults, such as sexting and posting naked picture online. Parents and the media often contradict one another, which further confuses adolescents (Pipher, 2002). Parents are trying to establish healthy boundaries and instill moral values, such as kindness, respect, consideration and modesty. Their goal is to produce happy, well adjusted, morally sound adults. The media, on the other hand, purely wants to make money by pushing products and opinions (Pipher, 2002). All facets of the media push, sell, and glorify sexuality over newsworthy content. These types of media encourage self-doubt and insecurity in girls by teaching them to worry about their sexuality, popularity and attractiveness (Pipher, 2002). Pipher blames the inescapable influence of the media, in part, for the eradication of self-esteem and loss of true identity among young impressionable girls (Whitaker, 2006). Throughout time, the needs of our children have not substantially changed (Pipher, 2002). They still need love, understanding, protection, acceptance and guidance to grow and thrive. It’s our culture and expectations, or lacks thereof, that have changed; we no longer expect people to do the right thing. Our culture has become much more sexualized, violent and dangerous for adolescent girls; 44 percent of all rape victims are under the age of 18 (Rainn, 2009). Startling statistics like these make it difficult for parents to balance their adolescent’s need for safety against their need for autonomy. These changes have also made it much harder for young women to identify and ultimately get what they need (Pipher, 1994). Our culture encourages adolescent, girls and boys, to distance themselves from their parents (the people that care most and know them best) as a sign of independence (Pipher, 2002). When adolescents are in their most vulnerable/impressionable state, their parents are unable to help them navigate difficult life altering situations. For the lack of better option, adolescents turn to their peers and media (Facebook) for advice and guidance: which leads to confusion and loss of self (Pipher, 2002). Mary Pipher explained, the problems that girls (adolescents) are having is not because of dysfunctional families, as much as a dysfunctional culture. I found this perspective refreshing. For many years, family members, especially mothers, have been blamed for their daughter’s (adolescents) unhappiness and emotional issues (Pipher, 1994). Parents are not the only ones responsible. They cannot protect their children from everything and everyone. Our culture and society are responsible as well; we all have an obligation to the youth of our nation. As a society, we are failing to provide a safe, nurturing environment for our children to flourish. As a culture, we are failing an entire generation of young women by allowing the media to dictate the value of external and internal beauty. We are also allowing the media to teach our culture, that it’s acceptable to view children in an overly mature, sexualized manor (Pipher, 1994). Adolescence has always been a time of turbulence and strife but in today’s culture, girls and young women feel overly pressured to conform to society’s unrealistic expectations of beauty, sexuality and femininity. During childhood, girls are praised for their kindness, academics, sports ability and natural talents. During adolescence, their childhood accomplishments and personal strengths are minimized or devalued and their sense of â€Å"self† becomes dependent upon their perceived level of attractiveness (Pipher, 1994). Girls who do not feel attractive or â€Å"normal,† see their bodies as a personal failure and are left feeling worthless and/or excluded. Pipher explains that an adolescent’s lack of emotional maturity, makes it difficult for them to hold onto their true-selves and not fall prey to our over sexualized culture. Girls are encouraged to sacrifice their true-selves and they are expected to mold themselves into what society wants from its young women. In a sense, their identity is strip away so their sexuality and attractiveness can surface. Society has little concern for who these young women want to become or what they’re capable of accomplishing (Pihper, 1994). Our culture doesn’t typically embrace or reward individuality, unless it comes in a pretty, blatantly sexualized, package. Girls respond to cultural or societal pressures by being angry, developing depression, withdrawing and by conforming (Pihper, 2002). Pipher explains that insecure girls often â€Å"lead with their sexuality,† as if it’s their only redeemable quality and all they have to offer. As a parent, how can I help my children navigate a media obsessed culture that I do not truly understand? How do you limit the dangerous influence of the internet and Social media; it’s everywhere, all the time? This is not the culture or society that I grew up in, the rules have changed and the stakes are much higher. I feel like I’m running a never ending race against peer pressure and media influence; whoever wins the race gets to keep my child’s soul and dignity. The idea of losing my sweet, loving twelve year old daughter to title wave of uncontrollable, irrational hormones is terrifying. Like most parents, I fear adolescence. I clearly remember my own â€Å"war path† through my teen years. I needlessly pushed and distanced myself from my family. I was very â€Å"uncool† to get along with your parents. I fought viciously for independence, which really meant doing whatever I wanted. I lied, skipped school, snuck out at night, stole liquor and drank to the point of passing out. I felt misunderstood and disconnected from everything. I deeply craved companionship; so much so that I allowed myself to be used by unworthy, equally damaged people. The peer pressure was so intense and my need for acceptance ruled my life. It was a very confusing time and I tortured myself and my parents. I remember how lost I felt, how hopeless it all seemed, how angry I was and how much I hated my body. I was too short, too fat, teeth were crooked and my chest was too big. I breast developed quickly; in junior high, I was 34 C-cup and by high school, I was a 36 D-cup. I got a lot of inappropriate and unwanted attention, that I didn’t know what to do with. Men/Boys liked me too much and women seemed to be bothered or intimidated by me. Some of my girlfriends were jealous, while others were overly critical. The attention I received permanently changed how I saw myself and how I interacted with the people around me. I went from being a tiny, abrasive tomboy, who was always fighting to be seen as an adult, to being viewed in a completely sexualized manor. The media has taught women, of all ages, that their most revered, important qualities are sexuality and appearance (Pipher, 1994). Adolescent girls are constantly bombarded with distorted, over sexed images of what beauty should look like. You have to be tall, ridiculously thin, wear expensive clothes, have perfectly straight teeth, flawless skin and above all else, exude sex (Pipher, 2002). When young women compare themselves to the images they see on television, in movies and on advertisements, they’re often left feeling inadequate and confused about their own bodies. The media’s idea of what constitutes attractiveness or what beauty looks like is often unattainable, unhealthy and unnatural. The average fashion model is 5’10/5’11 and weighs 110 pound (Pipher, 1994). According to the Center for Disease Control (2007-2010) the average American girl, at age 11 is 4’11† and weighs 104. 8 pounds; an average American girl, at age 15 is 5’4† and weighs 139. 6 pounds; the average American women over the age of 20, is 5’4† and weighs 166. 2 pounds. These statistics are mind-blowing and sad. How can we expect adolescent girls to have a healthy understanding of beauty and body image, when the average 11 year old girl (at the beginning of adolescence) is just 6 pounds shy of the average fashion model? How, as a society, do we expect our young women to develop positive attitudes about weight, height and appearance when we continually glorify an unrealistic and often unattainable standard of what beautiful is? When the media portrays â€Å"beauty† in such an unnatural way (being supper skinny) adolescent girls will do unhealthy, extreme things to be thin; which often leads to eating disorders (Pipher, 1994). Bulimia Nervosa is the most common eating disorder among young adolescent women, ages 14-24 years old (Duke University, 2010). People with bulimia will binge eat or consume large amounts of food in a short amount of time; an average of 3,000 – 5,000 calories within an hour (Smith amp; Segal, 2012). After binging, the bulimic feels compelled to purge or rid the body of the recently consumed food by vomiting, excessively exercising, or abusing laxatives and diuretics. Approximately 1 out of every 50 American women will suffer from bulimia at some point in her life (Duke University, 2010). Bulimia Nervosa can become all-consuming and take over the adolescent’s entire thought process. Every decision, in one way or another, is about food. In the beginning, bulimia makes them feel powerful, in control and invincible. For the first time in their life they can eat whatever they want, it doesn’t count, the calories don’t matter because they can get rid of them. No harm, no fowl! Slowly, over time, they come to realize that they are not in control, they’re eating disorder is. The uncontrollable compulsion to binge and purge interferes with relationships, daily routine and their life in general. In an attempt to hide their eating disorder, adolescents may isolate themselves from friend and family, which only exacerbate their illness. Pipher offers some great advice on how, we as a society, can encourage and effect positive change in the lives young women. She list 6 essential things that all adolescent girls need. First) Physical and Psychological Safety: Girls need the ability to thinks clearly and the permission to feel what they feel, without fear of punishment or ridicule. Second) Love and Friendship: Girls need the love of their parents. They need to develop lasting relationships that are based on mutual respect, love and understanding. Third) Useful Work and Skills: Girls need feel useful and purposeful by develop skills that promote personal accomplishments and success. Fourth) Opportunity to Grow: Girls need time, compassion and guidance as they develop into total functioning human beings. Five) Self-Defense Training: Girls need to feel empowered; they need to know that they can take care of themselves, that they are not passive victims.

The Everglades :: Personal Narrative Writing

The Everglades â€Å"We have to be careful. We have a slough slog virgin in the back.† When one of my professors said this, I said to myself, â€Å"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?!† In the previous class, I had to miss the second of half due to family vacation plans, making me miss the slog in Pa-Hay-Okee. I was a little upset I had to miss it just because I did not want to be different from anyone else in the class, but I must admit I was a bit glad because I hate water. So when we were having lunch and find out that we would do a â€Å"minor slog† at the Clyde Butcher studio I had a conniption. Where is this photography studio that a slog is actually possible? Surprisingly enough, it was one of the best times I have had in class all semester. I could not help but remember Ranger Maureen’s interpretation speech. How when you undergo events differently, sure, it may seem odd, but it allows you to experience it in a way you normally would not, which hence enables you to construe things in a unique way. Going to class every other week, people often ask me where I am going, and I normally just answer, â€Å"going to the Everglades.† We drive, meet, discuss, interact a bit, and go home. Granted, we have done some interesting things, but never did I imagine that I would literally be in the Everglades. We were sticking to the ground beneath us, in the wilderness, nothing surrounding us but nature; I felt so outdoorsy. But what of puzzled me a little still was â€Å"normal† people who would actually do this every day of their lives. When we got to the Clyde Butcher studio, and met the receptionist, I was surprised to see her. Someone who looked as pretty and trendy as her, you would not expect to see out in the middle of no where, let alone actually living there! You would expect to see biologists, ecologists, and other such scientists, but not some dainty young lady. A few of us actually made a joke about her, correlating to the Matthiessen book, saying that she was trying to run away from her past and just hiding out. I mean that place does The Everglades :: Personal Narrative Writing The Everglades â€Å"We have to be careful. We have a slough slog virgin in the back.† When one of my professors said this, I said to myself, â€Å"Oh lord, what have I gotten myself into?!† In the previous class, I had to miss the second of half due to family vacation plans, making me miss the slog in Pa-Hay-Okee. I was a little upset I had to miss it just because I did not want to be different from anyone else in the class, but I must admit I was a bit glad because I hate water. So when we were having lunch and find out that we would do a â€Å"minor slog† at the Clyde Butcher studio I had a conniption. Where is this photography studio that a slog is actually possible? Surprisingly enough, it was one of the best times I have had in class all semester. I could not help but remember Ranger Maureen’s interpretation speech. How when you undergo events differently, sure, it may seem odd, but it allows you to experience it in a way you normally would not, which hence enables you to construe things in a unique way. Going to class every other week, people often ask me where I am going, and I normally just answer, â€Å"going to the Everglades.† We drive, meet, discuss, interact a bit, and go home. Granted, we have done some interesting things, but never did I imagine that I would literally be in the Everglades. We were sticking to the ground beneath us, in the wilderness, nothing surrounding us but nature; I felt so outdoorsy. But what of puzzled me a little still was â€Å"normal† people who would actually do this every day of their lives. When we got to the Clyde Butcher studio, and met the receptionist, I was surprised to see her. Someone who looked as pretty and trendy as her, you would not expect to see out in the middle of no where, let alone actually living there! You would expect to see biologists, ecologists, and other such scientists, but not some dainty young lady. A few of us actually made a joke about her, correlating to the Matthiessen book, saying that she was trying to run away from her past and just hiding out. I mean that place does

Identification of Metallic Ions

Ocean County College Department of Chemistry Identification of Metallic Ions Purpose: The purpose of this lab exercise was to perform and observe the flame tests of some alkali and alkaline earth metal ions. When electrons in metallic ions are grounded, their configuration is stable. In other words, the loosely bound electrons in the valence shell of the atom are satisfied at their â€Å"low† energy state. They do not require to be balanced by emitting any type of radiation or receiving any additional electrons.However, these stable, grounded electrons in the metallic ions become excited to higher energy levels due to the presence of heat, thus losing their stability. They absorb heat energy, but counteract by releasing the absorbed energy to become grounded once again. This released energy comes in the form of electromagnetic energy. Some of the released heat energy is in the visible light region. The metallic ions being heated disperse unique colors which are characteristic ranging from a lower energy (red) to a high energy (violet) and some colors in between.We can learn much about the element we’re working with by simply observing the color flame that is produced. Flame tests are a common confirmation test to identify specific elements. Procedure: I began the lab by preparing a safe work area and the required metallic ions. The ions used in this lab were as follows: Barium Nitrate, Calcium Nitrate, Cupric Nitrate, Lithium Nitrate, Potassium Nitrate, Sodium Nitrate, Strontium Nitrate, and an unknown solution. I placed 0. 5 mL of sodium nitrate into a well on the 24-well plate, recording its location.I placed 0. 5 mL of the other 7 solutions in 7 other wells on the plate, recording their locations as well. I soaked the tip of a cotton swab into the solution of sodium nitrate and passed the soaked end through the flame several times until I noticed a color change. I recorded all observations in the Data Table chart below. I repeated these steps f or the other 7 solutions. Data Table: Observations Column1| Column2| Metallic Ion| Flame Color| Sodium Nitrate| Orange/yellow| Strontium Nitrate| Deep Crimson Red|Potassium Nitrate| Violet| Barium Nitrate| Green/Yellow| Lithium Nitrate| Deep Crimson Red| Calcium Nitrate| Orange| Cupric Nitrate| Blue/Green| Unknown (Lithium)| Deep Crimson Red| Conclusion: The flame test was a success and satisfied my learning objective. Since every metal gives the flame a different color, I was able to identify most of the given elements with a slight room for error. The unknown solution gave off a deep crimson red glow which could have been either strontium nitrate or lithium nitrate.I went with the latter after doing the test several times, comparing the glows. Dimming the light in the room helped tremendously to get a better idea of the true color of each flame. Although this method isn’t perfect to identify more unknown ions due to the slight variations of colors, it does the job. The low energy metallic ions include were Strontium and Lithium. The moderate energy ions were Sodium, Barium, and Calcium. The higher energy ions were Copper and Potassium.

Rhetorical Analysis Of The Inglorious Fruits And...

Americans tend to have standards for the food we eat. For example, it must be clean, the right size, and not bruised just to name a few. Yet, we all waste food daily as if it were meaningless to us. However, if we saw someone kill an animal and just leave it without making the most of it, it’s considered a cruel and possibly even a criminal act. So I am asking you what is the difference, if there is one? France launched an advertising campaign that was created by Intermarchà ©, entitled â€Å"The Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables†. I chose this particular video because it utilizes many, if not all of the rhetorical tools. In this rhetorical analysis we will take an in-depth look at the rhetorical appeals, the triangle, and the canons that this advertising campaign forgoes. Intermarchà © is the third largest supermarket chain in France. They support their argument with statistics to begin with. Later, they conduct an experiment that they filmed with the unwanted fruits and vegetables. A grocery store gave the â€Å"Inglorious Fruits and Vegetables† their own aisle and marked the prices 30% off. In order to prove to consumers that these fruits and vegetables are no different than the â€Å"perfect† ones, they created soups and drinks out of them for taste testing. There was an average of 1.2 tons sold during the first two days of just imperfect fruits and vegetables. These results show that previously, consumers were judging based on outside appearances, when they could have been enjoying the