Treaments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder

Treaments for Post Traumatic Stress Disorder Posttraumatic stress disorder occurs when individuals experience intrusive effects of a disturbing event that they have experienced for more than one month. PTSD is also marked by an individual’s determined avoidance of any stimuli that might remind them of the aforementioned event, along with a marked shift in mood and behavior which is distressing to the people around them. Over the years, a number of therapeutic techniques have been used to treat PTSD. Due to their effectiveness, exposure therapies and eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR) are two of the most widely used of these techniques. These have been utilized to treat soldiers as well as civilians who have experienced trauma. However, the nuances of their application, in terms of their effectiveness against specific demographics have yet to be determined. This paper will critically evaluate a number of different studies conducted using exposure techniques, EMDR, or both and determine their effectivenes s in treating individuals with PTSD. Even though EMDR has its roots in exposure therapy, for the purposes of this study, EMDR and exposure therapies will be regarded as two distinctive therapeutic techniques (CITE). One of the biggest issues faced by PTSD treatment research is a large number of studies with subpar methodologies. Due to this, Foa and Meadows (1997) published seven standards that should be present in any research that deals with treatment outcomes of PTSD. They are known as the â€Å"Gold Standards† for treatment outcome studies. According to Foa and Meadows, every suitable PTSD research should have clearly defined symptoms; reliable and valid measures; use of independent evaluators; trained assessors; manualized, replicable, specific treatment programs; treatment adherence; and an unbiased assignment to treatment. Ready et al. (2012) provides an effective utilization of group-based exposure therapy which sets the precedent in favor of exposure techniques among veteran soldiers. Their decision to divide the participants into three groups of ten ensures that every individual can form personal connections with other members of the group given the limited time of the treatment program. The small group size also allows the participants, who would typically avoid social situations, to not feel overwhelmed when asked to share their experiences. On the other hand, the lack of any gender diversity within the sample group reduces external validity and adds to the stereotype that only men who have been in combat suffer from PTSD. Given the comorbidity of PTSD and substance abuse (CITE), using drug abuse as exclusion criteria further decreases its external validity. Allocating the first part of the program to forming support groups among participants is an effective use of the small sample size. It also helps in prolonging the social and emotional support that participants get during the program so that they will continue to support each other after its conclusion. Using each individual’s presentations as a form of exposure allows for a highly personalized exposure treatment while allowing them to understand that others have faced the same situations that they have. However, since they are required to listen to it as homework, it can only be effective with highly motivated participants. Seeing the long-term effectiveness of this type of exposure technique, Ready et al. (2012) proposed that the number of times that participants are required to listen to the presentations be increased from 10 to 20, which would theoretically increase the rate at which symptoms of PTSD would disappear. Overall, group based exposure therapy (GBET) is shown to be an effective short-term and long-term treatment for PTSD. Through research conducted in a Ugandan refugee camp, Neuner et al. (2008) demonstrated that, even with laypersons with minimal training in psychotherapy, exposure techniques such as narrative exposure therapy (NET) can be used to treat PTSD. Just nine research assistants, all laypersons, were employed to conduct this study among a sample size of 277 individuals. While they were given a 6 week crash course on therapeutic techniques and communication skills, the use of unqualified personal to treat psychological disorders is unethical and could have negatively affected the participants being treated. Furthermore, it would have been better to use research assistants who weren’t from the camps that the study was being conducted on; this would have decreased threats to the validity of the study such as demand characteristics and participant expectations. However, the subject of PTSD wasn’t alien to the laypersons since all of them had been diagnosed with it at one point or another, meaning that they could empathize with the participants via personal experience. Since follow-up assessments showed that 70% of the participants who underwent NET can no longer be diagnosed with PTSD, this type of psychotherapy can be used in war-torn regions where professional help isn’t readily available. But the validity of the final results can be questioned due to the large number of participants who could not be located for the post-test and follow-up sessions, even though the study had adjusted for attrition during participant selection. Another exposure technique, known as imagery rescripting and exposure therapy (IRET), was used by Long et al. (2011) to treat nightmares associated with PTSD. Like in the aforementioned case of Ready et al. (2012), this program also suffered from the issue of being all male. Furthermore, the temporal relevance of the study can be questioned since the participants were primarily veterans of the Vietnam War and none of the participants had participated in active combat since the early 1990s. While IRET had great success in decreasing the frequency of nightmares and increasing the quality of sleep, it wasn’t shown to have any effect on other symptoms associated with PTSD. The validity of these findings can be further questioned by the fact that the mean age for the participants were 62.1 years; meaning that their sleep disturbances may be the result of factors other than PTSD. Despite all of this, the self-employed and individualized exposure techniques used in this study, along with the extensive psychoeducation that preceded it, makes it a highly effective tool to treat nightmares associated with PTSD, even in individuals who have been suffering from it for decades. Rothbaum, Astin, and Marstellar (2005) attempted to compare the efficacy of prolonged exposure therapy (PE) to EMDR with respect to the treatment of rape victims. One of the things that stood out from this study was the fact that every assessment and evaluation that is required during the course of the study was conducted by independent, blind evaluators. In addition to that the integrity of the specific therapies was measured by assessors who rated them highly. The sample size used was appropriate but a high dropout rate, combined with a few peculiar additions to the sample groups negatively affects the validity and reliability of the study; three participants who would not have otherwise been able to pass the exclusion criteria were allowed to participate in the study. It also used the participant’s subjective opinion on the most significant events in their lives, on which the treatments were focused on, which stands out due to the lengths they went to make the results of th is study independent and objective. Furthermore, the remarkable success at which both PE and EMDR was able to treat the participants, raises questions on the reliability of the treatment process; 95% of the PE group and 75% of the EMDR group of patients who have been suffering from PTSD for over a decade, were no longer diagnosable as PTSD patients after a treatment process that lasted a few weeks. Despite all that, the efficacy of both exposure techniques and EMDR in treatment compared to no treatment cannot be questioned. Ahmad, Larsson, and Sundlein-Wahlsten’s (2006) study, which was conducted using participants between the ages of 6 to 16, demonstrated that PTSD is prevalent even among children. The randomized controlled nature of the study along with the independent assessments makes it high in internal validity. Participants on the control group of this also showed improvements; they however, improved in non PTSD related symptoms. Moreover, the inventory that was administered had been modified in such a way that it can be understood and used easily with children. Furthermore, a more extensive evaluation can be carried out in the form of longitudinal studies or case studies regarding the relationship between PTSD in children and the history of mental illness in their family. Like many other programs which tested different treatments of PTSD, this study lacked a larger sample size, and utilized extensive exclusion criteria; this could affect its generalizability. In addition to this, they fai led to make independent assessments of their follow-up evaluations, affecting its claim of having blind assessments. Similar to Rothbaum, Astin, and Marstellar’s (2005) study which used the victim’s subjective opinion of their worst experience in order to conduct their PTSD assessment, this study also decided to focus on one single incident that the young participants or their guardians deemed significant. This is an effective method of administering EMDR, since it is more efficient in treating specific memories that are distressing to the participants. However, in a broader perspective, while a case can be made to the point that subjective opinions of individuals’ most distressing events are relevant to treating PTSD since it’s the individuals themselves who are experiencing them, it should also be pointed out that what an individual considers to be the most significant event in his/her life need not be the most significant event in terms of psychological and emotional trauma. Therefore, it should be best to conduct extensive background checks before any kind of decisio n is made regarding the significance of any life events. In a study published by Taylor et al. (2003), a side by side comparison of prolonged exposure therapy and EMDR with respect to specific symptoms of PTSD was conducted to determine which technique was more effective against each of them. Compared to most other studies conducted regarding PTSD, this study had a fairly large sample size (n=60) with the majority of them being Caucasian and women. While the study employed an impressive sample size, since the participants were primarily diagnosed with chronic and severe forms of PTSD, the external validity of the results can be brought into question. However, since most of the participants of the study had chronic PTSD, it reduces the possibility that the changes that were observed in the pretests and posttests are purely due to temporal changes. The validity can be further questioned due to the difference in educational qualifications of the two therapists who administered these therapeutics techniques. However, independent expert assessm ent of their interrater reliability produced high scores, disproving these doubts. Moreover, the treatments were administered using standardized manuals which increased the validity of the study by ensuring that all participants received near as similar treatments as possible. This study is the first study to have achieved the aforementioned â€Å"gold Standard† for PTSD outcome treatment research (CITE). This study’s observed reductions in PTSD symptoms for all three subject groups were determined by the authors as a result of the effect of unintended exposure during relaxation training and EMDR techniques. This contradicts with the belief that in EMDR, eye movement â€Å"enhances the retrieval of episodic memory and increases cognitive flexibility† (CITE). While exposure techniques and eye movement desensitizing and reprocessing (EMDR) are similar to each other in many ways and are efficacious in their treatment of PTSD, their approaches, implementations, and goals are quite different from one another. EMDR treats PTSD by asking the patients to subjectively choose the memory or experience that they think is causing them the most distress and treating them so that they are desensitized to this particular experience. The root of their PTSD is determined to be their most distressing memory and by desensitizing them to that experience and the re-experiencing that follows it, they are shown to have significant decrease in symptoms of PTSD. While some specialized exposure therapies employ similar approaches, others such as the NET and GBET explores an individual’s whole life or a particular period in which they were susceptible to distressing experiences respectively. This method allows the therapist to play a part in determining the most significant event in an individual’s life and adjusting the treatment process accordingly. In addition to that, since Taylor et al. (2003) showed that prolonged exposure therapy was more effective than EMDR in reducing the levels of re-experiencing and avoidance, the authors of the study concluded that it is the superior therapeutic technique. All in all, both exposure techniques and EMDR are very good at what they are supposed to do; but exposure techniques are better at it. Therefore, a hypothesis can be derived from the above discussed studies which states that specialized exposure techniques are more efficacious in the treatment of PTSD than EMDR across social and temporal demographics.

Existence of God Debate Philosophy

Existence of God Debate Philosophy The argument on whether God is existent or non-existent is one that has lasted for decades. Some philosophers and theologians have argued on both sides but a solid evidence for or against the existence of God have not been provided. However, several proofs for or against Gods existence have been provided. The paper argues on the basis of the non-existence of God from a philosophical point of view. Theories such as the problem of evil, principle of nature, and the parsimony arguments demonstrate that God does not exist and religion is a just a mere belief created in human minds. Apparently, God is not omnipresent, omnibenevolent, omniscience, or omnipotent. Introduction The idea of God is almost global among societies of the human race, although it has different cultural definitions. The arguments in support of and those against Gods existence have been proposed by several scientists, philosophers, and theologians. In accordance with Murray and Rea (2008) philosophically, the arguments for and against Gods existence involve chiefly the ontology (nature of being) and epistemological (theory of knowledge) sub-disciplines as well as the theory of value because perfection concepts are often connected with notions of God (157). However, the debate on Gods existence has raised quite a number of philosophical issues. The main problematic issue is the existence of both polytheistic and monotheistic perceptions. Some definitions of the existence of God are so non-specific while others are self-contradictory. It is possible to draw the conclusion that all definitions given on God by humans are probably false characterizations of what God accounts for the being of humans on earth and the universe (Everitt 159). Moreover, one can also conclude that the whole idea of any God has no basis since it is not backed by any evidence. Thirdly, it may be suggested that the intellect of humans is probably not sufficient to analyze concepts that are absolutely based on human understanding and beliefs, such as Gods existence as a creator. The key issue here is not whether God exists or not, but whether there is sufficient evidence to support his existence or non-existence (Murray and Rea 157). The religious beliefs of Gods existence are probably out of human emotional need for protection and belonging since there is no reliable evidence to support these arguments. God does not exist. Methodology Books by famous philosophers who have written on the non-existence of God will be used to gather sufficient information on the topic. The Bible will also be used to demonstrate the contradictory nature of God. Discussion According to Oppy and Scott (2010), God is unlimited goodness and therefore if God truly exists then there is no evil (82). However, considering that there is evil in the world, God doesnt exist. This reasoning makes a lot of sense because how could it be possible that God, an infinite goodness be created and as such protects a world full of corruption and imperfections. If God really existed then horrible and terrible things wouldnt occur in the world as they do today. For instance, there would be no starvation like there is in third world countries where thousands of grown ups and innocent children die of hunger every year. In addition, things like destructive wars which result to a lot of human anguish and suffering would not exist. In this context, the Holy Bible which is believed to be Gods absolute word condemns theft, murder, and adultery. In line with Khashaba (2006, it is quite difficult to believe that an all-knowing and powerful being that is infinitely-good created the entire world but is not capable of controlling the things that take place in it. Instead of just condemning them in an ancient book he could probably have abolished all forms of evil (119). Moreover, the same Bible says that God is a heavenly father. If that was the case, then he would have let his children to be good and free from like him hence wiping-out all evil from the face of the earth. According to Murray and Rea (2008), the non-existence of God may be proven by the principle of nature which is measurable, simple, and visible instead of believing in a complex being that can not be measured, perceived or conceived. As a matter of fact, scientific theories have provided explanations for natures existence and hence nature could be used to account for mankinds gradual development. This development has been explained by development of an organism that is single cell to one that is multi-cellular. On the other hand, evolution has explained the intelligence of the current man while the The Big Bang theory has explained the creation of planet earth (Murray and Rea 158). In contrast, those in support of the existence of God argue on the basis of the causation theory. The argument states that one thing causes another and thus there will be no effect if the first cause did not exist. However, the existence of this first cause can not be proven or even determined under any circumstances. For instance, The Big Bang theory existed and that is why it is possible to base earths creation on it. Nevertheless, something else that caused the existence of this theory must have existed initially. In line with Johnson (2006), Philosophical theology writers such as St. Anselm argue that if a person understands that a greater being exists though not able to explain its existence, then it exists in reality (50). Thus, if someone understands that God exists, then he must exist in reality. This argument is absolutely futile if there is no sufficient evidence to support it. The fact that someone understands the existence of God and entirely understands God does not imply that God actually exists. For instance, if one understands in their minds and entirely that ghosts exist, however this is not a guarantee that indeed ghosts exist. Its just like in movies where people entirely understand a character that they are supposed to represent and even practically portray that character. Definitely this does not make the movie character a reality (Oppy and Scott 102). Its often claimed that the biblical God is omnipresent (everywhere at all times, omnipotent (all-powerful), omnibenevolent (unlimitedly good), and omniscient (familiar with everything). From a logical point of view, these concepts are entirely impossible implying that God doesnt exist. The Bible says that nothing is impossible with God yet there are several instances in the same Bible where he was unable to do something. In relation to Murray and Rea (2008) The book of Judges 1:19ÂÂ  says that God was with Judah; he drove out the mountain inhabitants; but could not send away the valley inhabitants, because they had iron chariots (158).ÂÂ  If God was so compassionate then he would release people from the bondages of sin and destroy the devil who leads his people astray. At the same time, God would relieve humanity of the original sin penalty if he was omnipotent. Basically, if God was powerful and able yet he chooses to let human being suffer from sin, then its not logical to argue that he is omnibenevolent. In line with Everitt (2004), God should have erased the original sin and allowed men to be judged based on their own actions instead of paying for other peoples sins (154). On the same note, Christians say that God is omnipresent meaning that he is everywhere at the same time. If God was omnipresent then he would not have to walk like he says in the Bible that he shall walk with his people. There would be no need for him to relocate from one place to another in order to be with one of his since he already exist there. Similarly, God should never change his mind if at all he is omniscience because a change in mind demonstrates uncertainty. In relation to Oppy and Scott (2010) there are so many instances in the Bible where God changed his mind. For example, in the Exodus story where the children of Israel worshiped idols and God decided on destroying them, he later forgave them after Moses pleaded for forgiveness. This concept brings a lot of doubt on whether God really intended on destroying the Israelites or he was unable to do so yet he knew this would come to be (110). If God was in deed omnipresent and onmibenevolent he would prevent the occurrence of sin and destructive events. Conclusion/Recommendations There has been a significant attack on the conception of God as religion comes under a more intense scrutiny. Several theories and concepts have shown that God indeed doesnt exist. From an objective perception of the Bible, it is easy to see that God is not omnipresent, omniscience, omni benevolent, or omnipotent as claimed by the Bible. It is evident that the biblical God is contradictory and it is not possible that he exists. Moreover, there is no adequate evidence that the bible is not just an ordinary book. Principles such as The Big Bang can be used to explain the existence of nature hence can replace the belief that God exists. Theories of nature sufficiently explain the human beliefs in God and the development of religion. The issue of the existence of sin greatly challenges the existence of a God who is omnibenevolent and omnipotent. It is either that God exists and sin doesnt, or God doesnt exist but sin does. The existence of both is contradictory and it is not possible. Fu rther research and study may be necessary in understanding the existence or non-existence of God. Basically, there exists adequate evidence that there is no God though a concrete prove has not been discovered yet.

The Dead Fish Society :: Personal Narrative Essays

The Dead Fish Society It was a dark and stormy day. It the first day of class and Bletchley Boys School - a school rich in tradition, and rich in the traditional sense. I will never forget my first year at that school, for I met a teacher who changed my life forever. His name was John Flounder. He taught poetry - a class that was not exactly the most macho class, but one that was required. I sat in the classroom of Poetry 101 wondering what I was doing there. I looked around at the 30 other pimply faced boys who sat wondering the same thing. We were rich, we would be successful, and nobody ever needed poetry while holding a board meeting. I would soon change my mind. He entered the classroom through the front door, whistling a song vaguely familiar - the theme to "The Andy Griffith Show." I would later learn that its real title was "The Fishing Hole." He strolled through the class and out the back door. As we sat in wonder, he popped his head back in and said "Well, come on, then." We followed him out into the hall. "Men, I want to read something to you, " he said. "I gaze upon the still waters, my hair ruffles in the quiet breeze, the worm in my fingers squirms to be free, he does not like the hook. O worm, how many of those like me, didst thou consume before today ? a long dead fisherman perhaps are you ? to help me with my task." Flounder looked up for a moment and then at us. "What does this mean to you men ?" he asked. After a moment of completely blank stares he continued, "the author is trying to give you a message - 'Carpe Piscus.' Do any of you know what that means ?" Ralph Finkel did. Ralph always knew. "It means 'Seize the Fish!'" "Yes! Seize the Fish! It means that life is too short to spend your time in school. Go fishing, my boy! Look at the faces in these pictures, " he said as he pointed to one of the many pictures in the display case. "these are young men just like you. Can you hear them calling out ? They are saying 'Carpe Piscus - Seize the Fish.

King Henry IV Part 1 Essay -- Essays Papers

King Henry IV Part 1 Although most people find it hard to climb out of a whole they have dug themselves into, Prince Hal in Henry IV Part I is able to redeem himself even after the English King and nobility view him as a derelict with no future. He proves himself true to the Royal Throne when he defeats his young rival, Henry Percy. Through the exorcism of his immature ways, he earns himself the succession to the throne. In the opening scene of the play, King Henry hears news from the Earl of Northumberland that Henry Percy, "the gallant Hotspur" (1.1.52), is leading a successful campaign against Mortimer in Wales. The King reflects on how he wishes his own son were more like Hotspur: Yea, there thou mak'st me sad and mak'st me sin In envy that my Lord Northumberland Should be the father to so blest a son (Hotspur) A son who is the theme of honor's tongue. Whilst I, by looking to praise him, See riot and dishonor stain the brow Of my young Harry. (1.1.77) The King is envious of Northumberland’s son, who does not waste his days like Prince Hal. The King is not proud to be the father of such a person. His son is wasting his days away with the fat-faced drunk, Falstaff. The two, along with others, spend their days robbing devout people on their pilgrimages and drinking old sack. Prince Henry does, however, make clear that he intends to surprise the world by standing forth in his true character: Yet herein will I imitate the sun, Who doth permit the base contagious clouds To smother up his beauty from the world, That, when he please again to... ...r, John, and asks for his reward for slaying the great leader. The brothers ignore him and retreat to find their comrades. The Prince was able to transform himself into the great leader that he knew he was capable of being regardless of what everyone else thought of him. On the other hand, Falstaff had no intention of changing who he was and probably would not be able to accomplish that task, either. Prince Hal dug himself a huge hole in life by enjoying the company of criminals and disgracing his family. Fortunately, he knew exactly how to solve his problem. By defeating Hotspur, he was able to earn the respect of the throne and the country. He fully exorcises his past through chivalry and his emergence as a war hero. Not only did he fight for his family, he fought for his beloved country. Thus went the valiant transformation from Hal to Prince Henry IV.

Company Analysis: Northwest Airlines :: Essays Papers

Company Analysis: Northwest Airlines Introduction Northwest Airlines is one of the pioneers in the airline transportation industry and is ranked at the fourth largest air carrier in the United States today. The success of the carrier depends on the quality and reliability of the service at a reasonable price. Close competitors force Northwest to innovate their services by increasing efficiency. This essay will try to examine different perspectives in the services needed to successfully complete the company’s objectives. The analysis will explain historical and financial perspectives that may give a better understanding of the current market trend of the organization. Services â€Å"Northwest Airlines is engaged principally in the commercial transportation of passengers and cargo.† (5) NWA is a complete full service air transportation carrier that is the forth-largest air carrier in the world that services over 750 destinations located in 120 different countries on 6 continents. They operate 2,600 flights daily around the world and operate more than 200 nonstop between the United States and Asia each week. Headquarters is based in Minneapolis/St. Paul. The main connecting hubs are located at Detroit, Minneapolis, Memphis, and Tokyo. Northwest employs 50,600 employees nationwide as of Dec. 31, 1998. (6) NWA also has 1269 Stockholders as of Feb. 26, 1999. (6) Northwest continues to improve cargo shipping by proudly dedicating 12 Boeing 747 aircraft and easily becoming one of the largest cargo airlines in the world. (4) Cargo is very profitable for Northwest because â€Å"Northwest has predicted cargo revenue will top the 900 million mark in 2000 †. (3) The enormous fleet of aircraft contains 400 airplanes. (1) Northwest has subsidiaries wholly owned (Unless otherwise indicated by NWA) by Northwest Aircraft, Northwest Aerospace Training corps, MLT Inc, Express Airlines, and Express Airlines I. (6) History Northwest Airlines began service on October 1, 1926, flying mail between Minneapolis / St. Paul and Chicago. (2) They started passenger transportation in July 7, 1927. (2) Throughout the years Northwest has grown steadily by acquiring new system routes in the northwestern region of the USA. The year 1930 was a landmark in history because Northwest moved their home base operation to their present headquarters in St. Paul. The air service grew overnight with the acquisition of Southern Airways in 1936. Northwest’s famous red tail was introduced for the first time on February 1948.

Money and Happiness Essay

It is often noticed that people with a higher income live a more relaxed life while the truth of the matter is their money allows them to easily take care of the necessities in life such as food and clothing that other people may not be able to maintain. Therefore, in comparison to those types of people, the ones with more money generally appear more fulfilled because they are able to purchase other desires without the worry of not sustaining a steady lifestyle. Having more money provides relief for the person rather than happiness because of their ability to obtain new possessions. Giving is better than receiving is a commonly used phrase that shows the generosity among different people; however, when it used as an argument debating happiness, it is proven to be too vague to fit the modern day definition. A recent study by Elizabeth Dunn and Michael Norton explains that the â€Å"most satisfying way of using money is to invest in others†¦donating to a charity†¦buying lunch for a friend† (Can Money Buy Happiness?). Their argument demonstrates that putting their money towards other people rather than themselves brings an even greater joy, but how does that differ from paying taxes? Taxes are provided for many reasons such as donating to shelters, paying for government workers, and maintaining roads, so why are the citizens upset about the requirement of investing a portion of their income to the government when the investment in others brings happiness? Consequently, the satisfaction of giving money to others does not always apply to all even if it is for charities. Because happiness is based on an individual’s perspective, a person’s outlook on what makes them happy may vary from someone else’s. Happiness is something compared to everyone else; some people appear happier than others. It is an individual perception, and it is influence by a variety of factors such as society, family, relationship status, health, occupation, love, and even income. Read more:  Does Money Bring Happiness Essay

Course Work on Effective Speech Writing Essay

The following three deliberative speaking occasions and their expectations are discussed here under: (1) Political Assemblies. In these occasions, the speech to be delivered by political candidates is expected to be informal because they are talking to the masses. It should be somehow emotional so as to be able to appeal to the emotions of the listeners. It is expected to be not too long so it won’t bore the listeners. The language style should be that of the common people. It should present facts and figures to convince people to vote for him/ her as a candidate and to lay down platforms or proposals of changes in the government. The speaker is also expected to identify with the listeners by referring to one’s own experiences that will relate to their experiences. (2) Sales Presentation. The type of speech in this speaking occasion presents a product or service and it tries to persuade and convince the listener-customer to buy. Thus, the speech is expected to be informal, brief and concise, quiet emotional and attention-getting. It must provide evidences to explain and support the benefits of the product or service being promoted and it must also make a comparison and contrast between that product or service and that of a competitor to illustrate that the product or service is far better than others. (3) Legislative Speeches. The speeches delivered in legislation are expected to have a high degree of formality. These are lengthy and have a low emotional intensity. They must present data to prove the claims on the positive benefits of a bill if it is passed into a law. The speaker should also form a sense of identification with his listeners so as to persuade and convince them to believe in what he or she believes is true and right. The three general types of ceremonial speaking occasions and the expectations in these occasions are explained below: (1) Acceptance Speeches. These are delivered when an individual is given an award or recognition for a job well done. The acceptance speech must be formal, brief and direct to the point. It is a little bit emotional especially that the speaker will have to express his or her feelings of gratitude and happiness over his or her receiving the award or recognition. It might have supporting materials such as citing one’s work but it should dwell on the expression of thanks to those who have given him or her the award or recognition and to the people who have helped him or her achieve that. (2) Introduction Speeches. The speech of introduction is delivered when a person comes to deliver a speech and the audience is to be prepared in listening to him. Hence, it is the task of the introducer to arouse the interest of the audience towards the speaker. It should be formal in tone, brief yet succinct. Most of all, it should grab the attention of the listeners. It also needs to present the speaker’s background as well as the qualifications and expertise to explain why he or she was chosen to be the speaker for that theme or topic. (3) Speeches of Tribute. The speech of tribute is delivered to express praise to a person during his birthday, oath to office, retirement and even death. The emotions involved in this speech would depend largely on the occasion. If it is for the person’s birthday or oath to office, it has cheerful tone. But if it is during a person’s retirement or death, the emotions range from pain to sorrow to regret because there is a need to say good bye to that person. This type of speech is expected to provide accurate information about the person being spoken of. The following are the types of speeches that combine ceremonial and deliberative speeches. The expectations for each of the types are included. (1) Commencement Addresses. A commencement address is always delivered on the graduation day of students. Thus, a speaker is expected to motivate and inspire the graduates to reach their goals, dreams and ambitions in life. The tone of the speaker should not be too formal, nor should it be too long. A 45 to 60 minute talk would be enough. A rather long speech might bore the graduates. The speaker is not emotional but he expresses his congratulations to the students who are graduating and his happiness for their achievement in life. Facts, figures and statistics also show support to whatever he will try to persuade his listeners to do such as becoming productive citizens of the country and of the world. (2) Commemorative Addresses. To celebrate an event or occasion, a speaker needs to speak about the background of the person or event being celebrated. It should present the achievements of the person or the positive after effects of that event so as to inspire and motivate the listeners to achieve their dreams. The speech ought to be formal, not lengthy and full of emotions. (3) Keynote Addresses. In a seminar or a conference, almost always there is a keynote address. This type of speech is expected to explain the theme or the subject matter of the seminar or conference as well as to give an overview of the entire proceedings of the seminar or conference. This is when the participants become interested, inspired and motivated to listen to the lectures and discussions during that seminar or conference. A keynote address must have formality, is lengthy, and there is no emotional attachment involvement. The speaker, of course, should be objective in presenting his speech. Former President Richard Nixon’s farewell speech on August 9, 1974 is an example of a combination of the forensic, deliberative and ceremonial speaking occasions which include the five elements of decorum. These elements are formality, length, intensity, supporting materials and explicitness of identification. Nixon’s speech is not too formal because it was delivered to the White House staff with whom he has been familiar with and also to his supporters who were always there by his side. In fact, they are seen laughing once in a while to something he has mentioned in his speech. Its length is not long because it took about 18 minutes for him to finish his speech. This is probably because Nixon considers it â€Å"spontaneous†. It is very emotional considering he has to say good bye to the people who has worked for him and who has supported him. It involved emotions of pain, sorrow and regret for leaving a position he has occupied for the past five and a half years. The supporting materials he included were the experiences of his father, his mother and the former president Theodore Roosevelt or â€Å"T. R. † These supporting materials especially about his father and mother tell the audience that he is just an ordinary person like them. Thus, he explicitly identified with his listeners. As for the expectations of the situation, the speech of Nixon is expected to be emotional, to clear him out of the accusations made against him and his administration, to inspire and motivate the White House Staff to continue with their work and to express gratitude and recognition to the Staff for their untiring efforts to serve the government. Based on analysis, these expectations were fulfilled in Nixon’s farewell speech. During his speech, Nixon was teary-eyed and he even shed tears. He defended himself and his administration by saying â€Å"We can be proud of it – 5 ? years. No man or no woman came into this administration and left it with more of this world’s goods than when he came in†¦ Mistakes, yes. But for personal gain, never. † He ended by saying â€Å"Thank you very much. † References CAS 100C Lesson 11 Commentary Nixon, R. (1974, August 7). Nixon’s Final Remarks To The White House Staff. April, 2008, from http: //www. watergate. info/nixon/resignation-speech. shtml.