Wednesday, April 29, 2020
The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act free essay sample
The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) is one of the several United States Uniform Acts proposed by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws to provide a legal framework for the use of electronic signatures and records in government or business transactions. UETA makes electronic records and signatures as legal as paper and manually signed signatures. Approved by the National Conference of Commissioners on Uniform State Laws in 1999, Forty-seven states, the District of Columbia, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands have adopted the Uniform Electronic Transactions Act (UETA) Washington, Illinois, New York have not adopted the act. ?Washington: Residents of Washington State are protected by the stateââ¬â¢s Electronic Authentication Act, which was enacted in 1997 as a way to ââ¬Å"facilitate commerce by means of reliable electronic messages. â⬠This act was especially important, because it was the first of its kind in the U. S. Illinois: In the state of Illinois, the Electronic Commerce Security Act went into effect on July 1, 1999. We will write a custom essay sample on The Uniform Electronic Transactions Act or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The law was intended to eliminate uncertainty over the legal requirements for secure electronic signatures and records, however it refrained from offering any strict definitions with regard to which technologies or platforms should be used. ?New York: New York State adopted the Electronic Signatures and Records Act, which ensures that electronic signatures are just as legally binding as those written in pen and gives the government authority to archive records electronically versus in paper format. an electronic record and an electronic signature are two different things that must be linked together in order to remain enforceable under the law. For example, an e-signature must be attached to or located somewhere on the electronic document in order for the document to be valid in a legal sense Before adoption of this Act, most states required banks to retain physical copies of all checks they process. Obviously, keeping these checks in electronic form only would simplify storage and access concerns for banks. UETA aims to fix this by unifying these laws to allow for electronic retention. In much the same fashion, UETA addresses the need to retain paper copies of other records and contracts, effectively giving legally binding status to electronic documents and signatures. * the UETA does not govern wills, trusts, and a number of other transactions that are managed by the courts. Instead, the UETA focuses solely on electronic contracts related to ââ¬Å"business, commercial (including consumer) and governmental matters. Whether the parties agree to conduct a transaction by electronic means is determined from the context and surrounding circumstances, including the parties conduct. Section 7 gives legal recognition to electronic signatures, records and contracts (a) A record or signature may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because it is in electronic form. (b) A contract may not be denied legal effect or enforceability solely because an electronic record was used in its formation. c) If a law requires a record to be in writing, an electronic record satisfies the law. (d) If a law requires a signature, an electronic signature satisfies the law. Section 8 provides that the information be available to all parties. Section 9 discusses the attribution and effect of electronic record and electronic signatures (a) An electronic record or electronic signature is attributable to a person if it was the act of the person. The act of the person may be shown in any manner, including a showing of the efficacy of any security procedure applied to determine the person to which the electronic record or electronic signature was attributable. (b) The effect of an electronic record or electronic signature attributed to a person under subsection (a) is determined from the context and surrounding circumstances at the time of its creation, execution, or adoption, including the parties agreement, if any, and otherwise as provided by law. Section 10 defines the conditions if a change or error in an electronic record occurs in a transmission between parties to a transaction Section 11 This Section permits a notary public and other authorized officers to act electronically, effectively removing the stamp/seal requirements. Section 13 In a proceeding, evidence of a record or signature may not be excluded solely because it is in electronic form.
Friday, March 20, 2020
10 Facts on the Relationship Between a Language and Culture for an English Project
10 Facts on the Relationship Between a Language and Culture for an English Project To accurately discuss or write about the relationship between any two factors, it is important to first have an understanding of each of the factors in question before one can write expressively on such subject matters and this comes into play when language and culture are been discussed. Language has been defined as the systematic, conventional use of sounds, signs or written symbols in a human society for communication and self-expression. The purpose of language is to communicate with others, to think and to create the foundation for shaping oneââ¬â¢s standpoint and outlook to life. Culture on the other hand has multifarious meanings but for the sake of this article, the definition outlined below will serve our purpose. Culture is the total of the inherited and innate ideas, attitudes, beliefs, values and knowledge comprising or forming the shared foundations of social action. Therefore, the relationship between language and culture is definitely symbiotic as one cannot function without the other. By this we mean that for an individual to inherit or gain knowledge, values and ideas, the individual must first be able to communicate with others knowledgeable about that particular culture through convention sounds/signs which is language. So here are some facts on the relationship between language and culture for anyone writing a project on these subject matters. Language and culture are unique human abilities. The ability to create a structured language for communication is what makes humans and our culture distinct from other species. Humans learn their culture through language and foreign cultures are also transmitted through language. The role culture plays a major role in language. Humans are born without a language but are born with language-acquisition faculties which enable us learn languages. Research shows that humans learn their local language through cultural transmission rather than from formal learning. This research goes further to state that to understand specific words and literary terms of a language, an individual must be familiar with the culture of that society. There is a strong relationship between language and culture in numbers. There are approximately 6,000 different languages in the world and these are shared among the 9,000 different cultures currently existing on earth. Linguists have showed concern that 5% of the least used languages in the world are in danger of becoming extinct and in the next 100 years, 90% of all world languages will either be extinct or moribund. Lastly, an entire way of thinking - cultures - gets lost to the human race each time a language goes extinct. Language influences culture. Language influences culture in diverse ways and provides people from other cultures with a window into understanding cultures other than theirs. Studies show that the vocabulary of any language tends to place emphasis on words that are considered to be adaptively important to the corresponding culture. Therefore learning the terminologies commonly used by a culture provides a measure of understanding into the way of life of its people. Teaching using another language in a different culture is hard. Teachers have encountered difficulties when teaching a second language not local to a culture to its people and here are some facts to explain these difficulties. Studies have shown that how students learn and interact with teachers is determined by their culture. Approximately 80% of language teachers agree that cultural boundaries and roots play a huge role in determining how students understand or interpret the new language expressions they are been taught. Therefore, creators of second language policies must be sensitive to the local culture of all people. The language and culture of different societies greatly vary. In all communities, the spoken language is in a synergetic relationship with the culture of that society and Sapir-Whorf hypothesis states that; the characteristics, peculiarities, and literary words encoded in one language system are distinctive, typical, and unique to that system and they are dissimilar as well as incomparable with those of other systems. These dissimilarities in turn lead to difficulties in understanding the expressions and terminologies inherent to a certain culture by foreigners. The major languages do not represent the cultures of the world. The major languages spoken in Europe- English, French, Spanish etc.- do not truly represent the cultural values in a majority of the nations in which they are spoken. Studies show that colonialism saw these languages having been adapted by diverse cultures for easy administration by the conquerors but they do not provide insight into understanding of these diverse cultures. Most nations using the major languages as their lingua franca have local languages that represent their culture. The role of culture in cross-cultural communication is huge. Since each culture has its own language set and ways of communicating, cross cultural communications can be quite difficult for individuals. Research shows that culture constantly makes its presence felt during cross-cultural communication and this can lead to stereotyping and misunderstandings during communication. Language and culture are not monolithic and the belief in a monolithic human identity leads to social and political standoffs. The relationship between language, culture and gender. Studies have shown that the language used by specific genders fluctuate in almost every culture. In approximately 80% of the worldââ¬â¢s languages, women may communicate at a deficit which is specified as the ââ¬Ëwoman registerââ¬â¢ and this places them as inferior to men. This leads to social friction when genders from diverse cultures communicate. Learning of new languages is achieved through cultural integration. Understanding a foreign culture plays a huge role in becoming competent with its language. Studies show that students of another language will learn to use expressions and terminologies in their right context if they acquire knowledge of the societyââ¬â¢s culture. Therefore an integrated learning policy that targets both cultural and lingual learning is important to mastering a second language. So here are 10 facts on the relationship between a language and culture for an English project and this article will be taken a step further, with topics on the subject matter of language and culture combined with a sample project which will serve as a guideline for anyone looking to write extensively on todayââ¬â¢s topic. Plus genre oriented guide on how to work with such assignment. These multiple pieces of information will be provided in the next papers of this series. So stay tuned. References: David, E (2013). The Relationship between Language and Culture. http://www2.lib.nifs-k.ac.jp/HPBU/annals/an46/46-11.pdf Campbell, L. (1997). The Sapir-Whorf hypothesis. http://venus.va.com.au/suggestion/sapir.html Stern, H. (2009). Fundamental concepts of language teaching 4, 6. Thanasoulas, D. (2001). Radical Pedagogy: The importance of teaching culture in the foreign language classroom. radicalpedagogy.org/radicalpedagogy.org/About_this_Journal.html Wardhaugh, R. (2002). An introduction to sociolinguistics 30-38. Peterson, E. Coltrane, B. (2003, December). Culture in second language teaching. https://media.startalk.umd.edu/workshops/2009/SeattlePS/sites/default/files/files/CAL_%20Digests_%20Culture%20in%20Second%20Language%20Teaching.pdf Oââ¬â¢Neil, D. (1998-2005). Language and culture: An introduction to human communication.
Wednesday, March 4, 2020
15+ Words with syn or a Variation
15+ Words with syn or a Variation 15+ Words with syn or a Variation 15+ Words with syn or a Variation By Mark Nichol The Greek prefix syn-, meaning ââ¬Å"together,â⬠and two alternative forms combine with many other word elements to form terms pertaining to community or unity. This post lists and briefly defines the most common of these words, along with literal definitions of the root word. 1. idiosyncrasy (ââ¬Å"personalâ⬠and ââ¬Å"blendâ⬠): a peculiarity or hypersensitivity 2. synagogue (ââ¬Å"bringâ⬠): a Jewish congregation, or its headquarters 3. synapse (ââ¬Å"fastenâ⬠): the junction of nervous impulses 4. synchronicity (ââ¬Å"timingâ⬠): occurrence of events at the same time or same period, or coincidental occurrence of events 5. syncopation (ââ¬Å"shorteningâ⬠): musical rhythm that emphasizes the weak beat 6. syncretism (ââ¬Å"federation of Cretan citiesâ⬠): a combination of different forms 7. syndication (ââ¬Å"act of judgmentâ⬠): association of people or entities to sell something, or selling editorial content to multiple distributors or the state of being sold this way 8. syndrome (ââ¬Å"runâ⬠): a set of things, such as signs or symptoms of a medical condition, that form a pattern 9. synecdoche (ââ¬Å"interpretâ⬠): figure of speech substituting the part for the whole, or vice versa 10. synergy (ââ¬Å"workingâ⬠): combined action 11. synesthesia (ââ¬Å"senseâ⬠): a sensation occurring with another, or a condition in which one experiences one sensation simultaneously with another 12. synonym (ââ¬Å"nameâ⬠): a word with one or more meanings identical or similar to one or more meanings of one or more words, or a word or phrase that embodies a concept or quality 13. synopsis (ââ¬Å"be going to seeâ⬠): an abstract or summary 14. syntax (ââ¬Å"arrangeâ⬠): the structure of linguistic elements, or harmonious arrangement of components 15. synthesis (ââ¬Å"putâ⬠): something made by combining parts into a whole, digital reproduction of analog sounds, or deductive reasoning When the prefix precedes b, m, or p, it is converted to sym, as in asymptote (ââ¬Å"not fallingâ⬠), symbiosis (ââ¬Å"livingâ⬠), symbol (ââ¬Å"thrownâ⬠), symmetry (ââ¬Å"measuredâ⬠), sympathy (ââ¬Å"feelingâ⬠), symphony (ââ¬Å"soundingâ⬠), symposium (ââ¬Å"drinking,â⬠from the ancient Greek custom of discussing intellectual matters while drinking wine in a social setting), and symptom (ââ¬Å"happeningâ⬠), and when confronted with l, it changes to syl, as in syllable (ââ¬Å"takeâ⬠)- the similar-looking syllabus, derived from a misreading, is unrelated- and syllogism (ââ¬Å"thinkâ⬠). Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the Vocabulary category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:100 Exquisite Adjectives15 Words for Household Rooms, and Their SynonymsHow Long Should a Synopsis Be?
Sunday, February 16, 2020
Construction Engineering Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words
Construction Engineering - Assignment Example Whether or not a power plant can be built on a specific location is determine by carrying out technical surveys based on following recommendations. Supply of raw material to the place is convenient .i.e. the construction site is provided by roads to transport goods to that part of the area. Must have ample space to accommodate construction machinery. Must have proper area for dumping mud extracted from the construction site. Quebec is rich in places that are suitable for the construction of power plant. For the construction of such a facility in Quebec, following considerations are followed. Facility must be having environmental conditions that support the construction and running of power plant, e.g. Most of the year temperature should be below freezing point and less prone to tornadoes. Facility must be having suitable area for the construction of such a large project. It is better to choose the facility near geysers; therefore, less fuel will be required. Location selected must be close to the facility, so that less investment is required to lay down the electric cable system and less line losses are build. Before establishing such a huge project, most important thing is to carry out economic analysis. To keep the plant running after start up, its economic analysis must be done before time. Here are few most important aspects of carrying out the analysis. The total investment must not exceed the revenue plant is going to generate in its life span, but it should be less enough to overcome its maintenance charges as well as gives profit to the state. Plant should have least transportation charges of fuel and less cabling should be required to furnish the area with electricity produced. Question 2 What data would be required and how would it be collected/obtained/determined for question 1 above? The data for question 1 can be collected by dividing the whole task in a number of parts. First of all, basic information can be obtained by surveying already working p ower plants in Quebec. It needs thorough survey of all the power plants already working in that area. This survey includes detailed review of the operational complexities faced by already functional power plants, in terms of local environmental conditions and geographical issues. Annual reports generated by all the plants must be viewed thoroughly in order to get the idea how the output from the plant is being affected by the choice of location and other factors. All this is really helpful in getting exact data for the analysis carried out in question 1. Question 3 Part of your mandate is to prepare a manual of ââ¬ËBusiness Ethicsââ¬â¢ for the Construction of this project. This manual would affect all engineering staff doing design and all construction contractors performing work on site. What key principles might you include in your manual? To follow Business Ethics or Code of Conduct while performing a task is a key to success as an individual as well as a company. Therefore , carrying out such a big project must also follow some codes of conduct that need to be applied on engineering staff, contractors and labors. Here is the list of most important business ethics that must be followed while carrying out this project(Vee and Skitmore). Construction drawings must not be stolen from any source rather a dedicated drawing for this specific thermal power plant must be produced. All of the construction errors must be reported
Sunday, February 2, 2020
LAW ASSESSED WORK Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3000 words
LAW ASSESSED WORK - Essay Example If we apply this by analogy to the current scenario, David was entering into contractual negotiations with Golden Antiques on behalf of White Hall Limited. Therefore, in order for there to be a valid contract, David will have to have capacity and authority to bind the company in such contracts (McIntyre, 2008). Sections 39-40 of the Companies Act 2006 (CA) regulate authority to negotiate on behalf of companies. Section 39(1) of the CA provides that ââ¬Å"the validity of any act done by a company shall not be called into question on the ground of lack of capacity by reason of anything in the companyââ¬â¢s constitution.â⬠In addition, section 40(1) of the CA stipulates that ââ¬Å"In favour of a person dealing with a company in good faith, the power of the board of directors to bind the company, or authorise others to do so, shall be deemed to be free of any limitation under the companyââ¬â¢s constitutionâ⬠. Moreover, section 40(2) of the CA implements a provision that as regards third parties negotiating with a company, there will be a presumption of good faith. As such, the CA provisions do not require third parties to enquire as to whether there are any restrictions on the authority of the board to enter into a contract. Accordingly, if we apply this to the current scenario, unless Golden Antiques were put on notice that David did not have appropriate authority, there will be a presumption that David had capacity to negotiate and conclude the contract with Golden Antiques on behalf of White Halls Limited. Therefore, the fundamental issue will be whether the legal requirements for an enforceable contract have been complied with. The law of contract provides a tripartite test for determining a legally binding contract, which is offer, valid acceptance and consideration. For example, in New Zealand Shipping Co Limited v A M Satterthwaite, The Eurymedon ([1975]) AC 154
Saturday, January 25, 2020
The Representation Of Gender In Disneys Films Film Studies Essay
The Representation Of Gender In Disneys Films Film Studies Essay In the golden age of animation, 1928 1960s, Walt Disney was one of the famous animators in the industry who founded The Walt Disney Corporation. He was an American film director, producer, screenwriter, entertainer and entrepreneur. The book, From Mouse to Mermaid, described that Disney ethos both reflects and promotes particular elements of the dominant ideology of United State culture (Murphy, p.127). Most of Disneys work represents characters that embody racial, ethnic, and gender stereotypes. As well as middle-class perspective and royalist ideology while focusing on themes like innocence, friendship, magic and fairytale. The old Disney works such as Bambi (1942), Snow White (1937), Cinderella (1950), and Sleeping Beauty (1959) are misleading in the image that they portray to young children whose mind is still impressionable. Disney also created subtle messages of stereotypical of social construct of men and women. Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs released in 1937, it was well-known as the first to use Technicolor cel animation, about 250,000 celluloid frames for each animated film. Each frame is repeated from frame to frame, as layers upon layers of retelling, and in particular, a retelling of womans body. They also used live-action models for the characters and cinematic conventions of representing women. Each individual cel of film was hand-painted by women who created indelible images of the feminine. Elizabeth Bells said in her essay the women in these films are not bifurcated into good and bad, but represent a continuum of cultural representations of womens power and performance (Bell, p. 121). Eventhough I agree with her that Disneys work represents steriotypical role of female in our society, but I do not agree with her at this point because in Snow White and Cinderrella, we can see a clear distinction between a good characters and a bad characters that womens. A good characters fullfill a typical role of the ideal woman. The ideological woman is supposed to be skinny, beautiful, acquiescent, and perform duties of a housewife. She will not disobey direct orders and does not hold a job on her own. Whereas the bad woman is independent, strong willed and does not perform duties of a house care taker. During that time, the standards of contemporary beauty in Hollywood were young, pretty, white, graceful and slender. Disneys heroine character moved along with these standards except for the old Femmes Fatales. According to Middle-aged women represented as femme fatales are dark, independent, and treacherous; they are dressed on extravagant costumes. The example of this can be seen in Snow White, with the Evil Stepmother. As Bell rightly point out Disney transforms the vain, active and wicked woman of folktales into the Femme Fatale, the deadly woman od silent film and of Hollywood classic film. They usually played the roles of an evil stepmother who envied the younger heroine for her looks and ended up being defeated or killed. The old crone from Snow White represents the old female character which is depicted as gray and wrinkled, clumsy, and frumpily dressed. Disneys representation of women is the treatments of the feminine life-cycle in hegemonic social disclose and stereotypes a bout womens bodies. Another notable film technique is use by Disney film Bambi. Released during World War II, the film still used Technicolor cel animation but the goal was to obtain a highly realistic look than the previous productions. Bambi is a story about the birth and maturation of a young male; the son of the stag who rules the forest and his mother who was killed by man. Walt Disney attempted to achieve realistic detail by lecture the animators, so they could study movement of animals. Los Angeles Zoo was shipped a pair of fawns to showed animators, therefore the artist could draw nature look and realistic movement of Bambi and Faline. Each individual shows detail of nature; for instance, in the open scene we saw the shadow of sunlight which represents the morning hours. But because of the realism that they tried to created, multiples of cel made color of the film faded. Bambi used Anthropomorphism to represent gender of male and female stereotypes by using non-human characteristics to display an object or abstract concepts. Even though the film does not ascribe to the typical view of physical appearance but it still portray ideological of gender through Anthropomorphism. Anthropomorphism ascribes human motivation, characteristics or behavior to things not human, such as inanimate objects, animals or natural phenomena. Bambi also represent royalist ideology because the title character is a son of the Great Prince of the Forest and he became the Prince of the forest. The male stereotypes are represented through Bambi, Ronno and Bambis father, while female stereotypes are represented through Bambis mother and Faline. Beginning with male stereotypes, the father is labeled as the Great Prince of the Forest during the film, which represents his authority amongst the forest community which shows that only a male can lead the society and be a protector of f amily or community because males are perceived to be smarter that females. In the scene, Bambis father told everyone in the forest to escape from the hunter it shows how he tried to protect everyone in the forest because he would stay back to ensure that everyone is safe. The mother is represented as the natural stereotype of typical mom who always loves and cares about the children. One of the scenes that showed the way that mothers would do everything for their children is when they ran away from hunter, she preferred to give up her life in order to save her childs life. Another stereotype of young men represent in Bambi and Ronno, when they fight for Faline because young males always fight for a women. We also see the stereotype of young female Disney character in Faline which describe as young, pretty and slender stereotype that depends on a male. She was falling in love with the prince and ended up with the happy ending. The ideology of fairy tales is showed in a female character in Disneys filmà which is the inherent expectation to falling in love and getting married to the prince so they can have happiness in life.à An example of this is in Snow White character that allows girls to have fairy-tales to dream of and hope for. As Murphy point out in his essay the Disney ethos both reflects and promotes particular elements of the dominant ideology of United States culture (p. 127), where the young girls are waiting for prince charming and dreaming of being princesses. They set the standards and ideology for girls on how to grow up. Contemporary society believes that women need to be more independent through the film because it has a huge impact on young audience on how they see the world. They want Disney to show that women can take care of themselves, more independent, be leaders, have jobs and do not rely on men. They also want Disney to transform into equality of gender because most of their films show a male dominated outlook. Feminists concerned about perception of the world and values about the point of view on young children especially girls to watch for unhealthy look of the physical attributes along with the values supporting male dominance. Disney production films showed the ideals of nature conflict through their female protagonists where women are fully dependent on men and female characters are often shown as happy housewives. This is due to the personal belief and attitude Walt Disney has towards how the family life is shaped and wha t roles women should play in society. The narratives of media associated between genders offer patterns of proper and improper behavior, messages, and ideological conditioning with pleasurable of popular entertainment being show on television. Even though there have been changes over years, we can see appropriate societal roles for men and women. By analyzing and interpreting animation films through history, one is able to understand the representation of gender which entails the inequalities that rest amongst sex, gender, nature, and ethnicity.
Friday, January 17, 2020
Characteristics of the effective counselor Essay
I ââ¬Ëd like to acknowledge the wonderful help that I received from one of the finest professors at Liberty University Online. I am very grateful to you, Dr. McCarthy, who provided me with the much needed suggested improvements and gave me the tools to complete this research paper. Thanks! Abstract The characteristics that make up an effective counselor are the personality traits that really define the counselor. Several leaders in the field of counseling have listed many of these personality qualities; self confidence, high energy level, optimistic, sense of humor, neutrality, flexibility, emotional stability, risk-taking experience, analytic thinking, creativity, enthusiasm, honesty, sensitivity, hope, self control, awareness, and knowledge. The research compiled in this paper confirm that itââ¬â¢s the richness of the personality that builds the effectiveness of the counselor. Being an effective counselor requires forming not just a solid relationship with your client, but an emotional experience, where the counselor works with the client in a supportive role to recognize and move through challenges as the goals are achieved. Itââ¬â¢s the counselors and not the psychotherapists that must allow an emotional alliance and empathetic responses to their clientââ¬â¢s issues. Overall, the most important personality qualities in any effective counselor seem to center on warmth, genuineness, compassion and empathy. These are the traits that will be addressed the most in this paper. These four traits seem to provide the purest motivation and seemingly guide the direction of the moral compass within the most effective counselors. The biggest obstacle is identifying how to increase these ideal qualities in oneself as a counselor. The answer seems to lie in a consistent daily practice of mind-body-medicine and self-care. Characteristics of the Effective Counselor Overall itââ¬â¢s the relationship that influences the therapeutic outcome and itââ¬â¢s the counselorââ¬â¢s personality and character that determine the depth and effectiveness of the therapeutic alliance with the client. Counselors that know themselves benefit their clients the most ââ¬Å"â⬠¦the single most important factor in effective counseling is the person-hood of the counselor, regardless of education, training, theoretical orientation, or counseling technique.â⬠(as cited by Clinton, 2002). The personality and character of the counselor is the single most important variable, more important than the therapeutic techniques applied. Effective counselors possess a myriad of personal qualities that transcend their theoretical orientation and therapeutic techniques (Clinton, 2002, p. 185). In order to cultivate the best personhood, or personality of an effective counselor, the issue of identifying what these attractive characteristics or qualities are and how to increase and expand upon them becomes paramount. The combination of qualitative and quantitative measurement tools reflects the overall measure of effectiveness of a counselor. Body Effective Characteristics The classic works of Carl Rogers (1957) identified the need for presence, congruence, empathetic understanding and unconditional positive regard. Above all, he stated the importance of congruence by means of compliance between ideal self and actual self in his personality theory. The third condition is that the therapist should be, within the confines of this relationship, a congruent, genuine, integrated person. It means that within the relationship he is freely and deeply himself, with his actual experience accurately represented by his awareness of himself. It is the opposite of presenting a facade, either knowingly of unknowingly (Rogers, 1957, p. 97). The idea is to bridge the gaps in all directions, to include the therapeutic alliance gaps that separate the counselor from the client. The idea is to remove all disconnect and just experience each experience as a true andà authentic experience, without judgment and without preconceptions. Present moment awareness requires the therapist to take note of the elements that make up each experience, such as sensations, thoughts and feelings. Acknowledgment of these experiences without feeling the need to react or fix anything is critical. The Golden Triad The Golden Triad, or ââ¬Å"therapeutic triadâ⬠, is one invaluable concept of effective counseling characteristics and lays down a solid benchmark for counselorââ¬â¢s to emulate and implement. The Golden Triad consists of the high display of warmth, genuineness, and empathy that effective counselors exude with their clients. The therapistââ¬â¢s persuasiveness, level of attention, understanding, support and encouragement all impact the results of the therapy with the client. Itââ¬â¢s not just therapistââ¬â¢s ability to foster a positive relationship with the client, but specific needs and expectations for improvement must be met for the client (Clinton, 2002, p. 185). Frequently, genuine responses require more self-reflection and mindful attention. Self-reflection promotes awareness of feelings and knowing the appropriate moment to convey them to a client. Cultivating Empathy and Compassion The majority of counselors who ascribe to the values of holistic humanistic or existential approaches are less likely to avoid experiencing compassion and empathy as they enter and experience their clientââ¬â¢s worldview, so that they can become vulnerable and understand how he/she experiences their world (Bowen & Moore, 2014, p. 18). Although the ability to be vulnerable with clients can yield both negative effects such as compassion fatigue or positive effects such as compassion satisfaction, itââ¬â¢s critical that the qualities of compassion and empathy are made readily available to the client in a balanced and careful manner. Being in a state of mindfulness helps to produce more balanced responses of empathy and compassion, without minimizing therapeutic presence (Campbell & Christopher, 2012, pg. 221). In order to help cultivate the many beneficial characteristics of an effective counselor, such as compassion and empathy, certain practicesà should be implemented daily. Mind-body practices such as Yoga, Mediation, Qi Gong, etc. bring awareness and acceptance and help to foster a therapeutic and empathetic presence. The ability for a therapist to be present enhances the therapeutic relationship and promotes healing. The mindfulness presence increases the awareness and acceptance of their own inner experience as well as for the experience of the client (Campbell, 2012, pg. 222). Awareness and Acceptance This combination of awareness and acceptance seem to encourage less reactive behavior, by nonreactively recognizing thoughts, emotions and sensations as they arise. This practice also helps to communicate experiences and to be more present to their clientââ¬â¢s inner experiences and sufferings in the same moment-to-moment awareness, which additionally helps clients express their body sensations and feelings. Mindfulness practicing therapists learn how to take their minds less seriously and not feel as though they needed to do something when feelings such as anxiety emerge. These mindfulness practicing therapists could also maintain a therapeutic connection with their client and become less reactive to their struggling clientââ¬â¢s experiences, rather than sensing their own inadequacy and need to be in control (Campbell, 2012, pg. 221). The counselors freely chose if or how they were to respond to counter-transference. One choice is by acting as observers and just notice without judgment and without trying to suppress reactions to what was happening in the present moment. This mindfulness seems connected to an ability to tolerate silence and wait through it, allowing new experiences to emerge and genuine encounters to occur. This mindfulness presence allows clients to begin to experience their therapist as individual witness in the midst of their own vulnerability (Campbell, 2012, pg. 223). The Essence of Therapeutic Presence According to Rogers, three components exist in attempting to capture the essence of therapeutic presence: being open and available to all aspects of the clientââ¬â¢s experience, being open to oneââ¬â¢s own experience in being with the client, and having the capacity to respond to the client from theà experience. This therapeutic presence is more of a state of being rather than of doing and the beneficial influence of mindfulness extends to all participants in the therapeutic relationship (Rogers, 1957, p. 98-99). Two elements related to therapeutic presence that deserve repeating are attention and empathy, which have been shown to increase through mindfulness practice. Many practitioners of mindfulness report increases not only in attention and empathy, but in awareness, patience, focus, compassion, responsiveness, the ability to handle strong emotions, and less defensive, judgmental and reactive. (Campbell, 2012, pg. 213) One last concept to point out is that being in present moment awareness with the client occurs on four main levels; spiritually, emotionally, physically and cognitively and requires a deep knowledge of oneself, which can usually be attained through a consistent life-long commitment of integrating a daily exercise routine of mindfulness practices into a demanding schedule. These daily practices may not only induce relaxation states, but can profoundly alter our relationship to ourselves and our minds (Campbell, 2012, pg. 217). Conclusion To summarize, the most important tool that an effective counselor has is themselves. The characteristics of an effective counselor are directly related to the counselorââ¬â¢s personality and client relationship. Some key personality traits of an effective counselor are compassion, empathy, awareness, acceptance, warmth, genuineness as well as a congruent and fully integrated individual. One of the most effective approaches in which counselors can cultivate and nurture those qualities can be found in a daily mindfulness practice, which helps to maintain a more solid moment-to-moment awareness as the client experiences the world and the counselor maintains the role of present, nonjudgmental witness. With a consistent and daily practice of mindfulness exercises, the therapist begins to live more in the moment and less in a reactive state. By working continuously towards self-mastery and self-actualization, counselors can provide the therapeutic presence that positively impacts their clientsââ¬â¢ growth and well-being. References Bowen, N., & Moore, J. (2014). Common Characteristics of Compassionate Counselors: A Qualitative Study. International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling, 36(1), 17-29. Clinton, Timothy, and George Ohlschlager. Competent Christian Counseling. Vol. 1. Colorado Springs: Waterbrook, 2002. 184-186, 570-574. Print. Campbell, J. C., & Christopher, J. C. (2012, July). Teaching mindfulness to create effective counselors. Journal of Mental Health Counseling, 34(3), 213+. Retrieved from http://go.galegroup.com.ezproxy.liberty.edu:2048/ps/i.do?id=GALE%7CA297915507&v=2.1&u=vic_liberty&it=r&p=AONE&sw=w&asid=dc53ce42d985ee78066b8600c33ca82c Rogers, C.R. (1957). The necessary and sufficient conditions of therapeutic personality change. Journal of Consulting Psychology, 21,95-103. doi:10.1037/h0045357
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