Robots in Society and the Future

Robots in Society and the Future It is a very true slogan from Adidas brand, Nothing is Impossible. Humans abilities are limited, and that is why robots are created. Have you ever imagine that, when you wake up in the morning, once you open up your eyes, everything that is in your mind such as breakfast, office wear, slippers and even more have already being prepared by your robot-slave. You do not have to do anything; all you have to do is, sit and wait! You just have to sit on your bed and wait for your robot to serve you, arent your life will be easier and wonderful? From this, we can see that how amazing it could be with the existence of robots. May be in the future, they are only our trusted friends. The unstoppable improvements of modern technologies, in the same line, robots are introduced into various fields to assist the humans reckless abilities to improve their live. They have been widely used in industrial sector and also for personal use. The creation of robots is not only to assist us, but they give us good opportunities to be our substitute for exploration and experiment the new risky things that human had never dare to try but hunger to achieve. Our purpose of this report is to find out the kinds of robots that have been introduced into our life and the future robots. Our objectives are to find out: What are robots? Why do they exist? How do robots exist? What can they do? How far they can do? What are the side effects for human if they are over-populated? What is in humans expectation on future robots? 2.0 Findings and Discussion 2.1 What are robots? 2.1.1 Brief History of Robot When we said robots, we all feel that it was just only been made in this modern era. Actually the first creation of robot has been made centuries ago. The famous Leonardo da Vinci is also among all the creators who are involve in the creation and innovation of robots. The basic principles that motivate people to create the robots are to bring the advantages to mankind. First of all, the creations of robot begin with simple concept, with look like human, and then it can move. Through the evolution in times, the robots now are involving, now it can walk, talk, and behave like humans. The improvement of robots will never end, but now we can start to imagine how far robots will become in future. 2.1.2 Concept of Robot Isaac Asimov (January 2, 1920 April 6, 1992)Generally, in all humans thoughts, robots are human-like machines that have heads and limbs, move and talk like human, either with or without their own thoughts and can be fully automatic, or partially otherwise completely controlled by human. However in the world of reality, the basic concept of a robot is: a machine which is programmed to move and perform multitude tasks automatically, or may be partially controlled by human. It does not mean that robots must be built mimic to human, in fact they can be in any forms and shapes with different appearances as long as they meet the basic concept. According to a popular science fiction author, Isaac Asimov [1], he came out with 3 basic laws for robots, which they called it call Asimovs Three Laws of Robotics: Robots must never harm human beings. Robots must follow instructions from human without violating rule 1. Robots must protect themselves without violating the other rules. 2.1.3 Classification of Robots With the indefinite intelligence of human, robots have been invented in different kinds and ways, performing myriad tasks and jobs. The following are the basic classifications [2] for different robots: Tele-robots Tele-robots are robots that need to be direct operated by human beings through remote control sytem. The best example will be the toy robots for kids, where these entertainment robots are needed to be guided by human to move, turn, or carry out tasks. Telepresence Robots The manipulations for telepresence robots are much similar to the Tele-robots above. The different is that telepresence robots will send back video, sound and other data to make the operator to feel more like they are in the robots. These robots are suitable to be used in exploration field, especially when the targeted exploration area is not accessible for human. Static Robots They are robots which are not movable from places to places. They are fixed permanently on one physical location to perform their tasks using only a part of their movable components. Static robots have been widely used, such as robotic arms, in factories and laboratories to handle hazardous materials and chemicals. In Malaysia, static robots or robotic arms can be seen in car manufacturing factories. Mobile/Autonomous Robots These robots navigate and perform their chores and duties without the intervention of human. They have been created to have high intelligence to deal with any environments such as on land, sky and even underwater. These robots are normally wheeled, or with wings, propeller and etc, depending on their uses. Aerial mobile robots are referred to Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) which have been used by countries with advanced technologies for military purposes. For underwater mobile robots, they are usually called Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs) and are used in sea exploration, military and commercial purposes. Androids Androids, which can also being called as Humanoid Robots, are being built to mimic human. They will have basic structures of human including head, body, hands and legs. Some of them have been installed with devices to produce sound or talk like human. 2.2 Why do they exist? As we all know, humans abilities are limited. Thus, we need something to fulfil our incompleteness and we have chosen the robots to do that for us. This can be clearly described when we use robots to carry and move heavy objects in our daily life. Land mine detectorOr, in the condition that risky jobs involve which may sacrifice the priceless life of human being, it will be wise to use robots as to replace the jobs for us to avoid any unnecessary sacrificing. Exploration for mines, space and underwater are example of highly dangerous tasks and these places are almost impossible for human to access. Sacrificing robots which can be valued in money is a much more intelligent act instead of sending the humans priceless souls to the path of death. In addition, assistance from robots arms for handling hazardous and acidic chemicals can also be widely used in laboratories to take the place of humans arms. Autonomous robot cleanerAnother main reason for the existence of robots is because of the demand of human to enjoy ease and comfort in their life. Everyone in this world is demanding to live in the best and easiest way in their life, without the need to do anything and waits to be served, in another words, the laziness of human beings caused the existence of robots. Example, there are robots being invented to clean and vacuum the house. Apparently, human in the world today are so lazy until they do not wish to do the household chores by themselves. Although this statement is not fair, but yet this is one of the very true facts. For workaholics, these robots are perfect in sharing responsibilities of household chores. 2.3 How do they exist? 2.3.1 Components of Robots For the basic layout of the generalised robots which are mostly correspond to animal, or even a human, are being made up with these components: The Brain Just as humans brain, it is the main system that operates a robot. It is a microprocessor which functions like a computer. Specialised programs are installed so that they can move without the controls of human. The Eyes There are made up from camera, sensor, ranging sonar and etc. There are used for navigating the robots movement, capture and recording the images of its surrounding, and estimate the range of its movement towards any objects or destination. There are also sensors that can help the robots to avoid from obstacles while moving. The Ears Some robots have been invented with sound recognition features. So, these robots require ears. Basically, the ears of these robots are also made up from sensors to detect sound waves and they are to be sent to microprocessor for detailed analysis. Communication System Communication between robots and human are greatly important. Besides receiving commands and orders from their owner, it is also generally important for the robots to tell their owners when something goes wrong. These communication systems can be in form of sound alarms or lights to grab the attentions of their owners. In order to transmit the sound or light, they need components like data, video or sound transmitters. Muscles It is the main component for the robots to move their limbs and carry out tasks. The limbs are commonly operated by electricity. In this case, the electricity functions as the muscles. However, some robots have been designed and created to do heavy duties like carrying heavy objects. Thus, electricity will be substituted with hydraulic technology or pneumatic technology. Limbs They can be as usual as humans hands and legs, fingers and toes. But in some situations, hands and legs are not that suitable to be used. Hence, the limbs of these robots are also available in wheels, tires, track rollers, propellers and etc. 2.3.2 Technologies Involved 2.3.2.1 Sensor Technologies A  sensor is a device, which is use to senses the objects and the surrounding. There are many kinds of applications for sensors which most people are never aware. Applications include cars, machines, aerospace, medicine, manufacturing and robotics. Sensors are the sensory system for robots, are much like humans 5 senses: sight, touch, smell, hearing, and taste. The robots sensors sense the environmental like touch, distance, light, sound, strain, rotation, magnetism, smell, temperature, inclination, pressure, or altitude. Then it provides the data that must be processed to provide information to allow the robot to respond. Robots are equipped with sensors so they can have an understanding of their surrounding environment and make changes in their behavior. The following are the common sensors used in robots [3]: Rotation Sensors They are used to measure the angle of a robotic arm, or how far a mobile robots wheel has turned. Global Positioning Systems Global Positioning Systems (GPS) receive signals from orbiting satellites that pinpoint the location of an outdoor robot on the Earth. Laser range Finder Laser range finders use laser beams to measure the distance to objects. They are used for obstacle detection and navigation. Computer Vision Computer Vision  is the field of study of interpreting camera images for a variety of purposes. Cameras are very common sensors; it can be say as the eyes of robot. Light Sensor Sensor for measures and differentiate light levels reflected from bright and dark surfaces. It is also use as the eyes of the robot, it helps in navigating, detect bright object, tell the different between coloured objects. Touch Sensors The uses of touch sensors are to detect contact between the robot and external objects surround it. Other example of sensors [4]: Ultrasonic Range Sensors Infrared Sensors Inertia Measurement Unit Accelerometers Current and Voltage Sensors Temperature and Humidity Sensors Camera and Vision Sensors Obstacle Detectors Force Sensors Sound detectors and etc. 2.3.2.2 Hydraulic Technologies Hydraulics  is the equipment or machinery involves or is operated by a fluid that is under pressure, such as water or oil.  This system used to increase the power of force to produce maximum energy required. Hydraulic systems are widely used in various industries to operate and manufacture many products. Hydraulic usually applied on machines and robotic part [5]. 2.3.2.3 Pneumatic Technologies Pneumatics technology is operated by air under pressure and it is powerful. Pneumatic means filled with air. It is quiet similar to hydraulic, the only different are it is operated by air, where as hydraulic is operated by liquid. Examples of pneumatic systems: Air compressor, electro-pneumatic action, tubular-pneumatic action, vacuum pump, compressed-air engine, air brakes, air engines, pneumatics launchers Pneumatic robot arm operated by human. Pneumatic can have long operating lives and require very little maintenance, but it is not easily damaged by shock [6]. 2.4 Uses of Robots in Various Fields 2.4.1 Medical Field An endoscope A laparoscopic surgery machineWhen we talk about robots performing tasks of human, we talk about future. But the use of robots in surgery is already a reality. The developments of technologies have brought various robotic devices into the medical field and these advanced robotic devices have been performing as a great assistant in a surgery room for today. With these robotic systems, the operation has become much less invasive but however, due to some disadvantages of these systems, surgeons are still cannot being replaced. Minimally invasive surgery is a broad concept including many common procedures that existed prior to the introduction of robots, such as gall bladder excisions. It refers to procedures that avoid long cuts by entering the body through a small entry [7]. However, surgeons can perform this procedure by using long handled surgery equipments and the guidance of viewing equipment such as endoscope; therefore it is not a necessary to use robots to do that. But yet, it d oes not mean robots are then do not categorised under minimally invasive surgery. Robot-assisted surgery system can be divided into 3 kinds which are supervisory-controlled system, telesurgical system and shared-control system. First, supervisory-controlled system is a system that allows the robots to perform tasks individually which will act according to the computer programme where the surgeons inputs into them earlier. Next, the telesurgical system which is also known as remote surgical requires the direct involvement of surgeons to conduct the robots arm rather than allowing it to perform surgery procedures by itself. Because the robot is still technically performing the procedures, so it is still considered under the subgroup of robotic surgery. The third system will be shared-control system. In this system, it requires the most involvement of surgeons. The surgeon carries out the procedure with the use of a robot that offers steady-hand manipulations of the instrument. This enables both entities to jointly perform the tasks [7]. Overall, the main difference between these 3 systems is the degree of interaction between the surgeons and the robots during the procedures. [8] Although the robot-surgeons can perform as a great assistant in surgery rooms, however there is nothing to be one hundred percents safe, including these robots. Mechanical devices including robots have the potentials to be malfunction and contravened the concept of minimally invasive surgery, or even worse, causing harm to the patients. Hence, safety of using these equipments has been questioned. Manufacturers have endeavoured to reduce the risks of malfunctioning of robots by installing related safety features. Nevertheless, these safety measurements have caused these robots increase in cost, making them unaffordable. Source: Table from Howe, RD, Matsuoka, Y. Robotics for Surgery. Annual Review of Biomedical Engineering. 1999, 01:213. The following table shows and compares the strength and limitation of using human-surgeon and robot-surgeon: 2.4.2 Military Field The military does not usually use the term robot, but they categorise and name the robots into Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), Unmanned Ground Vehicles (UGVs) and Autonomous Underwater Vehicles (AUVs), depending on the environment they operated. Using of these robots in the war field can always being seen by technology-advanced countries, especially United State. Instead of sending their armies to combat in the war, they dispatch robots with weapon-equipped to the field. Even though they claimed that with this it can reduce the sacrificing of their armies but in fact, they are creating a larger offense towards their so-called enemy which may also cause more injuries to the innocents during the war. Yet in this decade, with the rapid increasing in research and development, scientists and researchers have manufactured robots that do not fight but to safe the people and also recovering the situation to a safety level. Let us discuss these military robots according to their categories. TALON SWORDS with different weaponriesUnmanned Ground Vehicles [9], or UGVs, are vehicles that require the needs of human to operate through remote-controlled system via a wireless communication link. UGVs are commonly telepresence robots which they are able to send feedback of images captured by video cameras which have been installed, to the operator. There are also robots equipped with weapon, and the most popular of its kind is TALON. According to Foster Miller [10], TALON is now a military robot that has most advanced technologies installed in it which it can moves through sand, water, snow and even staircases. With the cameras installed, it can transmit images in colours, black and white, infrared and night vision to the operator who is far away for up to 1km. SWORDS [11] or Special Weapon Observation Reconnaissance Detection System is a system where robots are granted with weapons and it was specially designed for the US armies. These robots were ever used by US Special Forces in the war against the Taliban in Afghanistan as well as the role to dispose explosive mines. Besides, there are also robots/vehicles that perform autonomously. Autonomous UGVs basically do not BEAR Rescue Military Robot involve in combat, but they carried out tasks like logistics, supplying of materials to the war fields, rescue operation, fire fighting, mine detection and disposal and etc. Rescue operation has been carried out by robots in an active battlefield to take care of the casualties and if necessitate, carry the casualties out from the field. The BEAR rescue military robots [12] have been designed with powerful upper body with hydraulics technology, track rollers as legs and dynamic balancing behaviour. UAVs with Hellfire-Missiles Next, robots that navigate in the sky without intervention human crews are called Unmanned Aerial Vehicles [13], or UAVs, but can be partially operated through remote or in this decade; they have been invented to be fully autonomous through pre-programming flight plans. UAVs are available in various shapes, features, characteristics and configurations. They have been widely used in a lot of countries to play a role in battlefields, logistic (cargo), research and development, civil and commercial. For most of the time, they have been a great assistant for the soldier troops to provide battlefield intelligence and bombard the targeted area. Military UAVs have been installed with various weapon including missiles and bombs. The US Army has been using this feature during their conquering in the war [14] with Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen and Iraq. In between, error targeting and faulty intelligence caused numbers of innocent civilian to dead. Due to large size of common UAVs, tiny spy robots Robot Flies [12] have been created so to access into confined and cluttered spaces within the buildings, tunnels, stairwells or caves for surveillance and reconnaissance purposes. It is stated that there are also possibilities to equip these robots with small explosive charges to destroy on a small specific area instead of destroying the whole. Robot Fly Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs)Subsequently, the underwater robots AUVs, in full Autonomous Underwater Vehicles are also known as Unmanned Undersea Vehicles (UUVs). AUVs are basically works within the sea without any intervention of human. Whereas the non-autonomous called Remotely Operated Vehicles (ROVs) are controlled by the operator from the surface through umbilical. In military field, AUVs are used to detect if there are any mines and to monitor the protected area for new unidentified objects. For the purpose of warfare, AUVs are employed to detect and resist the invasion of manned submarines [15]. From the research, AUVs are not so popular to be employed into the military fields as wars under the water are so seldom to be seen. 2.4.3 Industrial Field Robots employed in industrial field are static robots which are majorly automated and allowed to make decision via pre-programmed inputs. These robots are more common to be seen in form of arm-shaped. They will not have the components of head, body and legs, but just arm. In earlier decades, mans responsibilities in manufacturing process like welding, painting, assembly,  pick  and place,  packaging  and  palletizing, product inspection, and testing have been displaced by robots today. The introduction of robots into industrial field is a great contribution as they can accomplish their tasks in a faster way, more efficient and highly better than a man can do in term of precision and endurance. The different between each arms and the functioning role of the arms are depending on the tools that are fixed at the end of the arm, or they call them the end-effectors. Industrial robots can also being classified into [16]: Vertically Articulated The multi-jointed arm of a vertically articulated robot is connected to the base with a twisting joint. The links in the arm are connected by rotary joints. This type is  often called jointed-arm. [16] Cartesian Coordinate This robot is limited to x, y, and z movement. It is  also called a rectilinear robot. All of the robot arm links are connected with linear joints. The physical appearance is square [16]. SCARA The Selective Compliance Assembly Robot Arm  is ideal for precision work within one plane. Its work envelope is cylindrical. It has two horizontal joints [16]. Cylindrical The robot has one rotary joint at the base and two linear joints to connect the links. Their work envelope is also cylindrical [16]. Polar The arm is connected to the base with a twisting joint and a combination of rotary and linear joints. They have a spherical-shaped from outside look [16]. Delta This robot configuration combines a rotational joint and parallelograms. Delta robots work within a dome-shaped work envelope [16]. Welding arm Welding devices such as MIG-welding gun are one of the popular robot guns that are widely used in the industry to assembly their products. Welding arms are programmed to carry out specific task welding process repeatedly, fusing of adjacent parts together with uniform quality at a rapid speed. Robot Spray ArmThe next tool will be the Spray Gun. As we know, Spraying evenly on the surface is never an easy job for human. Hence, it is also popular to apply the spray gun into robot arms to do spraying for human. Besides to achieve nearly perfect quality or spraying, they also help to relieve the human from this hazardous and skilful job. Liquid used in the spray contained various unknown chemicals that might cause harm to human. At the same time, spray gun will not waste paints hence reducing the cost. Robot arm that can lift up heavy objects. Picture showing a man carried by robot arm.Picking, lifting and placing applications can be done through installing grippers. Materials used in industries are normally big and heavy. Besides of using electro-mechanical technologies, hydraulic and pneumatic technologies that produce multiply forces can be applied to the arm. Picking up of some objects haven been done by vacuum. To make sure the positioning of these devices are constant and accurate, location sensors have been installed as well [17]. 2.4.5 Space Exploration Field When it comes to space exploration, by automatically we know that robots have been contributing a lot, or accomplishing most of the space exploration tasks. The only planet that human has set foot on, besides Earth is the Moon. However, our tremendous robots have set their feet in planets like Mars, Venus, Jupiter and including few comets and asteroids [18]. Without them, human will not be able to know how the other planets look like and of course, without them human will never know that aliens do not appear in the planets within Solar System. We would not conclude that aliens do not appear in our real life because there are no researches stating that robots have been successfully sent out and explored the whole Universe and so, we never know what is going on outside our Universe. Robots have been used widely in this field because of the not-habitable environment for human beings. Eliminate the matter of oxygen; human are not able to cope with the different pressure and gravitational force on the other planets. Therefore costly astronaut suits have been created and in fact they are already being created, and this will never be an intelligence act. There are also risks involved when sending human to the planets and back to the Earth. Several cases happened in the past where explosions of space shuttle caused death to human. Logo of NASAIt is common when people talk about space exploring, they will think of NASA [19], in full National Aeronautics and Space Administration. NASA is an agency that has been established on July 29, 1958. Before the establishment of NASA, National Advisory Committee for Aeronautics  (NACA) is also an agency which is responsible for every space programs in United States. NASA has led the human nation towards the knowledge of space, after launching Apollo to the Moon, and then invented and released the space station, Skylab and later the Space Shuttle. The historical moment when Neil Armstrong represented his nation to be the first man to step on the Moon.Apollo program is one of the worlds most amazing events in the history that it was the first program that brought human to the Moon and back to the land safely. Apollo 1 caused a tragedy that kills all the astronauts who were inside due to a fire during experimental simulation. Thus, several experiments and observations had carried out before they boarded the human and sent them to the Moon. At last Apollo 11 had successfully landed the first men on the moon, Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin [20]. Skylab was the first space station that had been launched to the orbit by United States in 1973. In the space station there are laboratories prepared for the researchers to carry out scientific experiments and studies such as the Sun, space flight, metallic-crystal growth, microgravity, and solar observatory. But in few years time, Skylab fell from the orbit on 11 July 1979. Currently Skylab have been replaced and named as International Space Station (ISS) [21]. The famous robots in space with no doubt have to be the series of Orbiters, Rovers and Landers that have been sent to Mars in the previous years. The first orbiter which was sent to Mars on July 14, 1965 is Mariner 4. Launching of Mariner 4 has been a great achievement as it enables the human to have a closer relation on the other planets after Great amount of water required to cause the erosion shown. Picture taken by Viking 1 on Mars.it sent back the photos of Mars. In the series of Landers, 2 Viking Landers, Viking 1 and Viking 2 had been released to Mars in the year 1976 with the accompaniment of orbiters that send back photos and scientific data. Life detection application was installed to the landers to detect life on Mars but however, the result sent back an unclear data. From the newest research by NASA, they found that the Mars is covered with large amount of gas called Methane, which is also one of the main components found in the Earth. Methane gas in the Earth is largely produced by organism when digesting of nutrients. However, it can also being released to the air through geological processes. Thus, it is still unclear whether if there are organisms survive under the permafrost layer of Mars [22]. There are other more advance robots that have been sent for planetary exploration. These include Sojourner and Mar s Exploration Rovers (MERs). The 2 robots mentioned are tele-operated which they required humans control. However, MERs have been a better robot due to larger mechanical size and also equipped with better communication and instrumentation than Sojourner. Sojourner was sent to Mars in 1997 and MERs is in 2004 [24]. However, in such numbers of space robots, Sputnik 1 has been the very first robot that was sent to the space. Mariner 2 by U.S. was the first robot that flown to Venus on 12 December 1962. In the same year, a Russian space robot, Venera 7 was the first human-made vehicle to successfully land on another planet and transmits data back to Earth. Voyager 1There was a mission, the Voyager mission, sent robot and explore the world outside of our Solar System. Voyager 1 and 2 were launched in 1977. Voyager 1 as in June 19, 2009, was at a distance about 16.49 billion kilometres away from the Sun, currently the furthest man-made object in the space [24]. In these decades, there are numerous missions that have been set and hopefully soon or later, robots can help to accomplish these missions. 2.5 Side Effects of Robots The side effect of robots is mean that the negative issues or disadvantages which robots will bring to our world if there are over used or over populated. Although robots is create to assist us human to improve our life, but they may bring harm to us as well if we do not use them wisely. From the research we made, there are some disadvantages of robotic system and robots, when normal people to operate the robots, the functions are limited and only the creator or programmers what those functions are. Although robots is been programmed, but they may not function properly in case of an emergency or unexpected occasion. The cost for built the robots and robotic systems are very high, this make it needs to have full consideration before built it. Besides, it may need to have more extra funds and spaces to provide the facilities to build the robots. There are some moral issues occur if the robotic systems and robots have over used. The too much using of robots and robotic systems in our society making us human beings become more dependent upon robot. Because of this, many people will always depend on robots to done their works (this could be possibly happen like in the movie Surrogates, where the human just stay in their home and control their look alike robot to works). The advance use of robots and robotic systems may replace the human labour and causing people to lose their jobs and facing economic matter. In medical field, if the robotic systems and robots have taking over majority of the doctors job for example, certain surgeries, this may cause certain people may not be able to access the services due to lack of funds. This may also happen in some other fields, this can be describe in military field, because robots are more advance therefore, which country that are rich and own many military robotics system and robots will be the most powerful country. These mean that, if we do not want this negative effect to be happening in the future, we should wisely use the robots and balance the functi

Key Points for the Defense of American Exceptionalism Essay

American Exceptionalism is the idea that America is founded on a creed. That creed is to spread liberty, freedom, and democracy to the rest of the world. G.K. Chesterton stated, â€Å"America is the only nation in the world that is founded on a creed.† The creed he mentions is stated in the Declaration of Independence. In the preamble, it is said that, â€Å"We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.† In saying this, we affirm that everyone should be treated equally with all of their basic rights. However many countries in the world do not support this view. We, as citizens of the United States of America, are to spread this ideal throughout the world. Many Americans support this theory of American Exceptionalism by fighting for America, supporting or working for the American government, or just going out into the world to underprivileged, developing nations as an American. American Exceptionalism is still thriving today and has throughout the history of America. As Seymour Martin Lipset states in his book, American Exceptionalism: A Double Edged Sword, America is not like the other European nations that our Founding Fathers came from. He states that if you are a Frenchman, it is not because you believe in French values; it is because you live in France. You are American by believing in American values. You can’t be un-French, un-British, or un-German just because you don’t agree with what the nation stands for. However, you can be un-American by not believing in American values or what America stands for. This sets America apart from other nations. America has a national identity. We have a common set of values and beliefs unlike any other nation in the world. These values and beliefs are at the very core of American Exceptionalism. These are that America should be a l ight to the world. America has a duty, and this duty is to spread freedom and liberty to the oppressed, the poor, the mislead, and the entire world. It is these values that have driven America to take some of the actions it has in its  past. For example, America decided to intervene in the Vietnam and Korean wars. In both cases America intervened to stop the spread of Communism. In The Limits of Power by Andrew J. Eacezich, he argues that the governement is using the idea of American Exceptionalism to cover their own agenda. He says that American Exceptionalism is a false ideal created by the government to get people to go along with the wars supported by the government. The reason that this is a incorrect theory, is that American Exceptionalism was created by the people, not the government. The people believe in American Exceptionalism because they know that it is true and that it exists. If there was no support for American Exceptionalism, then there would be know way that we would still be able to have our troops in the Middle East. American Exceptionalism one of the reasons that we went over and it is the sole reason that we have been able to stay over there without a major outcry from the general public. Most people think about American Exceptionalism being through wars and conquest, however it has a peaceful aspect to it also. For example, the United States Navy has two hospital ships that sail around the world to provide comfort and relief to developing nations and nations in need around the world. They currently have two hospital ships in service, the USNS Comfort and the USNS Mercy. These ships provide relief to people who are desperate for medical attention. These are people in places that would likely not be able to aquire medical treatment if not for these ships. They treat everything from minor bacterial infections, to life-threatening tumors growing inside of people. This exemplifies American Exceptionalism because it is setting an example for the rest of the world. These ships are quality medical centers staffed by trained medical personnel. The United States also runs multiple other programs around the world to help with relief and support. For example, the United States has multiple relief programs in Africa for refugees. The refugees come from countries where there is civil war tearing apart their communites. They are forced to flee for their saftey, their freedom, and even their lives. The United States helps support refugee camps throughout the world so these people can return to their former lives as soon as possible. However, American Exceptionalism is not limited to just actions of the government. The American people are also spreading the creed of liberty, freedom, and democracy. For example, the American government is not the only source of  supplies for African refugees. The Red Cross is also a huge source of supplies for refugees. They accept donations to buy massive quantities of relief foods and other supplies to help people around the world. The Red Cross also provides relief for people affected by natural disasters. An example of this would be the tsunami that affected most of the countries on the Indian Ocean in 2004. Another one would be when the tsunami hit in Japan 2011 and caused the nuclear leaks along with the regular affects. In both of these cases American citizens sent support to the rest of the world through donations and direct volunteering for the Red Cross. Americans also go on many mission trips throughout the world. These people are usually on missions for churches to spread their religion with people in other countries. However, while they are over there, they also typically help improve the quality of life for the natives as much as they can. This involves building schools, washing them, and many other things like it. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, the United States saw a big surge in immigration from other countries. Many people decided to come to the United States because they heard about how great it was. They would come on huge ships from Europe and be greeted by the Statue of Liberty when they arrived. If American Exceptionalism did not exist, then what reason did they immigrants have for taking the dangerous journey across the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans in a rickety ship? When the immigrants arrived, there were some cases where they were treated rudely, but for the most part, the immigrants were accepted into the society. Most people went into the society and mixed right in. This is the reason that America is called the â€Å"mixing pot of the world.† These reasons show ho w American Exceptionalism is still here today. There are many supporting details that show how American Exceptionalism does exist and that the age of American Exceptionalism is not over. From the government to the people of the United States, everybody helps to spread the creed America was founded on. Works Cited Chesterton, G. K. What I Saw in America. New York, New York: Hodder and Stoughton, 1922. Eacezich, Andrew J. The Limits of Power. New York, New York: Metropolitan Books, 2008. Lewis, V. Bradley. â€Å"American Exceptionalism.† America 3 10 2011: 19-22. Lipset, Seymour Martin. American Exceptionalism: A Double Edged Sword. New York, New York: W. W. Norton & Co., 1996. National Archives of the United States of America. â€Å"Declaration of Independence.† National Archives. 30 11 2012.

Affectability of positive and negative written personal accounts

Expressive writing paradigm, positive and negative affect, positive meaning finding finding and positive affect. An individual's conduct of thoughts and feelings disclosure relating to aspects of their life is often utilized through expressive writing as a therapeutic strategy. This act is more formally recognized as the expressive writing paradigm (Nicholls, 2009), describing the health benefits of expressive writing production. Rebuttals against this theory include its lack of a clear definition in regard to the reasons it proves an effective therapy (Sloan & Marx, 2004), though its effectiveness remains undisputed.Expressive writing in studies can include a variety of deferent topic suggestion in analysis of any emotion from traumatic events to Immense positive experiences. Emotional expression has been shown to effect general satisfaction positively or negatively dependent on the correlated emotion to the subject of concern. Further enhancing this suggestion Is the notion of stre ngthened self-efficacy through emotional expression (Kirk. Schuster, & Hint, 201 1 Already, Implications of Its use In positive regard becomes more applicable In applying positivist more generally as a result of written divergence.Writing has proven a powerful tool across studies In both mental and physical responses. An experiment conducted on Swedish athletes found a positive correlation between the writing of positive self-talk and reaction times (?seedeater, Spender, & S ¶Darlene, 2012). Another more extreme case of expressive writing incorporation was used in a 2012) This study focused on the positive outcomes of the experience and was found to exhibit positive effects on common survivor constraints as fatigue, intrusive thoughts, post-traumatic stress and so on.Yet another study of interest involves the SE of expressive writing, though not with an observer's direction of positive or negative affect. This study simply engaged participants to write down their traumatic experie nce. Outcomes of which included decreased physician visits and use of aspirin over time (Baneberry & Bell, Confronting a traumatic event: Toward an understanding, 1986). These studies lie among a multitude of others (Kelly, 2012) – all of which indicate a significant positive impact of expressive writing on general satisfaction (Baneberry & Chunk, 2007).One argument against this expressive rating paradigm is that the use of written emotions is not necessarily the promoter of positive affect. Instead, the act of expressing emotions in any form will release tension of the event (Baneberry, 1997). Expressive writing may be said to provide means for structure and organization of an individual's emotions in a way they may never have thought about, or never have wanted to think about (Baneberry, 1997). This written account allows for little emotional repression if the participant involves themselves entirely in the process.This leaves open the argument that different harpies may pr oduce different results and with a society of subjectivity, this argument remain undisputed. Nonetheless, expressive writing cannot be undermined as a sound means for effective therapy. Interestingly, a study set forth to decipher whether written trauma showed increased positive affect than vocalism the trauma in a public setting (Fez, Valances, & Gonzalez, 1999). The study found that a written account of the trauma proved more negatively provoking than revealing in a public setting.Although further research needs to take place on this issue, it is hypothesized that written trauma is too intense, flooding emotions that the participant found more anxiety provoking than in a setting amongst other trauma victims. Linked to the term, as mentioned, are a number of different theories. As is with the case with many psychological theories, a singular theory is not applicable. To some, this may prove reason to avoid its use (Kelly, 2012). It may also be argued, however, that subjectivity amo ng individuals necessitates more than a singular theory.Of these theories is the concept that the act of interacting with an emotional vent in a more analytical sense may provide an outlet (Baneberry, 1997). It is thought that this outlet may reduce a traumatic influence of the event or enhance and remind of a pleasant memory. Furthermore, interacting with the event forces the individual to structure and organism an event in a way that they may have not previously thought about, or have wanted to think about. It is thought that this may bring clarity of the situation, release and perhaps even closure through self-efficacy.These theories are described as the immediate cognitive changes through the act of expressive writing. The more long term theories include the release of memories that may have had impact on the working mind. This theory suggests that as expressive writing is further indulged, immediate arousal of the memory diminishes (Baneberry, 1997). This becomes especially ess ential with traumatic events which tend to lose emotional arousal over a number of expressive writing sessions. With this act of release, a biological theory arises in that anxiety and other illnesses as a expression writing is that of a more social front.A study on holocaust victims valued that 70% of survivors had not shared information socially (Baneberry, 1997). After writing and talking about these experiences with researchers. Many were able to then share them with others, providing further therapy in a social context (Baneberry, 1997). Many studies are devoted to uncovering expression writing and the theory behind it. So too have studies encapsulated the long-term effects on well-being of its use as a therapy. Fewer studies examine expression writing in its immediate effects on an individual.This study focuses on the immediate effects of emotional writing on an individual's affect. With previous studies in mind, it is hypothesized that a positive affect will be correlated wit h exposure to positive experience writing; whereas a negative affect will be correlated with exposure to negative experience writing. Method Participants Participants were 173 (129 females) undergraduate students from an Australian tertiary education institution. The mean age of the participants was 30. 19 years (SD ? 9. 17); male mean age was 28. 14 (SD = 7. 2), and female mean age was 30. 89 (SD = 9. 60). Materials. The Ego-Resiliency Scale (ERR-89; Block & Kramer, 1996). This 14 item measure of trait saliency uses a 4-point Liker scale, ranging from does not apply at all (1) to applies very strongly (4). The scale is reportedly highly reliable (a = . 76) with example items including: ‘l am more curious than most people' and ‘l quickly get over and recover from being startled'. Resiliency was calculated by summing scores from all 14 items with higher scores indicating greater resiliency.The Depression, Anxiety, Stress Scale (DADS-21; Loving & Loving, 1995). This 21 ite m measure of depression, anxiety and stress records responses on a 4-point Liker scale from never (1) to almost always (3). The DADS-21 is reportedly highly reliable (a = . 96). Example items include â€Å"l find it hard to unwind† and â€Å"l felt that I wasn't worth much as a person†. The General Health Questionnaire (GHZ-12; Goldberg & Williams, 1988). This 12-item measure of general mental and physical health utilizes a 4-point Liker scale from not at all (O) to quite a bit (3).The reported reliability of the GHZ-12 ranges from . 82 to . 86. Example items include whether participant have â€Å"lost much sleep over worry' and â€Å"been unhappy and depressed†. Positive and Negative Affectively Scale (PANS; Watson, Clark, & Telling, 1998). This 20-item scale was used to assess positive and negative ambient mood. Participants were asked to rate the extent to which they felt the emotions ‘right now' on a 5-point Liker scale, ranging from very slightly or not at all (1) to extremely (5). Both the positive mood scale (a = 0. 90) and the negative mood scale (a = 0. 4) are considered highly reliable. Example positive mood descriptors included interested, excited, strong, proud and inspired. Example negative mood descriptors included distressed, upset, guilty, irritable and nervous. Positive affect is calculated by summing scores from all 10 positive items, with higher scores indicating greater positive affect. Positive meaning finding. A series of questions adapted from those reported by Tugged and Frederickson (2004) were administered in order to assess the degree to which participants found meaning in their described event.To prompt meaning finding, participants completed two open ended the significance of the event? Specific meaning finding questions included: ‘To what extent do you feel you might benefit from this situation in the long term? ; ‘How likely s it that there is something to learn from this experience? ; and ‘How easy is it to find meaning in the described event? Ratings for these questions were made on a seven- point scale, ranging from not at all (1) to extremely (7). Meaning finding was calculated by summing scores for these three questions. Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count 2007 (LAIC; Francis & Baneberry, 1996).All written positive disclosure essays were converted into individual word documents and analyzed through the LAIC program. The LAIC program was used to yield descriptive data on the number of costive and negative emotion words, and insight words used in the written disclosure pieces. In addition it was used to generate percentages of insight words used in the extended response positive meaning finding questions. The LAIC program has been found to correlate with Judges' ratings in the range of . 37 to . 81 (Francis & Baneberry, 1996). Procedure Data were collected from participants in either face-to-face or online first-year classes.Upon commencing the class, participa nts were introduced to the session as one on emotions. Qualities was the software program used to host the online survey. Participants were asked to pay close attention to instructions provided during the testing session. The session commenced with the ERR-89, DADS-21, GHZ, all of which served as distraction questionnaires, and the PANS. Following completion of these, the experimenter informed participants that they would complete a 15 minute writing task and that it was important that they tried to type for the entire 15 minutes.Participants were randomly assigned to the positive, neutral, or negative written disclosure condition. Participants in the positive written disclosure condition achieved the following instructions: Write about the most intensely positive experience of your life. Write about the experience in as much detail as you can. Really get into it and freely express any and all emotions or thoughts that you have about the experience. As you write, do not worry about punctuation or grammar; Just really let go and write as much as you can about the experience.Participants in the negative written disclosure condition were instructed to do the following: For the next 1 5 minutes write about the most important personal problem you are currently acing in your life. Write about the experience in as much detail as you can. Really get into it and freely express any and all emotions or thoughts that you have about the experience. As you write, do not worry about punctuation or grammar; Just really let go and write as much as you can about the experience. Continue writing until you are instructed to stop by the researcher.Finally, those in the control condition were asked to write about the activities of their day thus far in the most structured and detailed format possible (for an example see Tugged & Frederickson, 2004). The experimenter stopped participants at the end of the 1 5 minutes and directed them to continue with the rest of the experiment. The remainder of the test consisted of a post-test PANS, positive meaning finding and demographic questions. Once completed, participants were debriefed and provided with experimenter contact details should they require further information regarding the experiment.Results Prior to running the statistical analyses all data were screened for normality and positive written disclosure statements revealed participants chose to write about a wide variety of positive experiences. The five most common positive experiences included parenthood, establishing a significant relationship with a life partner, traveling overseas, career, and academic achievements. The five most common negative experiences included future career prospects, current employment, financial concerns, mental health, and relationship issues.Hypothesis 1 stated that writing about an intense positive experience will result in a greater increase in positive affect. To examine whether positive affect increased, change in positive affect scores were calculated by subtracting the pre-test from the cost-test positive PANS score. A one-way NOVA with three levels of the independent variable (positive, neutral, or negative written disclosure task) was performed to test the impact of the written tasks on change in positive affect. Results revealed that there was a significant difference between the neutral (M = -1. 12, SD = 5. 6), negative (M = -3. 81 , SD = 9. 54), and positive written disclosure conditions (M 3. 14, SD = 7. 34) for change in positive affect scores, F(2, 173) = 12. 14, pHypothesis 2 proposed that writing about an intense positive experience will result in greater meaning finding. A one-way NOVA was calculated to compare meaning finding scores between the three conditions following the written task. Results valued that there was a significant difference between the neutral (M = 14. 60, SD = 4. 20), negative (M = 15. 46, SD = 4. 35), and positive written disclosure conditions (M 19. 24, SD = 2. 65) for meaning finding scores, F(l, 189) = 24. 60, pPost hoc analyses using Bonfire adjustments revealed that the differences between the positive and negative, and the positive and neutral conditions were significant to the . 001 level. Participants who wrote about an intense positive life experience elicited greater positive meaning from the experience, compared to those who wrote about a active experience, or the days events. Discussion This data indicates that writing about positive and negative experiences increases and decreases affect accordingly, in conjunction with neutral conditions.The data also represents a greater meaning finder in participants engaged with positive written expression as opposed to negative and neutral conditions, with negative written expression producing the lower meaning finder of the two. With the hypothesis of the expressive writing paradigm in mind, it may be said that obtained results support this suggestion. In previous mention of the term, the ex pressive rating paradigm has been supported in many studies over long periods of time and through rather more intense conditions; such as the example of breast cancer survivors (Lu, Ghent, Young, Gawk-Singer, & LOL, 2012).Furthermore, previous studies focus greatly on the expression of traumatic instances (Baneberry, 1997) quite the opposite in that negative expressive writing produces a negative affect and lower meaning finder among participants. These results, however, are compared to that of writing positive experiences and so it may be said that a decreased score would be expected. Alternatively, being a cross-sectional design, perhaps more interesting results would be compiled from a series of written expression of the same account in the case of a negative experience.From previous studies, it is implied that regular written expression of a negative experience may produce positive results, contrary to those shown in this study. One of the implications of this study may be relat ed to indulging regularly in written accounts of positive experience to improve positive affect and meaning finding. Future studies, however, would benefit from the analysis of regular positive written expression. As is shown in previous studies with that of traumatic events, increased confrontation through written expression is shown to reduce negative affect.It may be possible that the opposite effect adhere to regular confrontation of positive experience. Perhaps this positive experience would decrease in positivist, or even have a reverse effect over time. The limitations of this study include, primarily, the tested participants. Undergraduate psychology students may not accurately represent the population. Many other studies of the same caliber have an inclination to testing of traumatic situations among a particular sub-group. Interesting would be the results obtained from a randomly selected participant group, and measuring them both for instant results and results over a num ber of tests.A further limitation may be described in the means in which data was collected. Lending to an intrusive subject matter, a face-to-face collection in class may not yield the greatest results. Anonymity to observer aside, students sitting within close proximity to another student may feel threatened by invasion of privacy and not reveal inner most feelings, effecting results. Furthermore, participation in the study was of a compulsory status. This may have affected the amount of effort students put into discussion as opposed perhaps to an individual actively seeking treatment or even involvement in a study.To prevent possible confounds in the future, ideally, participants would be of a random selection of willing volunteers. If unattainable however, it may prove advantages to separate students among the class too radius in which their test cannot be overlooked. Despite these limitations, this study shows promising results by suggestion that positive expression writing inc reases positive affect and greater meaning finding. These results may prove useful in a variety of situations and therapies; though further testing should be undergone to discover the extent of its effect.

Private Prisons - 1463 Words

Privatization of Prisons As state budgets throughout America become tighter because of rising costs, many are looking at private prisons as a way to reduce the cost in detaining inmates. Just like everything else in America there has to be a debate about it. There are those that are for the privatization of prisons and those that are against it. James A. Fagin introduced this topic in his text book CJ2013; he discussed the major selling point of private prisons, and the problems that states are faced with. The major selling point for the privatization of prisons is cost reduction for states. It’s argued that private prisons can reduce costs by millions because the upfront high costs to build new prisons do not have to be spent by the†¦show more content†¦There is no evidence to support the perception that private prisons are more efficient. In the article Oppel quotes from an Arizona study that says minimum-security state inmates cost 2.6 percent or $1.39 more than those in private prisons before extra costs are accumulated by the state, and after the extra costs are figured in state inmates only cost 3 cent more a day. He says state medium-security inmates cost 4.4 percent less before the extra costs and 8.7 percent less after the extra costs are figured in. The result according to Oppel’s study is that state inmates cost $1,679 less per year, per inmate at a taxpayer expense of about two million dollars a year per prison. In an article published in April of 2000, by the American Correctional Association Incorporated â€Å"Comparing Public and Private Prison Costs: The Arizona Method† written by Carl E. Nink and Judith Kilgus, Nink and Kilgus evaluate how the legislation from the State of Arizona makes sure that private prisons are maintaining a cost effective status for the state. The original legislation stated that â€Å"Before renewing the initial contract, the performance of the contractor shall be compared to the performance of this state in operating similar facilities† which only required a comparison but did not have clear parameters. Arizona State legislation has now has added that the required cost savings are to be determined based on a cost comparison model established by theShow MoreRelatedPrivatization Of Prisons And Its Effects On Private Prisons2897 Words   |  12 PagesPrivatization of prisons is the confining of inmates by a third party that is contracted by a government agency and it refers to the takeover of present public facilities by private operators and the operation of new prisons by for-profit prison companies. Privatization is simply a contract that shifts public functions and responsibilities, in whole, from the public sector to the private sector. Private prisons can also be defined as a contract to provide other service s to public prisons such as transportationRead MorePrivate Prisons1166 Words   |  5 PagesRunning head: PRISON PRIVATIZATION 1 An Assessment of Prison Privatization Sharon Baumann-Heller ORG 8575 Michael Mills August 12, 2012 PRISON PRIVATIZATION 2 Abstract Over-crowding in our federal, state, and local prisons, along with a depressed economy, has resulted in a trend toward privatization of these facilities. This paper examines the core issues surrounding private prisons in the areas of cost-effectiveness, recidivismRead MorePrivate Prisons2662 Words   |  11 PagesThe concept of the prison has existed for more than two thousand years. It probably goes back as far in time as practice of cannibalism, where victims had to wait for their turn in contributing to the chief course in the menu of their captors. Examples of prisons can even be found in the Old Testament when Joseph was incarcerated in Egypt. It was not until the 19th century that a clear shift occurred from corporal punishment to imprisonment. As societies prospered and the industrial revolution beganRead MoreThe Relationship Between Private Prison And Private Prisons Essay1142 Words   |  5 PagesSynopsis The use of private prison has been a serious issue in the United States. The main issue is the amount of money that private prison companies are consuming. The private prisons are making millions of dollars from housing inmates. Between 1970 and 2005 the U.S. population has grown by 700 percent (Private prison, 2013). This massive increase in the U.S. prison population is far outpacing the population and crime rate. Due to this, America has the biggest prison rate than any other countryRead MorePros And Cons Of Private Prisons1625 Words   |  7 PagesThe United States has had a long and controversial history when it comes to the U.S prison system. 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When cost estimates are adj usted to account for this, the results are surprising: Without adjusting for the increased medical costs imposed on state-run prisons, a 2010 Corrections Department study found that daily per inmate costs were cheaper in private prisons, at $57.97 as opposed to $60.66. However, when adjusting for medical costs, the results flipped with daily per inmate costs cheaper in state-run prisons at $48.42 compared