Category: Uncategorized

Psychology Major

The University of Trine offers a variety of degree programs in which students can major in. During my time at the University of Trine, I will major in psychology. Trine’s psychology major is popular for the solid education that it offers through a variety of courses that are related to behaviour science.

For an individual to be able to satisfactorily complete a psychology major at Trine University he is required to have studied, understood and taken examinations in forensic psychology, marriage and family, personality, psychology of addiction, abnormal psychology, human sexuality and counselling. Furthermore, the university has a career department that is rich in staffs that are knowledgeable in different fields. Their interest is to ensure that they provide the necessary guidance to students to enable them make informed carer and major decisions. A psychology major from Trine University prepares an individual not only for a graduate degree but also for jobs that are in an eclectic diversity of community settings.

A psychology major equips an individual with the skills necessary in understanding different behavioural traits in different people and the provision of necessary help to the said individual. Some of the career opportunities available in this major include mental and behaviour health counselling, civic organizations administration and substance abuse counselling and treatment among other opportunities. My career choice is substance abuse counselling and treatment programs. This will serve my interests as a counsellor and I will be able to provide guidance to a large number of youth who have an addiction in the use of drugs.

A psychology major is the best for me since it will play an essential role in not only putting my skills into practice, it will also enhance my personal skills to ensure that I become a better counsellor in the future. I am a team player. This skill is important in the major because, psychology as a science that seeks to understand human behaviour will require team effort, among learners and professionals, to ensure that proper research is conducted on various factors that influence human behaviour. My good communication and interpersonal skills will also be essential in my major since they enhance better relationships not only among students but also between a counsellor and a patient (Bate & Stevenson 3-4). The major challenge will encompass a proper understanding of human behaviour and the reasons why an individual chooses to acquire certain behavioural traits. Man is a dynamic being with numerous aspects influencing his behaviour. The ability to have a correct diagnosis of any given behaviour will prove to be a challenge. However, through different subject and research initiatives offered by the university I will develop important knowledge on human behaviour.

My goal is to become a knowledgeable and reliable counselling psychologist in the area of drug and substance abuse by the end of my four years taking my major in psychology at Trine University. This goal is only achievable by determination in my studies to ensure that I excel and qualify as a counselling psychologist. In addition constant research on the dynamics of human behaviour will also be essential. Research and dedication in any field of study is the best way through which a professional will not only enhance his or her expertise but also be relevant to the current problems in the society (Vescio, et al 13).

Degree Course Requirements

Adult and Online students 120 hours of course work with 42 hours of Psychology essential course work.

Bachelor of Science – Psychology Major 120 hours

Hours

Written Communication ENG 103 English Composition 1 3

ENG 113 English Composition II 3

Oral Communication SP 203 Effective Speaking (3) orCOM 163 Interpersonal Communication 3

Social Science- Humanities ECO 213 Microeconomics orECO 223 Macroeconomics 3

GOV 113 Introduction to Government 3

Humanities Electives 6

Mathematics and Science MA 103 Business Algebra orMA 113 College Algebra orMA 153 Finite Mathematics 3

General Education Electives 9

Psychology core PSY 113 Principles of PSychology 3

PSY 303 Research Methods in Psychology 3

PSY 473 Psychology Capstone Demonstration 3

Choose Two PSY 323 Abnormal Psychology 3

PSY 403 Human Sexuality 3

PSY 413 Psychology of Addiction 3

PSY 423 Counselling Theories & Practices 3

Choose Two (6)

PSY 333 Psychology of Personality 3

PSY 343 Social Psychology PSY 373 Political Psychology 3

PSY 313 Topics in Psychology (3) Choose One (3)PSY 353 Child & Adolescent Psychology 3

SOC 323 The Family 3

18 hours PSY or SOC 300/400 level not already chosenAdditional Program Requirements UE111 Adult Learning Orientation (1)HIS 103 American History I  and 3

HIS 113 American History II  or 3

HIS 203 World Civilization I  and 3

HIS 213 World Civilization II 3

SOC 103 Introduction to Sociology 3

Electives

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Works cited

Bates, M & Stevenson, P. Good Counselling is Just Excellent Communication Skills! Or is it?

New York: Holt Reinhart & Wiston. 1998, pp. 3-4. Available at HYPERLINK “http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/12563/8374.pdf;jsessionid=2C96DB098545E6DAD625015577FCEDCB?sequence=1” http://www98.griffith.edu.au/dspace/bitstream/handle/10072/12563/8374.pdf;jsessionid=2C96DB098545E6DAD625015577FCEDCB?sequence=1 (Accessed on March 27, 2014)

Vescio, V., Ross, D. & Adams, A. A Review of Research on Professional Learning

Communities: What Do We Know? NSRF Research Forum. 2006, pp. 13- 14. Available at HYPERLINK “http://www.nsrfharmony.org/research.vescio_ross_adams.pdf” http://www.nsrfharmony.org/research.vescio_ross_adams.pdf. (Accessed on March 27, 2014).

#17

Both Hobbes and Locke believe in their ideologies than all men are born perfectly equal before any form of government and social contract CITATION Dou18 l 1033 (Roscoe, 2018). However, their difference comes in the types of political governances. According to Hobbes, absolute monarchy works best for governance of humans because of scarcity in goods leas to war, greed, and competition amongst men which need a forceful government to maintain order. In Hobbes theory, it is every man for himself which he argues that it results in constant conflicts with each other as everyone strives to defend his/her interests. He also believes that competition is the order of the day due to the scarcity of goods, but he believes all men have equal chances and the body count to fight for their interests.

Locke, on the other hand, believes that a unified government whereby all men participate in logic is better at creating self-interests and those of others. Locke believes that all men are equal before God and no absolute rule should be subject by other humans on others because it is against the natural order of things. According to Locke, absolutism would be the root of corruption, fear of power, and abuse of power. Locke bases his argument in the bible where after creation God did not give any form of authority over his children or the world. In the beginning, God created the earth and put a man in charge of all the earth’s resources but not fellow humans. No man is born with the title of a ruler.

Hobbes thinks of human nature as hostile CITATION Hun15 l 1033 (Chung, 2015). He believes that men are violent beings who are always in constant war with each other in the pursuit to satisfy oneself. He believes that humans are greedy and are always in competition to be better than the other human. For this reason, he believes that absolutism would serve human nature right in bringing order and peace upon human nature. Hobbes believes that life would be very short and brutal if absolutism were absent as a form of governance.

Naturally, it is not clear whether a human is good or evil. Some philosophers argue that humans are born good people, but their morals are eroded as a person grows up and engages with the society while others argue that humans are both evil but the norms and set rules in society put humans in check. They believe that good morals are learned. The perception of what is wrong and right is the determinant of good and evil. Even babies have a sense of what is wrong and right which complicates the whole debate of whether humans are born good or evil.

I agree with Hobbes’ thoughts on the nature of humans.

References

BIBLIOGRAPHY Chung, H. (2015). Hobbes’s State of Nature: A Modern Bayesian Game-Theoretic Analysis. Journal of the American Philosophical Association, 485-508.

Roscoe, D. D. (2018). The Promise of Democratic Equality in the United States. New York: Routledge.

BOTTOM UP ISSUES THAT UASIN GISHU BUSINESS COMMUNITY FACE.

SME’s lack access to capital to establish businesses. Currently loans attract high interest rate at 20%.

Traders in Eldoret suffer high cost of signage and neon lights

High cost of business Permits

Service providers and suppliers have experienced pending bills. There has been delayed payments to an excess of more than 190 days leaving most of them broke and auctioned.

Uasin Gishu has experienced unscrupulous property owners who charge excessive good will that has made doing business very expensive. A bill has to be passed to cap and manage this menace so that access to property to do business is available.

Insecurity and poor lighting have made 24hr doing business very difficult. More lighting in town and expanding estates to happen e.g. kiplombe, kapseret, annex e.t.c

Industrial area in Eldoret KIE has poor infrastructure and they need proper amenities and more space.

Uasin Gishu has no government owned free economic zone. The one currently available is private owned making it difficult for farmers to do value addition.

Establish economic forums in Eldoret to discuss Uasin Gishu economic status and opportunities.

Have full engagement between the private and government to fully operationalize Moi International Airport into an economic hub.

Harmonize cross county permits. Have one licesnce instead of many statutory requirements.

Capacity build for the youth/women on establishing business.

A Summary on Team Dynamics

Name:

Affiliation:

As a team is formed it has specific roles and objectives set out for it. For the cohesion of the team and the purpose of achievement of the set out goal then there are some unconscious psychological forces that will be adapted by the group so as to work together. These factors are summarized as team dynamics and they include; the nature of work, the working environment, the relationships of each member to the other, their personalities, proper communication, clearly set out goals for each member and effective leadership.

First, good and proper communication is the best way to avoid misunderstandings and conflict in a team. This means that all that is required of the individual members as well as the team is passed across effectively and on time. It is necessary for the team to create a synergy by identifying each individual, their strengths and weaknesses so as to be able to major on their strength hence put to use each individual’s skills in the team. Further, clearly set out goals and expectations for the team helps to enable each member know what they are working towards. Another factor is effective leadership. With a good leader, preferably a democratic leader with both authoritative and calm characters would be best for a team’s dynamic (Peterson, Smith, Martorana, & Owens, 2003). With a good performance as well as good work ethics the team has no option but to work at the same or better pace.

Team dynamics can affect the productivity of a team in both a positive as well as a negative way. In case of a poor working environment, the members may be demotivated hence leading to laziness and inability to accomplish laid down tasks as well as achieve the initially communicated goals and objectives. Strenuous and heavy work can be limiting to the members.

On the other hand, team dynamics may result in very fruitful results, in the case of good working relationships. The members are able to communicate their grievances hence they are catered for and they get a solution. Good communication enables the team to work very well and also to provide a comfortable working environment (Warner, Bowers, & Dixon, 2012). Different personalities can be of great assistance in the group if the members identify each other’s strength and use it to the maximum.

Conclusively, the study of team dynamics will be applicable in my work environment in such a way that, when working in a team I will be conscious of how my personality affects the workability of the entire team. A good work environment as well as the nature of the work to be done will be important to be put in consideration. In my work environment I would really appreciate to work in a team because there is a lot of different expertise in one place. When delegated to a team I will be able to understand the need for good and proper communication, effective leadership, clearly setting out the required results and also the need to work in a conducive environment. Hence the need to have healthy work dynamics.

Reference

Peterson, R. S., Smith, D. B., Martorana, P. V., & Owens, P. D. (2003). The impact of chief executive officer personality on top management team dynamics: one mechanism by which leadership affects organizational performance. Journal of Applied Psychology, 88(5), 795.

Warner, S., Bowers, M. T., & Dixon, M. A. (2012). Team dynamics: A social network perspective. Journal of Sport Management, 26(1), 53-66.

Thin beads of perspiration (sweat) ran down my ruddy (glowing) façade (face) (frontage). Horror (terror) (dreadfulness) wrapped up (gripped) my heart (soul) and I dreaded (feared) the mysterious (unknown) (unidentified) (mysterious). My parents had left (gone) (travelled) to visit my grandparents who lived a long way off. I had been left, lonely and desperate to guard (care for) (take care of) our chalet (cottage) (bungalow) (mansion). A loud bang that compounded the ambiance (atmosphere) (environment) (surrounding) was heard from nowhere. Dogs started barking, roosters crowing and even the bulls humming silently. The once tranquil (serene) (calm) (peaceful) (unruffled) environment (ambiance) (atmosphere) (environment) (surrounding) was now a babel of noise.

As I sat up on my couch (bed) (cot) (divan) (cradle), my heart went pit – a – pat. I afterward heard the plodding (trudging) (tramping) of heavy (weighty) (intense) footsteps. If it was not for my bravery (courage) (Valour) (guts), I would have die (passed away) (passed on) of shock and fear (panic) (alarm) (fright) (dread) (trepidation). I recollected the wise saying, “Cowards live longer but pass on (die) (pass away) a hundred times.” I had on no account (by no means), (in no way), (under no circumstances) considered myself a coward and I did not plan for any false (fake) (phony) (artificial) (forged) death (demise) (fatality) either. It was not long before I heard the footsteps die down (subside) (recede) at our door step.

I decided (made up my mind) (resolved) to hide away from the hoodlum (thug) (hooligan) (lout) (ruffian). With a burst (an explode) of energy, I jolted (jerked) (joggled) forward, dashed to the living room and took a vantage position (spot) (location) at the corner. With much ease, the door flew ajar. I quickly calculated and concluded the hoodlum (thug) (hooligan) (lout) (ruffian) (burglar) must have had a master key.

From my hideout (hideaway) (lair), the only sound that could be heard was my heart throbbing wildly against my chest (trunk) cavity. I could hear the hoodlum (thug) (hooligan) (lout) (ruffian) (burglar) humming tunefully and whistling wildly as a periodic (intermittent) (episodic) (sporadic) interception of his humming. He then proceeded (continued) (progressed) (carried on) to open the inner doors. My hands rested on a rod. With two hands I held it tightly because it was big and heavy.

Fidgeting (fiddling) (squirming) (jiggling) restlessly (twitchily) (agitatedly), I decided to dexterously (deftly) (adroitly) give the vandal his match. With the surreptitiousness (furtiveness) (stealth) of a stalking cat, I approached him from behind. My body was fidgeting (fiddling) (squirming) (jiggling) and the rod swinging viciously; as vicious as blood hounds. I skillfully aimed at his back and gave him one blow which was enough to and did send him horizontal (flat) (parallel to the ground).

At the switching on of the lights, I was astounded (thunderstruck) (flabbergasted) (astonished) (amazed). This was my old folk. I was frightened (scared) (terrified) (alarmed) (startled) (alarmed) (panicky) and fear touched my heart with cold fingers. My only luck (fortune) and hope (optimism) rested on the fact that I had not used a dagger (stiletto). He was not hurt, and after picking himself up, I told him how he had scared (frightened) (terrified) the hell out of me.

BOTTLE OF LIES: THE INSIDE STORY OF GENERIC DRUG BOOM

STUDENT NAME

INSTITUTIONAL AFFILIATION

Introduction

The generic medicine industry began as explained by Eban by two Indian nationalists who aimed at copying the expensive western medicine as a way of making and bringing affordable drugs to the Indian market (James et al,2018). Generally, over the world, millions of people suffer various kinds of illness and diseases hence the need for the development of drugs to help cure their conditions or even alleviate pain from the patients. Development and medical evolution have seen pharma companies develop various drugs and availing them to the patients and consumers in need. The need to provide more drugs to the patients saw the manufacturer and genesis of generic drugs and medicines that have helped to save millions of lives across the globe with Indian being best known for generic drugs production hence being referred to as the ‘pharmacy of the world’ (Eban,2019). However, with the commercialization of these generic drugs through ana award-winning investigative writer Katherine Eban who argues that these medicines that are generic are poisoning people. The arguments by Eban are on the global fraud of the pharmaceutical companies in their deceptive ways of providing generic drugs, she argues on the data manipulation and the questionable nature the quality control standards are as well as the unsafe production of generic medicine as exposed by the whistleblower (Eban,2019). Through the book Bottles of Lies a story on the inside story of generic drug boom that argues and develops on the basis and genesis of the generic drug boom that has often been regraded to front the money and profitability ahead of the patient’s health which is their core purposes, Katherine describes the regulation agency of the united states (United states food and drug administration )and how it developed with their opening of markets for generic drug competition that was very cheap (FDA,2018). The bestselling book in New York views the developed of generic drugs as poisoning the people that is developed with a combination of infield reporting on the commerce in pharmaceutical. Written by an investigative journalist the book is able to expose and an eye-opener into the generic drugs that shows how the greed of the pharmaceutical companies has dominated the creation of drugs.

The book Bottle of lies: The inside story of the Generic drug Boom was written by an award-winning investigative journalist Katherine Eban on medical issues that focus on pharmacology. The book was published by Harper Collins Publishers that develop a hardcover with 512 pages with the first edition of the new book being published on May 14th 2019 (Clark & Phillips,2019). The writing of the book by the author is guided by the greedy nature of pharmaceuticals company that offers an easy way out for consumers who are money-strapped by providing cheap generic medicine which the author argues to be dangerous and poisonous as most the production of these drugs is often overseas in factories and industries that are less checked nor verified thus posing a danger to the consumer. the levels in the book include the whistleblower who raised concern after working for the with a pharmacological company specializing in the making of generics (Eban,2019). With the subject that relies on generic medicine under pharmacology and having written investigative pieces in medicine such as Dangerous Doses: How Counterfeiters Are Contaminating America’s Drug Supply, 2005 thus she is a well-known authority on the subjects regarding medicine and their counterfeits. The book was a New York Times bestseller whose reporting on health made me have an interest in reading the work of the renown author and investigative journalist Eban. The reporting is alarming and under the sensitive issue of health will make one question every drug they are in contact with. The varied nature and new information on pharmacology uncovering made me read the book that enhanced my knowledge into the in-depth of developments of genetics that were presented by the writer which otherwise I could not have known (Eban,2019).

The book focuses on the subject of Generic drugs in pharmacology that exposes the deceit in generic medicine manufacturing and the dangers it poses to the health of individuals globally (Eban,2019). The development and fortune in the industry as observed by the writer saw into eliminating the quality control process in making these drugs in the essence and with the aim of making a fortune off the brief monopoly in the generic medicine commerce. The writer argues that the generic medicines are poisoning the people through the process of eliminating the quality control process and in the process develop fake books for inspection to the state departments responsible for drug administration (FDA,2018). The corruption in the industry of generic medicine that was developed by Gandhi now hunts the entire wild for the benefit of a few greedy companies. The generic industry that begum in 1935 by the Indian nationalists who urged each other to copy the western medicine and make it affordable succeeded in reverse-engineering the medicine formulas hence supplying India and the rest of the world with low-cost medicines that were the version of the western medicines. The book by Eban shows how Gandhi’s good intention action developed to become an international fraud. The book is centered around a young executive as a whistleblower who tries to stop his employer an Indian genetics giant from careless manufacture of drugs. The writer argues that 40% of the genetic medicine that is basic to Americans is often imported from China and India with American people believing that generic drugs are simply a cheaper version of the actual name or brand medicine. The patients believe its an amicable process that lead to the developing of cheap drugs from the brand name which is the entire opposite as the brand name companies do not support the generic medicine but they rather strive to stop these drugs from the market (Eban,2019). Eban argues on the opaque nature of the pharmaceutical companies who create the generic drugs through the reverse engineering process that sees the dismantling, putting back together stuff and additional of extra stuff to the final product so as it looks like a replicate of the original (Eban,2019). The writer Eban in her books shows how the development of generic medicine was influenced by the epidemic of HIV/AIDS consequences whereby only western companies owned patents to the effective drugs that were rather expensive for the people affected. With the reduced cost of production according to Eban the American firms realized that if the Indians made the generics good enough to be approved by, they can order the genetic drugs and transform the American drug industry. The integrity, goodwill and humanitarian aim of Dr Hamid and Cipla being exceptional, firms in the states stopped domestic production with the aim of minimizing costs in terms of labor and regulation costs. Although according to the whistleblower 200 products in 40 different countries had been fabricated to support the business needs of the pharma company (Eban,2019). She argues that the FDA used low-quality ingredients with altered test parameters to ensure products with high impunity were approved. Thus, concluding that these drugs by Ranbaxy were harmful for consumption that lacked ingredients that were active but rather having a high number of impunities leading to hospitalization of patients. The fraud was much deeper than the numbers on ledger being fudged but also the concealing of drug impunities by the staff. With the companies investing in a show factory to convince the FDA inspectors that they were different companies (FDA,2018). The main ideas of the book were to provide public service through the provision of insight into the making of generic drugs, with the projection of what the executives are hiding from the general public. The most interesting idea is the profit-driven of bad, bankrupt systems whereby the original brand names are isolated with short cut strategies and schemes that develop these generic drugs whereby patients are not benefiting whereby health is changing course to being a business model (Shepherd,2019).

Bottle of lies is a narrative that is investigative, exposing the life-threating practices that are carried out in the manufacture of generic drugs. The narrative has exclusive accounts of a former executive member of a giant pharma company and confidential documents that expose this global fraud, manipulation of data and unsafe production of medicine (Eban,2019). The book presents the arguments of the writer on questionable quality standards that make the generic drugs not as safe or as effective as the patients view them. The strengths of this book are that the points and ideas articulated are clear and precise as they help the readability by the audience. The weaknesses developed by the book is that it has oversimplified the issue in this book and even though it correctly criticizes the subject on unsafe production of generic drugs it does not highlight the benefits accrued from the use of these generic medicines by the patients. The book has enabled me to learn how these companies conceal their impunities just to ensure their business aims are achieved. My opinion on this issue is that it is inhuman to take advantage of the vital industry that is set to provide genuine drugs that are reverse engineered to help the needy with money constraints to satisfy the greed of few companies that are profit-oriented at the expense of human health(Shepherd,2019). This is derived from the implied integrity, goodwill and humanitarian motivation by dr. Hamid and Cipla. My opinion on the book is that for the great good of the public it is essential and indeed an eye-opener that I would recommend so that others would get the in-depth view of what transpires in the manufacture of generic medicine. This would help them make informed choices and develop a better view of the issues surrounding generic drugs.

References

Clark, G., & Phillips, A. (2019). Inside book publishing. Routledge.

Eban, K. (2019). Bottle of lies: the inside story of the generic drug boom. HarperCollins Press, May, 14, 405-406.

FDA, U. (2018). Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration. Early Alzheimer’s Disease: Developing Drugs for Treatment. USA: Guidance for Industry, US Department of Health and Human Services Food and Drug Administration.

James, P., Bah, A., Margao, E., Hanson, C., Kabba, J., & Jamshed, S. (2018). Exploring the Knowledge and Perception of Generic Medicines among Final Year Undergraduate Medical, Pharmacy, and Nursing Students in Sierra Leone: A Comparative Cross-Sectional Approach. Pharmacy, 6(1), 3.

Shepherd, J. (2019). Pharmacy Benefit Managers, Rebates, and Drug Prices: Conflicts of Interest in the Market for Prescription Drugs. Yale Law & Policy Review, 38.

A Surge in Global Stocks Market

There was a surge in global stock markets on Friday, 14th October 2022, following a rebound from a slump in Wall Street, which is being caused by the higher-than-expected inflation figures. Market benchmarks in Paris and London started up by +1 percent with Tokyo rising 3.3% in its biggest gain in a day they have not experienced in seven months. Also, Shangai and Hong Kong rose. Benchmarks in the US also indicate that US crude increased by almost $2 per barrel. On Wall Street which is the future for benchmark P and S 500 index reduced with 0.4%. Wall Street benchmark reduced heavily following the 8.2% increase in the consumer price index on Thursday. However, the P and S 500 rebounded to 2.6% which it’s the biggest gain it has recorded in two and half years. According to a report by Vishnu Varathan of Mizuno Bank, the sticker shock concerning inflation was shrugged off as traders are expecting another rise in the interest rates starting from next month in order to regulate the surging prices((“Global stocks surge after Wall Street rebounds from inflation jolt,” 2022). Worth noting, central and Fed banks across Asia and Europe have resulted to increasing rates with wide margins so as to contain the inflation. Traders are afraid of tipping the global economy towards recession. During the early stages of trading, the CAC rose 0.8% to 5, 925.44 in Paris and the FTSE 100 also rose by 0.6% to 6.894.30. In Frankfurt, the DAX also advanced to 12, 420.24, a 0.5% increase. The Dow Jones Industrial average reduced by 0.3 percent on Wall Street on Thursday. Notably, the CPI report for Thursday indicated that inflation is beginning to spread more widely in all sectors of the economy.

References

Global stocks surge after Wall Street rebounds from inflation jolt. Business-standard.com. (2022). Retrieved 17 October 2022, from https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/global-stocks-surge-after-wall-street-rebounds-from-inflation-jolt-122101400664_1.html.

Name:

Tutor:

Course:

Date:

A Major Decision

“Then Christ will make his home in your hearts as you trust in him. Your roots will grow down into God’s love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God’s people should, how long, how wide, how high and how deep his love is. May you experience the love that Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you may be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God” Ephesians 3:17-19. This Bible verse has been an inspiration to my life and has made me understand God’s love facing the challenges that come my way.

I remember when I turned sixteen. The world did not make sense to me and I felt lonely and terrified, like I did not fit. As a teenager, everybody made me believe that the insecurities I felt were normal at this age. I now look back and see that this was a point in my life where God was calling me. He would have saved me from going through all that I was going through but I did not run to him. I ran away from him most of the time getting myself deeper into trouble and further away from him.

As a teenager, I became very rebellious especially at school. I was breaking the simplest of rules like keeping time without even thinking of the consequences. My mouth was very fast to talk ill and criticize others just because I felt that I was cool and more superior to my peers. I knew that deep inside, I was dealing with my insecurities and I needed to run to a place where I would find refuge. I was disobedient to God, my parents, my teachers and my peers.

At my school, we had a Christian Union that was in charge of organizing prayers for the students at least one weekend during the school term. This was the time we were given to worship God and most people would accept Jesus Christ in their lives. A friend told me about and asked me to attend. She preached to me and told me that I could find the peace that I desired in Jesus Christ. I did not think it was possible for God to accept me and I thought that I was not worth to stand before his presence. “My relationship with God is just too far gone” I complained. She was quick to remind me of the parable of the prodigal son who was welcomed by his father even when he had asked his father to give him a share of his property.

During that weekend, I knew I had to make a major decision to have my spiritual birth now that I had nothing to loose. I can confess to you that God is love and he is able to love us no matter what we have done. Sometimes I find myself daydreaming and letting my thoughts wonder. I think about how I have learnt to trust and have faith in God who I have never laid my eyes on. Skeptics may dispute the power of the scripture or deny the reality of God, but no one can deny my experience with him. When I talk about how God has performed a miracle in my life, or the way he has blessed me, changed me, lifted and always encouraged me, perhaps even wrecked and healed me nobody can argue or debate it. God has been my refuge to whom I turn to when things cannot be clarified. I glorify his name when I am happy and seek his comfort when I am weak. This was a major decision that I made in my life.

Methods/Research Design

Natalie Rivero

Research Methods in HDEV 311

Rachel Stryker

11/13/2023

Methods/Research Design

Variables and Data

My proposed study will use qualitative data to address the research question, How does narcissism contribute to antisocial behavior in men? So far, scholars have established that there is a significant positive relationship between narcissism and antisocial behaviors (Alexander et al., 2021; Jones et al., 2017; March et al., 2020). This study will further these researches by exploring different qualities of narcissistic personality which lead men to become antisocial. The variables of this study will include narcissism and antisocial behaviors. In the proposed study, narcissism will be measured in terms of the four renowned qualities of a narcissistic personality: an individual’s inability to handle criticism, excessive need for admiration, sense of entitlement, and disregard for other people’s feelings.

Antisocial behavior is an action that violates societal norms and other people’s rights (Mezquita et al., 2021). Therefore, since antisocial behavior will be one of the variables in the study, it will be defined in terms of the signs of antisocial personality disorder (APD), including disregard for wrong and right, persistent deceit to exploit others, being cynical, callous, and disrespectful to others, repeatedly violating other people’s rights through dishonesty and manipulation, abusive relationships, arrogance, increased problem with the law, and lack of empathy for other people (Howard & Duggan, 2022).

I will conduct semi-structured interviews to explore how narcissism contributes to antisocial behaviors. Interview questions will be self-constructed to ensure sufficient data is collected to address the research questions. Research subjects will be required to explain how various qualities of narcissism contribute to any of the signs mentioned above of APD. For instance, one of the interview questions will seek to determine how disregard for other people’s feelings leads to the violation of other people’s rights. The interview responses will produce nominal data.

Subjects/Sampling

The target population for my proposed study will be male students in a US-based public university who are above the age of 18 years. These subjects will be considered because the study aims to uncover how narcissism contributes to antisocial behavior in men. The sample frame I will select these subjects from will be a public university in the US. I have chosen this sample frame because I am a student from the same public university that I intend to use. Therefore, this will make it easy for me to identify potential participants in the study. The sample size for my proposed study will be 15 respondents (n=15). Vasileiou et al. (2018) urge that a minimum of 12 respondents are required for a qualitative study to achieve data saturation. Based on this recommendation, 15 respondents will be deemed sufficient for this study.

I will use a non-probability sampling technique for the proposed study. Specifically, purposive sampling will be utilized. Usually, the purposive sampling technique necessitates that researchers select a sample size based on their judgment and keeping in mind the goals and objectives of the research (Etikan et al., 2016). For this study, purposeful sampling will be preferred for several reasons. First and foremost, it will be suitable for the proposed study since it will allow me to select available, willing, and knowledgeable participants to inform the study. According to Etikan et al. (2016), respondents are selected for purposive sampling based on their ability to offer the pertinent information needed to answer the research questions. I will also consider using purposive sampling for my proposed study because it has been shown to be both simple and cost-saving by other researchers (Alvi, 2016). Also, since public universities have more male and female students, as well as male students below the age of 18 who might be willing to participate in this study, using purposive sampling will eliminate the chances of selecting these subjects.

Instrument and Procedures

This study will adopt a qualitative research design. According to Leppink (2017), a qualitative method is an exploratory approach that aids in examining a research problem through the opinions, perceptions, and lived experiences of those who are knowledgeable about or impacted by it. Therefore, I have chosen this research design because I believe it will be appropriate to explore the issue of narcissism and antisocial behaviors from the views, opinions, and lived experiences of knowledgeable participants about this problem. I will utilize semi-structured interviews to collect data for my proposed study. Since I will recruit respondents from the same school where I study, I will perform face-to-face interviews. I will interview one respondent at a time, and each session will take about 30-45 minutes. Interview sessions will be recorded using a mobile phone. Interviews will be conducted from the school compound. I believe conducting the interviews from the school compound will allow respondents to be more comfortable during the interview session. Consequently, this will allow them to provide detailed information to inform my study.

The term least harm is the minimum injury to the safety, rights, or welfare of research participants that may entail social, physical, financial, psychological, or economic aspects. Usually, it is the role of the researcher to prevent or minimize harm to research subjects. My proposed study does not have any potential harm to the participants. However, as the researcher, I will ensure to uphold ethical standards to protect participants’ dignity, integrity, confidentiality, and privacy. Firstly, I will ensure that all respondents sign an informed consent form before taking part in the study. The consent form will outline the research purpose, the duration of research, and what is expected from respondents; a clear statement that respondents will be willing to withdraw from the research at any given time without being asked a brief description of the benefits of taking part in the study, and a detailed description of how participants’ confidentiality will be maintained. To ensure the anonymity and confidentiality of respondents, no identifiable data such as names, addresses, and phone numbers will be recorded during the interviews. Also, pseudonyms will be used to identify participants. Furthermore, I will maintain the three principles of ethical research: justice, respect, and beneficence. Lastly, I will be the only person with access to the collected data.

Validity

Validity refers to the degree to which conclusions drawn from a study accurately reflect the phenomenon being measured. Internal validity examines if the study’s planning, execution, and analysis provide unbiased answers to the research objectives. Two examples of internal validity include content validity and construct validity. Content validity assesses whether a research method is suitable for the study. To achieve this type of validity in my proposed study, I will ensure my supervisor, who is an expert in this field of study, approves the suitability of my research method. On the other hand, construct validity focuses on examining if the test measured what it was intended to measure. To achieve construct validity, I will utilize relevant existing knowledge to develop my interview questions.

External validity assesses whether the study’s findings are generalizable to other contexts. Two examples of external validity include ecological validity and population validity. Population validity examines how best the study findings from the research participants can be generalized to a wider group of people. To ensure this, I will collect data from students in a public university. Usually, students in a university are from diverse backgrounds. Ecological validity entails how well study results can be applied to real-life situations. To ensure the applicability of the study in real-life situations, I will use men as the study’s participants as the study is specific on how narcissism contributes to antisocial behavior in men.

A confounding variable is an unmeasured variable that affects the dependent and independent variables in a study. One example of a confound that may be associated with my proposed study is history confounds. Also, time of study confounds may be associated with my proposed study. I will adhere to the provided time deadlines for the submission of each part of my study to ensure that I do not lose track of time during my study.

References

Alexander, M. B., Gore, J., & Estep, C. (2021). How need for power explains why narcissists are antisocial. Psychological reports, 124(3), 1335-1352.

Alvi, M. (2016). A manual for selecting sampling techniques in research.

Etikan, I., Musa, S. A., & Alkassim, R. S. (2016). Comparison of convenience sampling and purposive sampling. American Journal of Theoretical and Applied Statistics, 5, 1-4. doi:10.11648/j.ajtas.20160501.11

Howard, R., & Duggan, C. (2022). Antisocial Personality: Theory, Research, Treatment. Cambridge University Press.

Jones, B. D., Woodman, T., Barlow, M., & Roberts, R. (2017). The darker side of personality: Narcissism predicts moral disengagement and antisocial behavior in sport. The Sport Psychologist, 31(2), 109-116.

March, E., Grieve, R., Wagstaff, D., & Slocum, A. (2020). Exploring anger as a moderator of narcissism and antisocial behaviour on Tinder. Personality and Individual Differences, 161, 109961.

Maxwell, J. A. (2019). Distinguishing between quantitative and qualitative research: a response to Morgan. Journal of Mixed Methods Research, 1-6. doi:10.1177/1558689819828255

Mezquita, L., Bravo, A. J., Pilatti, A., Ortet, G., Ibáñez, M. I., & Cross-Cultural Addictions Study Team. (2021). Preliminary validity and reliability evidence of the Brief Antisocial Behavior Scale (B-ABS) in young adults from four countries. PloS one, 16(2), e0247528. https://doi.org/10.1371%2Fjournal.pone.0247528Vasileiou, K., Barnett, J., Thorpe, S. & Young, T. (2018). Characterizing and justifying sample size sufficiency in interview-based studies: systematic analysis of qualitative health research over a 15-year period. BMC medical research methodology, 18(1), pp.1-18.

HDEV 302: Research Methods in Human Development

Dr. Rachael Stryker

METHODS/RESEARCH DESIGN SECTION GUIDELINES

Instructions

The second draft section of your Research Proposal to complete this semester is the Methods/Research Design section. It is due on Sunday, November 13th by 11:55 pm. Please be sure to completely read the Course Skills Notes for Weeks 11 and 12 before you begin this assignment. The Methods/Research Design section for a Research Proposal should be about three to five pages, typed and double-spaced. Please use a 12- point font and provide the assignment with the heading titled, Methods/Research Design.

Rubric

The assignment must include the following four subsections (and content within each subsection) to be considered for full credit:

1. Variables and Data [suggested length: approx. one to one-and-a-half pages] In this subsection, please be sure that you do the following: Clearly state once more, your proposed research question, and, if you have one, your hypothesis for the proposed study. And please restate what each of your variables are in the study. Then provide details about how you might propose to operationalize [define in a way that is measurable] each of your variables. Again, what this usually means is, how do you propose to measure each variable (for example, stress can be measured by taking someone’s blood pressure, and so one can thus define “stress” as blood pressure; or one can ask participants to self-report about stress or rank their stress level, and so one can simply define stress as self-report measurements). Please also provide details about the kind(s) of data [N, O, I, and/or R] that each operationalization will produce. You can name and briefly discuss more than one type of data in this paragraph. Also, please remember, if you are going to propose to try to examine or prove a relationship between variables for your proposed study, then you will, in fact, have both independent variables (factors that you think influence the other factors in the study] and dependent variables [factors that you think may be influenced by the independent variable(s)] in the project]. If this is the case for you, then please state which variables in your proposed project are independent [the one that is influential] and dependent [the one that is likely to be influenced] and why. If you will not propose to have independent/dependent variables in your study, then please clearly state the reasons why you do not have these types of variables in the study and what outcomes you hope to achieve instead in terms of intellectual pursuit.

2. Subjects/Sampling: [suggested length: approx. one to one-and-a-half-pages] In this subsection, please be sure that you answer the following questions: What are you proposing your subject criteria be (in other words, who, exactly, is allowed in your study [are you soliciting by gender, age, religion, student status, etc)? From what specific sampling frame do you propose to try to draw all of your subjects from, and why? What sample size (sample size is represented by N, as in, N=10 if you will have ten participants) will you propose, and why? And are you proposing to conduct probability or non-probability sampling for the study, and why?

3. Instruments and Procedures: [suggested length: approx. half to one page] In this subsection, please be sure that you answer the following questions: Are you conducting an experiment? If not, what type of the other common types of research designs that we’ve covered this term are you proposing to conduct – qualitative and/or descriptive (quantitative), and why? How do you propose to administer it? Where would you administer it? If yes, why do you feel this is the best type of research design to propose? What is your test group? What is your control group? What is your intervention (the independent variable)? How will you administer it? Where will you administer it? Then please provide details about whether you will be collecting your data using any of the following common instruments and why: via a pre-existing data set; via survey or questionnaire; via interviews; via observation. If you are not using any of these instruments, what others (for example, participant journals, social media content, or something else) are you proposing to use and why? And if you are using surveys/questionnaires, will you use any scales? Why or why not? Finally, please explain what the term “least harm” means [this is from the Week 13 course materials]. What is an example of “harm”, if any, that could come to your participants during your particular proposed research, and what are two ways that you might attempt to do “least harm” to your participants while administering this instrument? Even if you are not working directly with human subjects in your proposed research, you do need to discuss any ethical issues that can come up in your proposed research project.

4. Validity [suggested length: approx. half to one page] In this subsection, please be sure that you answer the following questions: What is the validity of a study? What is internal validity? Please list two types, and briefly discuss at least two ways that you would propose to attempt to achieve it in your research project. What is external validity? Please introduce two types and briefly discuss two ways that you would attempt to achieve it in your research project. Finally, please be sure to define what a confound is, and name and define two kinds of confounds that may be associated with your specific proposed project. Then speculate how you, as a researcher, might be able to plan your research in such a way as to prevent them from influencing the outcomes of your proposed research.

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Please remember: You can always post questions about this assignment to the “Questions for the Professor” thread on our Blackboard course Discussion Board or email the professor at: rachael.stryker@csueastbay.edu Also, please be sure to be reading the professor’s feedback on your RCR for Weeks 10 through 12 assignments, as there will be helpful feedback and clarifications there that will help you draft this section of your Research Proposal.