Alfred Adler and His Personality Theory

Alfred Adler was born in the suburbs of Vienna to a grain merchant and his wife on the 7th February 1870. He was the third child and second son of his parents. He could not walk until the age of four due to his lingering rickets. At the age of five, he went down with a chronic pneumonia which nearly took his life, and on recovery, resolved to become a medical doctor, even at the very young age.He retained this ambition throughout his school years, although he was merely an averagely clever student who, due to a period of lack of seriousness with and loss of commitment to his studies, tended towards becoming a dullard. This tendency made his teacher write him off as one not cut out for academic success— and his woeful performance at Mathematics seemed to testify to this pronouncement. However, his father’s belief in his abilities and his own self-assurance and self-esteem spurred him on to renewed commitment and revival.He proved his teacher’s pronouncement wrong: Not only did he rise to become the best Mathematics student, he pursued his medical ambition to the University of Vienna where he achieved his medical degree. During his schooling years, Adler was â€Å"quite outgoing, popular and active† (Boeree, George, 2006).He had a strong personality and firm resolution (qualities which explain why he could sustain and realize his medical ambition in the face of his teacher’s despise and pessimism). Adler began his medical career as an opthamologist, but later turned to general medical practice.He established his office somewhere in the lower class part of Vienna, across from an amusement park-cum-circus. Most of his clients and patients were circus performers. This fact gave him the opportunity to observe, study and investigate their unusual strengths and weaknesses, which they demonstrated through their relative physiological resistances and tolerance, leading him to the formulation of a theory he termed â€Å"organic inferior ities and compensations†. He later switched to psychiatry and joined Freud’s discussion group.In this group, he got the opportunity to develop and articulate his organic theory, to which Freud agreed; however, his subsequent theory of the aggression instinct were against Frend’s beliefs, just as was his suggestion that the sexual notions which Freud upheld should be taken figuratively rather than literally.Alfred Adler sought to investigate the human personality and behaviour: what fundamentally made up the human personality and what made all human beings behave the way they did, irrespective of their backgrounds, individualities, privileges or lack of them.His conclusions, he formulated as a theory of personality In the course of the Second World War, Alfred became a Physician for the Austrian army, first serving on the Russian front before moving to the children’s hospital. This change gave him the opportunity for a first-hand observation of the war vict ims and causalities.It probably was the shock and horror from these direct observations that made him develop an interest in the concept of social interest, coming to the conclusion that â€Å"if humanity was to survive, it had to change its ways. † (George B, 2006).In 1926, he went to the United States to work as a lecturer. He died of heart attack in 1937 in the course of his lecturing.ALFRED ADLER’S PERSONALITY THEORYAlfred Adler’s theory of personality offers the underlying motivation not only of all human behavior but also for the development of the human personality. He postulated ‘a single â€Å"drive† or motivating force behind all our behavior and experience’ (Boeree, 2006). He believed that every human action, rational or irrational, arises out of an urge for perfection, out of an underlying desire for the attainment of some ideal.However, because he believed no two human beings are exactly alike, even in their responses to this â⠂¬Å"single† drive, he called this theory â€Å"Individual Psychology. † The â€Å"ideal†, also termed â€Å"perfection†, however, points to an ultimate image of himself that every individual often unconsciously harbors as the goal to which he or she must attain.Adler termed this ultimate image â€Å"fictional finalism† (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007). Thus, every human action or behavior, according to Adler, is an attempt to draw nearer to the realization of his or her potentials and, ultimately, to realization of the â€Å"fictional finalism†.This attempt, which he called â€Å"striving for perfection†, is sometimes referred to as â€Å"striving for superiority† (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007) ,to give it the suggestion of something attainable and realizable, and to distinguish it from the impracticality of idealism and perfectionism (â€Å"in psychology, [idealism and perfectionism]) are often given a rather negative connot ation. Perfection and ideals are, practically by definition, things you can't reach. Many people, in fact, live very sad and painful lives trying to be perfect!† ([Boeree, 2006]).â€Å"Superiority† in the above context refers to a state or situation towards which every human action is directed—be it the satisfaction of a physical instinct, meeting financial or cultural obligations or working towards the realization of a political objective.A â€Å"superiority† or â€Å"betterment† is always in view, motivating the action. ‘According to Adler â€Å"We all wish to overcome difficulties. We all strive to reach a goal by the attainment of which we shall feel strong, superior, and complete. â€Å"’ (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007).The striving towards â€Å"superiority† is therefore driven by the fundamental and all-inspiring striving towards the realization of â€Å"fictional finalism†. The â€Å"fictional finalism† i s the hidden force that drives, motivates, informs and decides. It induces the urge for self-improvement. It is the spirit of all actions, however commonplace or ordinary, the heart of every aspiration, determining the range of all material or immaterial acquisitions— of all â€Å"treasures†: it defines them and â€Å"draws them to itself† in an attempt towards self-fulfillment and self- realization. Thus, â€Å"Where your treasure is, there will your heart also be† (Mathew 6:21).ASPECTS OF ALFRED ALDER’S THEORYFour aspects of Alder Alfred’s theory have been identified: The development of personality, striving towards superiority, psychological health and unity of personality (Fisher, 2001).THE DEVELOPMENT OF PERSONALITYThe development of personality begins in childhood, with the â€Å"striving for superiority† referred to above and the at-first unconscious attempts towards the realization of potentials: â€Å"children observe more c ompetent elders around them and this motivates them to acquire new skills and develop new talents (Weiten, 1992, p. 484). † (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007).These attempts at acquisition of new skills and development of new talents, Adler attributes to a healthy feeling of inferiority – inferiority to the elders who have cultivated and now exhibit such skills and talents, and who now stand to be â€Å"looked up to† ( being â€Å"superior†) by the children. With time, as the potentials develop, and age and physical maturity advance, fictional finalism in the developing child makes itself increasingly felt, with such fundamental accompanying manifestations as the urge for self-assertion and the associated desire to have to control over one’s life, enjoying freedom of individuality.â€Å"People [become] focused on maintaining control over their lives. † (Fisher, 2001). These manifestations are perhaps better recognized in such phenomena later in the child’s life as: an uncompromising choice of career or life partner; inflexible pursuits of a political or sport ambition, or the devotion to some preoccupying or obsessing religious or even recreational cause.Interference or intrusion in the pursuit of these individual assertions of personality are naturally resisted by the man or woman in question, because hand in hand with the self-assertive realizations of the fictional- finalism urges goes a desire to retain control over one’s life. Acquiescing to such interferences is, therefore, unnatural for a personality.STRIVING TOWARDS SUPERIORITYSuperiority, according to Adler Alfred, is not â€Å"superior over, not competition† (Adler Alfred’s â€Å"individual Psychology†).It is, rather, a healthy urge towards self-fulfillment and self-actualization.. Every endeavor, every attempt to achieve or merely to do something is, consequently, an attempt to attain to higher or â€Å"superior† levels of personality development—an â€Å"upward movement† or â€Å"ascent† to a better situation or condition of physical, mental or psychological state. Striving towards superiority is, thus, an integral part of living; it is â€Å"innate in the sense that it is a part of life.Trhoughout [sic] a person's life, Adler believed [a person] is motivated by the need to overcome the sense of inferiority and strive for ever higher levels of development. † (Adler Alfred’s â€Å"individual Psychology†). The striving for superiority begins with the spirit of the following Biblical recommendation: Thorns and snares are in the way of the froward: he that doth keep his soul [as well as his mind, drives and impulses] shall be far from them.Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it. (Proverbs 22: 5-6). In the first sentence, â€Å"keeping† of the soul – and by implication, the mind, drives and impulse s – suggests the significance of early childhood upbringing to the development of the personality. â€Å"The froward† is deducibly the individual of an unhealthy personality, one who does not â€Å"keep†, i. e. , pay attention to and take care of, the nature and promptings of his or her inherent fictional finalism.The next sentence contains a practical, resolving recommendation: â€Å"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old he will not depart from it† Two suggestions are perhaps apparent from this recommendation: one, that the social, educational and moral upbringing of the child is fundamental to the health of its drives and impulses (to its â€Å"soul†), and, consequently, to the direction of its fictional finalism (the entirety of its pursuits, habits, peculiarities and voluntary socialization); two, that the image of the fictional finalism is composed essentially of the childhood orientation, which more or less â€Å"compe ls† the child to keep to paths of this image later in life, that is, â€Å"prevents† the child from â€Å"departing from it when he is old†.This deduction does not, however, lessen the force of Adler’s assertion of individuality of personality; for the quite observable fact that no two children are exactly alike suggests that the individuality of the child plays a role in its adaptation to and development through its childhood orientation. Identical twins under identical childhood upbringing will therefore never develop identically.While they might demonstrate similar good or bad upbringing, they will certainly not behave or think alike, nor will they aspire towards identical self-realizations. Therefore, â€Å"striving towards superiority† depends more on the individuality of the child and its upbringing than on the social, educational or cultural influences to which the child may be later subjected.PSYCHOLOGICAL HEALTHThe psychological health of a personality depends on a number of factors suggested by the concept of â€Å"striving towards superiority† and by the fact that â€Å"Everyone feels inferior to a degree, which motivates us to get better†¦Ã¢â‚¬  (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007). These factors include:(i) Healthy inferiority feelings.(ii) Positive fictional finalism.(iii) Absence of idealism and perfectionism.In the light of the preceding subsections, these factors indicate the relevance of the assertion that â€Å"Good understanding giveth favour; but the way of transgressors is hard. † (Proverbs 13:15). Ensuring health of inferiority feelings, helping the development of a positive fictional finalism and working towards the absence of idealism and perfectionism, all naturally require â€Å"good understanding† of the workings of the personality . Such an understanding will prevent the development of a â€Å"hard†, â€Å"transgressing† personality—a personality overste pping all limits of rationality and propriety in the urges and the actualization of its self-image.(i) Healthy Inferiority feelings: Adler was said (Fisher, M. 2001) to describe inferiority feelings as â€Å"feelings of lack of worth†, which he believed to motivate the individual towards striving for superiority. However, as with everything, there are healthy and unhealthy inferiority feelings.These two kinds are naturally to be differentiated through the nature of the psychological and impulsive effects each induces. Healthy inferiority feelings, as is shown above, are progressive; unhealthy inferiority feelings, retrogressive. Unhealthy inferiority feelings can be named apart from healthy inferiority feelings by terming them â€Å"inferiority complex†, which Oxford Talking Dictionary (1998) defines as â€Å"an unrealistic feeling of general inadequacy caused by actual or supposed inferiority in one sphere†¦Ã¢â‚¬ The lack of â€Å"reality† in these feeli ngs already marks them as undesirable and counter-productive. Further in support of their undesirableness is the statement from Brainmeta (2007): People might cope with an inferiority complex by becoming tentative, helpless, and lazy, or by engaging in behavior, called overcompensation.Overcompensation involves trying to hide one's sense of inferiority from others and even from oneself. People who overcompensate might be vocal about their successes and qualities and exaggerate them. Also, they tend to get wrapped up in status, power, and materialism. They believe all of these things give the appearance of superiority (Weiten, 1992, p. 484). †The fostering and the sustenance of healthy inferiority feelings, as is suggested by the excerpt from the Book of Proverbs above, demand knowledge or â€Å"good understanding† of personality psychology—knowledge of such social and familial conditions as might cause psychological and personality irregularities. One source of s uch good knowledge is the implications or ramifications of Adler Alfred’s theories of personality and his assertions in the process of formulating these theories. For instance, Adler was said (Fisher, 2001) to maintain â€Å"that personality difficulties are rooted in a feeling of inferiority deriving from restrictions on the individual's need for self-assertion. † This statement clearly recommends freedom of self-assertion for children and adults alike.However, marrying this suggested recommendation to that of the Book of Proverbs excerpted above (which is another source of â€Å"good understanding†) modifies this recommendation and keeps it within limits: it suggests that freedom of assertion must be within the limits of a sound upbringing and realistic self-discipline.(ii) Positive fictional finalism and (iii) Absence of Idealism and Perfectionism are both clearly dependent on the existence of healthy inferiority feelings. The soul of all aspirations resides as much in the impulses of inferiority feelings as it does in those of fictional finalism. In other words, an individual’s fictional finalism determines the nature (and, therefore, the health) of his or her inferiority feelings.Idealism and perfectionism, as has been suggested above, can lead to tormenting self-criticisms due to the high expectations their bearer has of him or herself. It is understandable that both can derive from an attempt to overcompensate for inferiority complex— to make up for the unhealthy inferiority feelings that have developed from an unhealthy personality.UNITY OF PERSONALITYWith his postulates that there is ‘a single â€Å"drive† or motivating force behind all our behavior and experience’ (Boeree, 2006), and that â€Å"the conscious and unconscious worked together to achieve the goals of self-improvement and fictional finalism† (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007), Alfred Adler suggested the existence of unity of pers onality.First, if the conscious and the unconscious work towards the common goal of self-improvement and fictional finalism, then every conscious feeling, thought, or emotion of a human being, be they pleasant or unpleasant, unite with his or her every unconscious feeling or emotion towards the fulfillment of these goals. The goal, however, is always striven towards, since it is the â€Å"motivating force behind all †¦ behaviour and experience† (Boeree, 2006).Consequently, every conscious feeling and thought is unceasingly in union and co-operation with every unconscious feeling and thought towards the attainment of the common goal of self-actualization. Second, if the conscious and the unconscious are, consequently, unceasingly united, it follows that the goals of self-improvement and of fictional finalism are in a ceaseless union.However, â€Å"Adler postulated that, beyond general [self-] improvement, each person has an ideal image they are trying to achieve†¦. This image of the perfect self is called the fictional finalism (Elverud, 1997). † † (Alfred Adler (1870-1937), 2007). Consequently, standing â€Å"beyond† the goal of â€Å"general improvement† (and connected with this goal), fictional finalism unites the urge for self-improvement, the conscious and the unconscious for a common purpose, and therefore forms the centerpiece of every drive and impulse of the personality. Therefore, unity of personality is the joint striving of every conscious and unconscious emotion, thought, feeling and action towards ultimate self-actualization.Adler therefore believed that there is an agreement among every aspiring, desiring, thinking, and acting of a human being: that unhealthy feelings of inferiority indicate the existence of unhealthy fictional finalism; that a restricted self-assertion and incomplete control of ones life can be recognized through the restricted thinking, feeling and acting of the individual in question ; that the extent of the realization of potentials is reflected in the extent of freedom of thought, opinion, speech and action of an individual†¦These deductions find support in a figurative appreciation of the following Biblical excerpt: â€Å"Every man is brutish in his knowledge: every founder is confounded by the graven image: for his molten image is falsehood, and there is no breath in them. † (Jeremiah 10:14). If the â€Å"graven image† is taken as the image of a dead, i. e. unrealistic fictional finalism, then the personality harboring such an image is bound to be â€Å"confounded† in his aspirations and his opinions, â€Å"brutish† in his outlook and expectations, and â€Å"false† in his interactions with fellow human beings.A practical example of such a person is a maniacal perfectionist whom no one could ever please or satisfy.ReferencesALFRED ADLER'S â€Å"INDIVIDUAL PSYCHOLOGY†. Retrieved April 10th, 2007 from http://www. s onoma. edu/users/d/daniels/adler. html.ALFRED ADLER. Retrieved 10th April 2007 from http://www. muskingum. edu/~psych/psycweb/history/adler. htm#Theory Alfred Adler (1870-1937). Retrieved 11th April 2007 from http://brainmeta. com/personality/adler. php.BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH OF ALFRED ADLER. Retrieved April 11, 2007 from http://ourworld. compuserve. com/homepages/hstein/adler. htm In Cambridge Advanced learner’s Dictionary. Retrieved 11th April, 2007 from http://dictionary. cambridge. org/results. asp? searchword=opthamologist&x=12&y=8.In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved April 3, 2007, from Encyclop? dia Britannica Online: http://www. britannica. com/eb/article-9003744.North American Society of Adlerian Psychology. NASAP : . Retrieved April 12th, 2007 from http://www. alfredadler. org/.Personality Theory, Alfred Adler. Retrieved April 12, 2007, from http://webspace. ship. edu/cgboer/adler. html.Psychography : Alfred Adler. Psychography. Retrieved April 9th 2007, from http://f aculty. frostburg. edu/mbradley/psyography/alfredadler. html.The Holy Bible, King James Version. THOMAS NELSON, PUBLISHERS. Nashville. Camden. Newyork. The Oxford Talking Dictionary, 1998 Edition.

In the Devil’s Snare Essay

There have been several interpretations of the Salem Witchcraft Crisis of 1692. Like every issue that has come up, everyone has their own take on it. Mary Beth Norton chose to lay out her version of the witchcraft trials in her book, In the Devil’s Snare. It is a tremendously ambitious book. Throughout the book, Norton is trying to lay out connections between the experiences of settlers in Maine, the accusations of the afflicted in Salem, and the actions and decisions of the colony leaders. I’ll admit, I don’t know much about the Salem Witchcraft Trials, if anything at all. I had the choice of reading The Crucible in high school, but I turned it down and chose to read a different book. Therefore, I really had not choice but to believe Norton when she said that her approach to examining the witchcraft crisis was a new one. Instead of looking at events case-by-case, she starts at the very beginning (the first whisper of an accusation) and moves chronologically through the entire episode. When it was needed, Norton would pause to add background information. Mary Beth’s point of view of the Salem Witchcraft Crisis is that it all was triggered by from the results of the Indian Wars. She believes that the only way this crisis could be understood, is if you looked at the military conflict between the English settlers and the Native Americans from that region. By the specific attention paid to Tituba, Martha Corey, and Abigail Hobbs, Norton shows how these individuals contributed to the linkage between the witchcraft crisis and the military conflict with the natives. In my opinion, I think Norton’s conclusion should have been put at the start. This is where she explains her thesis, which was that witchcraft crisis of 1692 was in large part a reaction to King Philip’s War and King William’s War, clearly and concisely. Mary Beth does a good job at connecting the participants to the Wars; however I don’t think she’s very convincing when it came to showing how the lack of military and leadership in the w ar was a driving force to the creation of the Salem Witchcraft Trials. Mary Beth Norton’s, In The Devil’s Snare, was very well written piece of literature. I commend her on stepping outside of what other authors had written about and creating her own version of the Salem WitchCraft Crisis of 1692. Norton has a substantial amount of supporting material that she’s gotten from other sources. The amount of the research involved to write her 304 page book is quite impressive and is ultimately breathtaking. I can only imagination how time consuming it was to lay out all the researched material and piece it together with her side of things. Just the thought of management needed to piece this book together gives me a headache. However, all this information did make the book less interesting to me. To be honest, I don’t think I’ve ever picked up a book that had 86 pages of endnotes! It made the book a drag because I had to continuously keep flipping back and forth between the story itself, and the side notes. Sometimes a reader can get away with skipping the end notes; however, I felt it was necessary to going back and forth because if I didn’t, I don’t think I would have understood most of it. Sometimes Norton’s side notes helped clarify what I was reading. All in all, In The Devil’s Snare was a decent book. I don’t think I ever found it really interesting at any point, nor was there a place that made me want to keep reading and not push the book aside for a little. My recommendation to others would be limited. This isn’t a book I would recommend to those that want something to read in their free time. I feel like all of her background information, and the tedious amount of flipping back and forth would put many people to sleep. I had a hard time reading more than 30 pages at a time! I think the only people I would recommend this book to would be those who take certain interest in this time frame of history. I think this would be a book they’d like, just because it’s given at a different angle.

Alcohol Abuse in the over 65 Population

A discussion of the increase of alcohol abuse in the senior population. This paper discusses the problem of an increase of alcohol abuse among the over 65 segment of the population. The problems in identifying alcohol abuse in this group, as well as the consequences ofthe abuse are presented.The causes of abuse specific to the elderly population are explored.Substance abuse, especially that of alcohol and prescription drugs, is increasingly growing into a serious problem among the population segment of 65 plus citizens. What is of grave concern is the fact that this particular segment of the population is the fastest growing. Census estimates predict that 1994s older adult population of 33 million will more than double to 80 million by 2050.Also consider the fact that several studies have found a clear relationship between early alcohol habits and the development of alcohol abuse later in life. Given that the use of alcohol has been more widespread since the 1960s, it is likely that the future will see a far larger incidence of alcohol abuse among the el derly with the aging of the baby boomers (those born between 1946 and 1964).

Developing an Implementation Plan Research Paper

Developing an Implementation Plan - Research Paper Example Gaining Approval from Organizational Leaders So as to have a sound start to the problem analysis, the entire organization is to be working en masse aiming at elimination of the roots of the problem. Hence, for effectiveness of such a huge step, the Managing directors of the hospital are to be addressed through paper draft of the problem followed by detailed meetings that present the need to address this problem on humane level, and gaining their approval to make initiative for the change. Current Problem- A Comprehensive Insight A group of related concepts that are used to propose action that guide practice in any field including nursing is referred as a theory. A practical theory that can be applied in this concept is the Jean Watson’s Theory of Caring. This theory is based on four main concepts which are identification of human beings, health, environment /society and nursing (Daniels, 2004). According to this theory the main concern of nursing is the promotion of health, pr evention of illness, caring for the sick and restoration of health to the patients regardless of their status in the society. As such even inmates are entitled to such a treatment as envisaged in this theory. The rationale for choosing this theory is based on the order of needs by Watson into biophysical needs, psychophysical needs and psychosocial needs even among prisoners. According to Kim & Kollak (2006) the Watson’s theory of caring strives to depict, predict and explain nursing phenomenon based on relativity in providing appropriate care to patients. The foundations of nursing practice are provided by this theory through the recognition of the need rankings. This is in regard to the health care quality available for inmates while in incarceration. This shows the endeavour by the nurses to maintain professional borders and thereby enhance the quality and standards of health care to inmates. A good example is the requirement by the American Nurses Credentialing Centre (AN CC) for all nurse managers and leaders in facilities seeking accreditation have at the very least, a baccalaureate degree (ACCN, 2013). Endorsement of good health among prisoner population as for the general population is the prime objective of nursing. Perry J, et al., reported that prisoners have greater health needs owing to higher incidence of chronic disease. Generally, a prisoner possesses a vulnerable mindset due to myriad possible reasons such as unemployment, family disputes and abuse (physical, mental or sexual). The Offender Health and Social Care Strategy (DH2009a) set standards for offender health care stating that prisoners along with their families shall receive effective care and treatment equivalent to the general public. (Powell et al., 2010) comprehensively reviewed the dilemma of the prisoners from the eyes of the nursing staff. Various aspects were discussed and conclusions drawn from the results of the survey are that that a stable association between healthcar e managers and local National Health Service is required. The infrastructure of prisons and their security measures need strong collaboration with health care unit. (Powell, 2010) On the other hand, the education of the nurses has a very high impact on patient health and safety and is a major determining factor of nurse’s attitudes and actions. (Altmann et al., 2012) recently surveyed on the aforementioned line and found that nurse’

Recession in Dubai 2008 Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Recession in Dubai 2008 - Research Paper Example The average economic growth rate of the UAE economy between 2000 and 2007 was 7%. The economy is heavily reliant on petroleum and property investments (World Economic Forum, par 1). In particular, Dubai of the other emirates of the UAE was hit hardest. This is because the state (emirate) of Dubai is not as much endowed with oil resources as her sister emirates (Prasadjain, par 6). For this reason the state is left to attract foreign investment, partly in banking, construction and the real estate. It is the combination of these economic-supportive structures that the turmoil was founded in Dubai. Overall, Dubai came out heavily bruised by the crisis. Saif and Chucair (pp 3) argue that the UAE was not cautious enough so as to set up a ceiling for speculative investments that would in the end throw its banking system in disarray. In their view, Saif and Choucair (pp 3) this failure to caution the economy from the aforementioned investments led to serious problems in trying to deflate the growing property bubble. The onset of this situation meant a collapse of several foreign investment companies. To further complicate the situation, the UAE government failed in guaranteeing equitable working conditions for both local and foreign workers. The working conditions for foreigners, most of who worked for foreign companies that brought in substantial capital inflow turned for the worse, deplorable in the words of Saif and Churcair (pg 4). This was a major catalyst for an across-market shrug among these companies. A major walk out was imminent at this point, but the government was clever enough to secure the interests of its citizenry by placing them ahead of the foreign investors. This left these companies, which were initially troubled by failing prospects in their home countries, very little space to further influence events in the country. While foreign investment

Capital Investment Proposal of Mineral Plc Essay - 8

Capital Investment Proposal of Mineral Plc - Essay Example The objective of this report, therefore, is to consider the soundness of the proposed capital investment from the angles of financial feasibility, country risk of Medco Republic and the foreign exchange risk in undertaking transactions in the currency of Medco Republic as against the British Pounds as the investments the commitment of substantially larger sums by the Company to be recouped over a longer period. The analysis is based on a review of the net cash flows from the project using the recognized capital budgeting evaluation methods of Net Present Value (NPV) and Internal Rate of Return (IRR), taking the weighted average cost of capital of the Company of 15% as the hurdle rate and the rate for discounting the present value of future cash flows from the project.Financial Feasibility The financial feasibility of any capital investment proposal can be judged based on the ability of the project to enhance the shareholders’ wealth by contributing positive net cash inflows from the proposed investments. Just any other domestic capital project is being evaluated, for the international investments can also be evaluated by calculating the ‘Net Present Value’ (NPV) future cash flows expected out of the project. The NPV of the project depends on the initial investment or initial cash flow, expected future cash flows and the cost of capital. Based on the comparison of the NPV of the future cash flows with the proposed capital investment the feasibility of the project can be established. While working out the NPV the effect of the factors like Sales creation (additional sales), cannibalization (loss of sales), opportunity cost, transfer pricing and fees and royalties on the future cash flows should be taken into account. The Internal Rate of Return (IRR ) is the other criterion that needs to be carefully looked into while deciding on the capital investment.In the case of the proposed capital investment proposals, the NPV and IRR from the projects have been worked out and exhibited in the Appendix. From the NPV calculations, it is observed that the project has a negative net present value which implies that the project is not acceptable.

Mental Causation Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Mental Causation - Essay Example The problem of mental causation is one that has been described to be an intuitive one, focusing on the possibility that mental events cause physical events and physical events cause mental events. The major problem put forward by mental causation has to do with how mental events have causal effects on physical events, given the fact that the body, which is responsible for physical events is deemed to be independent of the mind. The main issue with mental causation has to do with a non-correspondence in explanation that seems to underline the understanding that the body is only physical and material. This is because if the body is only physical and material, then it should be controlled only by physical and material motivations for the body to act. For example, a person should decide to buy a certain color of a shoe because the leg has the material urge to wear that shoe. But once the problem of mental causation is brought into the argument, a new position is taken that it is possible for the mind, rather than the leg to be the source of motivation as to why a person would want to buy the said color of the shoe. This makes the problem of mental causation a highly dualistic situation, whereby the mind and the body are seen to relate together and affect each other.The whole problem of mental causation has been claimed by some to be a dualist philosophy rather than a generalized philosophy of mind. This is because as the name implies, dualism takes the position that the mind and the body are not identical.