Thursday, April 26, 2012
Norman Rockwell's Incorporation of His Life in His Art Work
“Some people have been kind enough to call me a fine artist. I've always called myself an illustrator. I'm not sure what the difference is. All I know is that whatever type of work I do, I try to give it my very best. Art has been my life.” – Norman Rockwell (source: Brainy Quote)
The famous visual artist Norman Rockwell has been able to successfully capture emotion from the hearts of those who view his Realist paintings. In the article Rediscovering Norman Rockwell from the art history journal American Artist, the author Henry Adams explores how Rockwell became the great artist people consider him today, along with inserting some of Rockwell’s famous images to support and aid his claims. “At one time, critics condemned his artwork as nothing more than kitsch . Now, however, his paintings fetch $1million or more a piece (Adams .54)” Adams argues that Rockwell was one of the 20th century’s greatest artists and this was due to the perplex connections he drew from his own life experiences and the world around him that led him to showcase this in his art work.
Adams’ first begins to support his argument by providing the reader with background information about Norman Rockwell’s life and how Rockwell acknowledged it in his art work. Adams states that Rockwell’s illustrations achieved the impact they created because they touched on deep-rooted anxieties. “In many ways, in fact, Rockwell's actual character was completely at odds with his reassuring public image. Consider these examples: He underwent analysis by the famous psychoanalyst Eric Erikson; he voted for Norman Thomas, the Socialist candidate for president; he had the poetry of Rimbaud read to him as he painted; he opposed American military involvement in Vietnam. Moreover, his personal life was by no means the happy ideal suggested by his paintings (Adams 56) ” The author then discusses how Rockwell was married three times; his first wife was unfaithful and committed suicide and his second wife became an alcoholic and was manic depressive. However, Adams finalizes his claims by arguing that suffering was part of what connected Rockwell with his immense audience. Rockwell's anxieties helped connect him to viewers of his art. Rockwell has even been quoted saying, "I sometimes think we paint to fulfill ourselves and our lives, to supply the things we want and don't have…”
The author continues supporting his main claim by discussing how Rockwell transformed his traumatic life experiences into a self-motivation allowing him to progress his artwork. Adam’s delves into Rockwell’s depressive condition; he was chronically depressed and this made him very anxious. Rockwell soon began working long hours; about 10 hours a day, seven days a week, helping him to create over 4,000 paintings. Despite the large number of painting he produced, Adam’s states that Rockwell was very adamant in making sure every little detail of the painting, from the shoes his subjects wore to the writing on newspaper his subjects may have been holding. This flawless execution is what Adams argue helped make Rockwell a phenomenal artist.
Adams lastly supports his main argument by detailing the reader of Rockwell’s success during the 1940s and 1960s that led to him being recognized and respected as a great artist. The author goes into much detail about Rockwell work The Four Freedom’s, “based on …the central principles of the American way of life: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear (Adams 58). In this serious of Painting’s, Rockwell broadened his horizons by incorporating people of all types from various backgrounds helping him to explore social and cultural issues such as racial inequality. During the 1960s Rockwell became passionate about Civil rights and created a series of images exploring this, such as The Problem We All Live With, which showed an African American student, Ruby Bridges, being escorted to school by federal Marshall’s.
In conclusion Henry Adams detailed in his article Rediscovering Norman Rockwell, how Rockwell became the great artist he is considered today. Rockwell establish himself as a respected artists by incorporating connections from his life experiences into the image he projected for us all to see.
Works Cited
Adams, Henry. "Rediscovering Norman Rockwell." American Artist 66.(2002): 52-76. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. Apr. 2012.
BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. Apr. 2012.
Adams’ first begins to support his argument by providing the reader with background information about Norman Rockwell’s life and how Rockwell acknowledged it in his art work. Adams states that Rockwell’s illustrations achieved the impact they created because they touched on deep-rooted anxieties. “In many ways, in fact, Rockwell's actual character was completely at odds with his reassuring public image. Consider these examples: He underwent analysis by the famous psychoanalyst Eric Erikson; he voted for Norman Thomas, the Socialist candidate for president; he had the poetry of Rimbaud read to him as he painted; he opposed American military involvement in Vietnam. Moreover, his personal life was by no means the happy ideal suggested by his paintings (Adams 56) ” The author then discusses how Rockwell was married three times; his first wife was unfaithful and committed suicide and his second wife became an alcoholic and was manic depressive. However, Adams finalizes his claims by arguing that suffering was part of what connected Rockwell with his immense audience. Rockwell's anxieties helped connect him to viewers of his art. Rockwell has even been quoted saying, "I sometimes think we paint to fulfill ourselves and our lives, to supply the things we want and don't have…”
The author continues supporting his main claim by discussing how Rockwell transformed his traumatic life experiences into a self-motivation allowing him to progress his artwork. Adam’s delves into Rockwell’s depressive condition; he was chronically depressed and this made him very anxious. Rockwell soon began working long hours; about 10 hours a day, seven days a week, helping him to create over 4,000 paintings. Despite the large number of painting he produced, Adam’s states that Rockwell was very adamant in making sure every little detail of the painting, from the shoes his subjects wore to the writing on newspaper his subjects may have been holding. This flawless execution is what Adams argue helped make Rockwell a phenomenal artist.
Adams lastly supports his main argument by detailing the reader of Rockwell’s success during the 1940s and 1960s that led to him being recognized and respected as a great artist. The author goes into much detail about Rockwell work The Four Freedom’s, “based on …the central principles of the American way of life: freedom of speech and expression, freedom of worship, freedom from want, and freedom from fear (Adams 58). In this serious of Painting’s, Rockwell broadened his horizons by incorporating people of all types from various backgrounds helping him to explore social and cultural issues such as racial inequality. During the 1960s Rockwell became passionate about Civil rights and created a series of images exploring this, such as The Problem We All Live With, which showed an African American student, Ruby Bridges, being escorted to school by federal Marshall’s.
In conclusion Henry Adams detailed in his article Rediscovering Norman Rockwell, how Rockwell became the great artist he is considered today. Rockwell establish himself as a respected artists by incorporating connections from his life experiences into the image he projected for us all to see.
Works Cited
Adams, Henry. "Rediscovering Norman Rockwell." American Artist 66.(2002): 52-76. Art Full Text (H.W. Wilson). Web. Apr. 2012.
BrainyQuote. Xplore. Web. Apr. 2012.
Tuesday, April 24, 2012
The Graffiti Revolution
Basquiat was a heroin addict, dated Madonna, and a best friend of Andy Warhol. Basquiat was an innovative artist who caught people’s attention with his work. Michele Washington in her article “Shaping the Language of Visual Culture” claims that Basquiat’s early graffiti revolutionized the graphical design industry and media today by bringing unknown forms of expression like graffiti and rap into the mainstream which evolved graphical design into the expansive field it is today.
Washington first claims that graffiti has become extremely influential in today's graphical design culture. She calls modern designers “Basquiat’s Boyz” because they grew up in the hip-hop and graffiti culture of the 80s and 90s. Graffiti spread over the five boroughs of New York following Basquiat’s work and rise in fame. This graffiti influences design students today who take graphical design to learn how how designs are created.
Washington next claims that graffiti has brought in raps influence and other subcultures into design, this outreach has caused design students to look to farther places like filmmaking, fashion, and industrial design for for inspiration. This need for innovation in the design environment has caused design schools like parson school of design to offer new programs on integrated design. People being educated in expanding their design basics proves how much the influence of Basquiat has changed design from its roots.
Washington also claims that graffiti has caused huge changes in media and marketing. She talks about how consumers are bombarded with marketing that takes on a urban approach. This “visual noise” as she describes it, is being used to sell products to young people who are attracted to this strategy. Graffiti even makes its to mainstream media conferences and advertising expos.
Finally, Washington states how influential graffiti can be so influential in politics and social change. Designers feel that graffiti creates more emotion in their work and can influence people to change their ideas. It can especially relate to young people who are interested in hip hop.
In conclusion Washington feels that Basquiat’s early graffiti and his explosion into the mainstream has caused a huge change in the way that media and graffiti operate in today's visual culture.
AUTHOR:Washington, Michele Y.
TITLE:SHAPING THE LANGUAGE OF VISUAL CULTURE
SOURCE:International Review of African American Art 20 no2 12-15 2005
Washington first claims that graffiti has become extremely influential in today's graphical design culture. She calls modern designers “Basquiat’s Boyz” because they grew up in the hip-hop and graffiti culture of the 80s and 90s. Graffiti spread over the five boroughs of New York following Basquiat’s work and rise in fame. This graffiti influences design students today who take graphical design to learn how how designs are created.
Washington next claims that graffiti has brought in raps influence and other subcultures into design, this outreach has caused design students to look to farther places like filmmaking, fashion, and industrial design for for inspiration. This need for innovation in the design environment has caused design schools like parson school of design to offer new programs on integrated design. People being educated in expanding their design basics proves how much the influence of Basquiat has changed design from its roots.
Washington also claims that graffiti has caused huge changes in media and marketing. She talks about how consumers are bombarded with marketing that takes on a urban approach. This “visual noise” as she describes it, is being used to sell products to young people who are attracted to this strategy. Graffiti even makes its to mainstream media conferences and advertising expos.
Finally, Washington states how influential graffiti can be so influential in politics and social change. Designers feel that graffiti creates more emotion in their work and can influence people to change their ideas. It can especially relate to young people who are interested in hip hop.
In conclusion Washington feels that Basquiat’s early graffiti and his explosion into the mainstream has caused a huge change in the way that media and graffiti operate in today's visual culture.
AUTHOR:Washington, Michele Y.
TITLE:SHAPING THE LANGUAGE OF VISUAL CULTURE
SOURCE:International Review of African American Art 20 no2 12-15 2005
Ad Reinhardt's Yellow Painting
Sims, Patterson. "THE COLLECTION: Ad Reinhardt." MoMA.org. Oxford University Press. Web. 20 Apr. 2012.
Andy Warhol's Serial Imagery
Image by Tyler Silva Photography
Nine years after Andy
Warhol’s death the art world decided to put together a large-scale exhibition
of his work to consecrate his reputation as one of the greatest artists of the
twentieth century. Jennifer Dyer’s article “Understanding Andy Warhol’s Serial
Imagery” was intended to explain her thoughts on how the work inside Warhol’s
exhibition should be analyzed. She believed that as a result of a
media-oriented society and Warhol’s celebrity like lifestyle, the structure of
his work should be viewed through his powerful public persona. Although the
environment of “A Factory” was drug-based, sexually charged, and full of
iconography from that time, she argued Warhol used his work as a mechanism to
illustrate the meaninglessness of it all. Warhol felt that the “sex, drugs, and
rock and roll culture” had over ridden society and created a false stigma of
what really was important in life. By analyzing the slightly altered techniques
of abstract expressionism utilized in Warhol’s work, Dyer argued that Warhol’s
work expressed the significance of the mundane and the idea that actuality is
good.
The first major element Dyer describes is the
structure of Warhol’s work, which she sees in the cultural and political
environment of the day. She argues that the connection between Warhol’s persona
and the artwork are formulated from this environment and that through their
relation we may understand his art. Dyer believes Warhol’s style of reworking
features of abstract expressionism can be seen as invalidating his era’s
predetermined models of artistic value that he felt were unfitting. In many of
his pieces he challenges traditional conceptions of iconography by repeatedly
presenting them as meaningless. This forced viewers to take a stand on issues
that had been normalized such as death, penalty, racism, and late modern
capitalism. Dyer thought his views of society were even more evident by how Warhol
concretizes the American soul and exploits aspects of the media-oriented
culture in much of his work. The large, repetitive, and simple pieces that
Warhol created didn’t incite the viewer to ponder its meaning, which Dyer
believed to bring the realness to these messages.
A second argument Dyer makes, based on Warhol’s
sarcastic personality and attempts to slight the culture of the day, Warhol’s
works must be viewed ironically. Since image making is supposed to be an
extremely meaningful practice, the viewer must read them as a humorous challenge
to the sacred tradition. Dyer believes Warhol accomplishes this by presenting the
insignificant and arbitrary which reveals the significance of the mundane
things of ordinary life, previous cultural icons, and practices in the world. By
the treatment of these mundane entities as divine, the serial imagery reveals
the significance of every day’s continual repetitious activity. He uses this
technique to pull the glamour out of the casual, everyday things. When most
people view images such as his, they think that glamorous imagery is supposed
to manifest what viewers can never be. Warhol used things like Campbell’s soup
cans, toys, and car crashes to change tradition and add even more significance
to the mundane.Another large feature of Warhol’s works is that there is no distinction between ground and image. All of his images are continuous and no elements in the pieces are delineated over another. Dyer argues that this continuity makes for little depth or perspective, unlike the traditional use of perspective to sharpen the unreality of the images. The lack of depth restricts the viewer from accessing the subject in the image and deflects the viewer’s attention away to the surface of image. The viewer then sees the painting in its entirety and doesn’t spend time deeply gazing into the painting to figure out its meaning. Warhol made it very obvious the subjects in his images and never tried to trick people or use complex imagery in his paintings. Dyer believes that getting people to view Warhol’s images as a whole helped get his point across that the mundane is not a concealed mystery. It is something that shouldn’t be hidden by the media dominated culture and its significance needs to be remembered.
Dyers opinions on how to view Warhol’s exhibit and
the idea that he viewed the mundane as significant stemmed from her idea that
Warhol was a product of his synthetic free activity. Warhol participated within
society in such a manner as any other celebrity would, but never allowed the
media or fame change his personality. Dyer believed that Warhol realized the
importance of uniqueness and understood that he transposed this through his
paintings. His continual freeness by awareness led to his work’s message that
the mundane is significant.
Emotion in Our Art
Miro’s style of painting was that he would paint whatever came to his mind. It would freely flow from his brush to the paper without thinking anything through before, relying strictly on his subconscious thoughts. This is where his extremely abstract paintings come from. And, the moods of the painting can be correlated to these subconscious thoughts as well as whatever emotions he experienced while painting affected the outcome as well. This is shown by the, “decisive change in style, culminating in brilliantly colored, densely composed” (Henning pg 235) style that he adopted in the early 1920s. At this point in his life, Miro had finally found a place among the surrealist community befriending people like “ Andre Manson, Henry Miller, and Ernest Hemmingway” (Henning pg 1). Finding a sense of purpose and friends could have led to this positive feeling in his paintings.
However, his paintings were to take a drastic turn in the late 1930s. Miro had a very strong connection with Spanish culture as he was raised in Spain for much of his early life. As the Spanish Civil War broke out in 1936, he was unable to return to his true home. This clearly had a deep emotional effect on Miro. In these later paintings, the “acerbic colors express Miro’s tormented mood” (Henning pg. 238), which were reinforced by the demonic figures that could be found more frequently and in greater numbers than in his previous art. In the end, Miro became so disgusted by human nature that he, “felt a deep desire to escape” (Henning pg. 239).
Clearly in the instance of Joan Miro, a style of a painter can be affected by one’s emotion and this conclusion is not all that surprising. By taking a look at some of the artwork found in and around UNC it is easy to tell what an artist was feeling. And although this may seem like an obvious answer, it still gives us a better understanding of what artists like Joan Miro wished to portray in their work.
Works Cited:
Henning, Edward B. "A Painting by Joan Miro." Bulletin of the Cleveland Museum of Art 66 (1979): 235-240. Print.
Monday, April 23, 2012
Two Views of Life
Diego Rivera uses a series of different images to help depict the illusion of man control of both the physical and biological world. In the article, Gilbert analyzes the painting and makes several conclusions using background knowledge and inferences. First, at the center of the mural is a gloved man who apparently seems to be working some controls. These can be assumed to be controlling all that is going on around him. Crossing through him are two oval shapes with several images inside. One portrays icons that can represent the physical world, such as planets and stars flying, while the other show biological figures including cells and vegetation. Also right under the man is a hand grasping a ball that is supposed to represent a fertilized ovary. All of these images combined give the effect of man’s advances in science to be able to control the world around him, such as biology, physics, and most importantly, reproduction.
Frida Kahlo’s painting Moses (the Nucleaus of Creation) gives a much lighter view on the topic of fertilization. Gilbert again uses several observations to draw a conclusion about the purpose of her artwork. First is the use of tripartite painting, or dividing the painting into three sections. However, when the picture is looked at in a broader view, it appears almost as if the whole image depicts one large uterus and ovary system. Also, at the very center of her creation is a developed baby in a uterus. She puts this here trying to show that a women’s fertility is the center of the universe. She puts the faces of many religious men around the womb. This is to drive home the importance that without fertilization, none of these would be in existence. Kahlo also uses other images around this to strengthen the point of its importance. For example, there are textbook like drawings of cellular processes of mitosis. She uses these as proof that fertilization is the basis of all life. From interviews, it becomes apparent that fertilization is a symbol for ultimate love. She believes this because of her studies in medicine. Even though sperm and egg are both “on the point of death” their union creates a rejuvenated individual that carries on the life (Gilbert). The use of background knowledge and observations from her painting, we can see her view of procreation as an act of ultimate love and the center of all life.
Though sharing a life together, both of these artists have completely different views on fertilization and how it should be approached. Gilbert’s article gives great examples of direct images that prove this idea. Perhaps it is because of this argument that led to their eventual divorce. No one will ever know, but we can be sure of their individual depictions of procreation and life in general.
Art is an important part of all societies. This holds true for UNC as well. There is art all over campus, from the paintings of billboards the the pit, to the galleries in the Ackland Art Museum. This artwork brightens up our day and also can give the inquisitive mind something to ponder over.
Tuesday, April 10, 2012
Coffee Experiment Follow-up
Sound bit Citations:
countdown news intro: clubsound
shower: Ch0chhi
snoring: jppi_Stu
alarm clock: jackstrebor
Thursday, April 5, 2012
Self Improvement through Exercise
Hmmm sound by agent vivid from freesound.org
Cheer by acclivity from freesound.org
Small audience clap and laughs by oniwe from fresound.org
Approx. 800 cheer by lonemonk from freesound.org
Both static music at beginning and transition music found from freesound.org
College and Coffee
Sound bit Citations:
countdown news intro: clubsound
shower: Ch0chhi
snoring: jppi_Stu
alarm clock: jackstrebor
Water Drinking Behavior Modification Self Experiment
mansardian- news end signature http://www.freesound.org/people/mansardian/sounds/61322/
mattj09- bubbling sound
mattj09- bubbling sound
Thursday, March 29, 2012
The Tools to Change
Photo Taken By FreemanSchool
In the 1970’s, studies began to show that college-level self-management courses effectively promoted self-change in more than 90% of college students. These courses aim to promote positive and healthy outcomes, replace bad habits, and accomplish tasks using different strategies. Since then studies of self-management courses have examined the efficacy of the SM programs with different degrees of intensities including course content of course, feedback from professionals, and small group activities. Researchers have found that SM courses have changed both moderate and unhealthy clinically pathological behaviors such as nail-biting and depression without therapists’ help. In particular, Jean Choi and Kyong-Mee Chung examined the effectiveness SM courses contain in improving a target behavior within a college. They investigated the relationship between self-regulated behaviors and academic achievement. After conducting the study they found that the application of principles and skills taught by high-intensity SM courses were the most effective at promoting successful self-change.
In order to construct the experiment they took a sampling of 84 total college students and assigning 1-3 conditions. These were Experiment group I (high-intensity SM courses), Experiment Group II (low-intensity SM courses) and a third group that was a control. Each SM group ran for one semester and engaged in projects for 3 months with a required report at end. At the beginning of the semester students chose a target behavior they wished to modify and improve upon by course completion. In the high-intensity course students were taught SM theories and practical applications while participating in small group activities. The low intensity group did no activities, exercises, extensive group work; they were taught only general theory and excluded SM skills training. The control group was students enrolled in Clinical psychology which promoted understand of theory and current trends of clinical psychology.
To efficiently collect quantitative data they utilized four different scales. Each scale was created by earlier researchers and measured different behaviors in the form of a 5 point scale. The first scale, the Goal Attainment scale, was devised in order to measure goal achievement. Students would write down specific behavioral goals they would like to achieve and then how successful they believed to be from a scale from -2 to +2. The second scale called the Generalized Expectancy of Success Scale (GESS-R) was used to collect students expected level of success in a series of situations after they had completed their courses. Lastly, the Motivation and Expectancy Change Scale measured an individual’s motivation and expectancy for change.
After conducting the experiment and collecting data they found significant difference between High-intensity SM courses and the control group. There was no significant difference however in the success found between high and low intensity SM courses or the low intensity and control group. Posttest score differences were found for all three variables across the board; goal achievement, expected level of success, and motivation and expectancy for change. Each of the groups improved substantially across the board and supported the claim that high intensity SM courses successfully promoted self-change in college students.
When analyzing this data, the application of SM principles and skills were found to be effective in modifying target behavior. Furthermore, the level of successful behavioral change was found to be dependent on the SM course’s intensity and most likely to occur in high-intensity SM courses. This is backed by the fact that students found greater goal success with intensive academic intervention and detailed, personal feedback. Another interesting result they found is that successful behavioral change is related to positive cognitive change. If a student has a lack of optimism about their ability to succeed or they blame external circumstance for their failures, the application of SM skills appeared to be a useful strategy. Upon looking at all of the data from the experiment we can conclude that individuals using SM techniques have the tools to modify and improve cognitive processing, internal locus or control, and success expectancy. If college students what to be successful in college, then SM courese should be highly recommended.
Choi, Jean. "Effectiveness of a College-Level Self Management Course." Sage Journal 36.18 (2011). Print
Parenting Strong Willed Children Isn't Impossible
Working at summer camp shows children’s best and worst behavior. One day during the summer an 8 year old named Brandon had an “accident” and hid his poopy clothes in another child's laundry bag in an effort to frame him. Bad behavior like this is not common, however, there is always of possibility for it to occur. Forehand et al. conducted a behavior modification study that examines the behavior of children whose parents have read Parenting the Strong Willed Child. The study proves that there is a positive correlation between children’s good behavior and parents that have read Parenting the Strong Willed Child and been educated on children’s behavior.
Forehand et al. has done significant work before in the child behavior field, even writing the the book Parenting the Strong Willed Child. He has also done several other studies before to back up this current study. Extremely limited outside sources besides his own study calls into question the overall legitimacy of his approach, but the final data correlates well with his original hypothesis so this concern may be able to be dismissed. Forehand et al. developed a three intensity intervention program depending on child behavior. The three stages are individual counseling with a social worker, group counseling with a social worker, and parent self-administered programs. This study uses the Group Counseling (GC) method. Overall the point of this study is to back up Forehand et al.’s book with scientific data to increase its sales and legitimacy. This study is not independent from outside interests.
This study employs Group Counseling and literature as its method of educating parents on child behavior and parent reactions. The parents were first randomized into control and GC groups. The control was told the study would start in 7 weeks to make them blind to the fact they were the control. The GC group attended 6 2 hour meetings weekly to learn the correct behaviors. Both groups called into an anonymous phone line to report how they felt as parents and how their child’s behavior changed throughout the week. The study also did an evaluation before and after the study to see overall change. Finally there was a 2 month post evaluation to see if the behavior changes were temporary or not. The study used multiple scales to evaluate results. First the Eyberg Child Behavior Inventory was used to measure child behavior. The Parent Recorded Behavior scale worked to record which behavior was worst among individual children. The last scale was the Parent Behavior which measured how well parents responded to bad behavior.
The study obtained data from both the GC group and the control group in order to compare the change in each group from the beginning of the study till the end. Child problem behavior was measured by Eyberg intensity and Eyberg problem. Eyberg intensity showed that the treatment group started at 134.44 and decreased all the way to 112.39. The control group started at 129.53 and decreased only slightly to 125.10. The Eyberg problem scale showed more dramatic change. The treatment group at first scored a 14.18 on average, but after completing the course scored a 8.20. The control group first scored a 12.88 on average, and with no training scored a 12.52 on follow up. All the other scales and qualitative measurements aligned with these first two results.
This study’s result offer firm back up in support of Forehand et.al’s book on parenting for troubled children. The group counciling and reading of specific chapters in the book clearly gave parents an edge in improving their child's behavior. This lead to happier and more incontrol parents. The parents reported a average level of satisfaction being 6 out of 7 for the book they read during the study. Parents greatly enjoyed the change it brought in their child. This satisfaction and reduction in bad behavior was not temporary though, at a two month post check up all the parents still reported improved behavior and were still satisfied with the program and book. This indicates a lasting behavioral change in the parent’s parenting technique. The lasting change is further support to use Forehand et. al’s book as a support tool to parent strong willed children.
Forehand et al’s study of parenting strong willed children is an exellent example of behavior modification being used to back up an instructional book. This study proves that the book offers good advice and may stop doubts in purchasing of it. The evidence and quantitative data is concusive and inarguable. Overall the only doubt can be cast when one considers that the author of the book also was the one who headed the study. An independent researcher would have made the results more legitamente.
Wednesday, March 28, 2012
Sleep Deprivation and the ICU
Almost 70 percent of Americans face sleep deprivation every
day. It prevents them from being able to
focus and work properly leading to fatal accidents, such car accidents with
people falling asleep at the wheel. If sleep deprivation is so detrimental to
healthy people, what would its affect on people who are ill? For many patients
sleep is essential in a speedy recovery, however, almost all patients suffer
from the inability to sleep. Scientists Biren Kamdar, Dale Needham, and Nancy
Collop all came together to study the correlation between sleep deprivation and
process of recovery in patients. They found that both physical and physiological
recoveries can be affected positively and/or negatively depending on the amount
of sleep people get, therefore, it is imperative that the reason why patients
are losing sleep is understood so they can have a successful recovery.
Due to external disturbances such as noise, light, other patient care,
patients found in ICU’s do not get an adequate amount of sleep leading to
problems with the heart, respiratory and immune systems, and cognitive
functions.
In
order to observe a patient’s sleeping pattern, the group of scientist devised
several methods that allowed them to monitor a normal night’s sleep and then
compare it to a sleep that had outside factors acting on it. They measured the
changes in body temperature, changes in respiration, blood flow, and rapid eye
movement. After that all they had to do is compare, which external sources
affected to body in these areas, and with that the sources of sleep depravation
were found.
Although
ICU’s are excellent places for receiving care quickly and efficiently, it is
not always the easiest place to fall asleep. Noise is a common factor and
unfortunately is hard to avoid and with the fact “that critically ill patients
may be more sensitive to environmental noise as they are recovering” (Kamdar
pg.5) it makes the situation even worse. Noise and can from a variety of
sources, but mainly coming from the staff as they talk amongst one another or
interact with the other patients. Lighting is also another factor that the
patients have to deal with. Although some patients claim, “that light is less
disruptive to sleep than noise and patient care activities” (Kamdar pg. 5) it
is still just another factor that can affect a good night’s sleep. The last
disturbance is not a surprise: mechanical ventilation. It can be difficult to
fall asleep when there is a tube stuck down your throat, but there also other
problems that ventilation can cause including “increased ventilatory effort,
abnormal gas exchange, and patient-ventilator dysynchrony” (Kamdar pg. 6).
Although these are essential in keeping the patients alive, they are still
impeding on their recovery, therefore these machines must be improved soon if
patients are truly to receive the best care possible.
Each of one of these
disturbances can lead to physical and or psychological problems while the
patients are in the ICU the first of these being problems with the respiratory
system. Leading not only to shortness of breath, patients who are not able to
breath correctly due to sleep deprivation can suffer from severe muscle fatigue
due to the lack of oxygen in their system, and in some extreme cases the
results can lead to the airway collapsing all together.
Sleep deprivation can also cause
difficulty for a proper amount of blood to reach the heart, leading to an
“increased risk of acute myocardial infarction” (Kamdar pg. 6) or better known
as a heart attack. Not all of the problems caused are strictly physical though.
Mental health is also known to be affected leading to delirium and cognitive
dysfunction. Alone, these conditions can be easily treated and pose little risk
to a person. However, in recovering patients, delirium can lead to an unsteady
circadian rhythm (the human biological clock) making it even more difficult to
get rest and even cause states of confusion. And even after release, if a
patient suffered from either of these mental conditions, they are far more
likely to develop severe depression. “A systematic review of 14 studies of post-ICU depression
revealed clinically significant depression in 28% of patients within the first
year of ICU discharge” (Kamdar pg. 9).
In Kamdar’s study “Sleep Deprivation in Critical Illness: Its Role
in Physical and Psychological Recovery” it is clearly shown that sleep
deprivation as an adverse affect on patients in their time of recovery.
Hopefully, as studies progress, we will be able to create a scenario where all
patients are able to receive the care they require, without being a detriment
to their recovery. And although most UNC students are not in the ICU, I still
think this article holds value. It shows that sleep loss can have many negative
affects on the body’s health, therefore students have to make sure to get
enough, otherwise it will become more difficult to succeed in schoolwork and
other activities.
Works Cited:
Kamdar,
Biren B., Dale M. Needham, and Nancy A. Collop "Sleep Deprivation in
Critical Illness: Its Role in Physical and Psychological Recovery." Journal
of Intensive Care Medicine (2009): 1-16. Print.
Tuesday, March 27, 2012
The Importance of Sports Psychology
The author first starts off with a brief history of sports psychology and how it has developed its current role in today society. Sports psychology is a relatively new area of study that began to emerge in the 1960s. Sports psychology has become very popular due to the emphasis and importance we place on athletics such as the NBA, NFL, or MLB. Athletics have become a very social thing that has developed into a cultural phenomenon and has garnered a large and diverse fan base. Sports Psychology combines a cultural phenomenon with a popular area of study. Though sports psychology is popular, athletes and coaches are not taking advantage of these services.
The first reason the author lists for athletes not utilizing the advantages of sport psychologists is that there is a genera lack of understanding “about the process and techniques that comprise a common sport psychology.” Some studies have even suggested that many athletes and coaches view sport psychologist in the same way psychiatrists, counselors, and “shrinks.” They feel as if they would be laying on a couch getting psychoanalyzed when that is not the case at all. The author then furthers his reasoning by sstating, many people in the sports industry think that sports psychologist are only for ““problem” athletes and thus not part of a general performance enhancement strategy” and stray way from the services.”
Then author then provides the reader with brief terminology sections that discusses words that pertains to an athlete’s athletic ability such as absolute and relative performance. The author provides the readers with examples that show how both an athlete’s relative and absolute performance both seem to increase with the help of a sport psychologist. The author then discusses the mental side of sports performance that sport psychology could greatly help such as the many different anxieties athletes at time experience such as precompetitive and elevated anxiety. Many people believe the mind and body are connected, so if an athlete is experiencing this it can negatively affect their performance.
The author then goes into strategies that sports psychologist use that improves overall sports performance. For example, many cognitive anxieties are dealt with “strategies that teach the athlete to be cognizant of his or her internal negative dialog and to replace these thoughts with more positive and reaffirming statements.” When dealing with somatic anxiety, there are many strategies that aim at helping athletes regulate their autonomic arousal response (i.e., relax themselves) by first teaching them what heightened arousal feels like and then relaxation strategies aimed at reducing it. These
In conclusion, the article How does Sport Psychology Actually Improve Athletic Performance? by Chris Gee was about how sport psychology has a lot of resources that many of the athletes coaches do not take advantage of. Gee argued that if they were to utilize the resources, athletic performance would be greatly improved. He provided the reader with background information about sports psychology and reasoning as to why athletes and coaches do not use the sport psychologists.
Works Cited
Gee, Chris. "How Does Sport Psychology Actually Improve Athletic Performance? A Framework to Facilitate Athletes' and Coaches' Understanding." Behavior Modification. SAGE Journals. Web. Mar. 2012. <http://bmo.sagepub.com/content/34/5/386.short>
Monday, March 26, 2012
Moving for Media
Picture taken by reuvenim on October 27, 2007
http://www.flickr.com/photos/reuvenim/1807513199/
“Turn that dang thing off and go outside.” my mother told my brothers and me. Of course the “dang thing” she was speaking of was the TV that had me mesmerized for hours at a time. Though at the time I despised my mother’s commands, now I realize how lucky I was. Some children do not have this forced motivation to do physical activity. This creates laziness and obesity tendencies, making TV viewing by kids a controversial subject. To find connections between physical activity, media usage, and weight gain, many groups began performing several studies. One study in particular was conducted by Karen and David Larwin called “Decreasing Excessive Media Usage While Increasing Physical Activity: A Single-Subject Research Study.” This study modified physical activity by making media usage dependent on the amount of physical activity performed. Karen and Larwin believe this will increase the amount of physical activity, decrease media usage and improve the overall health of the participant.
The Larwins think the increased accessibility of new forms of media is a large factor of poor fitness and obesity of today’s youth. They feel that by limiting the availability and time of usage and replacing this time with physical activity will result in better health. They proposed an innovative plan on how to achieve these changes. They would require a certain amount of physical exercise in order for a certain amount of media usage.
The volunteer participant for this modification was a 14-year-old adolescent female who had recently been prescribed by both her counselor and physician to increase her exercise. On her own attempts to lose weight, she made adjustments in her diet, but this was a failure. Coming into the modification she had gained ten pounds and believed physical activity to be a punishment and would rather spend her time on the computer or talking to friends on the phone.
For this study, her physical activity was measured by time on a Bowflex TreadClimber. Although this device has many functions, for this experiment it was used strictly as a regular treadmill. This device allowed the participant to easily measure time of physical exercise and also how far/fast she walked. To ensure that she maintained the appropriate amount of activity and was reinforced correctly, her parents and a hired research assistant oversaw the experiment. Their job was also to make sure the data was recorded properly.
The investigation lasted 7 weeks. The first two were the baseline stage in which the normal physical exercise and media usage was recorded. This was to get a starting point in which the results would be compared. The next part of the study was the two week first treatment phase. During this time the participant received 1 hour of media usage for every mile walked with a one mile minimum. Failing to reach this one mile marker resulted in no media usage. In the three week second treatment phase, she was required 1.5 miles before receiving any media time. After conducting the study, a follow-up was performed 5 weeks later and again 1 year later to check her progress or any relapses into her previous behavior.
The results for this experiment were very promising. As assumed, the participant did not use the treadmill once during the fourteen day baseline phase. This was consistent with her natural behavior before the study. During Treatment Phase 1, she increased her usage significantly. She walked it every day during the two week period. She achieved the one mile minimum on all but one day and surpassed this goal on two of the days. Overall, she averaged .98 miles a day during this time. During Treatment Phase 2, she continued to increase her physical exercise. She walked every day and averaged 1.81 miles per day. This is more than the expected 1.5 mile minimum a day. She was above this minimum criterion ten of the 21 days and was only below it on two of the days. From this data, the Larwin’s prediction seems very promising.
There were a few other trends in the data collected. The first trend involves her BCM (Body Mass Composition) index. This measures the percent of fat compared to muscle in the body. The higher the number, generally the more overweight the participant is. To begin her BMC was around 27, but as she continued to exercise and workout, it dropped finally reaching under 24 by the end of Treatment Phase 2. Another change observed was the time spent on the internet and phone. From the beginning the participant spent a total tome of over 100 minutes combine on the two. By the end of the study, she was down to about 42 minutes. This is almost a 60% decrease in total media usage. This was great news for the study, but further examinations were required. A follow-up was performed 5 weeks and one year after the initial study. Both of these came back positive with maintained or increased exercise in each.
Judging by the total increase in physical exercise and decrease in time spent on media, the conductors of this experiment deemed it a successful behavior modification. By using this as an example, all other people, especially students, can improve their health by doing this for themselves. I know here at UNC, every students has their own computer which results in countless hours wasted inside when they could be exercising. If they implemented this they would all be in better shape and squander less time frying their brains.
Karen H. Larwin and David A Larwin, Decreasing Excessive Media Usage While Increasing Physical Activity: A Single-SUbject Research Study; Behavior Modification; November 2008 32: 938-956, first published on June 10, 2008 doi: 10.1177/0145445508319668
Tuesday, February 28, 2012
Considering the Rebound Effects of Energy Conservation
Environmental conservatives pushed the “go green” movement to great success. This means trying to conserve and reduce the amount of energy we use every day. You can go green by engaging in simple tasks such as recycling, or ones that have a much more focused functions such as driving an alternative-fueled car. The article On the rebound demonstrates how there are rebounds effects that occur when we attempt to conserve energy. I disagree with the author because he does not adequately support his argument, he places too much emphasis on economics and not the environment, and it has been shown that it is best to try to conserve energy because it helps our environment and economy.
The author starts off the article by introducing the readers to the Jevons Paradox. This stems from the ideas beliefs of famous economist William Jevons and claims that “technological progress that increases the efficiency with which a resource is used, tends to increase, rather than decrease, the rate of consumption of that resource (On the rebound)." The author shares this belief and also believes increasing energy efficiency could backfire because it would allow and encourage further resource exploitation. This is the core of the author’s view on the subject. First the author supports his claim by stating that alternative fueled vehicles use more energy than they conserve. The author stated, “it takes energy to create and install energy-efficient equipment; and money saved on energy could be spent elsewhere, so ultimately contributing to economic activity, which drives up energy consumption and greenhouse-gas emissions.” Though they may use energy, it is not more than the amount it takes in and alternative fueled-vehicles a better for the environment because they produce less pollution in the air than gasoline or petroleum ( Will Going Green ). There is no type of further evidence to strengthen this point thereby devaluing the author’s thesis. The author focuses too much on the economics of energy conservation and does not think about the bigger picture and how these type of vehicles help our environment. Alternative fueled vehicles do not release harmful emissions like carbon monoxide and nitrous oxides. They are cleaner burning and renewable so they do not strain our environment as much.
In the second body paragraph of the article, the authors tried to support his claim by briefly stating that there have been recent findings from studies done by the Breakthrough Institute, based in Oakland, California, that shows the rebound effects of energy conservation are very grand and could possibly be overwhelming for America in the future. Once again, the author does not go into depth about the study, but instead gives one sentence of summary and provides a link to information on the study for reader interested (On the rebound).
Even though the author believes that our economy will suffer from the rebound effect, I think otherwise. Though some people may agree with this because they believe that the United States is still in a recession, energy conservation can excel the United States if executed correctly. If you look at the world economy, it is challenging for the United States to compete in many common industries such manufacturing and service. We can project our power and establish ourselves in the technology industry by making energy efficient technology. Green technology may be the new big thing for America. Green technology would cause the need for “green jobs”, which would help the environment. President Obama even agrees that our economy could benefit from green jobs. His economic plan includes the creation of 5 million green collar jobs over the next ten years. The United States could also save money from energy conservation. In 2008, $45 billion of global government subsidies was spent for renewable energy compared to the $557 billion of subsidies for fossil fuels (Winston 2).
Another flaw with the author’s argument is that his claim is based of Jevons Paradox that was initially based on the resource coal (On the rebound). In today’s world, there are much more resources, and how has it been proven that this Paradox is true for resources that concern energy-related resources.
In conclusion, the author of On the rebound believes that energy conservation is producing a rebound effect that is harming our economy. I do not agree with the author’s claim because it has been shown that energy conservation helps our environment and our economy, and the author does not present evidence well.
Works Cited
Winston, Andrew. “Going Green for the Economy." Harvard Business Review. Web. Feb. 2012. <http://blogs.hbr.org/winston/2010/08/going-green-for-the-economy.html>.
"On the Rebound." Nature.com. Nature Publishing Group. Web. Feb. 2012. <http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v470/n7335/full/470435b.html>.
"Will Going Green Save The US Economy? | Greenopolis." Home. Web. Feb. 2012. <http://greenopolis.com/myopolis/blogs/david-d/will-going-green-save-us-economy>.
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