Operational reorganization :: essays research papers fc

Operational Reorganization Program Our organization is cutting back, confronting significant spending cuts, revamping divisions and establishing a broadly educating program for representatives. It’s basic that we viably deal with these procedure changes and progress into a progressively gainful association. An objective setting, inspiration and stress the executives program is required to help workers and the board during this transitional time. As we are largely mindful, we should make our organization progressively receptive to an inexorably serious worldwide market. We should be increasingly adaptable and have the option to adjust rapidly to the serious requests of our industry. Item advancement cycles should be decreased and our workforce must have the option to ceaselessly improve our procedures to stay serious. Coming up next is a bit by bit examination of a proposed rearrangement plan. A course of events has been set up to cover the underlying 3-month usage stage. The arrangement accommodates a significant level of worker contribution, the production of groups to administer the progressions and set destinations, and an organized correspondence intend to lessen change opposition and guarantee that our message is being comprehended. Stage 1 †Analysis of Organizational Objectives (Week 1) â€Å"The execution of a Management by Objectives (MBO) program is a viable answer for make objective setting operational.† (Robbins 206) Specific and quantifiable targets must be set at the authoritative level and afterward streamed to divisions, offices and people. The necessary spending cuts have just settled an underlying hierarchical goal. We should amount the spending cuts and build up a point by point decrease in work power plan. The loss of business will be a significant destabilizing factor for our organization and we should move quickly to actualize the vital decrease in work power to meet our spending standards. Our authoritative goals should likewise cover the particular rearrangement destinations that will make our organization serious. The realignment of our association to decreased procedure cost, item advancement process durations and showcasing goals all should be characterized and set to a forceful course of events. The extra estimates that must be taken to accomplish our financial plans should likewise be evaluated. Roundabout expenses and travel spending plans should be built up and estimated against our financial plans. Stage 2 †Reduction in Work Force Implementation (Week 2) The vulnerability coming about because of a decrease in work power is a significant worry for all representatives. Very frequently, I have been engaged with cutback circumstances, scaling back, rightsizing or anyway the executives decides to describe the labor modification. Operational redesign :: papers research papers fc Operational Reorganization Program Our organization is scaling back, confronting significant spending cuts, revamping offices and founding a broadly educating program for workers. It’s basic that we viably deal with these procedure changes and progress into a progressively beneficial association. An objective setting, inspiration and stress the executives program is required to help representatives and the executives during this transitional time. As we are on the whole mindful, we should make our organization progressively receptive to an undeniably serious worldwide market. We should be increasingly adaptable and have the option to adjust rapidly to the serious requests of our industry. Item advancement cycles should be decreased and our workforce must have the option to ceaselessly improve our procedures to stay serious. Coming up next is a bit by bit examination of a proposed rearrangement plan. A course of events has been set up to cover the underlying 3-month usage stage. The arrangement accommodates an elevated level of worker association, the production of groups to manage the progressions and set targets, and an organized correspondence intend to diminish change opposition and safeguard that our message is being comprehended. Stage 1 †Analysis of Organizational Objectives (Week 1) â€Å"The execution of a Management by Objectives (MBO) program is a powerful answer for make objective setting operational.† (Robbins 206) Specific and quantifiable destinations must be set at the authoritative level and afterward streamed to divisions, offices and people. The necessary spending cuts have just settled an underlying hierarchical goal. We should amount the spending cuts and build up a point by point decrease in work power plan. The loss of business will be a significant destabilizing factor for our organization and we should move quickly to actualize the essential decrease in work power to meet our spending models. Our hierarchical targets should likewise cover the particular rearrangement goals that will make our organization serious. The realignment of our association to decreased procedure cost, item advancement process durations and advertising targets all should be characterized and set to a forceful course of events. The extra estimates that must be taken to accomplish our financial plans should likewise be evaluated. Roundabout expenses and travel financial plans should be set up and estimated against our spending plans. Stage 2 †Reduction in Work Force Implementation (Week 2) The vulnerability coming about because of a decrease in work power is a significant worry for all representatives. Very frequently, I have been engaged with cutback circumstances, scaling back, rightsizing or anyway the board decides to portray the labor change.

Deception Point Page 48 Free Essays

The hatchet. In her dread, she had altogether overlooked the ice hatchet joined to the tear line on her belt. The lightweight aluminum device was bobbing along adjacent to her leg. We will compose a custom paper test on Misdirection Point Page 48 or on the other hand any comparative point just for you Request Now She gazed toward the payload link on the inflatable. Thick, hard core interlaced nylon. Coming to down, she mishandled for the ricocheting hatchet. She got a handle on the handle and pulled it toward her, extending the flexible tear line. Still on her side, Rachel battled to raise her arms over her head, putting the ax’s serrated edge against the thick rope. Unadroitly, she started sawing the rigid link. â€Å"Yes!† Tolland shouted, bumbling now for his own hatchet. Sliding on her side, Rachel was loosened up, her arms over her, sawing at the rigid link. The line was solid, and the individual nylon strands were fraying gradually. Tolland held his own hatchet, bent, raised his arms over his head, and attempted to saw from underneath in a similar spot. Their banana edges clicked together as they worked pair like loggers. The rope started fraying on the two sides now. We’re going to do it, Rachel thought. This thing is going to break! Out of nowhere, the silver air pocket of Mylar before them dipped upward as though it had hit an updraft. Rachel acknowledged regrettably that it was basically following the form of the land. They had shown up. The embankments. The mass of white lingered just a moment before they were on it. The hit to Rachel’s side as they hit the slope drove the breeze from her lungs and torqued the hatchet from her hand. Like a tangled water-skier being hauled up over a hop, Rachel felt her body hauled up the essence of the embankment and propelled. She and Tolland were out of nowhere shot in a bewildering upward growl. The trough between the embankments spread out far underneath them, yet the frayed payload link held quick, lifting their quickened bodies upward, doing them clear over the principal trough. For a moment, she witnessed what lay ahead. Two additional embankments a short level and afterward the drop-off to the ocean. As though to give a voice to Rachel’s own dumbstruck dread, the piercing shout of Corky Marlinson slice through the air. Some place behind them, he cruised up over the main embankment. Each of them three went airborne, the inflatable ripping at upward like a wild creature attempting to break its captor’s chains. Out of nowhere, similar to a gunfire in the night, an unexpected snap reverberated overhead. The frayed rope gave way, and the worn out end pulled back in Rachel’s face. In a split second, they were falling. Some place overhead the Mylar swell surged out of control†¦ spiraling out to the ocean. Tangled in carabiners and tackles, Rachel and Tolland tumbled back toward earth. As the white hill of the subsequent embankment ascended toward them, Rachel prepared for sway. Scarcely freeing the top from the subsequent embankment, they slammed down the far side, the pass up their suits and the diving shape of the embankment. As her general surroundings transformed into a haze of arms and legs and ice, Rachel felt herself soaring down the slope out onto the focal ice trough. Intuitively she spread her arms and legs, attempting to back off before they hit the following embankment. She felt them easing back, yet just somewhat, and it appeared to be just seconds before she and Tolland were sliding back up a slope. At the top, there was another moment of weightlessness as they cleared the peak. At that point, loaded up with fear, Rachel felt them start their dead slide down the opposite side and out onto the last plateau†¦ the last eighty feet of the Milne Glacier. As they slid toward the bluff, Rachel could feel the drag of Corky on the tie, and she realized they were all easing back down. She realized it was short of what was needed. The finish of the ice sheet hustled toward them, and Rachel let out a defenseless shout. At that point it occurred. The edge of the ice slid out from underneath them. The exact opposite thing Rachel recollected was falling. 54 The Westbrooke Place Apartments are situated at 2201 N Street NW and advance themselves as one of only a handful hardly any irrefutably right locations in Washington. Gabrielle rushed through the overlaid rotating entryway into the marble anteroom, where a stunning cascade resonated. The porter at the front work area looked shocked to see her. â€Å"Ms. Ashe? I didn’t realize you were halting by tonight.† â€Å"I’m running late.† Gabrielle immediately marked in. The clock overhead read 6:22 P.M. The concierge scratched his head. â€Å"The congressperson gave me a rundown, yet you weren’t-â€Å" â€Å"They consistently overlook the individuals who help them most.† She gave a harried grin and walked past him toward the lift. Presently the custodian looked uncomfortable. â€Å"I better call up.† â€Å"Thanks,† Gabrielle stated, as she barricaded the lift and headed. The senator’s telephone is free. Riding the lift to the ninth floor, Gabrielle left and advanced down the exquisite passage. Toward the end, outside Sexton’s entryway, she could see one of his massive individual security accompanies celebrated guardians sitting in the corridor. He looked exhausted. Gabrielle was astonished to see security on the job, albeit clearly not as astounded as the gatekeeper was to see her. He hopped to his feet as she drew closer. â€Å"I know,† Gabrielle got out, still mostly down the lobby. â€Å"It’s a P.E. night. He doesn’t need to be disturbed.† The gatekeeper gestured vehemently. â€Å"He provided me severe requests that no guests â€Å" â€Å"It’s an emergency.† The watchman genuinely obstructed the entryway. â€Å"He’s in a private meeting.† â€Å"Really?† Gabrielle pulled the red envelope from under her arm. She flashed the White House seal in the man’s face. â€Å"I was simply in the Oval Office. I have to give the representative this data. Whatever old buddies he’s mingling with today around evening time will need to manage without him for a couple of moments. Presently, let me in.† The gatekeeper shriveled somewhat at seeing the White House seal on the envelope. Don’t make me open this, Gabrielle thought. â€Å"Leave the folder,† he said. â€Å"I’ll bring it into him.† â€Å"The damnation you will. I have direct requests from the White House to hand-convey this. In the event that I don’t converse with him quickly, we would all be able to begin searching for occupations tomorrow first thing. Do you understand?† The gatekeeper looked profoundly tangled, and Gabrielle detected the congressperson had to be sure been surprisingly determined today around evening time about having no guests. She went for the final death blow. Holding the White House envelope legitimately in his face, Gabrielle brought down her voice to a murmur and expressed the six words all Washington security faculty dreaded most. â€Å"You don't comprehend the situation.† Security work force for legislators never comprehended the circumstance, and they loathed that reality. They were recruited firearms, kept in obscurity, never sure whether to stand firm in their requests or hazard losing their positions by donkey headedly overlooking some conspicuous emergency. The watchman gulped hard, peering toward the White House envelope once more. â€Å"Okay, however I’m advising the congressperson you requested to be let in.† He opened the entryway, and Gabrielle pushed past him before he adjusted his perspective. She entered the condo and unobtrusively shut the entryway behind her, relocking it. Presently inside the anteroom, Gabrielle could hear suppressed voices in Sexton’s cave a few doors down men’s voices. Tonight’s P.E. was clearly not the private gathering inferred by Sexton’s before call. As Gabrielle descended the corridor toward the nook, she passed an open wardrobe where about six costly men’s coats hung inside-unmistakable fleece and tweed. A few portfolios sat on the floor. Clearly work remained in the corridor today around evening time. Gabrielle would have strolled directly past the cases with the exception of that one of the folder cases got her attention. The nameplate bore an unmistakable organization logo. A splendid red rocket. She stopped, bowing down to understand it: SPACE AMERICA, INC. Confounded, she inspected different folder cases. BEAL AEROSPACE. MICROCOSM, INC. Turning ROCKET COMPANY. KISTLER AEROSPACE. The most effective method to refer to Deception Point Page 48, Essay models

Participatory Democracy Research Essay

Participatory Democracy Research Essay Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Discipline: Political Science Course Name: The Frontiers of Democracy Assignment Subject: Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Level: Undergraduate-fourth year Referencing Style: Chicago Word Count: 1,860 Introduction A renewal of political philosophy has coincided in most Western countries with the establishment of procedures during the last two decades, in order to indirectly involve citizens in the political decision-making process. These schemes are mostly granted by local or governmental authorities, but can also result from strong pressure from the grassroots and the social movement. It is to this institutional offer of participation that today the idea of participatory democracy refers: a movement that aims, more or less clearly and effectively, to institutionalize the participation of citizens in other forms than the simple designation of elected representatives. An institutional regime that excludes citizen participation in the exercise of power came to be designated as democracy, which by definition refers to an ideal of government in which the legitimacy of a decision rests on those who should be able to participate in it, and whom the decision concerns. In this context, it is believed that the functioning of a democratic system calls for a certain degree of participation by the people in the determination of collective choices. This paper will analytically clarify what the terms ‘political citizen’ and ‘participative power’ mean, and also analyze the political stakes of this claimed support on a specific form of democratic participation, and examine what this discussion brings to the classical opposition between classic theories and the participatory theories of democracy. Background The notion of the ‘political citizen’, and the equivalent terms refer to the idea of a constitutional contribution accessible to everyone. Two variants can then be distinguished, which designate rather different dynamics in regards to the justification of the citizens participation in the decision-making processes. The first regards the application of political power as a mobilized notion, while the second regards carrying out transformations that follow the logic of the society and its internal changes in the functioning of the political administration. Having these means makes it possible to adapt and improve the offer of public policies so that it corresponds more to the needs of those to whom it is addressed. Participation at this level goes hand in hand with more accessible public services, and open communication between decision-makers and users. However, in other participatory arrangements, it is not primarily in its dimension of use that the ordinary reason of the citize ns is convened and the latter are asked to exercise their collective powers of reasoning. Despite important nuances, the primary intention is the same: it is a question of completing the institutional regulation of representative democracy in places where the deployment of this broader democratic deliberation is possible, and where the participation of the greatest number of collective choices is encouraged. The effects of rigorous approaches towards greater participation by the people in decision-making can be significant, as it is on the way to becoming one of the dominant currents of contemporary political thought. Participatory democracy Participatory democracy, under some of these modalities, enshrines a new political role to the ordinary citizen, whereby the citizen becomes required to pronounce himself, and is supposed to be able to position himself politically when the share of initiative left to participants is reduced to a minimum. This is often the case with the various participatory sittings or public debates that the political authorities set up, but which are in no way part of genuine participation. In other cases, discussions with citizens are part of pre-regulated arrangements that, like conferences or juries of citizens, are the subject of standard procedures. In this case, the citizen is often placed in a passive, experimental situation, with a minimal room for negotiation. In these conditions, the forms of socially assisted democracies do not instrumentalize those who agree to participate. But by questioning the capacity of these procedures to influence the decision-making process, they point to their main limit: their lack of effectiveness. Indeed, under certain conditions, these procedural innovations can sometimes trigger a virtuous political change process and compensate for the effect of structural inequalities on political participation, but in many cases, this type of decision-making approach contributes to polarizing rather than reconciling the different points of view. The institutionalization of participation, its inclusion in the law and in administrative routines arguably offer more advantages than disadvantages. But this institutionalization of participation can only be achieved on one condition: the emergence and recognition of an intermediary actor, or a neutral power that guarantees the progress of the dialogue, and imposes obligations on all those involved. The establishment of a procedure for participation with the public is likely to produce effects, regardless of the political context. These effects are often indirect and unexpected, and may concern the organizations, the actors involved, but also the decision itself. The expected effects, which are sought to be verified, can be extremely varied. They can relate to the actors at the individual level, their capacity to act, their opinions, their level of information, or acceptance of the other. They can relate to the power relations between groups, situations of domination or injustice o r the social representations of a phenomenon. They can finally deal with the decision in a democracy, whose causal relationships, taken separately or as a whole, the participation is supposed to validate or invalidate. Participative power The participation of political citizens can then be a means of gaining advantage against organized civil society, suspected of having special counter interests. To be deployed, collective powers of reasoning require sufficient information, pluralistic debates allowing the exchange of arguments, and moments of personal introspection. Consequently, the very notion of democracy, the idea that everyone has the right to participate in the definition of common affairs, if only through the vote of representatives, would be meaningless. Induced by participatory approaches or, more broadly, by commitment to the problems of society, the idea of participation in the most radical experiments refers to a participative democracy in the strict sense, that is to say a combination between the institutions of representative democracy and the dimensions of democracy direct. An important part of the decision is not a purely technical definition and implies cultural, social or political choices which ordinary citizens can reasonably be associated with when an adequate procedure allows them to have information and to deliberate properly on the matter. The reason behind this is that participation is at best only a small minority of citizens, it is very socially unequal, as every interest, every social institution, is transformed into general, collective interest. Participatory democracy contributes to politicizing certain populations, as it is always possible to contest the very modalities of the organization of the debate which challenges the organizers in the name of the democratic principles they claim to be, for example, is a common modality of major social operations. More generally, everything indicates that organized groups still have the choice to practice when faced with these participatory mechanisms. While for some of them, the most fragile, these instances of participation constitute places where their real representativeness and strength are put to the test, most have a vested interest in their multiplication. Whatever the approach adopted, and where their intervention is permitted, organized groups retain the possibility of acting simultaneously in other settings. Instigating positive social changes This idea of participatory democracy is very often detached from any reference to social justice, as it is a question of bringing citizens closer to political power, of informing the population and introducing effective movements, but not of helping to improve the lot of the most disadvantaged populations. In other words, existing schemes contribute more to the learning of the actors already in place, and to redefining their relations than to transforming citizens into genuine actors in public decision-making. Ideally, participative power is expected to produce citizens more interested in public affairs, more informed, more empathetic, more concerned with the general interest, and to transform their opinions. These approaches call for attention to citizens education, civic engagement and empowerment processes. As such, in order to make it more effective there must be an effort to communicate systematically, with the populations furthest from the political sphere through selective i ncentives for participation, or by a constant search for representativeness. It is at this price that it is possible to avoid the reproduction of the balance of power that is successful only if explicitly and effectively sought. Because public participation does not spread homogeneously on a national scale in various sectors, including the public policy sector, in the same way, depending on the country, the analysis of the effects requires broadening the dimensions taken into account in the evaluation of participatory processes. There are more comparative approaches between public action contexts in order to analyze their differentiated capabilities. This is done in order to produce a range of participation and how whole areas of public action evade or convert into the new system of political participation. Namely, the influence of participatory schemes are created often to seek out the explanation of this result elsewhere, other than in the devices themselves. As such, a question of the effects on the decision is a question about the relatively low impact of the participatory protocols put in place, contrary to the expectations of the proponents of embedding them in larger systems of action and longer tempo ralities. Consequently, the failure of most participatory processes is to transform public action serves in order to inform the ordinary processes of decision-making in our democracies. This reasoning can be used as an argument that democratization of the decision-making process is hardly possible, due to the asymmetries of power and knowledge between the actors corresponding to strong initial normative changes. The first of these refers to the fact that the invalidation of the supposed and expected effects of participation constitutes in itself a significant result or decision. To note that, under certain conditions, the participation of the public in a democracy strengthens the power of the representatives, reinforces injustice and domination or produces strictly no effect can disappoint, it nevertheless constitutes a fact that deserves to be established. Conclusion In view of the initial assessments made in this issue and the questions they raise, it can be concluded that this deliberate turn in contemporary political thought and the rise of this participatory imperative in public action are a reflection on the limits of proven operation of current representative democracies. A deviation from the participatory ideal is not only a risk, but a reality that is seen today in many municipalities where consultation councils have neither the means nor the recognition sufficient to make themselves heard. At the same time, it can be concluded that the reference to an ideal of direct democracy or self-management is absent from most of these initiatives. Whether they are as diverse as neighbourhood councils, citizens conferences or the public debate, all present themselves as places where an informed public judgment can be built, where conflicting opinions can be made, and where arguments can be exchanged, but where decision-making power is not directly at stake. In particular, the devices which can be associated with this movement are tools or instruments to involve citizens more or less permanently in the discussion of local political affairs or development projects. Bibliography: Bryson, John M., Kathryn S. Quick, Carissa Schively Slotterback, and Barbara C. Crosby. Designing public participation processes. Public administration review 73, no. 1 (2013): 23-34. Fung, Archon. Putting the public back into governance: The challenges of citizen participation and its future. Public Administration Review 75, no. 4 (2015): 513-522. Lafont, Cristina. Deliberation, Participation, and Democratic Legitimacy: Should Deliberative Mini-publics Shape Public Policy?. Journal of Political Philosophy 23, no. 1 (2015): 40-63. Langford, Tom. Union democracy as a foundation for a participatory society: A theoretical elaboration and historical example. Labour/Le Travail 76, no. 1 (2015): 79-108. Stoker, Gerry. Why politics matters: making democracy work. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016. Participatory Democracy Research Essay Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Discipline: Political Science Course Name: The Frontiers of Democracy Assignment Subject: Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Level: Undergraduate-fourth year Referencing Style: Chicago Word Count: 1,860 Introduction A renewal of political philosophy has coincided in most Western countries with the establishment of procedures during the last two decades, in order to indirectly involve citizens in the political decision-making process. These schemes are mostly granted by local or governmental authorities, but can also result from strong pressure from the grassroots and the social movement. It is to this institutional offer of participation that today the idea of participatory democracy refers: a movement that aims, more or less clearly and effectively, to institutionalize the participation of citizens in other forms than the simple designation of elected representatives. An institutional regime that excludes citizen participation in the exercise of power came to be designated as democracy, which by definition refers to an ideal of government in which the legitimacy of a decision rests on those who should be able to participate in it, and whom the decision concerns. In this context, it is believed that the functioning of a democratic system calls for a certain degree of participation by the people in the determination of collective choices. This paper will analytically clarify what the terms ‘political citizen’ and ‘participative power’ mean, and also analyze the political stakes of this claimed support on a specific form of democratic participation, and examine what this discussion brings to the classical opposition between classic theories and the participatory theories of democracy. Background The notion of the ‘political citizen’, and the equivalent terms refer to the idea of a constitutional contribution accessible to everyone. Two variants can then be distinguished, which designate rather different dynamics in regards to the justification of the citizens participation in the decision-making processes. The first regards the application of political power as a mobilized notion, while the second regards carrying out transformations that follow the logic of the society and its internal changes in the functioning of the political administration. Having these means makes it possible to adapt and improve the offer of public policies so that it corresponds more to the needs of those to whom it is addressed. Participation at this level goes hand in hand with more accessible public services, and open communication between decision-makers and users. However, in other participatory arrangements, it is not primarily in its dimension of use that the ordinary reason of the citize ns is convened and the latter are asked to exercise their collective powers of reasoning. Despite important nuances, the primary intention is the same: it is a question of completing the institutional regulation of representative democracy in places where the deployment of this broader democratic deliberation is possible, and where the participation of the greatest number of collective choices is encouraged. The effects of rigorous approaches towards greater participation by the people in decision-making can be significant, as it is on the way to becoming one of the dominant currents of contemporary political thought. Participatory democracy Participatory democracy, under some of these modalities, enshrines a new political role to the ordinary citizen, whereby the citizen becomes required to pronounce himself, and is supposed to be able to position himself politically when the share of initiative left to participants is reduced to a minimum. This is often the case with the various participatory sittings or public debates that the political authorities set up, but which are in no way part of genuine participation. In other cases, discussions with citizens are part of pre-regulated arrangements that, like conferences or juries of citizens, are the subject of standard procedures. In this case, the citizen is often placed in a passive, experimental situation, with a minimal room for negotiation. In these conditions, the forms of socially assisted democracies do not instrumentalize those who agree to participate. But by questioning the capacity of these procedures to influence the decision-making process, they point to their main limit: their lack of effectiveness. Indeed, under certain conditions, these procedural innovations can sometimes trigger a virtuous political change process and compensate for the effect of structural inequalities on political participation, but in many cases, this type of decision-making approach contributes to polarizing rather than reconciling the different points of view. The institutionalization of participation, its inclusion in the law and in administrative routines arguably offer more advantages than disadvantages. But this institutionalization of participation can only be achieved on one condition: the emergence and recognition of an intermediary actor, or a neutral power that guarantees the progress of the dialogue, and imposes obligations on all those involved. The establishment of a procedure for participation with the public is likely to produce effects, regardless of the political context. These effects are often indirect and unexpected, and may concern the organizations, the actors involved, but also the decision itself. The expected effects, which are sought to be verified, can be extremely varied. They can relate to the actors at the individual level, their capacity to act, their opinions, their level of information, or acceptance of the other. They can relate to the power relations between groups, situations of domination or injustice o r the social representations of a phenomenon. They can finally deal with the decision in a democracy, whose causal relationships, taken separately or as a whole, the participation is supposed to validate or invalidate. Participative power The participation of political citizens can then be a means of gaining advantage against organized civil society, suspected of having special counter interests. To be deployed, collective powers of reasoning require sufficient information, pluralistic debates allowing the exchange of arguments, and moments of personal introspection. Consequently, the very notion of democracy, the idea that everyone has the right to participate in the definition of common affairs, if only through the vote of representatives, would be meaningless. Induced by participatory approaches or, more broadly, by commitment to the problems of society, the idea of participation in the most radical experiments refers to a participative democracy in the strict sense, that is to say a combination between the institutions of representative democracy and the dimensions of democracy direct. An important part of the decision is not a purely technical definition and implies cultural, social or political choices which ordinary citizens can reasonably be associated with when an adequate procedure allows them to have information and to deliberate properly on the matter. The reason behind this is that participation is at best only a small minority of citizens, it is very socially unequal, as every interest, every social institution, is transformed into general, collective interest. Participatory democracy contributes to politicizing certain populations, as it is always possible to contest the very modalities of the organization of the debate which challenges the organizers in the name of the democratic principles they claim to be, for example, is a common modality of major social operations. More generally, everything indicates that organized groups still have the choice to practice when faced with these participatory mechanisms. While for some of them, the most fragile, these instances of participation constitute places where their real representativeness and strength are put to the test, most have a vested interest in their multiplication. Whatever the approach adopted, and where their intervention is permitted, organized groups retain the possibility of acting simultaneously in other settings. Instigating positive social changes This idea of participatory democracy is very often detached from any reference to social justice, as it is a question of bringing citizens closer to political power, of informing the population and introducing effective movements, but not of helping to improve the lot of the most disadvantaged populations. In other words, existing schemes contribute more to the learning of the actors already in place, and to redefining their relations than to transforming citizens into genuine actors in public decision-making. Ideally, participative power is expected to produce citizens more interested in public affairs, more informed, more empathetic, more concerned with the general interest, and to transform their opinions. These approaches call for attention to citizens education, civic engagement and empowerment processes. As such, in order to make it more effective there must be an effort to communicate systematically, with the populations furthest from the political sphere through selective i ncentives for participation, or by a constant search for representativeness. It is at this price that it is possible to avoid the reproduction of the balance of power that is successful only if explicitly and effectively sought. Because public participation does not spread homogeneously on a national scale in various sectors, including the public policy sector, in the same way, depending on the country, the analysis of the effects requires broadening the dimensions taken into account in the evaluation of participatory processes. There are more comparative approaches between public action contexts in order to analyze their differentiated capabilities. This is done in order to produce a range of participation and how whole areas of public action evade or convert into the new system of political participation. Namely, the influence of participatory schemes are created often to seek out the explanation of this result elsewhere, other than in the devices themselves. As such, a question of the effects on the decision is a question about the relatively low impact of the participatory protocols put in place, contrary to the expectations of the proponents of embedding them in larger systems of action and longer tempo ralities. Consequently, the failure of most participatory processes is to transform public action serves in order to inform the ordinary processes of decision-making in our democracies. This reasoning can be used as an argument that democratization of the decision-making process is hardly possible, due to the asymmetries of power and knowledge between the actors corresponding to strong initial normative changes. The first of these refers to the fact that the invalidation of the supposed and expected effects of participation constitutes in itself a significant result or decision. To note that, under certain conditions, the participation of the public in a democracy strengthens the power of the representatives, reinforces injustice and domination or produces strictly no effect can disappoint, it nevertheless constitutes a fact that deserves to be established. Conclusion In view of the initial assessments made in this issue and the questions they raise, it can be concluded that this deliberate turn in contemporary political thought and the rise of this participatory imperative in public action are a reflection on the limits of proven operation of current representative democracies. A deviation from the participatory ideal is not only a risk, but a reality that is seen today in many municipalities where consultation councils have neither the means nor the recognition sufficient to make themselves heard. At the same time, it can be concluded that the reference to an ideal of direct democracy or self-management is absent from most of these initiatives. Whether they are as diverse as neighbourhood councils, citizens conferences or the public debate, all present themselves as places where an informed public judgment can be built, where conflicting opinions can be made, and where arguments can be exchanged, but where decision-making power is not directly at stake. In particular, the devices which can be associated with this movement are tools or instruments to involve citizens more or less permanently in the discussion of local political affairs or development projects. Bibliography: Bryson, John M., Kathryn S. Quick, Carissa Schively Slotterback, and Barbara C. Crosby. Designing public participation processes. Public administration review 73, no. 1 (2013): 23-34. Fung, Archon. Putting the public back into governance: The challenges of citizen participation and its future. Public Administration Review 75, no. 4 (2015): 513-522. Lafont, Cristina. Deliberation, Participation, and Democratic Legitimacy: Should Deliberative Mini-publics Shape Public Policy?. Journal of Political Philosophy 23, no. 1 (2015): 40-63. Langford, Tom. Union democracy as a foundation for a participatory society: A theoretical elaboration and historical example. Labour/Le Travail 76, no. 1 (2015): 79-108. Stoker, Gerry. Why politics matters: making democracy work. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016.

Participatory Democracy Research Essay

Participatory Democracy Research Essay Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Discipline: Political Science Course Name: The Frontiers of Democracy Assignment Subject: Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Level: Undergraduate-fourth year Referencing Style: Chicago Word Count: 1,860 Introduction A renewal of political philosophy has coincided in most Western countries with the establishment of procedures during the last two decades, in order to indirectly involve citizens in the political decision-making process. These schemes are mostly granted by local or governmental authorities, but can also result from strong pressure from the grassroots and the social movement. It is to this institutional offer of participation that today the idea of participatory democracy refers: a movement that aims, more or less clearly and effectively, to institutionalize the participation of citizens in other forms than the simple designation of elected representatives. An institutional regime that excludes citizen participation in the exercise of power came to be designated as democracy, which by definition refers to an ideal of government in which the legitimacy of a decision rests on those who should be able to participate in it, and whom the decision concerns. In this context, it is believed that the functioning of a democratic system calls for a certain degree of participation by the people in the determination of collective choices. This paper will analytically clarify what the terms ‘political citizen’ and ‘participative power’ mean, and also analyze the political stakes of this claimed support on a specific form of democratic participation, and examine what this discussion brings to the classical opposition between classic theories and the participatory theories of democracy. Background The notion of the ‘political citizen’, and the equivalent terms refer to the idea of a constitutional contribution accessible to everyone. Two variants can then be distinguished, which designate rather different dynamics in regards to the justification of the citizens participation in the decision-making processes. The first regards the application of political power as a mobilized notion, while the second regards carrying out transformations that follow the logic of the society and its internal changes in the functioning of the political administration. Having these means makes it possible to adapt and improve the offer of public policies so that it corresponds more to the needs of those to whom it is addressed. Participation at this level goes hand in hand with more accessible public services, and open communication between decision-makers and users. However, in other participatory arrangements, it is not primarily in its dimension of use that the ordinary reason of the citize ns is convened and the latter are asked to exercise their collective powers of reasoning. Despite important nuances, the primary intention is the same: it is a question of completing the institutional regulation of representative democracy in places where the deployment of this broader democratic deliberation is possible, and where the participation of the greatest number of collective choices is encouraged. The effects of rigorous approaches towards greater participation by the people in decision-making can be significant, as it is on the way to becoming one of the dominant currents of contemporary political thought. Participatory democracy Participatory democracy, under some of these modalities, enshrines a new political role to the ordinary citizen, whereby the citizen becomes required to pronounce himself, and is supposed to be able to position himself politically when the share of initiative left to participants is reduced to a minimum. This is often the case with the various participatory sittings or public debates that the political authorities set up, but which are in no way part of genuine participation. In other cases, discussions with citizens are part of pre-regulated arrangements that, like conferences or juries of citizens, are the subject of standard procedures. In this case, the citizen is often placed in a passive, experimental situation, with a minimal room for negotiation. In these conditions, the forms of socially assisted democracies do not instrumentalize those who agree to participate. But by questioning the capacity of these procedures to influence the decision-making process, they point to their main limit: their lack of effectiveness. Indeed, under certain conditions, these procedural innovations can sometimes trigger a virtuous political change process and compensate for the effect of structural inequalities on political participation, but in many cases, this type of decision-making approach contributes to polarizing rather than reconciling the different points of view. The institutionalization of participation, its inclusion in the law and in administrative routines arguably offer more advantages than disadvantages. But this institutionalization of participation can only be achieved on one condition: the emergence and recognition of an intermediary actor, or a neutral power that guarantees the progress of the dialogue, and imposes obligations on all those involved. The establishment of a procedure for participation with the public is likely to produce effects, regardless of the political context. These effects are often indirect and unexpected, and may concern the organizations, the actors involved, but also the decision itself. The expected effects, which are sought to be verified, can be extremely varied. They can relate to the actors at the individual level, their capacity to act, their opinions, their level of information, or acceptance of the other. They can relate to the power relations between groups, situations of domination or injustice o r the social representations of a phenomenon. They can finally deal with the decision in a democracy, whose causal relationships, taken separately or as a whole, the participation is supposed to validate or invalidate. Participative power The participation of political citizens can then be a means of gaining advantage against organized civil society, suspected of having special counter interests. To be deployed, collective powers of reasoning require sufficient information, pluralistic debates allowing the exchange of arguments, and moments of personal introspection. Consequently, the very notion of democracy, the idea that everyone has the right to participate in the definition of common affairs, if only through the vote of representatives, would be meaningless. Induced by participatory approaches or, more broadly, by commitment to the problems of society, the idea of participation in the most radical experiments refers to a participative democracy in the strict sense, that is to say a combination between the institutions of representative democracy and the dimensions of democracy direct. An important part of the decision is not a purely technical definition and implies cultural, social or political choices which ordinary citizens can reasonably be associated with when an adequate procedure allows them to have information and to deliberate properly on the matter. The reason behind this is that participation is at best only a small minority of citizens, it is very socially unequal, as every interest, every social institution, is transformed into general, collective interest. Participatory democracy contributes to politicizing certain populations, as it is always possible to contest the very modalities of the organization of the debate which challenges the organizers in the name of the democratic principles they claim to be, for example, is a common modality of major social operations. More generally, everything indicates that organized groups still have the choice to practice when faced with these participatory mechanisms. While for some of them, the most fragile, these instances of participation constitute places where their real representativeness and strength are put to the test, most have a vested interest in their multiplication. Whatever the approach adopted, and where their intervention is permitted, organized groups retain the possibility of acting simultaneously in other settings. Instigating positive social changes This idea of participatory democracy is very often detached from any reference to social justice, as it is a question of bringing citizens closer to political power, of informing the population and introducing effective movements, but not of helping to improve the lot of the most disadvantaged populations. In other words, existing schemes contribute more to the learning of the actors already in place, and to redefining their relations than to transforming citizens into genuine actors in public decision-making. Ideally, participative power is expected to produce citizens more interested in public affairs, more informed, more empathetic, more concerned with the general interest, and to transform their opinions. These approaches call for attention to citizens education, civic engagement and empowerment processes. As such, in order to make it more effective there must be an effort to communicate systematically, with the populations furthest from the political sphere through selective i ncentives for participation, or by a constant search for representativeness. It is at this price that it is possible to avoid the reproduction of the balance of power that is successful only if explicitly and effectively sought. Because public participation does not spread homogeneously on a national scale in various sectors, including the public policy sector, in the same way, depending on the country, the analysis of the effects requires broadening the dimensions taken into account in the evaluation of participatory processes. There are more comparative approaches between public action contexts in order to analyze their differentiated capabilities. This is done in order to produce a range of participation and how whole areas of public action evade or convert into the new system of political participation. Namely, the influence of participatory schemes are created often to seek out the explanation of this result elsewhere, other than in the devices themselves. As such, a question of the effects on the decision is a question about the relatively low impact of the participatory protocols put in place, contrary to the expectations of the proponents of embedding them in larger systems of action and longer tempo ralities. Consequently, the failure of most participatory processes is to transform public action serves in order to inform the ordinary processes of decision-making in our democracies. This reasoning can be used as an argument that democratization of the decision-making process is hardly possible, due to the asymmetries of power and knowledge between the actors corresponding to strong initial normative changes. The first of these refers to the fact that the invalidation of the supposed and expected effects of participation constitutes in itself a significant result or decision. To note that, under certain conditions, the participation of the public in a democracy strengthens the power of the representatives, reinforces injustice and domination or produces strictly no effect can disappoint, it nevertheless constitutes a fact that deserves to be established. Conclusion In view of the initial assessments made in this issue and the questions they raise, it can be concluded that this deliberate turn in contemporary political thought and the rise of this participatory imperative in public action are a reflection on the limits of proven operation of current representative democracies. A deviation from the participatory ideal is not only a risk, but a reality that is seen today in many municipalities where consultation councils have neither the means nor the recognition sufficient to make themselves heard. At the same time, it can be concluded that the reference to an ideal of direct democracy or self-management is absent from most of these initiatives. Whether they are as diverse as neighbourhood councils, citizens conferences or the public debate, all present themselves as places where an informed public judgment can be built, where conflicting opinions can be made, and where arguments can be exchanged, but where decision-making power is not directly at stake. In particular, the devices which can be associated with this movement are tools or instruments to involve citizens more or less permanently in the discussion of local political affairs or development projects. Bibliography: Bryson, John M., Kathryn S. Quick, Carissa Schively Slotterback, and Barbara C. Crosby. Designing public participation processes. Public administration review 73, no. 1 (2013): 23-34. Fung, Archon. Putting the public back into governance: The challenges of citizen participation and its future. Public Administration Review 75, no. 4 (2015): 513-522. Lafont, Cristina. Deliberation, Participation, and Democratic Legitimacy: Should Deliberative Mini-publics Shape Public Policy?. Journal of Political Philosophy 23, no. 1 (2015): 40-63. Langford, Tom. Union democracy as a foundation for a participatory society: A theoretical elaboration and historical example. Labour/Le Travail 76, no. 1 (2015): 79-108. Stoker, Gerry. Why politics matters: making democracy work. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016. Participatory Democracy Research Essay Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Discipline: Political Science Course Name: The Frontiers of Democracy Assignment Subject: Participatory democracy: the rise of the political citizen and participative power Academic Level: Undergraduate-fourth year Referencing Style: Chicago Word Count: 1,860 Introduction A renewal of political philosophy has coincided in most Western countries with the establishment of procedures during the last two decades, in order to indirectly involve citizens in the political decision-making process. These schemes are mostly granted by local or governmental authorities, but can also result from strong pressure from the grassroots and the social movement. It is to this institutional offer of participation that today the idea of participatory democracy refers: a movement that aims, more or less clearly and effectively, to institutionalize the participation of citizens in other forms than the simple designation of elected representatives. An institutional regime that excludes citizen participation in the exercise of power came to be designated as democracy, which by definition refers to an ideal of government in which the legitimacy of a decision rests on those who should be able to participate in it, and whom the decision concerns. In this context, it is believed that the functioning of a democratic system calls for a certain degree of participation by the people in the determination of collective choices. This paper will analytically clarify what the terms ‘political citizen’ and ‘participative power’ mean, and also analyze the political stakes of this claimed support on a specific form of democratic participation, and examine what this discussion brings to the classical opposition between classic theories and the participatory theories of democracy. Background The notion of the ‘political citizen’, and the equivalent terms refer to the idea of a constitutional contribution accessible to everyone. Two variants can then be distinguished, which designate rather different dynamics in regards to the justification of the citizens participation in the decision-making processes. The first regards the application of political power as a mobilized notion, while the second regards carrying out transformations that follow the logic of the society and its internal changes in the functioning of the political administration. Having these means makes it possible to adapt and improve the offer of public policies so that it corresponds more to the needs of those to whom it is addressed. Participation at this level goes hand in hand with more accessible public services, and open communication between decision-makers and users. However, in other participatory arrangements, it is not primarily in its dimension of use that the ordinary reason of the citize ns is convened and the latter are asked to exercise their collective powers of reasoning. Despite important nuances, the primary intention is the same: it is a question of completing the institutional regulation of representative democracy in places where the deployment of this broader democratic deliberation is possible, and where the participation of the greatest number of collective choices is encouraged. The effects of rigorous approaches towards greater participation by the people in decision-making can be significant, as it is on the way to becoming one of the dominant currents of contemporary political thought. Participatory democracy Participatory democracy, under some of these modalities, enshrines a new political role to the ordinary citizen, whereby the citizen becomes required to pronounce himself, and is supposed to be able to position himself politically when the share of initiative left to participants is reduced to a minimum. This is often the case with the various participatory sittings or public debates that the political authorities set up, but which are in no way part of genuine participation. In other cases, discussions with citizens are part of pre-regulated arrangements that, like conferences or juries of citizens, are the subject of standard procedures. In this case, the citizen is often placed in a passive, experimental situation, with a minimal room for negotiation. In these conditions, the forms of socially assisted democracies do not instrumentalize those who agree to participate. But by questioning the capacity of these procedures to influence the decision-making process, they point to their main limit: their lack of effectiveness. Indeed, under certain conditions, these procedural innovations can sometimes trigger a virtuous political change process and compensate for the effect of structural inequalities on political participation, but in many cases, this type of decision-making approach contributes to polarizing rather than reconciling the different points of view. The institutionalization of participation, its inclusion in the law and in administrative routines arguably offer more advantages than disadvantages. But this institutionalization of participation can only be achieved on one condition: the emergence and recognition of an intermediary actor, or a neutral power that guarantees the progress of the dialogue, and imposes obligations on all those involved. The establishment of a procedure for participation with the public is likely to produce effects, regardless of the political context. These effects are often indirect and unexpected, and may concern the organizations, the actors involved, but also the decision itself. The expected effects, which are sought to be verified, can be extremely varied. They can relate to the actors at the individual level, their capacity to act, their opinions, their level of information, or acceptance of the other. They can relate to the power relations between groups, situations of domination or injustice o r the social representations of a phenomenon. They can finally deal with the decision in a democracy, whose causal relationships, taken separately or as a whole, the participation is supposed to validate or invalidate. Participative power The participation of political citizens can then be a means of gaining advantage against organized civil society, suspected of having special counter interests. To be deployed, collective powers of reasoning require sufficient information, pluralistic debates allowing the exchange of arguments, and moments of personal introspection. Consequently, the very notion of democracy, the idea that everyone has the right to participate in the definition of common affairs, if only through the vote of representatives, would be meaningless. Induced by participatory approaches or, more broadly, by commitment to the problems of society, the idea of participation in the most radical experiments refers to a participative democracy in the strict sense, that is to say a combination between the institutions of representative democracy and the dimensions of democracy direct. An important part of the decision is not a purely technical definition and implies cultural, social or political choices which ordinary citizens can reasonably be associated with when an adequate procedure allows them to have information and to deliberate properly on the matter. The reason behind this is that participation is at best only a small minority of citizens, it is very socially unequal, as every interest, every social institution, is transformed into general, collective interest. Participatory democracy contributes to politicizing certain populations, as it is always possible to contest the very modalities of the organization of the debate which challenges the organizers in the name of the democratic principles they claim to be, for example, is a common modality of major social operations. More generally, everything indicates that organized groups still have the choice to practice when faced with these participatory mechanisms. While for some of them, the most fragile, these instances of participation constitute places where their real representativeness and strength are put to the test, most have a vested interest in their multiplication. Whatever the approach adopted, and where their intervention is permitted, organized groups retain the possibility of acting simultaneously in other settings. Instigating positive social changes This idea of participatory democracy is very often detached from any reference to social justice, as it is a question of bringing citizens closer to political power, of informing the population and introducing effective movements, but not of helping to improve the lot of the most disadvantaged populations. In other words, existing schemes contribute more to the learning of the actors already in place, and to redefining their relations than to transforming citizens into genuine actors in public decision-making. Ideally, participative power is expected to produce citizens more interested in public affairs, more informed, more empathetic, more concerned with the general interest, and to transform their opinions. These approaches call for attention to citizens education, civic engagement and empowerment processes. As such, in order to make it more effective there must be an effort to communicate systematically, with the populations furthest from the political sphere through selective i ncentives for participation, or by a constant search for representativeness. It is at this price that it is possible to avoid the reproduction of the balance of power that is successful only if explicitly and effectively sought. Because public participation does not spread homogeneously on a national scale in various sectors, including the public policy sector, in the same way, depending on the country, the analysis of the effects requires broadening the dimensions taken into account in the evaluation of participatory processes. There are more comparative approaches between public action contexts in order to analyze their differentiated capabilities. This is done in order to produce a range of participation and how whole areas of public action evade or convert into the new system of political participation. Namely, the influence of participatory schemes are created often to seek out the explanation of this result elsewhere, other than in the devices themselves. As such, a question of the effects on the decision is a question about the relatively low impact of the participatory protocols put in place, contrary to the expectations of the proponents of embedding them in larger systems of action and longer tempo ralities. Consequently, the failure of most participatory processes is to transform public action serves in order to inform the ordinary processes of decision-making in our democracies. This reasoning can be used as an argument that democratization of the decision-making process is hardly possible, due to the asymmetries of power and knowledge between the actors corresponding to strong initial normative changes. The first of these refers to the fact that the invalidation of the supposed and expected effects of participation constitutes in itself a significant result or decision. To note that, under certain conditions, the participation of the public in a democracy strengthens the power of the representatives, reinforces injustice and domination or produces strictly no effect can disappoint, it nevertheless constitutes a fact that deserves to be established. Conclusion In view of the initial assessments made in this issue and the questions they raise, it can be concluded that this deliberate turn in contemporary political thought and the rise of this participatory imperative in public action are a reflection on the limits of proven operation of current representative democracies. A deviation from the participatory ideal is not only a risk, but a reality that is seen today in many municipalities where consultation councils have neither the means nor the recognition sufficient to make themselves heard. At the same time, it can be concluded that the reference to an ideal of direct democracy or self-management is absent from most of these initiatives. Whether they are as diverse as neighbourhood councils, citizens conferences or the public debate, all present themselves as places where an informed public judgment can be built, where conflicting opinions can be made, and where arguments can be exchanged, but where decision-making power is not directly at stake. In particular, the devices which can be associated with this movement are tools or instruments to involve citizens more or less permanently in the discussion of local political affairs or development projects. Bibliography: Bryson, John M., Kathryn S. Quick, Carissa Schively Slotterback, and Barbara C. Crosby. Designing public participation processes. Public administration review 73, no. 1 (2013): 23-34. Fung, Archon. Putting the public back into governance: The challenges of citizen participation and its future. Public Administration Review 75, no. 4 (2015): 513-522. Lafont, Cristina. Deliberation, Participation, and Democratic Legitimacy: Should Deliberative Mini-publics Shape Public Policy?. Journal of Political Philosophy 23, no. 1 (2015): 40-63. Langford, Tom. Union democracy as a foundation for a participatory society: A theoretical elaboration and historical example. Labour/Le Travail 76, no. 1 (2015): 79-108. Stoker, Gerry. Why politics matters: making democracy work. London: Palgrave Macmillan UK, 2016.

Teenage Suicide Free Essays

To what extent social factors especially academic pressure cause Korean teenagers to commit suicide? Submitted by: Song da hin Extended Essay Table of Contents To what extent social factors especially academic pressure cause Korean teenagers to commit suicide? 1 Abstract3 Introduction4 Causes contributing Korean teenagers commit suicide5 Conclusion12 Bibliography13 Abstract ‘Committing suicide’ is now Korea’s second leading cause of death for ages from 15 to 24 (NIMH, no date published).From my research, I hope this will alert parents, teachers, friends and even strangers to think about solutions before we get more people suffering from suicidal attempts. The reasons for teenagers committing suicide vary from bullying, depression, diseases and sickness, taking much drink and drugs, media, family problems including economy and the last and most important, society. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenage Suicide or any similar topic only for you Order Now First, it can be about bullying. Teenagers usually tend to reject or isolate a classmate who is different from them; internally or externally.Second, depression which is very much related to the first cause but it does not always come from bullying but also from lots of circumstances. This can be about family relationship, friendship, or any other problem that s/he is facing on. Third, diseases and sicknesses can be another reason. When a teenager is in adolescent period, s/he turns emotions quickly and easily gets stressed with a very minimal reason. Fourth, taking much drugs and alcohol can be another cause. These affect badly on humans’ bodies especially teenagers’ because their bodies are not fully developed.Drugs are the most dangerous thing for teenagers. Fifth, media especially the internet can be another cause. Today’s media especially the commercials on beauty products also has an enormous sociological and psychological affect on adolescent girls. Amongst all, the most important reason why Korean teenagers commit suicide is because of the society problems that Korean students are facing. Especially for Korean teenagers, they always have to remember the relationship with friends, respect adults, the pressure they get from parents to get better score, thinking about universities and relationship with teachers.The rate of teenagers trying to commit suicide is 60% for male students and 44% for female students and the reason why Korean reporters do not publish news on teenagers committing suicide is because it may cause teenagers to think about committing suicide in a more detailed way. (Ahn, S. B. 2010) Introduction The reason why people commit suicide can be stated from a report. The report says ‘to be born is not our choice but to die can be decided. ’ (MamasHealth, 2010) People especially teenagers are in adolescence, a stressful developmental period with lots of changes: changes in body, thoughts and feelings.Therefore their limitation of not coping well with pain and confusion they face, they feel stressed and pressured about it and they think committing suicide is a way to end their sufferings. Also, teenagers considering themselves as victims who cannot get help from others; parents, family and teachers, they tend to decide own their own without consulting with anyone who is even close to them. Through this, we can state that the characteristics of teenagers; limit in solving problems and making errors in their behaviors, people have to be aware of this fact that eenagers feel easy to commit suicide than adults. This means that they do not solve problems logically but they try to solve the problems in a trouble-free and immediate ways that they think it is better. On a webpage offering statistics of cause on teenage death; South Korea’s second leading cause of death for ages from 15 to 24 is from committing suicide. (NIMH, no date published) The reason why I chose this topic is because my country, South Korea is suffering so much from teenagers committing suicide and the reasons are very broad.In addition to this, Korea is facing this problem of not even knowing much why teenagers commit suicide because some teenagers commit suicide without leaving any notes. However the usual reason would be ‘pressure from getting low grades’ that they get from exams and test papers. (Ahn, S. B. , 2010) Since I was once a student in Korean school and could understand the feeling they have towards the crazy situation forcing them to get good grades and force them to go better university than others.I decided to take this as my topic and since the rate of committing suicide increases every year, we now consider it as a sickness and to show this in a quick summary of last two years’ results, it shows the increase on the number of teenagers committing suicide, increased from 137 to 202 teenager s; 47% increased. (Ahn, S. B. , 2010) Why do Korean teenagers try to commit suicide? That has been a question for us not recently but has been great news since few years ago.After IMF (time stage when Korea could not import or export to other countries because of not accepting the unreasonable offer from America) has happened, lots of Korean workers lost their jobs and a lot of business came up with such unsuccessful outcome. Therefore when IMF ended, only developed and stable companies could survive which the entire ‘job lost Koreans’ wanted to get in. The problem has started from this time. Since lots of people were striving to get the jobs in those few survived companies; the companies (which are very famous now) had variety of choices to hire the employees. They first looked at their profiles especially on highest education, the certifications they earned and other things that can prove their abilities and intelligence. Therefore even though the economy came back, ‘job competition’ has stayed between Koreans. Therefore Korean students have to study really hard to get into very successful and recognized universities in Korea so that they can prove how smart they are to companies when getting a job. The stress Korean teenagers have towards studying and getting better grades causes the most possible reason why Korean teenagers try to commit suicide.The causes of teenagers committing suicide vary from unsatisfied grades (34%) to divorce of parents (13%), and depression (11%), relationship with boyfriend / girlfriend (6%), sickness (3%) and bullying (2%). To conduct a deep study on the reasons why Korean teenagers commit suicide, I came up with the question; to what extent social factors especially academic pressure cause Korean teenagers to commit suicide? Causes contributing Korean teenagers commit suicide Suicidal attempt from ages 10-12 happens by accidents or shock from parents’ punishments.From ages 12-14, they commit suicide but cannot succeed because they cannot plan the suicidal attempt clearly and carefully which may lead to success of suicidal attempt. Older than 14 years old, they feel they are quite independent from parents and start to look back on what they have done and grieve over what they have done wrong. This can be related to the research conducted by Baumeister. He concluded suicide as ‘escape of oneself. ’ Baumeister discussed this into detailed process; first, the gap between the reality and expectation. When a person expects more than the reality can hold it, there occurs a crack between them.Second, people usually blame this kind of gap to themselves. Third, people then think any problem that occurs is from them and this makes them to evaluate themselves negative. Fourth, emotional problem occurs and the fifth think about ways to solve this kind of emotional problem which leads to ‘cognitive deconstruction. ’ Cognitive deconstruction happens when emotional function lessen, people denies putting any meaning onto anything and understanding the world as meaningless creature. This state of mind limits a person’s control of emotion which finally leads a person to commit suicide. (Baumeister, R.F. 1990) The most common reasons occur when it comes to teenage suicidal attempts can be categorized into parts; first, it can be about bullying. Teenagers usually tend to reject or isolate a classmate who is different from them; internally and externally. They usually show ‘dislike’ by showing actions and calling bad names to show how much they dislike this person. What usually happens in Korea is when this group of people start to hate one person then if this group is powerful in controlling friends, the classmates would follow the group and whoever gets close to this person will get bullied as well.Therefore even though some students want to help this person, they do not want to because they are afraid to get bullied by this group as well. This person then will feel totally alone and friendless. Relating to this, having high self-esteem means a person trusts himself and thinks he is important in the world. This means this person has pride, courage and is very flexible in adapting sudden situation which cannot be shown from teenagers who have low self-esteem. Teenagers who have low self-esteem always think negative about the results of their effort. They do not expect much from the society and cannot adapt with danger. Self esteem affects 15. 7% of teenagers committing suicide. (Kim, E. J. 2002). Second, depression can be another reason. This is very much related to the first cause but it does not always come from bullying but also from lots of circumstances. This can be about family relationship, friendship, or any other problem that s/he is facing on. For example, Esaki Reona who earned Nobel physics prize wrote an essay about difference between Japan and America.When a student achieves 80% of the goal then in America the parents tell them â€Å"Very good! † but in Japan they say â€Å"Okay. † When a student achieves 60% then in America they say â€Å"Good! † where Japanese say â€Å"Needs improvement. † This simple example clearly shows that Japanese have negative thoughts. Even though this example talks about Japan and America, it is quite similar with Korean situation. When teenagers feel that they cannot solve the problem in any ways or think they do not have any abilities to solve the problems then these are the paths that they usually take when committing suicide.The first one is to escape from difficult situation that they are facing: When they get pressure by their parents or teachers, they feel insecure that they do not have much choice to solve the problem, gets into dilemma. This can be happened through external factors but can also be from internal conflict that they are facing. (Baumeister, R. F. 1990), (Shin, M. S. 1993). Third, diseases and sicknesses can be another reason. When a teenager is in adolescent period, s/he turns emotions quickly and easily gets stressed with a very minimal reason.That’s why when a teenager gets sick or has hard time from suffering some disease then s/he would feel like he does not have to strive hard to live because s/he may think it is useless to live since s/he is sick and may feel like he is suffering so much. On the other hands, they would feel heartbreaking that s/he cannot play with friends like others at his age do. Since serious sickness drags patients to not to go out from the hospital area for years, s/he would feel despondent, may think they cannot take it anymore.Fourth, taking much drugs and alcohol can be another cause. These affect badly on humans’ bodies especially teenagers’ because their bodies are not fully developed. When teenagers drink much alcohol then they may remember about the bad memories that they had kept for long and may lead to some attempts to commit suicide from uncontrollable emotions. Drugs are the most dangerous thing for teenagers. For example, when a person does marijuana and cocaine, they feel really depressed. There was one incidence when two 14 years old girls jumped off from the roof top of the school.They did not leave any note about why they jumped off or anything and the police men have reported that they just committed suicide from being really miserable by sniffing bond (glue which is toxic) 2 hours ago from that attempt. The overtaking of sniffing bond made them to lose control. Their parents of these two girls said that their kids were absolutely ordinary in the house; they even had pleasing friend relationships. This explained that there are no other possible reasons for these girls wanted to commit suicide so over-sniffing bond would be the most suitable reason why girls wanted to commit suicide. (Ryu, S. N. 2009) Fifth, media especially the internet can be another cause. Today’s media especially the commercials on beauty products also has an enormous sociological and psychological affect on adolescent girls. Superficialities in commercials affect teenage girls to feel like they are not beautiful unless they use this commercialized beauty products that they are selling. The problem happens when they wear the make-up in school. These girls would make other girls (who do not put make-up) to feel like a loser because they do not have that product with them. (Kim, H. W. , 2010) Another problem with media is anonymous users’ attack.Nowadays there are many people who have laptops or desktops. As the number of teenagers buying laptops increase, there are many websites that are targeted for teenagers. What they usually do on the web is either they communicate with friends or read some articles. However since people cannot recognize who the actual users are with very limited information online. For instance, there was this case when the girl, Eunji Lee revealed herself in a Korean TV program show to show that she lost 40kg and as part of the program, she took a picture with a guy from a very famous Korean band called super junior.However after that day, many people accused her for showing off to the guy. The fans of the guy even called her ‘slut’ and cursed her to commit suicide as unreasonable comments did not stop, in May 5, 2010, she committed suicide and the reasons was clear; the anonymous netizens (a word that is combined between ‘citizen’ and ‘network’ representing internet users). (Yoon, H. J. 2010) On the other hand, there is a news (Lee, S. B. 010) which is about Korean network ‘clubs on-line’ and teenagers who want to commit suicide can share their ideas about how to die easily, when to die, who to tell and all those helping notes for people who want to commit suicide. For instance the website talks about easy way to commit suicide are through taking potassium cyanide, pesticide, and gasoline. There is also a schedule to meet so that they can commit suicide all together at the same time. The teenagers who are emotionally unstable may look for this kind of websites for fun and may take this easily and think they want to join the group.Amongst all, the most important reason why Korean teenagers commit suicide is because of the society problems that Korean students are facing. Last year, I was given an assignment from my English teacher to write an essay about why do Korean students go abroad to study English. From a lot of research that I have conducted, I have realized that the companies that are in Korea are selling its products abroad nowadays and this illustrates the importance of English that should be learned so that they can communicate well with the buyers.Some brand names such as Samsung, Posco, Kia motors, Hyundai and LG are from Korea and even medium sized companies desire to hire some Koreans who are able to speak English and also some other languages if they can. Therefore before they concern about the candidates’ personalities or abilities, they first judge them with their certifications (qualifications) they have earned or some documents to support their intelligence, make easier for Korean companies to hire the workers faster and more efficient. The companies therefore tend to fire the long-stayed employees who seem dull in underst anding when doing work.Instead of them, the companies prefer to hire some young Korean university graduates who seem more intelligent than those senior workers and the companies think that the younger people can work a lot better than those old workers in terms of; coming up with new ideas, fast in working, having more knowledge. The senior workers; who are parents of the Korean teenagers right now, tend to push their kids to study really hard so that they won’t face the same problems that the parents are facing. However, this gives teenagers more stress.When they get low score not as what parents have expected them to get, teenagers get more pressure about studying and getting good grades to satisfy parents’ want. This is a great problem in Korea nowadays because teenagers do not have any dreams about future and tend to follow the future that parents have chosen for them; doctor, judge, university professor, civil servants or diplomat. This then would lead teenagers to feel like they don’t have any choice; they would just feel like ‘parents’ satisfaction machine’ towards parents because what they want is getting better scores.Especially for Korean teenagers, they always have to remember the relationship with friends, respect adults, the pressure they get from parents to get better score, thinking about universities and relationship with teachers. The schools suppose to give each student a way to know themselves better and make them realize what they are goo d at and help them understand the problems that they face. However with the characteristics of Korean society, students get stress from school until they graduate high school and always have to be aware of their own friends who may beat their scores. They also get stress from parents and teachers from stopping them doing anything they desire to. (Yang, S. Y. 2004). When teenagers get stress, they want to solve the problems by themselves and do not tell this kind of problems to parents or any people around them. This makes them to perceive ‘easy to solve problems’ as problems that are really difficult to solve. (Kim, S. C. 2002). Also these problems cause them to not adapt the relationship with friends and may lead them to go out of the set of rules that parents have set (for example, not missing schools, not going out in the middle of class and etc. This leads teenagers to face family problems which may lead them to have problems when they grow as adults. (Kim H. S. , Kim, H. R. , Park, S. K. 2006). Also teenagers who think they have really low grade make them to worry about their future and lead them to cut the connection between present and future. They feel depression and loneliness. This may lead them to think about committing suicide. Therefore low grades make them to have low self-esteem and give them negative thoughts about the future. (Lee, K. J. 2003). When it comes to study, Korean parents are very strict and make their child to feel really exasperated and gloomy.If we would follow what American parents show positive comments to children then it will make children to feel more victorious. Currently, Korean teenagers may feel like they cannot do anything because it is hard for them to satisfy their parents. This will make them lose their confidence, feel like they are losers. This usually happens to families like parents expecting a lot from their kids and think it is the best way to encourage their kids by comparing them to other students who are better than them by saying â€Å"My friend’s son always get over 90% of grade but what is wrong with you? which can dissatisfy the teenagers and make them feel depressed and helpless. To show that they have tried hard enough to reach the goal or revenge their parents through committing suicide, they choose to make suicidal attempts. They have this thought ‘Get hurt from me dying. ’ This usually happens to teenagers having family or school problems. Punish himself about what they have done wrong; someone who has high set of goals to accomplish or high aims, when they feel that they have not achieved it or have not tried hard enough to achieve it, they get depressed by self-destruction and low self-confidence.Just to punish them, they leave notes such as â€Å"Please forgive me such a daughter like me† or â€Å"Please blame me for everything. † Since the teenagers in our country face a big problems dealing with universities exams, someone who especially have strict parents, someone who has low self-esteem, has been suffered from depression or any sickness can cause them to think about committing suicide. Our country’s teenagers have serious stress from the schools plus the external pressures on their grades.A society which is ‘university centered’ like Korea make teenagers especially who have low grade to feel they are losers and may think that they cannot be successful in the future, they may just give up everything and lead them to have alcohol, drugs and leaving house without informing parents. If this gets worse then they may be confused with their self identity which would lead them to commit suicide (Hwang, Y. S. 2003). The reason why the rate of teenage suicide increases is because the society expects a lot from teenagers to do better. Someone who tries but cannot reach the goal that people have set for him/her then this teenager may feel that they cannot do anything and this may lead them to feel they are insecure and unstable. (Nam J. Y. 1998). Another reason why teenagers commit suicide is about family troubles; a serious problem that Korea is facing nowadays; the rate of divorce. Recently, it has been reported (Seoul news) that the rate of divorce is up to approximately 50%. Unlike some open-culture countries such as America or some European countries, Korea is a quite conservative country. Accepting the fact that their family is broken would give some ideas that their parents do not love each other and would lead teenagers to think carefully where to move in the house which supposed to be the safest and protected area in the world. Another reason would be the relationship between the teenagers and their parents; this may cause the thought of committing suicide from parents pushing teenagers too much on something- not communicating each other would give some ideas to teenagers that they do not have anyone to lean on.Another reason would be economy in the family. Relate to the issue about Korean companies tend to hire more intelligent and highly educated people; it is also very common that parents are getting divorced. This would make teenagers to show a silent disobedience which would be leaving the house and look for job and live independently. When they leave the house, looking for the job, they are called as ‘endangered teenager’; means to say that they have no place to go, no money to buy some food and clothes.The society does offer some centers such as ‘restart center’ and ‘do dream zone’ to teach them further education; more on practical stuff such as hairdressing and cooking. However when the education is over, they have to leave the center. The reason why it is important to know this is that when they graduate the center with the title of ‘endangered teenager,’ not many companies accept these students as workers. Therefore teenagers who need money to support their family have to find easier and more attractive ways of earning money, offering their bodies.About 40,000 teenagers are in these centers recently and 40% of them do go their ways on this dangerous path. (Seoul Newspaper, 2010) This situation makes teenagers to be fuming and mad and become depressed, make them to consider about ending painful and dirty life; committing suicide. The stereotype that people have towards these teenagers makes teenagers harder to think about society in positive ways. Conclusion Back to the research question stated; to what extent social factors especially academic pressure cause Korean teenagers to commit suicide?I think they affect on teenage suicidal a ttempts much especially the academic pressure they get from parents and schools. Committing suicide comes from the unstable mind state and therefore many factors can lead teenagers to commit suicide. However any of these can cause teenagers to feel depressed and melancholy and lead them to commit suicide. From researching I found lots of information why teenagers want to commit suicide.These information were about; information about how students feel depressed and how they express it, how drugs and alcohol affects on teenagers to make them feel like they want to commit suicide, the effect of bullying and how serious it is to make someone to commit suicide, how teachers, parents, friends and other people can help with these teenagers and how media effect on suicidal attempts. How to cite Teenage Suicide, Papers Teenage Suicide Free Essays On average, one suicide occurs every 17 minutes and is the 3rd leading cause of death among Americans aged 15-24. The big stereotype among teens is being â€Å"Emo† and†Scene†. This stereotype includes heavy metal rock music, poufy hair, dark clothes and make-up, and even self-mutilation and suicidal thoughts and actions. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenage Suicide or any similar topic only for you Order Now Teen suicide is becoming a trend through stereotypes and we should take immediate action to prevent it. 1. 3% of all deaths are suicide, many of those are teens. Everyday, six teens commit suicide. Teen suicide is nearly 4 times more common today than it was three decades ago. † Says Doctor Janet Grossman, a suicide expert. Five to ten percent of teens at any one time suffer from depression and if not properly treated, is detrimental and can lead to suicide in 15% of those teens. Children and teens are the future of our world and no one should feel so terrible about life and that there is no other option but death, that they would kill themselves. Many times after a suicide occurs, another occurs within close proximity to the first. Suicide not only has effect on the person, but the ones around him or her as well. They tend to feel guilty and helpless, as if it were all their fault, and they too feel depressed and suicidal; Soon enough they kill themselves. When two teens decide to bring their lives to a tragic end together, the question why is twice as hard to answer. This is what happened with 14 year old Christian Davila and 13 year old Maryling Flores. They were 2 love-struck 8th graders that â€Å"Couldn’t live without each other† as stated in their suicide notes. Maryling’s parents told her that she was too young to date Christian, and her and Christian defied them. They walked into the ocean together to drown. This devastating loss left friends, family, and strangers mourning for them, asking the question why. It’s a vicious cycle that needs to be stopped. Others argue that it is the persons right to live or die, that teens are way to over dramatic, and that we will soon get over it. They believe this because teens hormones are raging and we feel like we need to establish ndependence; but if this feeling of wanting to die were just drama and craving attention, teens would not be taking action on these feelings as well as six teens killing themselves on a daily basis. Suicide would not be the 5th leading cause of death for 5 to 14 year olds and it would not occur every two hours and 12 minutes for 15 to 24 year olds. Imagine what our world would be if Emo and Scene stereotypes were no longer only stereotypes, but the face and fu ture of our world. Break out of that stereotype and think for your self. What do you want for your LIFE, not your DEATH? How to cite Teenage Suicide, Papers Teenage Suicide Free Essays string(94) " has resulted in young adults feeling they are a part of an unstable and unpredictable world\." Maddie O’Hara Mrs. Ponikvar Death in Literature, Period 5 3/27/12 Teenage Wasteland May 5, 2009, a 17 year-old male from Gunn High School jumps in front of the train during the morning commute. June 2, 2009, a 17 year-old girl from the same High School commits suicide. We will write a custom essay sample on Teenage Suicide or any similar topic only for you Order Now August 21, 2009, a 13 year-old just beginning her freshman year also takes her life. October 21, 2009, a 16 year-old Gunn student takes his life. Fall of 2011, a student from St Ignatius High School in San Francisco took his life. Why is there a sudden increase in teenage suicides? At first glance, most people assume that in the affluent Bay Area where teenagers seem to have all they need and more, teenage suicide would not be an issue worth exploring. But lurking beneath the surface is an ugly and troubling trend where teenagers are taking their lives at an alarming rate. Suicides amongst teenagers have certainly been occurring for as long as they have been keeping statistics, but in the last 3 years the Bay Area has seen teenage suicides rising at an unprecedented rate. So what is to blame for teenagers feeling that they have no hope or alternatives other than suicide? Research points to the fact that teenagers are growing up in a far different world than even kids from a decade ago. Teenagers today are facing numerous environmental, social, and financial obstacles that are pushing them to make the unthinkable choice of taking their own lives. The overall environment that teenagers are growing up in today has changed dramatically in recent years. One change that has occurred is in respect to the overall acceptance of one’s sexual orientation. Most High Schools today have either informal or formal support groups for gay teenagers. Every T. V show aimed at the teenage audience either has gay characters or plots that freely discuss the conflicts that come from being gay. These factors are giving gay teenagers an outlet to feel comfortable to express their sexual orientation and â€Å"come out of the closet†. I have a neighbor in her 30’s who is gay and she told me that she didn’t â€Å"come out of the closet† until early 20’s because there were no support groups or forum that she felt would have supported her. She went on to explain to me that while she is happy that gay teenagers today have more acceptance level than he did, but also has some concerns. â€Å"While there are many people who are accepting of the gay community, there are just as many that don’t and it takes a high level of maturity in order to handle these conflicts and I’m pretty sure I wouldn’t have handled them very well as a teenager†. Hatzenbuehler conducted a study, reviewing different st atistics on suicides comparing the differences between heterosexuals and homosexuals. â€Å"The study found that lesbian/gay/bisexual youth were five times more likely to have attempted suicide in the last 12 months than heterosexual youth. Nearly 20% of the lesbian and gay youth had attempted suicide, as had 22% of bisexual youth, compared to only four percent of their heterosexual peers† (Hatzenbuehler). So the environment teenagers are growing up in today seems to support the gay community and encourages our teenagers to be themselves and true to their sexual orientation. But on the other hand, studies point to the gay, lesbian, and bisexual youth not being fully able to handle the conflicts that arise and resort to suicide. A good example of this mixed message our gay teenagers face in our own state. California is known for being liberal and accepting of gays. But look at the controversy of Proposition 8 which is trying to make gay marriage legal but can’t get passed in California. On the surface, it looks like California is the ideal environment, but if our own State will not accept the gay community, then what message does this send a 14 year old who has openly expressed his or her sexual orientation. â€Å"Strategic analysis of the student information and the environmental index led Hatzenbuehler to conclude that lesbian/gay/bisexual youths’ risk of attempting suicide greatly increased in a negative environment. They were 20% more likely to have attempted suicide in a negative social environment than in a positive one† (Hatzenbuehler). Ideally, we would hope that a gay teenager would grow up in a positive social environment but even if their family and high school is progressive enough to provide this, there are far too many other negative influences that he or she will encounter. Another environmental factor that plays into the teenager’s minds is the media’s unstable and confusing message about the world teenagers live in and see. The media plays a pivotal role in the viewpoint and even the actions of teenagers today but the message they are hearing is confusing and at times undermines parents. â€Å"Youngsters are being inundated with encouragement to do negative things and even take their own lives – in their music, books, and movies†¦Let’s hear no more of wondering why the suicide rate has skyrocketed. The answer is clearly that it is being encouraged† (Lagone 68). Today, it is almost impossible to turn on the TV to a popular teenage show and see good role models. When the character has family problems, one rarely sees them approach a trusted adult or consult with a therapist. In a few episodes I have seen, it ends showing the character hanging him or her in classroom at school. Additionally, the media does not show other solutions that teenagers can take to deal with problems. Actors, characters in books, and especially song lyrics suggest that suicide is the only way to deal with problems. Also, the media is responsible for the coverage and wide exposure of the post 9/11 era. Teenagers today have grown up their whole lives witnessing more terrorist activity and coverage of war than perhaps any teenager group in history. This media exposure has resulted in young adults feeling they are a part of an unstable and unpredictable world. You read "Teenage Suicide" in category "Essay examples" For example, â€Å"Dr. Ian Cook, an associate professor of psychiatry and biobehavioral sciences at UCLA’s David Geffen school of medicine, who was not involved in the study, said stresses of modern life, particularly worries in the aftermath of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, might have a role† (Gellene). While it is too soon to be absolutely certain there is a connection of the post 9/11 teenager and a spike in teenage suicides, one can see that the media’s coverage of a unpredictable and chaotic world is sending confusing messages to teenagers and perhaps guiding them to suicide as their solution. Another environmental factor facing teens today is the increased usage and acceptance of prescription drugs. When one imagines someone abusing drugs, marijuana or cocaine initially comes to mind. However, the newest form of drug abuse comes from those that are prescribed by doctors and 100% legal. Prescription drugs are very prevalent in society today and very easy for teens to get from their doctors. However, these â€Å"legal drugs† are now being held responsible for either assisting or causing teens to commit suicide. Denise Gellene comments, â€Å"One possibility is that the increase in suicides might be tied to a concurrent increase in abuse of prescription pain pills, such as Oxycontin. Studies have shown that people who abuse prescription drugs are at greater risk for suicide† (Gellene). Many of the prescription pills alter the way your brain functions, causing depression, which is a leading cause f suicide. Prescription drugs mixed with alcohol become even more lethal. Alcohol has always been very common in the daily lives of teenagers these days. The adolescent brain is not fully developed; therefore, many teens often become dependent on alcohol. Alcoholism is another leading cause of depression, which often leads to suicide. Firearms are another contrib uting influence to suicide. â€Å"Because firearms are used in more than half of teen suicides, it is important to realize that easy access to a firearm and ammunition can contribute to a teenage death by suicide† (Teen Suicide). Parents leave their gun around the house like there is no importance. Weapons are becoming more accessible to teenagers because of the lackadaisical attitude parents have towards these firearms. The accessibility and convenience that teenagers have on retrieving prescription drugs, alcohol, and firearms significantly impact whether or not a teen would commit suicide. Just as teenagers today are the first post 9/11 group, they are also the first decade of â€Å"Facebook† teenagers that are growing up in a far different social world than ever before. As discussed earlier, gay teenagers are facing obstacles today that they are not equipped to handle, and the same holds true for teenagers that have access to the internet. Social networks such as Facebook, MySpace, Twitter, and Formspring allow teens to say what they think over an online chat or even anonymously. This enables teens to escape the face-to-face confrontations and degrade others via the web, and even pretend to be someone they are not. Unfortunately this happened to a girl named Megan. Megan Meier was a 13 year old from Missouri who struck up an online friendship on the popular social networking site MySpace with a person she believed was a new boy in her hometown. In reality, the â€Å"friend† was a group of individuals, including adults, who were intent on humiliating the poor girl because of a friendship with another child that had gone awry. Megan was very upset when she found out the truth, then later committed suicide once the friendship had terminated. The horrifying case stunned the community and caused state government officials to pass some of the harshest cyber bullying laws in the country† (Rubin). This situation has happened to numerous teenagers all over America. The rapid paced technology has its benefits, but there are substantial problems, as well, such as cyber bullying. Teenagers have found many different ways to abuse the technology offered. One common mistake made by teens are sending revealing photos of themselves through text messaging. This is commonly known as â€Å"sexting†. Stephanie Sajor covers the horrifying story of how Hope Witsell was a victim of bullying because of her choice to send risque pictures. Sajor reported, â€Å"Hope Witsell was 13 years old when she committed suicide in September of 2009. She was a target of severe bullying at school, CNN reports, ‘Witsell took part in ‘sexting’ by sending a picture of her breasts to a boyfriend. This picture went viral and she was humiliated. Her friend mentioned, ‘We had to make like a wall, we had people surrounding her, and she had to be in the middle because people would come by and try to hit her and push her into a locker or something’† (Sajor). Numerous teens, like Witsell, are so horrified with the consequences of their mistake and feel suicide is the only answer. Adding to the new social world teens are growing up in is the growing lack of communication between teenagers and their parents. With issues facing teens today that have never been explored, parents have no experience and do not know how to approach many of these issues or even how to cope with it themselves. Experience definitely helps in parenting, but today parents have little or no experience on how to deal with Facebook or prescription drugs or gay children because many of these issues either did not exist or were not as prevalent when they were teenagers themselves. In an article in the Mayo News, Anton McNulty states, â€Å"The Coroner explained that in the majority of teenage-suicide cases, the parents had no idea their child had any problems, and she urged parents to communicate more with their children. Dr. Fitzgerald said that in many cases, teenagers find it difficult to deal with rejection and think the only way out is it end their life† (McNulty). Because parents have never dealt with these different forms of bullying because of the new technology, it is hard for them to sympathize with their teens. The simple solution is communication. Teens need to talk to their parents about how they feel and what is going on in their lives. Another factor adding to the surge of teenagers committing suicide is the increasing parental pressure to succeed in the classroom. Teenagers are at home listening to parents having to figure out how they are going to pay for college. Teenagers are feeling the same pressures as their parents when it comes to dealing with tough financial obstacles that exist with most families today. Because of the major shift in our economy, teens are directly impacted by the stresses of heir parents’ financial situation whereas â€Å"parents, too, may be at fault, although unintentionally. Under stress themselves, perhaps because of divorce or unemployment, they often find themselves unable to help troubled children. They may be unaware or even embarrassed that their children are considering suicide. Perhaps they simply do not know where to get help† (Langone 54). Several parents are so preoccu pied with finding a new job or dealing with divorce papers and attorneys that their teen’s problems become second priority. These teens do not know who to turn to any more and resort to suicide. When parents are hit hard by the economy, many times they burden their children with the pressures of excelling in school. Mothers and fathers are expecting their children to receive scholarships for college thus, live in a prosperous financial standing when they are adults, as well. The stresses teenagers endure today are incomprehensible for parents. Teens undergo trouble with boyfriends, dealing with teachers, worrying about college, and pleasing parents, just to list a few. John Langone analyzes these changes as he agrees, â€Å"It is true that students have always been stressed; stress is to be expected from any endeavor that makes demands, sets deadlines, and establishes a goal that requires work to reach. Yesterday, many students concentrated on learning for its own sake; today, the emphasis is on specialization, quite often for positions in high-tech industry, a business that is fiercely competitive and full of glamorous tales of bright young electronics wizards who are millionaires before they reach the age of thirty† (58). The constant stresses of this idealistic future of becoming the successful CEO burden our teenagers with the worries and pressures with an unrealistic vision. The tough economic conditions of today weigh on teenagers and puts added pressure on them to excel in school like never before. This has resulted in GPA’s increasing so fast that even a perfect 4. 0 Grade Point Average has become the norm and in no way guarantees a teenager acceptance into a prestigious university or an academic scholarship. To use a cliche, times have changed and the stresses of the past were easier, for the most part, to deal with† (Langone 58). When looking at the environmental changes as well as the social and financial factors that effect teenagers today, it certainly explains why suicide among teenagers is on the rise. We are in a period of time that has never been experienced and therefore it is difficult to pinpoint an answer on how to put an end or at least slow down this trend. One answer that can help is to go back to the fundamental idea of better communication. Peers need to communicate with each other better. Parents and teachers need to communicate more effectively about their children. Children need to communicate with their parents and draw from their knowledge. The media needs to communicate positive stories and not just report the negative aspects of our world. Pharmaceutical companies need to communicate the side effects of their products. Social networking sites need to better monitor their content. This is a simple solution to a very complex problem, but it is a start. Works Cited Gellene, Denise. Suicide Rate in U. S. is up. † Los Angeles Times 21 Oct. 2008: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://articles. latimes. com/? 2008/? oct/? 21/? science/? sci-suicide21. Hatzenbuehler, Mark L. â€Å"Social Environment Affects Likelihood that LGB Youth Will Attempt Suicide, Health Society Scholar Finds Social Environment Affects Likelihood that LGB Youth Will Attempt Suicide, Health Society Scholar Finds Social Envir onment Affects Likelihood that LGB Youth Will Attempt Suicide. † Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. N. p. , 18 Apr. 011. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://www. rwjfleaders. org/? news/? social-environment-affects-likelihood-lesbian-gay-and-bisexual-youth-will-attempt-suicide. Howarth, Glennys, and Oliver Leaman. Encyclopedia of Death and Dying. London: Routledge, 2001. Print. La Ganga, Maria L. â€Å"Palo Alto campus searches for healing after suicides. † Los Angeles Times 30 Oct. 2009: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. http://articles. latimes. com/? 2009/? oct/? 30/? local/? me-student-suicides30. Langone, John. Dead End: A Book about Suicide. Boston: Little, Brown, 1986. Questia Online Library. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://www. questiaschool. com/? PM. qst? a=od=96294111. Maugh II, Thomas H. , and Jia-Rui Chong. â€Å"Suicide rates for U. S. youths, especially young girls, climb. † Los Angeles Times 7 Sept. 2007: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://articles. latimes. com/? 2007/? sep/? 07/? science/? sci-suicide7. McNulty, Anton. â€Å"Coroner concerned about rapid rise in teenage suicides. † Mayo News. N. p. , 8 Nov. 2012. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://www. mayonews. ie/? index. php? ption=com_contentview=articleid=14051:coroner-concerned-about-rapid-rise-in-teenage-suicidescatid=23:newsItemid=46. Rubin, Joel, and Sandra Murillo. â€Å"Teen Suicide and Feelings of Failure. † Los Angeles Times 1 Jan. 2005: n. pag. Los Angeles Times. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://articles. latimes. com/? 2005/? jan/? 01/? local/? me-teensuicide1. Sajor, Stephanie. â€Å"Hope Witsell: A Story of Sexting and Bully ing. † ThirdAge. com. CNN, 7 Oct. 2010. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://www. thirdage. com/? news/? hope-witsell-story-sexting-and-bullying_10-7-2010. Teen Suicide. † Ohio State Wexner Medical Center. Ohio State University, 13 Apr. 2011. Web. 12 Feb. 2012. http://medicalcenter. osu. edu/? patientcare/? healthcare_services/? mental_health/? mental_health_about/? children/? suicide/? Pages/? index. aspx. Thompson, Carolyn. â€Å"Cops: No charges in suicide of bullied NY gay teen Cops: No charges in suicide of bullied NY gay teen Cops: No charges in suicide of bullied NY gay teen. † Mercury News 22 Nov. 2011: n. pag. Silicon Valley Mercury News. Web. 10 Feb. 2012. http://www. mercurynews. com/? news/? ci_19391620. How to cite Teenage Suicide, Essay examples