Language of Thought and Fodor Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2500 words

Language of Thought and Fodor - Essay Example This paper is based on his book titled The Language of Thought, as it seeks to prove that Fodor was right in saying that the nature of human thought requires the existence of a language of thought that is not one's native language. At the very onset, it is imperative to highlight the main features of the nature of human thought. Human thought is that course or process which enables a human being to make rational choices and recognise symbols. This process goes beyond language, according to Fodor. It is contained in the laws of nature and the reaction that a human instinctively offers in the study of these laws. Here, it is imperative to speak about language so as to compare and contrast the two before proving Fodor's theory. (Fodor, 1975) The knowledge of a language is akin to the art of knowing about an entire culture, nation and people. Language may be defined as a form of expression that reveals a person's identity and gives him or her a sense of belonging. But how does a language structure a person's experiences To begin with, the role of language in one's life is one that fulfils the need to belong. This sense of belonging springs from one's immediate environment where there is focus on the language one speaks along with complementary elements like accent, nuances and other such features that form the general social and cultural terrain of the particular place. Language offers people first hand knowledge of a variety of symbols that one comes to associate with a place. This in turn generates a more enriching quality to one's experiences. (Mercer, 1996) In knowing and learning a language, whether by birth or subsequent settlement, there is a certain amount of satisfaction that helps contribute to one's sense of identity. This also has certain mental implications as it shows the person's basic aptitudes, besides brining him or her face to face with the challenges of implementing the language. This makes a person draw from experiences of the past, learn from present experiences and contribute to future experiences, which will shape his or her overall life experiences. This also renders a certain amount of creative and communicative competency to a person and his or her sense of confidence with which he or she carries out interactions with people. If Fodor is to be believed, then the competency of a person comes from being able to effectively use language to portray what is within. For this, it is imperative to portray the most elementary human thought in a language that transcends words, diction and pronunciation. This connects langua ge with experience. (Fodor, 1975) In this regard, it is necessary to shift focus to the process of learning of a language and garnering communicative competency. This process is important in every individual's life as the knowledge comes only after learning. The very process of learning is a journey throughout which an individual is brought face to face with experiences. These experiences form his or her general perspective on things. In this way, there is a certain level of competency which in turn, springs from the areas and experiences that a person finds comfortable to deal with. Learning a language is a crucial part of describing how a language shapes a person's experiences. (Girvin, 2000) Learning a language has always been a great challenge. While this is a matter of creating awareness, it is also a matter of creating certain comfort level that will trigger communicative com

The Catholic Faith With Contrasting Facts on Islam Religion Essay

The Catholic Faith With Contrasting Facts on Islam Religion - Essay Example With the death of Christ, the apostle Peter was designated as the first Pope, or temporal head of the Catholic Church. Since then, the mission of this faith is to spread the faith across the world. According to Pope Benedict XVI, the mission of the Catholic Church can be summarized â€Å"as a threefold responsibility to proclaim the word of God, celebrate the sacraments, and exercise the ministry of charity† (Benedict XVI 2005). Known to be one of the oldest institutions in the world, the Catholic Church is rich with traditions and beliefs seen through the eyes of devotees. This essay provides the opportunity for a Catholic devotee to be interviewed. In the process, one would appreciate the insights, beliefs, underlying teachings of the Catholic Church as seen from of an ordinary woman. The interview was conducted in the Infant of Prague Catholic Church at Jacksonville, North Carolina. The person being interviewed is Christina Cordero, a Roman Catholic by virtue of her birth and baptism. She was raised in another country, the Philippines, which is a predominantly Catholic country. The Infant of Prague Catholic Church is medium built. It has three balconies, vaulted ceilings, a separate room for families with small children who might act up during service, an elaborate altar flanked by praying candles, and beautiful stained glass windows with depictions of St. Michael, St. Peter and others saints. Apart from the solemn faà §ade, there is just one thing that needs some maintenance and repairs – the pews.

The Broadway show Chicago Personal Statement Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

The Broadway show Chicago - Personal Statement Example The most exhilarating shows in Chicago's lively Downtown Theater District contributed significantly to my appreciation of the aesthetic experience of the mind and the stages of the Ford Center for the Performing Arts/Oriental Theatre, the Cadillac Palace Theatre, the Bank of America Theatre, the Auditorium Theatre and the Drury Lane Theatre Water Tower Place are some of the most notable stages that brought to my mind a really high opinion about stage show Chicago. The Addams Family and Jersey Boys are two of the most incredible shows in the Broadway show in Chicago. Significantly, the former is a splendid new show created by Jersey Boys authors Marshall Brickman and Rick Elice at the Oriental Theater, Ford Center, while the latter is a multi-award winning show. "The weird and wonderful family created by cartoonist Charles Addams comes to devilishly delightful life in a new Broadway Musical The Addams Family Jersey Boys, the mutli-award winning Broadway show about the rise to fame of Frankie Valli & the Four Seasons is breaking box office records at the Bank of America Theater in Chicago." (The Best Shows in Chicago) Therefore, my experience in the Broadway show in Chicago has given me an essential opportunity to understand and appreciate aesthetic value of the stage show in Chicago, in which I realized the importance of costume, dance, choreography, musical elements of the show. It is fundamental to note that the Broadway show in Chicago is an absolute beauty, incorporating dance, choreography, music, performances, etc. and the various stages in the show bring before the audience a memorable experience that no one ever forget all through his life. One of the main attractions of the shows here is the costumes used for various performances, dance programs, and musical shows. Significantly, Broadway costumes offer accuracy and professionalism to any performance staged in Chicago. The great wealth of theatrical costumes enhances the beauty of every show presented here, and I was particularly attracted to the theatrical costumes of the Pirates of Penzance and Phantom of the Opera. Another fundamental attraction of the Broadway show in Chicago is, undoubtedly, the pulse-racing revival of the musical 'Chicago' which also incorporates some of the sexiest and most sophisticated dancing on Broadway show. As Ben Brantley maintains, "this new incarnation, directed by Wa lter Bobbie and choreographed by Ann Reinking (who also stars), makes an exhilarating case both for 'Chicago' as a musical for the ages and for the essential legacy of Fosse, whose ghost has never been livelier than it is here." (Brantley) Therefore, the costumes, musical, dancing, and choreography in the Broadway show in Chicago attract a number of theatre-goers today. The Broadway show in Chicago has offered me a great opportunity to recognize my ability to appreciate aesthetic elements of every artistic form. The costumes of the show attracted me very much and the dancers and choreographers seemed amazing to me. Significantly, the stage show in Chicago helped me in realizing the excitement of Chicago tourism and every show I witnessed here will live in my loveliest memories all through my life. The striking revival of Chicago musical and dancing reminded me of the glorious days of the show.

Emotion and New York Essay Example for Free

Emotion and New York Essay In Proof, there is a contrast presented between the abstract and tangible aspects of life. Claires life revolves around everything that is practical while Catherine relies more on things that are theoretical. These choices cause problems in each sisters life in that they are both disconnected from the real world and neither can relate to other people, including each other. Catherine focuses on the theoretical, letting her life revolve around things that are not tangible, things that other people cannot necessarily see. Early on in the play, Catherine figures out that the number of days she has wasted because of her depression is a mathematically significant number. Math is a very abstract science and this scene shows how mathematically minded Catherine is. It also shows how easily she is able to think abstractly. Her father helps her mathematically manipulate this number right before he admits that he is, in fact, dead at the time of this conversation. Again, Catherine is relying on something intangible, the mental representation of Robert. While Robert was ill, Catherine stayed with him to take care of him emotionally. She did not typically wash dishes, clean the house, or pay bills, Catherine was taking care of her fathers emotional state. In her mind, she was making sure he stayed well by having someone to rely on for the intangible aspects of life. Because Catherine lives in the abstract, she is unable to relate to people who live in the real world. Because of this and other reasons, she has no friends. She tells her father, in order for your friends to take you out you generally have to have friends. Most 25 year olds would go out with friends on their birthday; the fact that she has no friends is odd and causes the audience to worry. In the end of Act 1 Scene 1, Catherine calls the cops to keep Hal from stealing one of her fathers notebooks even though, as she admits in the beginning of Scene 2, she didnt really want them to come. The cops come back the next morning and are not happy. This shows that she does not relate well with the practical world and its consequences. Unlike her sister, Claire is overly practical, completely engrossed in material aspects of life. While Catherine is at home with their father,  Robert, Claire moves to New York to continue her education, get her own place, and have a job. She pays all the bills from New York, but does not involve herself with other aspects of taking care of their father besides encouraging Catherine to put him in a full time care situation. Bills are very material and concrete, showing how much Claire relies on tangible aspects of life and how well she can deal with these things. When Claire is visiting Catherine for their fathers funeral, she tries to get Catherine to try a conditioner she likes. When Catherine asks Claire for some scientific facts about the Jojoba in the conditioner, Claire replies, it makes my hair feel, look, and smell good. Thats the extent of my information about it. Claire doesnt know any scientific information about the Jojoba, only how it physically affects her hair. Claire values material objects over immaterial things like emotions, which makes it difficult for her to connect with people and deal with them appropriately. At the party after the funeral, Claire tries to out drink the theoretical physicists and fails miserably waking up with a horrible hangover. Claire does this because she believes, incorrectly, that she is better than the theoretical physicists based on their lack of grounding in the practical world. At the end of Act 1, Claire tells Catherine, its not your fault. Its my fault for letting you do it. This implies that Claire thinks she can control Catherine. Claire believes she can control people like she can control things. Claire also decides she wants Catherine to move to New York so she can keep a better eye on her. She tells Catherine it would be much easier for me to get you set up in an apartment in New York again showing how she wants to control Catherines life and does not show regard for Catherines emotions such as Cath erines desire to stay in her home town and her sense of belonging there. Due to Catherine and ClaireÂ’s different priorities, they do not relate to each other and have a disconnected relationship. This is established early on in the play when Catherine says to her father, she is not my friend, she is my sisterAnd I dont like her. It is clear from this statement that Catherine does not feel connected to Claire. At one point Claire goes so far as to accuse Catherine of being insane, claiming that Catherine has made up  Harold Dobbs. She later meets Hal and does not even apologize to her sister. Sadly, this is not the only thing Claire does to show complete disregard for her sisters feelings. When Hal shows up in Act 1 Scene 2, Catherine makes a big scene and Claire completely ignores her. “CATHERINE: Okay? I really donÂ’t need this, Claire. IÂ’m fine, you know, IÂ’m totally fine, and then you swoop in here with these questions, and “Are you okay?” and your soothing tone of voice and “Oh, the poor policemen” Ââ€" I think the police can handle themselves! Ââ€" and bagels and bananas and jojoba and “Come to New York” and vegetarian chili. I mean it really pisses me off, so just save it. (Beat.)CLAIRE: (smoothly to HAL) IÂ’m Claire. CatherineÂ’s sister.”Clearly Claire is ignoring CatherineÂ’s emotions and chooses to not try to deal with her sisters fit. This is also an example of how Catherine inappropriately deals with her own emotions and her sisters attempts to help. Claire cannot be there for Catherine if she wonÂ’t deal with any emotions and Catherine chooses not to react calmly to ClaireÂ’s assertions. Neither sister has found the best way to live their life, they need to find a happy medium between the practical and theoretical aspects of life so that they can function properly in the real world and relate to the people living in it. Works Cited: Proof by David Auburn

Impact of Performance Appraisal System on Employee

Impact of Performance Appraisal System on Employee Research Background The proposal for this research is regarding investigating the impact of existing performance appraisal on the development of employees system in LT. Every company follows a method of performance evaluation. Performance appraisal process and evaluation is conducted with an aim to understand the level to which the employees of the company have achieved their targets. Performance appraisal is a periodical process whereby the supervisor observes his subordinate and reports his conclusions regarding the performance level at the end of each period. The superiors retrospect and make it a point that the employees are evaluated suitably. There are various kinds of performance appraisal method. Companies follow various kinds of appraisal methods like 360 degree feedback system, MBO, BARS, Critical incidence methods etc. Performance appraisal in every sense caters to the companys competitive advantage. The performance evaluation system helps the company retain its efficient employees; help the company to find out the areas were training needs to be provided; the company can also ensure that a common value system if followed. Thus aiding in complete development of the employees. Performance evaluation process will help the employees do an evaluation of themselves and work for improvements if any. This will ultimately lead to the development of the organization (Bratton and Gold, 1994).Thus every company tries to investigate the level to which its employees have achieved their targets and if not what are the measures to be taken for their performance improvement. LT follows the MBO model of performance appraisal in the company. MBO means management by objectives, in this kind of an appraisal process the superior and employee agree upon certain objectives. These objectives will be based on the overall target of the company. In this kind of an appraisal process the employees know beforehand as to what they need to achieve in the particular period of time. In LT since they follow this method the employees are aware of what is expected of them. In order bring specificity and quality to the process they performed the evaluation process based on SMART, which expands as specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time linked. Larsen Toubro- Company Description LT is one of the largest construction companies in India. ECC is the Engineering Construction and Contracts Division which is a reputed construction division of LT which has to its credit some of the monumental and modern buildings and constructions in India. The company not merely does the construction of buildings but also industrial structures, Flyovers and many more other large-scale construction works in India and abroad. The company carries out various projects that use high end technology and expertise. The company has various divisions around the country i.e. almost 7 offices regionally and nearly 250 work sites. Apart from Construction LT has various other businesses also, like the LT Infotech and insurance. Under ECC division the company has various strategic business units like the transportation infrastructure, Industrial projects and utilities, buildings and factories etc. The company employs a large number of people at managerial and non managerial level. Thus the company needs to have a well defined performance appraisal system. The company thus follows MBO method to evaluate it employees. The company has a well defined Human Resource Policy and system which enables the employees to work efficiently and effectively. Rationale for the research topic The topic Investigating the impact of existing performance appraisal system on employee development of Larsen Toubro, ECC division was chosen with an aim to identify the performance appraisal process followed in one of the largest construction companies in India. The research would help in analyzing the various performance appraisal problems in company like biasing etc. The study will also lead to analyzing the effectiveness of the performance appraisal process in identifying and bringing out the core competencies and role clarity in the employee. The research is meant to finally give recommendations and insights for the betterment of the performance evaluation in the company. Literature Review Armstrong in 2006 proposed that performance appraisal can be considered as an instrument to measure and utilize the technical skills and knowledge of employees in a better way as well as to equip them for facing the future challenges and goals. Performance appraisal can also be regarded as a method to obtain feedback about the performance effectiveness of employees in an organization (SzilagyiWallace 1990). A survey conducted by the CIPD (Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development) revealed that in the year 2005 almost 65% of organizations conducted annual appraisal for their employees. The companies which conducted appraisal twice a year accounted to 27%. From this it becomes clear that almost all organizations in the world now realize the importance of appraisal system. Employees are considered as valuable assets by present day organizations since the scarcity of skilled labor is high. Companies try all ways to retain their skilled employees and an effective performance appraisal system helps to keep track on the KSA (Knowledge, Skills and Abilities) of employees (Amstrong and Baron, 2004). The companies now recognize the fact that only high performing employees could help it to achieve it short-term and long-term objectives (Michlitsch ,2000). Edmonstone in 1996 stated that there exists many purposes for performance appraisal. This may include improving the communication between the superiors and employees with the help of feedback mechanism. This way it helps in building the rapport between the members of organization. Another purpose is that it helps to find out whether the employee lacks any skills and identify areas where he/she needs training. The standards kept for performance by the companies helps to identify those employees who need to be appraised and those who should be demoted. Public and private sector companies follow different methods of appraisal that suits their organization structure. But Boice Kleiner (1997) proposed that all successful appraisal methods have similar characteristics. But its difficult to measure performance in certain organizations and they face the difficulty of implementing an effective performance appraisal method. Marsden in 1999 explained that any appraisal system that cannot constantly measure job performance of employees cannot be regarded as effective. There are several methods of appraisal followed by organizations. The most common methods include 360 degree feedback, Behaviorally Anchored Rating Scale (BARS), Management by Objectives (MBO), Balanced Score Card etc (Bohlander Snell 1998) The importance of communication in performance appraisal system was explained by OReilly and Anderson, (2006). They said that there should be an open communication between the employee and the superior. More they interact better would be the appraisal system. The manager could explain about the actual performance of employee and the expected performance. The method followed by LT is also based on communication. Appraisal method in LT, Chennai Larsen Toubro has adopted the method of MBO (Management by Objectives). This method was first introduced by Peter Drucker in 1954. In this method, the superior and subordinate conducts a meeting in which they jointly sets the objectives of the employee for the next appraisal period (Bohlander Snell 1998). The employee performance is evaluated on the basis on these pre-determined objectives. These objectives will be usually amount of sales, quantity of production etc. The organizational objectives are attained in this method with the help of a cyclical process. In this the management initially sets the objectives of organization followed by departmental objectives and finally individual goals. All these goals will be interconnected in such a way that fulfilling one of them will positively affect the other. Caroll and Tosi explained that MBO must fit into the philosophical framework of an organization. This is due to the reason that the management attitude and MBO must go hand in hand. Merely giving support to MBO through words is not sufficient. Lussier in 2008 explained about the possible reasons for the failure of MBO. A major reason behind the failure of MBO method is many companies is absence of commitment and follow-up from the management. Another reason is that management fails to convince employees that they are also an integral part of the decision making process. Employees feel that all major decisions and goal-setting have been done by the management without consulting them. When this happens, the employees will be less committed to work for the management and meet the objectives. The autonomous and dynamic involvement of employees can be considered as the most significant contribution of MBO to the communication mechanism within the company (Roodman Roodman 1973). Singla (2009) has explained the features of MBO method. All the activities included in this method are aimed at achieving the goals. The individual, departmental and organizational objectives are interconnected. Organization is considered as a dynamic entity in this method. MBO compares the resources available with objectives and makes the best match. This method is rather a philosophy or idea than a technique. MBO emphasizes on performance review and appraisal. The employees are given more autonomy in this method. Outcomes are given more weightage than the job. These features make the method of MBO unique from other methods of performance appraisal. Research Question One of the relevant questions that can be put forward in this context would be; what is the impact of performance appraisal system on employee development? Certain other kinds of questions that can be asked as per the topic are the following: Does the appraisal system aid in the performance improvement of the employee through proper training methods? Does the appraisal process bring about a positive relationship between the employees and the superiors? Is the appraisal process (MBO) followed in the company effective in utilizing the employs core competences for the betterment of the organization? Does the appraisal process clearly define the roles of the employees? Research Objectives General objective To investigate the impact of existing performance appraisal system on employee development. Specific objectives To study the effect of performance appraisal system on employee potential with respect to core competency. To evaluate the issues related to the performance appraisal process in the company. Methodology 7.1 Research design design adopted The research design includes the whole process of data analysis and study. This study follows a diagnostic research design where in the researcher identifies a problem related to the topic in the company. After diagnosing the problem the researcher goes on for an evaluation and ultimately finds a solution for the problem. The research design involves data collection through various means, after which the collected data is analyzed. The analysis will lead to giving solutions to the problem. The solutions obtained are recorded in the research as the result of the study. 7.2 Data Collection Methods (a) Sampling methods Sample is taken from the population of employees in LT ECC. The sampling method that can be followed in this research work is simple random sampling. In this kind of probability sampling every person in the population has an equal chance of being chosen for the study. The employees who are involved in the performance evaluation process are taken for the study. (b) Size of the sample The sample size chosen for the study will be 100. The data collection is done with the help of these 100 individuals chosen through simple random sampling. (c) Sampling Technique Sampling technique is the means by which the researcher chooses his respondents. Every research or study has a planned sampling process wherein the researcher clearly identifies the sample individuals for his study. The samples chosen depend upon the topic of the study because the respondents play a crucial role in formulating a result for the topic as they are asked to respond to the researchers questions through questionnaires etc. In this research the respondents will include both the managerial level employees and also the non managerial employees, as both the groups are involved in performance appraisal process. Questionnaire Questionnaire is a structured form of data collection used in any research. The researcher includes all the important questions regarding the topic in the questionnaire. The respondents chosen using the sampling method are identified and given the questionnaire for response. The respondents will respond to the questions in the questionnaire which will help the researcher gain an idea about the problems in the company. In this research at LT the researcher will be including questions related to the performance appraisal process and issues in the company, also the questions regarding employee development. The researcher can use this data for the purpose of drawing results for the problems identified. Interview The researcher may at times find it apt to collect data by interviewing the respondent. In such situations interview will be more useful compared to questionnaire. In case of this study the researcher can ask direct questions related to the performance appraisal method followed in the company. Interview method will give more precise answers as the interviewer can ask many questions on performance appraisal and also employee development compared to the questionnaire. The interviewer can ask questions related to the particular core competency of the employee. Interview can also include many suggestion questions as to what changes the employees would like to have in the process followed in the company. Telephonic interview can be done in this research. Data Analysis A research cannot be concluded with the help of a rough data. For a researcher to obtain the right kind of result for his study the researcher needs to formulate a method to analyze the data in the most suitable way. Thus data analysis part of the research is essential in the sense that it converts the raw data into a form that can be well understood. Data analysis in this study is done using SPSS which is a tool for data management. Data analysis refers to that stage in research process in which different statistical techniques are applied. One should have a clear understanding of statistical thinking behind a data analysing technique in order to explain it in detail (Ader, Mellenberg Hand(2008). Resource Requirements The resources for the study need to be obtained from the library and also the internet. The relevant information on the topic can be collected using primary and secondary means. Resources of other forms include printed materials like magazines of the company and also other reports and journals, websites are also an important means or source of data collection. The researcher can obtain primary data by means of structured questionnaires and telephonic interviews. These resources will help the researcher in his research as they provide the base for the researcher to work upon.

Essay --

Executive summary With the arrival of WEB 2.0, business communications are no longer one way, rather, they create interaction between messenger and receiver. An organization’s website allows visitors to share and participate in the discussion. Organizations are increasingly abstaining from releasing all communications at once; rather, they are releasing bites of information in order to create a â€Å"buzz.† Social media captures information, organizes it, and presents it in context. Organizations are imbedding social media applications on their websites for the purpose of gaining business intelligence. Organizations are shaping their business strategies based on this intelligence. It’s important for organizations to understand that as result of social media, a company’s image extends far beyond the contents of its website. Through social media, a single message can go viral very quickly. An organization must be quick on acting upon any measure of success. Just as positive information about a company and its products can go viral, so can negative information as well. Organizations have found the need to create professional teams in charge of monitoring all communications surrounding a company. These communicatons take place on a 24/7 basis. Web 2.0 is serving as an experimental platform for professional communicators. Organizations are hiring software developers to design social media applications that are industry specific and allow consumers to interact with the organization. Organizations are gathering data on consumers through social media channels. Organizations are developing their own communications applications. The communications field has evolved substantially in the last decade. The arrival of new technologies has transla... ...ating a vast number of professional opportunities for people entering the field and for those with prior professional experience. For professionals who have learned to use all of the tools brought on by WEB 2.0, it’s translated into professional advancement. On the other hand, professionals who have chosen not to participate in the technological frenzy are not being promoted and their careers have stalled. For professionals like Anne Canty, the arrival of WEB 2.0 has given her a change to â€Å"put into action, management philosophies that she longed embraced, and also a chance to learn how to work with social media.† Although Canty believes that there will always be professional opportunities for those with good writing and listening skills, video editing and infographics(See bottom of page 5) are two areas where she believes â€Å"there will be increasing amounts of work.†

Disorders

The research states that in sexual trauma there is a prevalence of consequent axis II disorders, especially Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) as well as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Substance Use Disorder (SUDS) (Yen et al. , 2002). This heavy correlation between PTSD, borderline personality disorder and substance abuse disorder, create complications in treatment (Ross, Dermatis, Levounis, and Galanter, 2003). The goal of the present paper is three-fold.First, it aims at reviewing current research and theoretical frameworks which are designed to measure the degree of the relationship between PTSD and BPD. It is also sought to trace how it is possible by seeing to the correlation to avoid or neutralize further psycho social problems while reducing harm in substance abuse prevention. Second, the researcher plans to analyze the implications of how failure to address these dynamics in reducing harm and treating co-occurring disturbances may further delay treatment and cr eate relapse.Finally, there is an analysis of the methodologies employed in the treatment theories presented. A particular emphasis is made on the Integrative Treatment Approach suggested by Najavits (2002) and the Dialectical Behavioural Therapy developed by Lineham (1993). The researcher attempts to explain how these theories influenced the understanding of this dilemma. Before proceeding to the first point, it is necessary to clarify the main theoretical concepts, such as BPD and PTSD.Speaking popularly, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is â€Å"a normal response to an abnormal event† (Schiraldi, 2000, p. 3). Being categorized by the American Psychiatric Association as one of the anxiety disorders, it is typically caused by either or several of the three types of traumatic events: Intentional Human causes, Unintentional Human causes, or Acts of Nature. The presence of the stressor as part of the diagnosis differentiates PTSD from other disorders and makes it a uniquel y complex phenomenon.Besides an exposure to the stressful event, American Psychiatric Association in the 4th edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (1994, paraphrased in Schiraldi, 2000) lists another four PTSD criteria: persistent (more than one month) re-experiencing of the trauma (this category of symptoms is titled â€Å"intrusive memories† in Johnson, 2004), persistent (more than one month) avoidance of trauma-associated stimuli and suppression of general responsiveness (â€Å"avoidance behavior according to Johnson, 2004), persistent (more than one month) symptoms of hyperarousal (or, according to Johnson, 2004, â€Å"hypervigilance†), and disruption of psychological and functional equilibrium. In its turn, Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD) from the viewpoints of attachment theory and developmental psychopathology is defined as â€Å"a highly prevalent, chronic, and debilitating psychiatric problem† associated with the fo llowing symptoms: â€Å"a pattern of chaotic and self-defeating interpersonal relationships, emotional lability, poor impulse control, angry outbursts, frequent suicidality, and self-mutilation† (Levy, 2005, p. 259).Kernberg (2004), who considered the organization of the personality to be crucially determined by affective responses as displayed under conditions of peak affect states, listed â€Å"identity diffusion and the †¦ predominance of primitive defensive operations centering on splitting† among the key symptoms of this psychological dysfunction noting that they are accompanied by â€Å"the presence of good reality testing† (p. 99). The researcher meant that although the patient imagined himself living in the paranoid and distorted reality, he differentiated between the self and other objects. It is true that many current researchers acknowledge the correlation between PTSD and BPD, the latter being treated as one type of personality disorders (PDs). Bremner (1999) conceptualized BPD as fitting to the psychiatric disorders associated with traumatic stress.From this perspective, an exposure to traumatic events and consequent stress affected structural and functional aspects of the brain so that stress-related psychiatric dysfunctions were developed. The viewpoint was supported by McGlashan et al. (2000) who as relying on the results of a descriptive, prospective, longitudinal, repeated-measures study of a clinical sample of four representative DSM-IV personality disorders called The Collaborative Longitudinal Personality Disorders Study (CLPS) (N = 571) found a high rate of Axis II/II overlap. To specify, PTSD and BPD co-existed in almost a half of the sample. To be even more specific, Yen et al.(2002) conducted a longitudinal, prospective, naturalistic, multisite and cross-sectional study to analyze the correlation of the aforementioned two Axis II disorders within the population of 668 individuals between the ages of 18 and 45 years. Twenty-five percent of those participants (N = 167) exhibited BPD symptoms. Furthermore, BPD participants more often suffered from lifetime PTSD than patients with any other form of PDs (51% of those 191 individuals who reported of a history of traumatic exposure). Overall, Yen et al. (2002) hypothesized that BPD symptoms trigger vulnerability for traumatic exposure which is the key characteristic of PTSD. Bolton, Mueser, and Rosenberg (2006) observed that between 25% and 56% of individuals with BPD exhibit symptoms of current PTSD as compared to approximately 10% of other patients.Upon analysis of the two studies – the index one involving 275 mentally impaired inpatient and outpatient individuals with PTSD (30 patients with BPD among them) and the replication one involving 204 patients (20 people with BPD among them), the researchers stated that comorbid diagnoses of BPD and PTSD were associated with higher rates of severe anxiety and depression. Ross, Dermatis, Levou nis, and Galanter (2003) cited empirical evidence of comorbid PDs being highly associated with Substance Use Disorder (SUDS) in approximately 50% of the samples. They also shared a viewpoint that stress-related dysfunctions predicted worse treatment outcomes, for example, poorer psychosocial functioning, increase drug use, and lower retention rates.In a course of the eight-month research in a specialized inpatient dual diagnosis unit at a public hospital, the researchers observed the population of 100 patients, among which 53% displayed some kind of PDs. Seventy-four percent of the interviewees were targeted as having BPD, whereas twenty-five percent exhibited PTSD symptoms. Patients with comorbid disorders (dual and triple diagnoses) were more likely to abuse substance use (33% – alcohol; 32% – polysubstance; 25% – cocaine; 21% – cannabis; and 13% – heroin). Consequently, such individuals had more inpatient admissions and more severe symptom profi les than the ones with a single diagnosis. The difference between people with the single-, dual- and triple diagnoses was extremely evident in after-hospitalization treatment. Ross et al.(2003) argued that comorbidity of PDs as accompanied by SUDs should put the clinicians on alert as such individuals needed to be guided â€Å"at this critical junction† (p. 275) of a transition from the in- to out-patient environments so that they would be aware of the necessity to comply with after-care therapy. II†¦ The concluding section is dedicated to the analysis of the two innovative and effective therapeutic approaches to treating PDs as combined with SUDs: first, the Dialectical Behavioural Therapy developed by Lineham (1993) and, second, the Integrative Treatment Approach suggested by Najavits (2002). The former approach fits into the problem-solving therapeutic paradigm which is praised for the treatment allowing wide amplification and being clinically effective.Its core assum ption is that antisocial and inadequate behavioral patterns are explained by the scarcity of patients’ psychological resources to cope with their problems in an alternative acceptable manner. Lineham’s Dialectical Behavioural Therapy differentiates from other problem-solving alternatives in its particular attention to the effect of a specific diagnosis on the course of treatment and its extensive preventive measures against poor attendance. Linehan compared the outcomes of her dialectical behavioural therapy (DBT) to the ones of standard outpatient-care methods to find that the ratio of patients who continued treatment with the assistance of a single therapist increased from 42 to 83 percent. The approach utilizes a range of cognitive-behavioural therapeutic techniques as based on a dialectic philosophy.On the one hand, the patient is helped to value his/her self as a precious and integrative phenomenon by eliminating the feelings of guilt, self-abomination and neglect . On the other hand, a therapist assists an individual with multiple disorders in finding stimuli for change. The core concept of the approach is the â€Å"skill† which is defined as â€Å"cognitive, emotional, and overt behavioral (or action) response repertoires together with their integration, which is necessary for effective performance† (Linehan, 1993, p. 329). The scholar described the four broad modules of skills: (1) mindfulness, (2) interpersonal effectiveness, (3) emotion regulation, and (4) distress tolerance.To proceed, the pioneer of this method listed three categories of skills training procedures: (1) skills acquisition, (2) skill strengthening, and (3) skill generalization. An introduction of new skills occurs at the first stage. At the further stages, a patient learns to manage the freshly acquired skills and project them onto the everyday environment. The Integrative Treatment Approach suggested by Najavits (2002) was designed specifically for treatin g PTSD and substance abuse. Therefore it is especially valuable for helping patients with multiple diagnoses. This therapeutic technique is a present-focused one so far as it helps patients to free themselves from the past traumatic experiences and enables them to practice in acquiring safety from trauma/PTSD and substance abuse.Being equally effective for single patients and groups of various backgrounds, Najavits’ methodology relies on the five principles. First, individuals with multiple disorders are stimulated to value safety as the main life goal in regard to relationships, thinking, behavior, and emotions. Second, they are guided into the integrated course of treatment, during which several dysfunctions are seen to at once. Third, individuals are helped in designing ideals to balance against the loss of ideals resulting in PTSD and substance abuse. Fourth, a range of exercises includes cognitive, behavioral, interpersonal, case management practice. Finally, the method heavily relies on clinicians’ activities.