Erik Eriksons Developmental Theory Case Study

Erik Eriksons Developmental Theory Case Study Human Development This human development assignment will discuss an overview of Erik Erikson’s background, theory and his eight developmental stages. Then this assignment will briefly discuss Mr Paki’s developmental stage and his experience .e.g. physical, emotional, cultural and social. Later it will discuss the actions and the support to assist Mr Paki with his situation. Part (A) Erik Erikson was a psychologist who developed his psychosocial development theory in 1963. He was born in 1902 in Germany; his biological father abandoned him before he was born. Erik Erikson studied arts and many different languages and after he graduated he worked as a professor. Moreover, in 1930 he married Joan Serson who was an artist and dancer but later on she helped Erik with his psychosocial development theory. Erikson was influenced by Freud’s development theory but Erikson also believed that human develop throughout their life span. However, Freud believed that our personality formed after the age of five (Bradley, 2002). Erik Erickson developed eight stages of human development and he also believed that each person go through every stages throughout life span. In each stage, Erikson believed that, â€Å"people experience a  conflict  that serves as a turning point in development. In Eriksons view, these conflicts are entered on either developing a psychological quality or failing to develop that quality. During these times, the potential for personal growth is high, but so is the potential for failure (Cherry, 2014.† The first stage is Trust versus Mistrust (birth to 1 year) in this stage an infant develops trust when a parent response to his/her needs. However, it can also lead to mistrust when a parent is not responding to them. Second stage is Autonomy versus shame and doubt (1 to 4 years) in this stage, children are learning to gain self-confident. For example, toilet training, children are learning to control their body’s function which can lead to self-independence and control. But if children who are not completing this stage, they are most likely to lose their confident. Third stage is initiative versus guilt (4 to 8 years), in this stage children begin to show their power and control over the world through sports and other social interaction. If a parent started to demand too much discipline they induce extreme guilt (Berk, 2010, p.17). Fourth stage is industry versus inferiority (8 to 12 years) in this stage, children start to gain confident to work with their peers cooperatively but inferiority begins when a child is not receiving encouragement from their parents, teachers or students which can lead to failure in the future (Berk, 2010, p.17). Fifth stage is identity versus role confusion (12 to 20 years) in this stage, children are started to identify their role in the world. For example, children are trying to find a way to fit into the society by creating a strong identity with interacting with others and relationships. Moreover, confusion occurs when a child has conflicts about his/her role in society (Berk, 2010, p.17). Sixth stage is intimacy and solidarity versus isolation (20 to 30 years) in this stage, young people enters into intimacy relationships in which they let other people see their physical characteristics of their nature. But young adult may feel isolated when they unable to become closer to others (Berk, 2010, p.17). Seventh stage is generativity versus self-absorption and stagnation (30 to 60 years) in this stage; middle aged adults provide help to the next generation, take place in community work and help others. According to Erickson the idea of generativity is that middle age adult’s attempts to produce something that makes a difference to society, for instance. Some middle adults may feel stagnation if they are not able to take responsibilities (Berk, 2010, p.17). Eighth stage is integrity versus despair (60 years to death) in this stage, late adults or older adults reflect back at their accomplishments and life satisfaction. For example, People feel proud of their achievements when completing this phase with no or few regrets. But people who do not succeed in this stage, they will have many regrets and might that feel their life has been wasted (Berk, 2010, p.17). Part (B) According to Erik Erickson’s theory of development Mr Paki is experiencing eighth stage which is integrity versus despair (60 years to death) because he is 70 years old. Moreover Mr Paki is more likely to experiencing the physical, emotional, cultural and social changes in his life. Physical When people get to this age group(60 years to death) they are more likely to experiencing respiratory system problems and Mr Paki is 70 years old and he has a history of Emphysema and it could be because of smoking or ageism. He also has fractured his right his and his movements are very limited. Barbeler (2013) mentioned that in this age, â€Å"their joints become less elastic and flexible with the loss and calcification of cartilage. The loss of bone density particularly affects long bones and vertebrae. The curve of the lower back changes resulting in a change to the centre of gravity.† (p. 233) Emotional In this stage older adults becomes more selective about whom they choose to spend their time with. In Mr Paki’s situation, he has lost his confidence and ability to cope with activities because of his fractured hip but his whanau visit him regularly and give him the support he need. Moreover he could be concerned and depressed about his wife who is dealing with early dementia. Cultural Ethnicity and linguistic diversity are can often create problems in one’s culture. A person with a diverse cultural background who is ageing in a different environment can face with many challenges (Barbeler, 2013). According to the scenario Mr Paki is Maori and he is been sent to rehabilitation, lack of cultural interaction and communication problems can lead to isolation and feelings of alienation. Social Mr Paki has limited movements because of his fractured right hip and he has lost his daily activity moments because of this Mr Paki is likely to be experiencing loss of confidence in his ability. He might be feeling lonely because there is no interaction between with his friends or community. He might be experiencing depression because in his age group, this is a serious condition and it can be linked with a loss of independent function, cognitive impairment, poor response to rehabilitation and diminished recovery. Older patients face many challenges as they go through the last stage of Erik Erikson’s theory which could be because of their retirement, changes in health status or relationships with friends and family. A nurse should always listen to their patients instead of making assumptions about what patient’s value or what they aim for in their life (Barbeler, 2013). According to the scenario a nurse will put in place actions and support to under physical, emotional, cultural and social to assist Mr Paki. Physical To assist Mr Paki with his physical condition, as he has fractured his right hip, he has limited movement and Mr Paki had lost his confident to cope with activities of daily living (ADL’s) References Bradley, M.E. (2002). Psyography: Erik Erikson. Retrieved from: http://faculty.frostburg.edu/mbradley/psyography/eriker ikon.html Barbeler, C. (2013). Older adulthood. In Koutoukidis, G., Stainton, K., Hughson, J. (2013). Tabbner’s Nursing Care: Theory and Practice. (pp 230-248). China: Libby Houston. Cherry, K. (2014). Eriksons Theory of Psychosocial Development: Psychosocial Development in Infancy and Early Childhood. Retrieved from: http://psychology.about.com/od/psychosocial theories/a/psychosocial.htm

Beauty Veiled :: Personal Narrative Essays

Hot and sticky, on an early September afternoon, I was sitting idly in traffic waiting for the light on Pensacola and Jefferson to turn green. With the music blaring, windows down, and a line of sweat slowly trickling down the back of my neck, my eyes were drawn to a group of people chatting in a run-down parking lot to my right. Behind them lay an old building into which the people were slowly making their way. It wasn't the building that held my attention it was the women in front of it. They were too fully dressed for the sweltering September afternoon, wearing long sleeved dresses and most with scarves covering their heads. All I could see of their bodies was the skin of their faces and hands. As the light turned green, I slowly inched forward hardly able to tear my eyes away from the women. I couldn't help but be intrigued as to why they would be dressed in such a manner at this time of year. As I rolled forward, my car came to a stop in front of a small sign, written first in g reen Arabic lettering and then in English: Al-Ansar Mosque: The Islamic Center of Tallahassee. Later in the week about the same time of day, I returned once again to the mosque, curious about the small building and hoping to grab another glimpse of the women. Stealthily, I spied from my car in a parking lot across the street from the mosque. While I waited, I again noticed how small the building seemed from my vantage point. So small, in fact, that I couldn't help but wonder how any more then twenty or thirty people could fit within its walls. The paint was a dirty eggshell color, with what looked like rust or dirt streaked in various spots along the walls. Some of the green shutters, surrounded by and Arabic-like design, were broken, and one of them was hanging haphazardly from its hinges. A window was smashed and there was an illegible scrawl of graffiti on the left side of the building. Not only was the building small and run down, but the parking lot was as well. There were only a few spaces, enough to hold about ten compact cars, and small rocks and a few potholes were scattered across the lot. It looked as if it was in need of a new repaving.

Coming Home Essay -- Homosexuality

Marriage: n. The uniting of a man and woman as husband and wife (Webster’s Standard Dictionary 178). Up until the 1970‘s, homosexuals were highly looked down upon and could not come out about their sexual feelings for fear of undergoing abuse socially. Presently, same-sex marriage has caused the unity of two people to become a far more complicated, constitutionally and politically questioned issue than once imagined. Same-Sex Marriage: A Brief Background If marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, then it becomes severely difficult for a man and another man to marry, or two women. The first state to allow same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, had a large impact on homosexuals in America. Since 2003, a multifold of gay couples have taken the opportunity to legally wed in this unique state (Friedman). Currently, many states are being fought over between supporters and opposers of same-sex marriage; the key states are New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania (Gallagher). The support and opposal of same-sex marriage has drastically changed in the past decade. Seven or eight years ago American opinion polls display that the people opposed gay marriage by a 2-1 margin (Klarman). Furthermore, another poll taken in April 2005 told differently; according to a CNN/USA Today, Gallup poll, 68% of Americans felt that same-sex marriage should not be recognized as valid; 28% felt they should be valid, and 4% had no opinion. However, current opinion polls have presented that a slender majority of Americans support gay marriage (Klarman). Beside the fact that not everyone supports same-sex marriage, more homosexuals have come out to the people in their lives. â€Å"The number of Americans ... ...Gay Marriage, Empathy Is A Two- Way Street.† Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX). 10 Nov 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Friedman, Laurie S.. Gay Marriage: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Gallagher, Maggie. â€Å"Gay Marriage: New York’s GOP Let’s Down the Base.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Jacobs, Deborah. "It's time to stop fighting about same-sex marriage." Forbes.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Klarman, Michael. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage Is Inevitable.† Los Angeles Times. 12 Feb 2012: A. 27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr 2012. Olson, Walter. â€Å"Gay Marriage: An Amen for Albany.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Coming Home Essay -- Homosexuality Marriage: n. The uniting of a man and woman as husband and wife (Webster’s Standard Dictionary 178). Up until the 1970‘s, homosexuals were highly looked down upon and could not come out about their sexual feelings for fear of undergoing abuse socially. Presently, same-sex marriage has caused the unity of two people to become a far more complicated, constitutionally and politically questioned issue than once imagined. Same-Sex Marriage: A Brief Background If marriage is defined as the union of a man and a woman, then it becomes severely difficult for a man and another man to marry, or two women. The first state to allow same-sex marriage, Massachusetts, had a large impact on homosexuals in America. Since 2003, a multifold of gay couples have taken the opportunity to legally wed in this unique state (Friedman). Currently, many states are being fought over between supporters and opposers of same-sex marriage; the key states are New Hampshire, Iowa, North Carolina, Minnesota, West Virginia, Indiana and Pennsylvania (Gallagher). The support and opposal of same-sex marriage has drastically changed in the past decade. Seven or eight years ago American opinion polls display that the people opposed gay marriage by a 2-1 margin (Klarman). Furthermore, another poll taken in April 2005 told differently; according to a CNN/USA Today, Gallup poll, 68% of Americans felt that same-sex marriage should not be recognized as valid; 28% felt they should be valid, and 4% had no opinion. However, current opinion polls have presented that a slender majority of Americans support gay marriage (Klarman). Beside the fact that not everyone supports same-sex marriage, more homosexuals have come out to the people in their lives. â€Å"The number of Americans ... ...Gay Marriage, Empathy Is A Two- Way Street.† Dallas Morning News (Dallas, TX). 10 Nov 2009: n.p. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Friedman, Laurie S.. Gay Marriage: An Opposing Viewpoints Guide. Farmington Hills, MI: Greenhaven Press, 2008. Gallagher, Maggie. â€Å"Gay Marriage: New York’s GOP Let’s Down the Base.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012. Jacobs, Deborah. "It's time to stop fighting about same-sex marriage." Forbes.com. N.p., 2011. Web. 27 Apr 2012. . Klarman, Michael. â€Å"Why Gay Marriage Is Inevitable.† Los Angeles Times. 12 Feb 2012: A. 27. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 12 Apr 2012. Olson, Walter. â€Å"Gay Marriage: An Amen for Albany.† Wall Street Journal. 30 Jun 2011: A. 15. SIRS Issues Researcher. Web. 13 Apr 2012.

Ethics and Social Responsibilities in Management :: Ethical Standards Management Essays

Ethics and Social Responsibilities in Management   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ethics can be defined as a process of evaluating actions according to moral principal of values(A.Alhemoud). Throughout the centuries people were trying to choose between profit and moral. Perhaps, some of them obtain both, but every time it could have roused ethical issues. Those issues concern fairness, justice, rightness or wrongness; as a result it can only be resolved according to ethical standards.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Setting the ethical standards for the way of doing business in corporation is primarily task of management. Corporations have to maintain the same standards as an individual person and, in addition, corporations, as organizational units, have their own social responsibilities toward customers, employees and society. However, any business should keep it's original purpose of functioning - making profit. Balancing the traditional standards of profitability and burden of social responsibilities is not an easy task. In recent years it has been a trend of setting standards of corporate ethics according to high degree of morale.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  To be able to keep the ethical standards management must follow the law. However, there are some complications in enforcing it. The law affects and is affected by social forces and prevailing ethical standards. "Although the law can codify societies ethical ____________________________________________________ ____________________ Alhemoud, Ali " Management Ethics is Smart Business." values, ethical decision making transcends the law in that 1) the law deals with actions not with thoughts, and therefore it does not (and cannot) codify all ethical requirements; and 2) an individual or a group may perceive a given law as immoral, not as a guide to ethical behavior." ( A. Alhemoud). How, then, a company can ensure that its code of ethics is both followed and enforced ? " . ..Defense firm such as General Dynamics and TRW, and an information company, Dun & Broadstreet, have appointed internal ethics officers or ombudsmen. Whether employees have faith in these safeguards against corporate retaliation is hard to tell, though it is one step forward (The Economist August 19 1995)   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  The ethical codes of corporations that that get so important nowadays also did not come into being at once. They emerged from individual ethical standards and corporate consciousness. Moreover, the public demand for prosecution of any violations of corporate, professional and business ethics has been increased. Finally, mass media made possible for society reveal secrets that were kept from public before. So, the business conduct regulations were created to "draft guidelines for ethical conduct, develop a process for monitoring business practices and recommend ways to correct questionable activities." (J.Byrne) All these measures were taken to balance various social responsibilities with the high degree of moral and sense of attainment.

Disease Trends and the Delivery of Health Care Services Essay

There are many misconceptions about how to help a drug addict. Some people believe conquering a drug addiction is a matter of will power, and an addict who truly wants to end the dependency on drugs can easily turn away from the narcotic. However, drug addiction is much more complex than simply altering behavior. In order to help a drug addict, one must understand that addiction is a chronic brain disease and the battle to overcome it will most certainly be hard fought. 1: Know the signs and symptoms of drug dependency. A radical change in personality may indicate an individual is abusing drugs. Personality changes are a common sign of all types of drug addiction, including alcoholism, a dependency on prescription drugs and opiate abuse. Needle marks may be evident on the arms of someone who is abusing opiates, although many addicts become skilled at hiding evidence of intravenous drug use by injecting the drugs in unseen areas, such as between the toes. Opiate abusers may appear unusually thirsty or sweaty. The pupils of opiate abusers often appear as pinpoints. The frequent smell of alcohol is a red flag of alcoholism. Alcoholics may exhibit irritable behavior, slurred speech, unusually bright or glassy eyes and difficulty expressing thoughts and ideas in a logical manner. Alcoholics often try to hide the physical evidence of their addiction, including empty bottles and cans. Individuals abusing prescription drugs may exhibit sings of intoxication, including clumsiness and slurred speech. Someone with a dependency on prescription drugs may appear droopy eyed. 2: Consider staging an intervention so the addict’s loved ones can demonstrate how the drug abuse is affecting them. An intervention may also include the addict’s colleagues and church representatives. While an intervention will likely be overwhelming to the addict, the intent is not to put the addict on the defensive, and you should carefully select intervention participants. Prior to the intervention, develop at least one treatment plan to offer to the addict. The intervention will mean little if the addict does not know how to get help and does not have the support of loved ones. The loved ones staging the intervention may consider enrolling the addict in a treatment program prior to the intervention without the addict’s knowledge. Participants should prepare specific examples of how their loved one’s drug abuse has hurt them. Often, those staging an intervention choose to write letters to the addict. An addict may not care about self-destructive behaviors, but seeing the pain drug abuse inflicts on others can be a powerful motivator for seeking help. Do not wait until the addict’s behavior has spiraled so far out of control that relationships and situations cannot be repaired. Ideally, the addict should seek help for addiction before consequences, such as job loss, abuse and neglect of loved ones and financial ruin, occur. Be prepared to offer specific consequences if the addict rejects seeking treatment. These consequences must not be empty threats, so the addict’s loved ones should consider the consequences they will impose if the addict does not seek treatment and be willing to follow through with them. 3: Find an appropriate drug rehabilitation program. If the addict is going to be escorted to the drug treatment center directly from the intervention, arrangements must be made beforehand. If an intervention is not necessary, assist the addict in researching both the addiction and recommended drug treatment plans. Be supportive and allow the addict to feel in control of the impending rehabilitation. Contact several rehabilitation clinics and inquire about their services. Don’t be afraid to ask specific questions about their daily schedules and how they handle relapses. Ask if you may tour the facility, and keep in mind that the more receptive the addict is of the treatment plan, the better the chances of overcoming the addiction. 4: Expect relapses. Because drug addiction is a chronic disease, it can be managed, but not cured. Relapses will most likely happen, and the addict should not consider a relapse a failure. However, treatment will be needed following each relapse. 5: Be the best friend you can be. Be there for them (text, call, see them, do fun activities, play sports, hang out, and support their hobbies and interests often. This means you should also hang out with them or suggest a favorite activity of theirs (no matter how much you don’t like it) when they try to shrug off or are offered their substance. Try to remain positive in your outings with them. They need to know that there will be people to support them on the road to recovery. : Encourage and suggest the potential freedoms of new, healthier lifestyles, when the addict recovers. Edit Tips Being that addiction is a physical, mental, and spiritual disease; this too, as well, should be the goal (in this order) to overcoming/meeting the disease head on. Howie I am doing this to help u out because I love u so much and I want u to read this. I have also read this to help me understand. Idk if u understand or not but I love u so much that I want u to get help†¦I love u with all my heart baby please get help. I love you†¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦love always Cassandra rose dutcher

Discussion Questions Essay

1. Who is someone that you feel you have a positive relationship with? What role do you think openness and truthfulness have in making this relationship positive? Me and my friend Jeff have a very positive friendship. Openness and truthfulness play a big role because were always open and tell each other everything. Also we always tell each other the truth so we never have any arguing and have a positive friendship. 2. What effects do you think the various types of media (TV, Internet, newspapers, Facebook, etc.†¦) have on your own life and your family? Do you think the overall effect is negative or positive? How can parents reduce the negative effects? I think social media effects everyone in a bad way. I feel that pages like Twitter and Facebook make people feel like they aren’t good enough cause of what other people might say or post. People can be getting bullied and no one knows. Social media gives people low self-esteem. I think the overall effect is negative. Parents can reduce the negative effect by restricting the child from using social media pages until they are older.

An Epic Tragedy of History Essay

Both Native American literature and film have been inspired by the oral tradition of passing down stories and cultural folkways, through the spoken word. The personal journey of chronicling these stories in literature and film is very allegorical in that the personal journeys that these writers also parallel their struggle with a literal journey. As such, these stories become full of symbolism for the types of cultural artifacts that cannot be assimilated into mainstream culture; not in the English language, not in the Christian religion, and not in the reservations that hindered spirituality. There is a theme in all of the texts and in the film that depicts the struggle of trying to determine where the individual and the culture fit into the wider world that knows little of their existence. Other texts provide specific insight into how conversion of Native Americans into Christianity was essential for those of European descent to explain this mysterious group. It becomes apparent that the oral tradition sustained these groups for centuries until the loss of land led to the loss of more freedoms, especially that of having the right to shape ideas about the world without the influence of others. The film and the Native American writers reviewed all seek to exert their power and use words and motion pictures to explain all the literary and historical meaning of the stories told to them, predating all these modes of communication. Scott Momady in his book, The Way to Rainy Mountain describes the story of the creation of the Kwuda, which was passed down in the oral tradition. What is interesting is that he notes that the names of the tribe did change and there was a sense of this tribe being divided. â€Å"Later still they took the name Gaigwu, a name which can be taken to indicate something of which two halves differ from each other in appearance† (17). It is not only the way that this group of people came into existence but also the diversity and difference within this particular tribe that is extremely important. When Native Americans were forced onto reservations, it was of the utmost importance for the rest of the world not to see all Native Americans as the same, as they were varied with the many tribes and also within tribes. These oral stories become even more important to dictate into print or film to show how Native Americans viewed the world, themselves, and most importantly to realistically illustrate their heritage with the hopes of changing how many whites viewed them. The allegorical and symbolic divide that came to move all of these authors to write stories that bridged the gap in their own respective lives, also helped to create a film as well. The movie Dreamkeeper, directed by Steve Barron, shows how a family divided will struggle to keep tradition alive despite the death or disappearance of an important figure. In this film the pressing issues between the grandfather, grandson, and absent father serves as a metaphor for the intrusion on the culture of the family’s tribe versus the tradition of passing down lineage and heritage. The metaphor is that the grandfather is rooted in the past, the grandson is heading into an uncertain future, and the father is the only link to the present. These cultural threats are more than just the loss of land or the loss of a father, it is the changing of times into a future that is being mapped out by another group entirely, that being white Americans. These maps, so to speak, or the oral tradition that has mapped out the history of entire tribes and families has been written about by other prominent Native Americans in their journey and tragedy of trying to fill this divide between past and present all the while wondering what the future will hold. These types of worries were normally settled by spiritual means, but loss of land meant loss of the ability for Native Americans to go on their spiritual quests. Charles Alexander Eastman in his passage from â€Å"The Soul of an Indian† writes about the mystical quest undertaken by Native Americans in his native Sioux tribe that required several nights away from camp in meditation. He also writes of the divide of the Native American, a common theme in all the reviewed works. â€Å"The red man is divided into two parts,-the spiritual mind and the physical mind. The first is pure spirit, concerned only with the essence of things, and it was this he sought to strengthen by spiritual prayer† (767). Because of this loss of land, essentially the loss of spirit or at least the ways in which spiritual rituals were conducted came to an end. Also, the fear of the future was replaced by Christian ideals to help Americans of European descent understand how these natives fir into their Bible. In this way the Native Americans, already concerned with loss of identity were split even further in a divide that led them to an uncertain and uncharacteristic future. It was only through the oral tradition of preserving identity that Native Americans could attempt to achieve a personal wholeness while the many tribes and family members within tribes became scattered and disillusioned. It is through the personal journeys of the writers that it becomes apparent how the loss of land impacted not only an entire civilization, but individuals, who lost identity and did whatever was necessary to try to discover, rediscover, and preserve all that was left. Gertrude Bonnin, in passages from â€Å"Impressions of an Indian Childhood† talks about living what could be considered a double life. Gertrude sometimes refers to herself as her Sioux name, Zitkala-Sa, which means Red Bird. She was born on a reservation to a Sioux mother and her white father was absent in her life. She struggled between the old ways that her mother tried to teach her in the oral tradition and the ways that people conducted themselves outside of the reservation. She became torn and decided that the reservation life was not for her and the American way of treating Native Americans was not appealing either. So she began compiling all the information she could gather from what was relayed to her by her mother in the oral tradition and then wrote these stories in English. She abhorred the fact that the language of her ancestors had disappeared and she was just as concerned as Eastman was about the loss of spirituality for all Native Americans under the conversion to Christianity. Bonnin writes, â€Å"I prefer to their dogma my excursions into the natural gardens where the voice of the Great Spirit is heard in the twittering of birds, the rippling of mighty waters, and the sweet breathing of flowers† (939-940). It becomes clear that for the spirituality of Native Americans to thrive, then land uninterrupted by industrialization was needed in order for this group to be who they had always been before they were removed to reservations. So taking their land was not a simple geographic issue, this also took these peoples’ essence and spirituality from them. It is therefore important for these texts and films to exist as reminder of what was lost, not just space, but a place in history for people who had to rely on a few to pass on as many of the stories given to them in the oral tradition and put it in print or in film. All three written pieces reviewed and the film help to show the importance of the land that was taken from the Native Americans, as well as the influence of the oral tradition of passing down stories and spiritual pathways to each ensuing generation. The film and the written works display both a metaphorical divide in the ways of the respective authors and tribes and the bigger community, showing that differences need to be acknowledged as well as the common goal of this group to gather their cultural artifacts that would have disappeared into an assimilated America. Also, the allegorical journey that all these contributors took to discover their part in history is akin to an epic and a tragedy. Scholars, as well, have looked at the impact of the spiritual strivings of Native Americans and the ultimate need for tribes to achieve a new identity in a foreign land to them, a land that was once their own. It was the need for Christian legitimacy on the part of European settlers that led to a need for Native Americans to be stripped of their spiritual roots and forced to resign to religious conversion. The mission of these Christians â€Å"absorbed Native Americans into a Christian world view that made them comprehensible to Euro-Americans, who were otherwise faced with a population whose mysterious origins threatened to call into question the explanatory value of the Bible† (Wyss, 162). So as Euro-Americans sought to explain the discrepancies with Native Americans and their absence from the Bible, Native Americans had to wrestle with their own identities that were being challenged by these settlers for purposes other than just the acquisition of land. What then became an issue was the questioning of creation on the part of settlers and the â€Å"lost tribe theory† (162) that proposed that Native Americans were part of a tribe that was not thoroughly explained in the Bible. All the while many Native Americans asserted their own creation myths while other Natives tried to assert superiority over whites with the reasoning that if Natives were a part of Israel’s lost tribes then, therefore, they were closer descendants of Jacob. This hierarchy of Biblical place did play an important role on the identity of Natives during their assimilation into Euro-American culture, though the oral tradition certainly did support a different idea for the origins of each tribe. Even those Native Americans that did subscribe to a Christian ideal were â€Å"defined by a constant deferral of home, or the constant movement, both geographical and cultural, of a fragmented people† (165). It seems then that the roots of all Native Americans, who were fragmented and spread across the nation, was entrenched in the oral tradition of creation stories and spirituality. However, the many Native American stories that were told and passed down led to they idea the Euro-Americans had as Natives being savage and mythical, making their stories, even true encounters appear to be false. This led to the Natives â€Å"invisibility in the annals of encounter: constructed as tellers of myth and as peoples of myth, they are denied a place in the national story and a voice in recounting it† (Bellin, 99). This created the powerlessness found in Natives attempting to assert their place in the new America that was founded on laws, both the divine and those conceived by Europeans. The fact that Natives had stories, spirituality, and kinship was not enough to place them in a position of asserting their power in any way that seemed rational to Euro-Americans. As well the illiteracy of Native Americans certainly did not assist this group in gaining any type of recognition for having much to offer the Europeans in their stories. â€Å"the oral nature of much Indian narrative has been taken to explain both the Indians’ irrelevance to history-for what could illiterates offer? -and their inability to remember and record it† (102). As well, Native Americans stories were not just told, they were animated through acting, making the stories more meaningful to the Native audience but meaningless to a person outside of a tribe. It is fair to say that the identity of Native Americans was not only in their oral tradition, but in the ways in which stories were acted out. This is something that is lost even if a story is recounted by a Native to as close to the original message as possible. Much is also lost in translation further undermining any attempts that Natives could make when forced on reservations, where their land and language was taken along with the ties of spirituality that sustained them. It also makes the spiritual identity of Native Americans more complicated when they are not only placed in an Anthropological category of uncivilized, the literary category of completely mythical, and finally over romanticized by scholars, who do not understand the deep meaning behind Native American spirituality and ritual. These rites and rituals are meant to cement a community of people together and individual identity can be created within these rituals. Instead, many times, these acts and stories are perceived as more universal and therefore there is the mistaken implication that Native American spirituality can be lumped into a religion that can be used by all. This has placed and continues to place the sense of community outside of the purposes intended and sadly many people use information gleaned from Native spirituality for profit or for writing scholarly articles that do not take into account the private lives of a single Native, but instead combine individuals into a whole. With a fragmented sense of history and culture, it is right to note that there has been and continues to be fragmentation in the Native American communities, but for an individual, a sense of self requires both community identity and a complex set of cultural artifacts to make that individual whole and not a watered down, assimilated version of the Euro-Americans. To be more clear, the text versions of Native Americans stories involving spirituality and rituals many times do not take into account the personal nature of these events. It is not only a matter of entire communities of Native American feeling the need to forge and reclaim their converted or dismissed identities as a whole, but the essence of the individual in a tribe, separate from others that must do the same. â€Å"Nicknames, shadows, and shamanic [sic] visions are tribal stories that are heard and remembered as survivance [sic]. These personal identities and stories are not the same as those translated in the literature† (Grim, 44). This lack of voice to individual Native Americans and stereotyping of all communities and persons being inherently the same in their spirituality and other social activities makes more important the voices, such as the Native authors and filmmakers reviewed all the more important. These artists have shown how gender, tribe, place, and, politics, to name just a few social forces can affect an individual struggling for acceptance within him or herself and in the larger world. All these factors must be considered when looking at film and literature, separating the individual from the group while at the same time seeing the struggle for those individuals as being the best representation available for a group without a strong voice. In conclusion, the film and the literary works of Native Americans highlight the voice of a specific individual, attempting to speak for their community. Taken with scholarly research, it can be seen the effect of colonialism and religious conversion on the vulnerable Native American population. Their history has many gaps in that the myths and traditions were many times dismissed and the absence from the Christian Bible made their existence confusing and unsettling to the settlers. The voices that have been stifled serve to help save the history of the mainstream at their expense, and this powerlessness and absence from history can only be reconstructed in the best way possible. Though even stories passed down in the oral tradition are lacking in the gestures and actions of the storytellers, which is the essence of oral storytelling. Works Cited Joshua David Bellin, The Demon of the Continent: Indians and the Shaping of American Literature, Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press, 2001. Gertrude Bonnin, â€Å"Impressions of an Indian Childhood† in The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol. 2. Ed. Paul Lauter, Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994. Dreamkeeper, Dir by Steve Barron, Hallmark Entertainment Productions, 2003. Charles Alexander Eastman, â€Å"The Soul of an Indian† in The Heath Anthology of American Literature Vol. 2. Ed. Paul Lauter, Lexington: D. C. Heath and Company, 1994. John A. Grim, â€Å"Cultural Identity, Authenticity, and Community Survival: The Politics of Recognition in Native American Religions† in Lee Irwin Native American Spirituality: A Critical Reader, Lincoln: University of Nebraska Press, 2000. Scott N. Momaday, The Way to Rainy Mountain, Albuquerque: University of New Mexico, 1969. Hilary E. Wyss, Writing Indians: Literacy, Christianity, and Native Community in Early America, Boston: University of Massachusetts Press, 2000.