Geochemistry Physics Coursework Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Geochemistry Physics - Coursework Example Mechanical infiltration also plays a vital part in the downward movement of clay sized particles. Carbonate rocks such as limestone are affected by inversion, recrystallisation and grain growth as well. Typical processes that affect carbonate rocks are (sequentially) biochemical degradation, polycondensation and insolubilisation. 2. Why is the smectite to illite transition important in the process of petroleum formation? The smectite to illite transition is an important diagenesis reaction especially for shales with progressive burial. This transformation has the potential to flush hydrocarbons from various shales, accelerating the generation of hydrocarbons, producing high pore fluid pressures and for provision of various cementation agents to different sandstones. 3. How would you expect the alkane/alkene ratio to change as a hydrocarbon mixture matures over geological time, and why? The alkane/alkene ratio would tend to decrease with time as a hydrocarbon mixture matures over geol ogical time. This would take place as the biodegradation process would tend to remove alkanes so that the hydrocarbon mixture moves towards aromatics. 4. ... 5. What is a geochemical fossil? A geochemical fossil is the remains of any organic object that has been transformed by diagenesis into a fossilised state. The resulting fossilised state may not have been able to preserve the original structure of the fossilised object. 6. Explain how crude oils can be grouped based on their sulfur content. Crude oils are classified using sulphur content such that low sulphur content crude oils are known as â€Å"sweet† while high sulphur content crude oils are known as â€Å"sour†. Typically low sulphur content crude oils are preferred because sulphur tends to display acidic behaviour. PART 2. 1. Draw the van Krevelen diagram and explain how it illustrates several important facts concerning the formation of petroleum. A van Krevelen diagram is generally plotted to evaluate the origins and maturity levels of kerogen and petroleum content. The van Krevelen diagram plots the ratio of hydrogen to carbon against the ratio for oxygen to carb on. Figure 1 - van Krevelen diagram sourced from (Monash University, 2008) Looking at the diagram above, it becomes obvious that the van Krevelen diagram differentiates between various hydrocarbon products depending on certain regions on the plot. The formation of liquid petroleum can be seen as resting between oxygenated products and gas products which signifies petroleum formation. Additionally the van Krevelen diagram illustrates the evolution paths of various kerogens through the various paths shown on the plot. The plot above shows four possible paths (I, II, III and IV) that denote increasing burial. Based on this the particular mix of petroleum obtainable is arrived at. 2. What is

Apple's Strategy for its products Assignment Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Apple's Strategy for its products - Assignment Example All of these are a result of conscious effort by Apple’s managers, designers and team of engineers to strive for better product for its consumers. As a result, Apple has become the world’s most liquid organization despite having a niche target market which is miniscule as compared to Microsoft. (Kotler and Keller, 2005) One of the fundamental parts of Apple’s innovation strategy is its premium pricing. Apple has never competed on price unlike other companies. Steve Jobs once said that other brands are making money because of Wal-Mart (they are cheap!), but Apple is in such a good condition because of their innovation strategy. This shows us that the prime emphasis of Apple is on innovation and costing and pricing is not as dear to them as it is to other company. As a result, it is rear that people can find substitutes for Apple’s product. (Martins, 2011) Hence, we can safely conclude that Apple is a company that is leveraged thanks to its great innovation policies. This tells us that any organization can do well in the market by positioning their products on some differentiating factor rather than

Language And Communication Development

Language And Communication Development Initially, this essay illustrates the importance of play by describing its categories. Play theories are briefly demonstrated and divided into classical and contemporary ones. Thereafter, it mentions the characteristics of language through the theories of two highly respected scientists, Lev Vygotsky and Jean Piaget, in order to understand the correlation between language and play development. It also illustrates the existence of nine basic communication skills and why non-verbal and verbal communication is so important. Moreover, this essay analyzes research which explains the direct relation between play, language and communication. Through detailed references, the idea that the role of play is salient in a childs development is supported. Next it illustrates the importance of finger, mime and rhyme play to explain that even the most common games possess a significant role in language and communication development. Last but not least, it analyzes how play reinforces the literacy de velopment and finally demonstrates the opinion of the writer. The Importance of Play Arguably, play is a vital part of childrens development which has many implications in their lives. Despite the difficulty of referring to a commonly accepted definition, play is a vital part of the developing child (Sheridan Howard Aldelson, 2011). It is a fundamental action which occurs throughout childrens lives and is divided into two categories, free play and structured play. To be exact, free play is an action where the child can choose the rules and the form of play, without the participation and the engagement of an adult. Hence, the child becomes the leader of play (Tassoni Hucker, 2000). Moreover, many researchers have claimed that free play offers more educational opportunities to children. Whereas structured play is defined as an action which is directed by adults and limits childrens learning potentials. Adults are protagonists and possess a primary role in this type of play. For this reason, Thomas, Howard and Miles proved by a study they conducted, that free play, in other words playful mode play, is capable of fostering childrens ability to learn. They state that through this mode childrens communication is benefited, because playfulness creates the ability to enhance various types of behaviors. As a result, educational settings use the playful method to foster childrens language and communication development (McInnes Howard Miles Crowley, 2009). It is of importance to mention that there are play theories which are separated into two categories, classical and modern theories of play. In particular, classical theories consist of the Surplus Energy Theory, Recreational or Relaxation Theory, Pre-exercise Theory and the Recapitulation Theory of play (Sheridan Howard Aldelson, 2011 Stagnitti, 2004 Tassoni Hucker, 2000). Modern theories concluded by the Arousal Modulation Theories of Play, the Psychodynamic Theories of Play, the Cognitive Developmental Theories of Play and the Sociocultural theories of Play. The last category is divided into two sub-categories which are the Play as Socialization and the Metacommunicative Theory (Stagnitti, 2004). Moreover, there are five types of play, which are cited as physical play, play with objects, symbolic play, socio-dramatic/pretence play and games with rules (Whitebread, 2012). The above five types of play help children to expand their abilities not only in the language and communication domain, but also in the physical, cognitive, social and emotional domain (Sheridan Howard Aldelson, 2011). According to the constant evolution of language and communication, play and its benefits in this domain must be analyzed in depth, in order to evaluate childrens developmental potentials through play. Language and Communication Language is a strong communication tool (Moyles, 1989) which fosters childrens abilities. Through language we can live the past again, evaluate the future and use this vital tool when we face complex situations (Crain, 2000). Also, many developmental theorists have tried to explain, how children adopt primal abilities as they grow up and some of them, have given special emphasis to the language and communication development and how it is related to play. They have evaluated childrens development from birth to adulthood. Vygotsky, who was characterized as the Mozart of Psychology (Gray MacBlain, 2012, p.85), claimed in his social constructivism theory, that language is the cultural tool which facilitates the processes of thinking and learning. It was his firm belief that children must comprehend language, in order to interact in the society. Hence, according to Vygotsky, play and language are interrelated (Moyles, 2005). Due to the fact that through play children master communication skills, they interpret the use of objects and imitate the attitudes and the habits of adults (Gray MacBlain, 2012). In addition, he stated that children gain knowledge when they participate in social communication and consequently, they adopt new meanings. Therefore, according to Vygotsky, children act in the zone of proximal development (Whitebread, 1996), which means that every child has limited potential when accomplishing an activity but he can expand his skills with suitable help (Lindon, 2001). However, another respected scientist Piaget did not lay emphasis, as Vygotsky did, on the importance of language during childrens development. Piaget stated that language mechanism is used by the young child only to express some basic satisfactions and not to foster more complex functions such as thought and logic (Gray MacBlain, 2012). Furthermore, Piagets opinions did not promote childrens abilities; instead he undervalued them, by applying activities that were too complex for children competence (Whitebread, 1996). On the contrary, some scientists argue that childrens thought, starts to function logically as they learn how to use language. This happens because language skills are difficult for children to assimilate, but when this gradually occurs, logic develops (Crain, 2000). Nevertheless, Piaget did not support the above notion by mentioning that logic derives from actions (Gray MacBlain, 2012). On the grounds that language is an integral part of communication, it is important to pinpoint some of the skills that children develop in this domain. In other words there are nine basic communication skills. Initially, children learn to request reinforcement, to request assistance, to accept and reject offers. Furthermore, they respond to the order wait or no, they respond to directions, follow a schedule and finally they are able to make a transition from one place to another (Frost Bondy, 2002). For instance, when children pretend to be a patient in a hospital, they learn when they have to wait their turn in order to be examined by the doctor and they give orders such as wait, stay, come. Communication is a complex function. Before the emergence of words, children can communicate adequately before adopting language production and language comprehension (Sheridan Sharma Cockerill, 2008). The above aspect describes the non-verbal communication type which is very important. Newborn babies communicate non-verbally to express their needs. Facial expressions, body language, proto-sounds and perception of feelings are the attributes of non-verbal communication (Whitehead, 1999). Hence, adults start to communicate with children initially non-verbally and eventually verbally. Research proves that conversation between children and adults which contains a large number of open questions is essential because children have the opportunity to respond to spoken language. In other words, when children feel that they are active participants in an adult-child conversation, they feel playful which is salient for the development of language (Howard McInnes, forthcoming). Fostering Language and Communication Skills through Play To begin with, studies have proved that there is a strong connection between language and play. A research which was conducted in Japan in 1989, showed remarkable signs that play and language are strongly correlated. Specifically, the four children who participated in this research were observed twenty times each in a free play mode, where the adults had a passive role. The intention of the study was to analyze early language development and play development (Ogura, 1991). Thus, six features of language were illustrated in order to analyze the findings better. These were the emergence of first words, naming words, vocabulary spurts, word-chains, nonproductive two word utterances and the emergence of productive two-word utterances (Ogura, 1991 p.278). Furthermore, this research divided play into thirteen subcategories. The findings showed that children managed to obtain the ability of naming words because they had been involved in preverbal communication. Also, children began to name objects when the conventional naming act category of play appeared. Furthermore, words and sounds have a strong relationship with each other. It was proved that children through the functional relational manipulation play and the container relational manipulation play, managed to adopt the above important function and the production of first words as well. Moreover, it was stated that early language development is related to subsitutional play. Also, this study illustrated that the environment plays a major role in the development of symbolic play. As a result, language is influenced by social interaction. Moreover, childrens vocabulary spurts appeared in subsitutional play. Word-chains appeared when pretend doll play, subsitutional play and pretend other play took place during the observations. In addition, the fifth language category appeared with planned play and combinatorial symbolic play. The last language category was related to planned play (Ogura, 1991). Undoubtedly, this p aper shows the unique interrelation between language development and play. Researchers evaluated the connection between symbolic play with play materials and symbolic play with play situation. Firstly, during childrens play with unstructured play materials, they found that children who are at the age of three to four could imitate the activities of adults. However, in structured play children were able not only to imitate but also to engage slightly in role play. At the age of four to five childrens unstructured play evolved and they started to express questions and ideas with the mediate tool of spoken language. On the contrary, in structured play they used more conversation. This study showed that in the first type of play children at the age of five to six used their body language and voice to clarify a situation. Also, both in structured and unstructured play, children preferred to play in groups of their own gender. We can notice that structured materials are better for younger children because they do not put limitations on their ideas while playing. In other words, younger children need to enhance their expressive ideas by playing with structured play materials to be adequately prepared for school (Umek Musek, 2001). At the same time, symbolic play related to play situation showed that phonetic imitation (Umek Musek, 2001, p.61) is promoted and that at the age of four children use social speech. Moreover, they use social markers, in order to speak like adults (Ervin-Tripp, 1973). Later, at the age of five children use metacommunication in their play. Metacommunication is very important because children can discuss play. They stop in order to negotiate the next step of the game. Indeed, it promotes dialogue among peers. It is very important because it can be used as scaffolding to childrens language development (Andersen, 2005). According to this study, metacommunication levels are higher when children are older. Moreover, the same study proposes that it is better and more helpful for children to play in mixed groups rather than in groups with members of their own age. Hence, children can play in the zone of proximal development. Therefore, they foster their language and communication skills. Aga in, this study shows us that play which is dependent on materials or situation is correlated with language development. Apart from the above studies there are play activities which enhance language and communication skills. For instance, children are benefited by mime because they develop an alternative thought. This occurs by observing various children demonstrating their thoughts. Consequently, they can think of more complex situations and they are able to express their ideas with enriched vocabulary. Furthermore, finger play helps children with the counting process (Woodard Milch, 2012). Moreover, rhymes can provide many opportunities for children to enhance their language skills. According to a study, rhyme awareness helps children to recognize phonemes which are very important for reading skills. The sensitivity to rhyme enables children to group words together with the same spelling features (Bryant MacLean Bradley Crossland, 1990). Play Fosters Literacy Vygotsky evaluated the role of make-believe play in childrens development and he argued that literacy is enhanced by play. He describes that children initially act spontaneously when they play, and the process of learning happens with their will. On the contrary, when children go to school they must change their behaviors to a planned and a structured environment. Vygotsky stated that make-believe play is the important mediate tool for children to adopt written language and to succeed in school (Roskos Christie, 2007). Furthermore, drawing is considered to be a necessary play for children. Research has shown that children can expand their graphic vocabularies and they can represent their meanings, which means that through drawing communication is enhanced (Whitebread, 2012). Besides, Vygotskys research has shown that drawings in early childhood are connected with the ability of writing and spoken language, which means that the meaning of childrens drawings is not only the drawing as a picture but the drawing as an expressive tool of their thoughts (Roskos Christie, 2007). In conclusion, it is worth mentioning, that in childrens play the repetition and the renaming of play materials fosters the ability of the direct relation between words and the objects they portray. The above function is called metalinguistic awareness and it has been proved that it is necessary for written language (Roskos Christie, 2007 p.193). Conclusions It is clear, therefore, that the above essay illustrates the direct correlation between play, language and communication. Despite the fact that it has been proved that play fosters the learning process, there are still opponents of this view, who state that formal learning strategies are better than playful approaches. However, this essay contradicts the notion of formal learning methods by supporting the theory, that play does enhance language and communication by citing adequate bibliography to prove it. Children can reach high standards in the learning process of language because during play they are motivated and are not possessed by the feeling of fear (McInnes et al., 2009). To sum up, due to the fact that play has been decreased in school settings, it is salient to ensure that play must exist in preschool and in the first school years of a child, because a child is always above his average age, above his daily behavior; in play it is as though he were a head taller than himself (Roskos Christie, 2007, p.199).

Antigone :: essays research papers

Life’s many ups and downs leads to many options There are many decisions you will need to make in life. Decisions such as deciding whether or not to make a sacrifice for someone. Every day there are many sacrifices being made. In fact life requires sacrifices to be made. Sacrifices such as dying for someone or choosing something instead of another. People also make sacrifices for what they believe in such as their beliefs or religion. Many people choose to make sacrifices for the people they love and care for such as family and friends. In Antigone by Sophocles, Antigone chose to sacrifice her life so her brother’s soul would be safely put to rest. Antigone was a very loving and caring sister to her brother, Polynices. She had lots of respect for her brother. She refused to let her brother’s soul wander around aimlessly therefore, she wanted to bury him. However, it was against her uncle’s orders to bury Polynices but she refused to listen. Since she had so much respect for her brother, she didn’t care what her uncle’s orders were. Therefore, she was going to do anything she could to bury him, even if it meant that she had to sacrifice her life. She knew it was the right thing to do. As she says here, â€Å"I know my duty, where true duty lies,† (1.1.78). Ismene was the other sister of Antigone and Polynices. She however, did not think that her family was important to her. Antigone told Ismene, â€Å"is he not my brother, and yours, whether you like it or not?, I shall never desert him, never,† (1.1.39) but still Ismene didn’t want to help. Well, maybe she did but she refused to help Antigone bury their brother because she didn’t want to sacrifice her life. She didn’t like the idea of going against her uncle’s orders like as she says here â€Å" you cannot mean....to bury him? Against the order,† (1.1.38). That showed that she didn’t have enough courage to go against the orders. However, towards the ending of the story she wanted to be a part of the burial but she wasn’t so she didn’t get any credit for it. Antigone however, did bury Polynices all by herself and then later committed suicide. Many choose to make sacrifices for their loved ones. Now of course family should be the most important, except for God.

Crime is a Social Construct Essay

Crime is the product of the social structure; it is embedded in the very fibres of society. In this essay, I aim to explore different theories as to why crime exists within society and how we as a society therefore construct it. Crime is a social construct; it is always in society and is on the increase. It is inevitable. Where does it come from? It comes from legislation, from the making of laws. Functionalists see crime deviance in society as a function, in that it serves to remind us, through public condemnation of those who have broken the rules, of our shared values and norms. Furthermore, they suggest that crime is a result of structural tensions and a lack of moral regulations within society. If the aspirations held by individuals and groups in society do not coincide with the available rewards, this disparity between desires and fulfilment will be felt in the deviant motivations of some of its members. This was the basis for Merton’s Anomie theory. (Robert Merton 1957) Emile Durkheim saw crime and deviance as social factors and believed both of them to be inevitable and necessary elements in modern society. The people in that society are less constrained than in traditional times. There is more room for the individual choice in a modern world and it is therefore inevitable that there will be some non-conformity. Durkheim recognises that no society would ever be in complete consensus about the norms and values which govern it. He also saw that it was necessary for society in that it fulfils two important functions. Firstly, deviance is an adaptable function, and by introducing new ideas and challenges in society, it brings about change. Secondly, deviance promotes boundary maintenance between good and bad behaviours. It constantly keeps us aware of what acts society deems acceptable or not. (Durkheim 1964) The Positivist approach is simply about a deviant’s reaction to external forces beyond their control. The followers of the Interactionist theory, on the other hand, reject this positivist approach and say that it is due to the internal factors of the individual. The Marxism theory however, is structured towards the accumulation of wealth rather than social need. Edwin H Sutherland was the first sociologist to study this area known as ‘White Collar Crime’ in 1949. Let us now look at crimes of the powerful and the less powerful. There are two main points; deviance is a product of unequal power relations and equality in general. Despite the fact that the law is in favour of the dominant class, some of its members do break the rules for their own gain. Power and equality affect the quality of deviant acts. Thus, people that are more powerful are more likely to engage in profitable deviant acts such as corporate crime i.e. bribery and corruption in business and politics, misconduct by professionals such as lawyers etc. On the other hand, the powerless are more likely to commit less profitable deviant deeds such as burglary, theft and armed robbery. (Ermann and Lundman 1996) Power, or rather social class, is therefore the key element which determines the type of deviance people are likely to carry out. The powerful are more likely to commit deviant acts because of something that is called ‘Relative Deprivation’. This is the feeling of being unable to achieve the high standards they set for themselves, compared with the powerless, whose standards are typically low. Their aspirations are so high that they become less achievable. The more that people experience this Relative Deprivation, the more likely they are to commit deviant acts. (Cookson and Persill 1985) Furthermore, the elite have more legitimate opportunities than the poor worker to commit crime i.e. A banker will have better opportunities to defraud customers for instance, and because of his status, the crime is less likely to be detected, whereas the poor worker would probably have to resort to robbing the bank, a much more visible crime. Furthermore, the powerful are subjected to weaker social control. They have more influence in the making and enforcement of control. The laws against higher status crime, the White Collar crime, are therefore relatively lenient and rarely enforced, but the laws against crime which is committed by those with a lower status, are harsher and more often enforced because they are so visible and detected much more easily. The activities of White Collar crime occur on a daily basis, but there is no public outcry or moral panics about it and therefore  no legislation made, whereas, ‘street’ crime attracts massive law enforcement. As Jeffr ey Reiman (2001) so aptly stated, â€Å"The rich get richer and the poor get prison†. Interactionism was quite popular from 1960s to 1970s. Max Weber and George Herbert Mead favour the Interactionist approach and suggest that crime is a social process, that crime is an interaction between the victim, the police/officials and the offender. Crime is shaped by the nature of this interaction and this selective labelling, stigmatisation, negative labelling of those without power and more vulnerable. This approach focuses upon the interaction between deviance and those who define it as such, hence the Labelling Theory. Howard F Becker, the founder of this theory, argues that society creates deviance by making rules. Rules that when broken, constitute deviance, and by labelling those particular people as deviants, they are also labelling them as outsiders. Therefore, it is not the act of the person, but rather a consequence of applying the rules by others to an offender. Deviant behaviour is behaviour that people so label. Becker suggests that in one sense there is no such thing as a deviant act. An act only becomes deviant when people define it as such, when they label it as such. Such labels largely override their status as workers, friends, parents etc and others see them negatively. This ‘labelling’ of people who commit crime, often results in the denial of an ordinary life to them, and because of this denial, out of necessity, they develop illegitimate routines and often resort to a life of crime. Thus, a criminal career is formed and the only way that they can be a part of society, is by grouping with likewise people, and being part of a different type of society. It may be a criminal society, but at least they fulfil that human need to belong. This process results in what is known as the self-fulfilling prophecy i.e. a person is to be known as a criminal, he/she may as they may as well act that way. The Feminist approach is critical of the mainstream approaches in that they see them as male dominated and this gender bias is part of the structure of  the Criminal Justice System, the majority of its personnel being male. Crime is specific to the gender, males being more violent and women committing softer crime such as benefit fraud, shoplifting etc. This approach sees that there is a need for more support and resources for women and that anti-sexist training is necessary in the police force. These sociological theories are intended to apply to both sexes but feminists disagree. For example, Merton’s anomie theory assumes that people are inclined to strive for material success, which is true for men but not necessarily for women, although this is on the increase. (Merton 1957) In the past women have been socialised differently to men. They are traditionally less interested in achieving material success as their place has been in the home. However, this social construct is changing, because women are being given more equal opportunities, and are more likely to strive for that material success, which would account for some increase in women’s crime rates. (Chesney-Lind 1997;Daly and Chesney-Lind1998) This may be an indication that opportunities for women are still far from equal. Anomie theory may apply if this is the case, as the opportunities available to women are lacking in relation to women’s increasing desire for independence and material success, therefore causing the disparity that Merton talks about. Furthermore, men and women calculate the risk of arrest differently. Women are more aware of that risk and that awareness becomes a disincentive. Another interesting argument would be that it is a fact that over 90% of people convicted of crime, are male. (John Hagan et al 1996) Let us now examine how time and space has affected the way that society has constructed crime and deviance. For example, is the death penalty an act of murder? It is in some countries, but not in some US states. Is abortion an act of murder? What about war? Murder exists in some contexts as a crime and not in others. Crime then is a social construct which is ever changing according to time and space. It makes no sense to say that â€Å"crime is a result of biochemistry only† because crime is the result of political decision making, and we can easily change those decisions according to different contexts, without changing our own biochemistry. In an effort to solve the ‘crime problem’ then, our task is to determine how much of ‘the crime problem’ is in fact the result of these definitions and political decisions, and what part is the result of broader sociological or biological forces. The government, in its efforts to tackle the ‘crime problem’, has little regard for the way that working class people and their environments actually work. Its new measures to be tough on the causes of crime fail to question why these things happen, and hence how they might be prevented. Creeping inequalities in education, the health services, housing and pensions, contribute to the lack of belonging that people feel. This disconnected feeling of our seemingly society-less age can only contribute to the ‘crime problem’. It is time to review other methods because the government’s endless clamping down on those who already have the least stake in ‘society’ is not the solution. BIBLIOGRAPHY Bilton T, Bonnet K, Jones P, Skinner D, Stanworth M, Webster A (1996) Introductory Sociology (Third Edition) London, Macmillan Press Ltd. ` Goode E, Ben-Yehuda N (1994) Moral Panics: The Social Construction of Deviance USA, Blackwell. Hagan John et al 1996 The Law and Politics Book Review http://www.unt.edu.lpbr/subpages/reviews/HaganJ.htm Accessed on 28 11 2002 Haralambros and Holborn (1995) Sociology: Themes and Perspectives (Fourth Edition) London, Harper Collins. Reiman Jeffrey (2001) The Law and Politics Book Review http://Paulsjusticepage.com/reiman.htm http://Paulsjusticepage.com/RichgetRicher/fraud.htm Accessed on 28 11 2002 Taylor P, Richardson J, Yeo A, Marsh I, Trobe K, Pilkington A, Hughes G, Sharp K (1995) Sociology in Focus Ormskirk, Causeway Press Ltd. Williamson J (2000) Tough on Horridness – Guardian http://society.guardian.co.uk/crimeandpunishment/comment/0,8146,839659,00.html – accessed on 28 11 2002

Why Do People Smoke?

Why Do People Smoke? Shourav Banik 1111263042 ENG 105: 14 Abdus Selim May 2, 2012 Why Do People Smoke? Introduction Smoking is one of the most popular habits among people today. All around the world we see people smoking. Even in Bangladesh the number of smokers is quite high. Especially around the university campus young adults are seen smoking frequently. It can be said that among every friend circle in universities we will find one or two smokers. My circle is no different also. Not only in universities, even around schools and colleges teenagers can be seen smoking.Offices and restaurants have their own smoking zone so that people can smoke without any kind of problems. Given this huge popularity of smoking one can only wonder the main reasons behind it? Smoking cigarettes has become a very common trend among people today. Although there are various bad effects of smoking cigarettes people find it very hard to quit smoking once they start. Now-a-days we see even very young boys a nd girls smoking cigarettes. The bad effects of smoking are known to almost everybody in the world today. There has been strong promotion against this deadly habit.In school students are constantly reminded of its bad consequences. But still we see people smoking. This is a habit that has been going on for many decades now. Several reasons drive a man towards smoking. Every person tends to think that they have different reason for smoking. But if we look closely we may see a general pattern among smokers. The main reason of smoking is psychological. History of Smoking First of all we will briefly look at the origin of smoking. Cigarettes have a long history. Tobacco, the main ingredient of cigarettes, first started growing in about 6,000 B.C. In 1 B. C. American Indians started using tobacco. At first they were mainly used because of religious reasons. It was also believed then that tobacco had healing powers and was used as a pain killer. Tobacco was brought to Europe by sailors. Randall (1999) reported that on 1492 Christopher Columbus was gifted with dried tobacco by the American Indians. Even in Europe the major reason for tobacco use was medical. It was believed that tobacco could heal almost everything, starting from bad breath to cancer. In 1571 a Spanish doctor called Nicolas Monardes even wrote a book describing its healing factors.In that he said tobacco could heal 36 health problems. In the 1600’s tobacco became very popular. It was even used as money in some parts of the world. But this was also the time when people started noticing the dangers of smoking. In 1610 Sir Francis Bacon reported that quitting smoking is difficult. In 1776, during the American Revolutionary War, tobacco helped finance the revolution. It was used as collateral for loans the Americans borrowed from France. Over the years scientists began to understand the main chemicals in tobacco. In 1826, nicotine was discovered.It was then completely realized that smoking is a d eadly habit. Around 1849 cigarettes became popular. Soldiers brought it to England from Russian and Turkish soldiers. During this time cigarettes were made from the scrap of other tobacco product. Chewing tobacco was one of them as it was quite popular among the Americans. In 1900’s cigarettes became a major tobacco product. During the two World Wars the use of cigarettes became very high. During these times women were targeted by the cigarette companies. In the Second World War (1939-1945) cigarettes were included in the soldiers’ C-Rations.Tobacco companies sent millions of cigarettes free of cost to the soldiers. And when the war broke they had a huge number of loyal customers. In the following years the real dangers of smoking started to come to being. Scientists linked smoking to cancer. Various health hazards were discovered. During this time the advertisements of cigarettes in television were being prohibited in Great Britain and in the U. S. In the recent years more bad effects of smoking have been found. But still lots of people are smoking even after knowing the bad effects (Randall, 1999).Reasons behind Smoking There are various reasons behind smoking. Like discussed previously, smoking was once considered as a healing treatment. But in modern society things have changed. Among several of reasons the main reasons of smoking are psychological. Radwan (n. d. ) said â€Å"Contrary to common beliefs people smoke cigarettes because of psychological reasons and not because of nicotine addition. † Starting from curiosity to depression, all the moods of human psyche play a large effect on smoking. Here we are going to see exactly what causes a person to smoke.The main psychological reasons are explained below. Depression Depression can play a big role in smoking. Whenever people get depressed they start to smoke. Again already depressed people might find difficulties in quitting smoking. For teen-agers depression triggers the starting o f smoking. McGovern et al. (2006) reported that â€Å"Teens who smoke regularly are almost twice as likely as teens who smoke occasionally to report high levels of depression†. The reasons for this kind of behavior have always been questioned. Only recently some explanations have come out. Cheong, Herkov, and Goodman (n. d. explained some of the reasons: New research has suggested that there may be something in cigarette smoke that has antidepressant properties, which explains why cigarette smoking is much more common among depressed patients. A survey of 3,000 individuals in the St. Louis area confirmed that lifetime frequency of major depression was more common among smokers than nonsmokers (6. 6 vs. 2. 9 percent) This study also demonstrated that smokers who reported at least one episode of major depression were less likely to succeed in smoking cessation programs than smokers without depression (14 vs. 8 percent). These findings have been confirmed many times over. These properties influence depressed people to smoke. Also it is often seen that whenever someone get depressed they start smoking heavily. So we can say that depression can strongly influence people into smoking. Curiosity One more reason why people especially teen-agers start smoking is curiosity. Young people often start to smoke just to find out how it tastes. Gaskell (2010) said â€Å"Curiosity may get the best of some teens who begin smoking just to find out what it feels like. † Especially children are often curious to do new or forbidden things.Whenever they go outside they see cigarettes being bought or sold. This all adds to their curiosity and they start smoking. The survey conducted for this research also yields the same result. This survey shows that almost 78% of students doing the survey have smoked out of curiosity at least for once. Some may think that young boys and girls actually smoke because it looks cool or to show off where the real reason is actually curiosi ty. Also some people start doing it as an act of rebellion (Pressmart Team, 2007). Peer Pressure Peer pressure also drives young people into smoking.Peer means friends who are of equal age. Maddox (2011) believes that peers play a large role in a person’s behavior: The behavior and choices of peers can influence the behavior and choices of others in their peer group, which may have either a negative or a positive impact, depending on the circumstances. When it comes to the unsafe behavior of smoking, the connection between young people who do or do not smoke and their peers is very strong. Whenever in a friend circle someone starts to smoke others also start doing it just because of not wanting to be left alone.Edwards (2011) reported that â€Å". . . not participating in an activity that others are participating in leaves impressionable teens feeling â€Å"left out† and more likely to pick up the habit merely to fit in with the group. † So it is often seen that people get the smoking habit just by trying to fit in socially. Evans (n. d. ) stated that â€Å"Often they feel encouraged and pressured or even teased and taunted into smoking. Teens also want to fit in with peer groups they admire-the â€Å"cool† kids-and many of them will do what â€Å"cool† kids do. So it is quite natural for young boys and girls to start smoking in order to get social acceptance. Influence of Others Young children look up to their elder brothers and sisters, parents and other familiar faces. So whenever they see their favorite figures smoking they get highly influenced to do so. It is believed they do so because children want be more like them (Evans, n. d. ). Parents also play a large role into this. Researches show that whenever mothers are depressed and smoke it is likely that their children will also take up this habit (Gaskell, 2010). Other studies also support this fact.Smokers in the family can lead children into smoking. Edwards (2011) reported: In addition, having family members who smoke increases the availability of cigarettes. Teenagers can simply take cigarettes from unattended packs around the house rather than putting effort into getting them another way. When a parent incorporates cigarettes into a teenager's life by having him bring the cigarettes, clean ashtrays or even light cigarettes, the teen is more likely to pick up the habit than an adolescent who does not handle cigarettes or cigarette paraphernalia on a regular basis.Not only relatives and friends sometimes even favorite actors or players can influence young people to smoke. Especially in movies when children see the heroes smoking they get influenced to do so. So role models also play a big part in the reasons of smoking. Stress Many chain smokers continue to smoke to relieve stress. Mature people when get addicted to smoking they don’t just continue to do it out of curiosity or peer pressure, they continue to do so to release stress or anxiety. Again some use smoking as a reliever of tension.It is very common among smokers to smoke whenever they feel stressed or anxiety. They often smoke in the beginning and the closing of the day. Ditcher (1947) said: The smoker has work to do, and he eases himself into the day's activities as pleasantly as possible. He gives himself a little consolation prize in advance, and at the same time manages to postpone the evil hour when he must begin his hard day's work. After a long tiring day of work they believe that smoking can make them feeling relaxed. Even during work it is not uncommon to take a break for a smoke.It can also work like a rewarding system. Orlopp (n. d. ) explains this fact by saying: Taking five at work to smoke a cigarette is a reward for a smoker, most wouldn't think of taking five if they didn't have a reason too. With smoking, you have that reason to kick back and enjoy yourself for a couple minutes. It helps give you that boost to get through a long day of work. So whenever smokers find themselves in trouble they tend to fix it by smoking. Some even go as far as to say that without having a puff of smoke they cannot think properly. Difficulties in Quitting SmokingHaving discussed the main psychological reason for smoking, now we will gaze a view on why it is hard to actually quit smoking. Every year lots and lots of smokers try to get rid of this nasty habit but more than half of them fail. Again there are some people who succeed in giving up smoking but after a while they go back to it. There is a very common saying among the smokers, â€Å"Quitting is easy, and I have quitted smoking many times. † So we can see that there many people who tried to quit but for some reason they just cannot stay away. There are several reasons behind this.Thompson (2011) reported that although nicotine makes it hard to quit smoking the main reason behind it is a bit more complex. Smoking makes several of psychological changes in a man’s l ife. People tend to make smoking a part of their everyday life. So whenever they try to quit smoking they also must deal with all parts of their life which can initiate the desire for smoking. One of the main difficulties in quitting is the withdrawal symptoms. It can vary differently among different people. The symptoms can be physical or psychological. Some of them are listed below: * Frustration Anxiety * Irritability * Dizziness * Sleep disturbances * Concentrating problems * Restlessness * Headaches * Fatigue * Depression These are the some of the many symptoms of withdrawal (Shaw, 2010b). So we can notice here that various psychological reasons that can cause smoking are also the effects of quitting. So smokers often find it hard and go back to smoking just to cope up with these problems. Another main obstacle in the fight against smoking is temptation. Some people find it very difficult to remain ex-smokers just because they cannot stay away from smoking.Shaw (2010a) has said : Dealing with temptations to smoke again often starts on the first day of quitting and can last for days or weeks. Many ex-smokers have an emotional attachment to smoking for a time. They may remember smoking while having a cup of coffee or alcoholic beverage. Smoking after a meal had been a common practice. Some people have friends still smoking or want to go to places where smoking is accepted. Also the availability of cigarettes now-a-days can make resisting cigarettes more difficult. Mostly in the streets of Bangladesh cigarettes is sold in plenty.People don’t have to walk very far to find a shop selling cigarettes. So just seeing all these cigarettes can awaken the temptation to smoke again. Another interesting theory about difficulties was described by Radwan (n. d. ). He said that people with â€Å"self image problem† always feel uneasy in crowded environment. They often do various embarrassing things and lose control. So to fix this problem people go back to s moking. As smoking demands repeating â€Å"certain fixed movements†, people can get back the sense of control they require. Thus for people like this quitting becomes extremely difficult.Survey Findings In order to prove the hypothesis that psychological reasons indeed play a large role into smoking a survey was conducted among 23 students of this university. Both male and female students were included in the survey. They produced significant results. And from the survey it seemed that curiosity, depression and influence from people are mainly responsible from smoking. An important question of this research was â€Å"does human psychology play a big role for people to smoke? † 14 people out of the 23 respondents thought that it played a big part.This means almost 61% people actually think that psychology is responsible for smoking. Figure 1 Among the 23 respondents 6 thought that it played moderate role. And only 3 people thought psychology is not the main reason for s moking. From the percentage point of view only 13% people go against this hypothesis. So this statistics strengthens the hypothesis that psychology is the main reason for smoking. Previously we discussed that teenagers start smoking mainly because of curiosity. In the survey a question was asked if they ever smoked out of curiosity. And out of 23 people 18 of them answered yes.So almost 79% people have smoked out curiosity. The reason of adolecence smoking also came out to be curiosity. Figure 2 So from the chart we can see that the majority of people (11 out of 23) believe that curiosity leads young people into smoking. It is also found out that 27% people believe that showing off also is another reason for smoking. 22% believes that peer pressure is another reason. So it seems that in Bangladesh curiosity and showing off are the main reasons of why young people start to smoke. Again they were asked that when do people tend to smoke more. 5 out 23 people believe that when someone i s tensed they smoke. Also 13 of them believe that depression causes them to smoke. And a small amount persons (4 out of 23) said that people smoke when they are happy. Figure 3 So from this chart we can come to the conclusion that tension and depression cause people to smoke more. From the survey another interesting result came out. It is popular belief that normal people smoke more than very successful and not successful people at all. This can point at the fact that a huge number of people smoke today as normal middle class people are the majority.Figure 4 As we can see the normal middle class constructs almost 35% of the total area of the pie and the lower middle class constructs 30%. So together, middle class people take up 65% of the whole area. Not successful people also hold 26% of the total area. So all in all we can say that middle class people smoke more. Also there were some other questions like â€Å"does influence of other actually play a role in smoking? † 91% o f the people thought that it did. And when they were asked who can influence them, most of them said friends and relatives.Again they were asked if they thought that smoking was fun. But most of them did not think that smoking was fun. Respondents also gave their own opinion about the reason of smoking. Most of them thought tension and depression are the main causes of smoking. So the survey produced some valuable results. The statistics from the survey proves that the main reasons those were discussed in the essay are quite correct. Conclusion Smoking today is a very popular habit among people today. Although it has severe consequences people still continue to do it. Various people do it for various reasons.But if we try to generalize the reasons we can actually see that most of them start smoking out of curiosity, peer pressure and influence. And when they get addicted they can’t quit because of the added stress, tension and depression. All of these are psychological reason s. It is true that there are some physical reasons also behind smoking but it’s the psychological reason that plays the bigger par. So it can be said that human psychology is the main reason behind smoking. References Cheong, J. , Herkov, M. , ; Goodman, W. (n. d. ). Depression and smoking.Retrieved from http://psychcentral. com/library/depression_smoking. htm Dichter, E. (1947). Why do we smoke cigarettes? In The psychology of everyday living. Retrieved from http://smokingsides. com/docs/whysmoke. html Edwards, C. (2011, June 14). Reasons why teenagers start smoking. Retrieved from http://www. livestrong. com/article/220035-reasons-why-teenagers-start-smoking/ Evans, A. (n. d. ). Smoking and teenagers. Retrieved from http://adrianaevans. hubpages. com/hub/Smoking-and-teenagers Gaskell, K. H. 2010, August 16). Reasons teenagers begin smoking. Retrieved from http://www. livestrong. com/article/207428-reasons-teenagers-begin-smoking/ Maddox, N. (2011, May 29). Smoking Peer Pre ssure Facts. Retrieved from http://www. livestrong. com/article/245384-smoking-peer-pressure-facts/ McGovern, J. A. , Rodriguez, D. , Patel, V. , Faith, M. S. , Rodgers, K. , ; Cuevas, J. (2006, April). How do psychological factors influence adolescent smoking progression? the evidence for indirect effects through tobacco advertising receptivity. Pediatrics, 117, 1216-1225, doi: 10. 542/peds. 2005-0808 Orlopp, B. (n. d. ). Why do people continue to smoke? stress, expression, social, loneliness. Why do people smoke? Retrieved from http://www. squidoo. com/why-do- people-smoke- Pressmart Team. (2007, December 4). Curiosity leads youth to smoke. Retrieved from http://www. pressmart. com/blog/2007/12/curiosity-leads-youth-to-smoke. html Radwan, M. F. (n. d. ). Why do people fail to quit smoking? Why do people smoke cigarettes. Retrieved from http://www. 2knowmyself. com/Why_do_people_smoke_cigarettes Randall, V. R. (1999, August 31).History of tobacco. Retrieved from http://academic. ud ayton. edu/health/syllabi/tobacco/history. htm Shaw, J. (2010a, July 4). Problems after you quit smoking. Retrieved from http://www. livestrong. com/article/165762-problems-after-you-quit-smoking/ Shaw, J. (2010b, June 9). Why is smoking hard to quit? Retrieved from http://www. livestrong. com/article/144259-why-is-smoking-hard-quit/ Thompson, D. J. (2011, June). Why is it so hard to quit smoking? 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