Admission to Physical Therapy Graduate Program

In all aspects of my life, perhaps the most significant inspiration that has shaped my life becoming the person I am today and gave me direction is experience itself who has taught me well. I had a tough childhood with my parents and my first marriage was unsuccessful.However, the outcome made me a stronger, more responsible and compassionate individual developing a heart for others in need. My loving and forgiving grandmother imparted to me values that have served as my guiding principles through the years. I always give my best in everything I do no matter how insignificant that may be.I believe in the saying do unto others as you would have them do unto you because true happiness to me is caring for others. This is the very reason why I worked so hard to complete my education by all means despite many obstacles so that I could be of great service to many when I finished my graduate program.Pursuing my college education was quite a struggle. I have to joggle raising two boys and st udies as well as financial resources. As a stay-home mother, I took initiatives to continue schooling whether on-line or on-site at Mountain State University and Chattahoochee Technical College maintaining very high marks. Due to lack of funds, I stopped during the fall of 2005 until April 2006.With much dedication, I moved on with my studies in May 2006. I thought then that it was impossible but I did it because I was determined, committed and focused. Currently, I am senior at Charter Oak State College finishing my undergraduate studies with a 3.90 GPA at the same time doing my required 80-hour observation.Besides my family, realizing my education would be my other great accomplishment more so when I graduate from this program. I am motivated to undertake this study because I believe that this is a good foundation to sharpen not only my intellectual purpose but my capabilities that will propel me to more achievements in life and a career in physical therapy.Ever since growing up I have uncovered my desire to help others probably because I have an outgoing personality. When I started college, I wanted to be psychologist. However, I have a neck problem that needed to be addressed through physical therapy. During my treatment, I just fell in love with whole process and like what I saw. The therapist was truly concerned about my pain and tried to make me strong and healthy again. There were these exercise equipment that help the patients strengthen their weak areas.Fitness and health are part of me. I play golf once a week at the same time goes fishing, horseback riding and hiking. I joined the Country Music Marathon last April with a time of four hours and three minutes, which landed me at the top 7% overall and top 3% in the women’s. I feel that I am a healthy person and could promote the benefits of nutrition and exercise to a lot of people. There is a shortage of physical therapist. I believe I would make a great therapist.While searching for a gradua te school that would meet my goals, I was excited to find the holistic approach of Alabama State University in Montgomery to physical therapy. I have devoted my undergraduate studies to prepare for this so that I can finally practice what I have learned. By adopting the tools and methods the university will provide, I can correctly interpret the theories and practices of physical therapy that are both insightful and sound.After graduation, I intend to pursue this career either in government or private to support my family and help those in need of physical rehabilitation making sure they get the necessary care and attention. When I gained enough knowledge and experience, I plan to set up my own therapy sessions at home during my free time to serve nearby patients.Though school may be over, I will still continue educating myself through research on-line to further expand my knowledge. I really enjoy what I do because I want to be a good example to my children and hopefully give them better education. All the hardships are nothing if you love your family.ReferenceAlabama State University, Montgomery. (2006). Physical Therapy. Heath Sciences. Retrieve August 15, 2006, from http://www.alasu.edu/Health_Sciences/default.aspx?id=16

Airport Expansion Is Important For Scotland Tourism Essays

Airport Expansion Is Important For Scotland Tourism Essays Airport Expansion Is Important For Scotland Tourism Essay Airport Expansion Is Important For Scotland Tourism Essay Aviation plays an of import portion of modern society. It provides the capableness for international concern to work efficaciously. It allows people from different parts of the universe to remain in touch and it serves the touristry industry. Tourism is critical for many states and without inexpensive, dependable conveyance, the benefits from this industry would be impossible to gain. However, air power has faced a figure of consecutive challenges in the last few old ages. For an industry straight using more than 29 million people, this is a concern ( Hanlon, 2007 ) . The figure of people going has declined due to increased security concerns, the worsening province of the international economic system, increased frights over emanations, increased fuel costs and a really competitory market runing on the bounds of viability. Additionally, events such as the recent break such as those caused by the Icelandic volcanic ash eruption and industrial action in some air hoses have provided extra challenges. In the period 2008-2009, the Association of European Airlines ( AEA ) saw a bead of 2 million riders ( AEA, 2009 ) . Worse still, the chief autumn has been for premium flights. This accounts for 30-45 per centum of rider gross. This has been caused by the impact of the economic crisis and the increasing competition from alternate methods such as teleconference, which is maturating as a feasible engineering. Despite this, air power still provides the best solution for travel transcending 1,500 kilometers and with tenancy transcending 75 % for such flights, there is no feasible option. This is despite the concerns raised from air power pollution, which contributes 2-3 % of human C emanations. The air power industry has no alternate but to alter to run into the new challenges. The three analysed in this study are ; emanation control, cut downing operating costs and increasing air power efficiency for the expected growing in air travel expected in the long term. Without run intoing these challenges, single operators and the viability of the industry as a whole are under menace. Fuel histories for typically 15 and 25 % per centum of a typical air hose s costs. However, it can be every bit high as 40 % due to local revenue enhancement ( Hanlon, 2007 ) . Fluctuations in the monetary value of oil to a great extent influence profitableness in air power, because ticket monetary values are non linked to fuel costs in the short term. One possible method of cut downing this consequence is the hunt for alternate fuels. Potential options include bio-derived fuels, such as fuels based on vegetable oil, and man-made fuels derived from coal or natural gas ( NASA, 2006 ) . However, air power fuel performs a figure of coincident undertakings other than to feed the engines. These include being used for aircraft trim and as chilling systems. They besides need to run into rigorous marks for viscousness, weight and anti-inflammatory prosodies in the instance of accidents. This complicates the design of alternate fuels. Cost decrease may be achieved by carry throughing the dema nds of other users with less rigorous demands, therefore cut downing overall demand and hence monetary value. However, this attack does non run into the demand for lower emanation marks. Man-made fuels can bring forth lower emanations in flight but bring forth more C dioxide during fabrication. New engineerings that can seclude the generated the C during industry will nevertheless take to lower emanations during the whole fuel rhythm ( NASA, 2008 ) . This attack offers the possibility of C impersonal fuel within the following 50 old ages, but at present, there is still a demand to blend the man-made fuel with air power fuel to at least better the state of affairs in the short term. Depending on the cost of bring forthing this mix of fuel, it offers possible for cut downing emanations and cut downing fuel costs. Emission control is of import for air power to run into its C emanation demands. Aviation has now been included in the carbon trade understanding, and every decrease counts. Decrease of costs in all countries is besides indispensable for air hoses that face stiff competition and besides have expensive fleets to keep while maintaining ticket monetary values competitory. Other countries besides require continual monitoring for cost-cutting chances. These scope from doing understandings with other air hoses, teaming them or accumulating with them right through to bettering turnaround clip and cut downing care costs ( Doganis, 2006 ) . This has to be done within the purely regulated uninterrupted airworthiness government. While strategic issues are directed by senior direction within individual administrations, decrease of care costs involves committedness from a figure of stakeholders in the industry. These include MROs ( Maintenance and Repair Organisations ) , airport governments and aircraft interior decorators. Aircraft interior decorators are working to plan new aircraft that require less care and can pass more clip in the air being productive. Airport governments have a alone place. Each airdrome is in its ain location, which means competition is slightly limited. However, airdromes such as Gatwick, Heathrow, London City, Stansted and Luton all serve London traffic and therefore are in competition with each other to some extent. In other parts of the universe, there is competition between airdromes near metropoliss and those farther afield. The pricing scheme for landing fees and other services is of import to keep fight. Low-cost air hoses accept airdromes further off from their finish in return for lower landing fees. Prestige air hoses prefer closer airdromes and accept higher fees. MROs have likely the greatest function in the potency for cost decrease. MROs and other land services have in general been slower to react to competition than air hoses ( Delfman et al, 2005 ) . However, they besides offer a major chance to cut down air power costs by increased efficiency, improved quality and sourcing of competitory constituents. All air hoses can profit from this, but low-priced air hoses are peculiarly interested. Since these are working to border-line concern programs, every penny counts. MROs can potentially cut down costs by unifying with other MROs, which would cut down disposal costs and supply higher purchasing power through volume. This would necessitate staff to be conformable to alter working patterns and greater flexibleness. They may for illustration demand to accept the demand to work at different airdromes for a clip. Investing in new engineering to streamline care of aircraft, such as machine-controlled creative activity of care certification and res ource direction are besides of import ( Demais, 2007 ) . There are many new package systems available to ease this. The hereafter of air power requires betterments in emanation control, cost decrease and efficiency to stay competitory while still functioning the demands of society. This will necessitate proficient betterments in fuel and aircraft design, optimizing care every bit good as strategic determinations associating to air hose amalgamations and acquisitions. In order to be genuinely effectual, this efficiency thrust has to be endemic in all parts of the air power industry. Regulators, aircraft interior decorators, air hoses, airdrome governments and MROs all have their portion to play. This study has discussed some of these issues ; nevertheless, this issue is the topic of intense analysis throughout the industry and likely to stay so for many old ages to come. The monetary value of failure to run into these new challenges will be of hurt to the full industry. As a instance survey to exemplify how these planetary issues affect single locations, the state of affairs in Scotland was considered. Aviation accounts for 15 % of Scotland s C emanations ( WWF, 2008 ) . Equally good as functioning traditional tourer and concern demands, Scots air power besides fulfils other demands such as postal services to remote Scots islands. Additionally, there is a whole market dedicated to the North Sea oil concern. The demand to command emanations has been recognised by the Scots Government ( OPSI, 2010 ) . Initiatives on this forepart are better addressed by industry-wide action and single airdromes have trouble in run intoing the demands themselves. Airport enlargement is of import for Scotland, and Edinburgh airdrome has been seeking to spread out. However, troubles have been encountered. The chief job is due to next landholders, including the Royal Highland Agricultural Society of Scotland ( RHASS ) . Costss associated with traveling the RHASS have been established at A ; lb ; 350 million ( Holidays Extra, 2008 ) . However, other developments have gone in front, with A ; lb ; 40 million being spent to better the airdrome installations ( BAA Edinburgh, 2009 ) . This has non been without resistance, as a group called SESA ( Stop Expansion at Scottish Airports ) has been set up to seek and forestall development at Edinburgh, Glasgow and Prestwick among others ( Plane Stupid, 2010 ) . Along with other UK airdromes, Scotland has been severely affected by the Icelandic ash cloud, the hapless economic state of affairs and industrial action by BA staff. However, Scots airdromes have some extra resiliency to downswings because they are comparatively distant, offering fewer alternate conveyance methods to the remainder of the UK and farther abroad. Linkss between Edinburgh, Glasgow and London are really of import, with many people populating in Scotland and transposing to occupations in London. Air travel is their lone option to go on to make this. Additionally, about 1/3 of the money in the metropolis is really based in Edinburgh, doing it one of the most of import fiscal Centres in the universe. Even with fiscal downswings, travel between the two capitals remains indispensable. These grounds make Scots air power slightly more robust than other countries. Expansion of airdromes is nevertheless hard to accomplish because many of the airdromes are located in countries w here the force per unit area on land is high and there is active resistance. This could be a confining factor that may forestall Scots airdromes from accomplishing the possible benefits that could be made from betterments. Scots skies have somewhat less force per unit area on them than in the South of England, but non much because the state is comparatively little. Improvements in air traffic control would be good and there is possible for airdromes such as Edinburgh, Glasgow and Prestwick to move as hubs to the US. However, at present airdromes in Holland and France execute this function. For Scots air power to develop, BAA needs to get the better of opposition to enlargement and besides needs to guarantee the industry meets environmental criterions.

Research paper Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 2000 words - 4

Research paper - Essay Example Thus, this paper considers supporting and opposing arguments, arguing against the perception painted by the media that the sports are too dangerous. Introduction The phrase, ‘extreme sport,’ refers to a collection of activities traditionally associated with risk taking. They mostly involves dangerous elements like severe weather, high speeds and high altitudes, therefore making them highly risky sports, particularly when judgment or equipment fail (Burke and Orlick 42; Clemmit 304). The mental and physical demands in these sports are high. Jay (6) categorizes these sports into three based on the place of action. Speed is the major goal in extreme land sports. Extreme air sports have its participants fly, leaping off a high building or bridge. Extreme water sports involve speed, balance or nature exploration. These are all risky sports and should be tried only with proper equipments and training and under supervision. Examples of these sports include high altitude climbin g, skating, motor-cross and martial arts among others. Extreme sports have become popular all over the world because of entertainment industries, corporate sponsors and mass communication. According to Mickle, over the past two decades, the sport has grown exponentially, outdoing other sporting activity. Many organizations use these sports to sell their products because the sports attract mass audience. Another reason is because they want customers to associate their products with the power exhibited in extreme sports. For example, snowboarders are about 18.5 million in the world, with 75% of America’s population of these snowboarders being made up of young people below the age of 24 (Clemmit 300). This popularity could be interpreted to show that the sport is not as dangerous as the public has been made to perceive it or that many people are at risk of the involved dangers. It is therefore important to consider arguments on either side to make an informed conclusion. Argumen ts for Extreme Sports being too dangerous Referring to these sports as extreme indicates their potential; any small mistake could highly lead to death, hence considered as too dangerous. First, they are barbaric and deadly. Clemmit (299) gives the example of mixed martial arts, MMA, where combatants use deadly moves which are kickboxing, sumo and jujitsu among others. It is out of such techniques that the author gives the example of Dean Lewis, a Canadian teenager who was injured badly in the ring because of an upkick to the nose, an illegal technique in MMA. In fact, the American and British medical associations does not approve of ultimate fighting because they risk physically and permanently harming participants. Their advocacy for states to ban such sports has seen states such as New York consider illegalizing such extreme sports (Profato 313). The risk of death extends from competitors in such sports to third parties, including the referees and audience. Even if participants pr epare themselves well, unforeseen risks such as slippery surfaces could easily lead to fatal accidents. Therefore, even the most competent sportspersons face the risk of death from extreme sports. Damage to property has been another reason for argument against extreme sports by its opponents. Property stand to be destroyed in case of an accident in these sports because most of them happen in public, multi-use spaces (Clemmit 310). Motor-cross sports have been cited

Eng 121 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words - 2

Eng 121 - Essay Example It stimulates too certain physical reactions such as fading of facial appearance, widening of eyes and mouth opening, drying of mouth, raising of eyebrows, quickening of heart rates, increasing of blood pressure, tightening of muscles, redirecting of senses , erecting of skin hairs , nervous responses including shaking of hands etc. One has many fears - fear of death, fear of small creatures and animals like spiders, snakes, lion, tigers etc., heights, water including swimming, mountains, plane riding, driving, violence, the list is endless. Swimming is feared for drowning which may cause much fatal and can take away the life even. Some specific fear occurs as a result of learning in one’s life like, if a child falls in a well or pond and finds very difficult to come out then the child would remain afraid of water until his / her life. Fear sometimes becomes a part of human nature through natural selections like fear from animals, heights, clouds, etc. This human nature fear is also known as preparedness. Some fears occur through historical and cultural influences. Fear from universal truth like fear of death. Fear can be described in degree from mild to extreme and relates with variety of emotional states like anxiety. worry, terror, horror, panic attacks etc. which change the normal behavior. During childhood parents often find very difficult to consol their children that there is actual no fear despite it becomes a part of the life of the child. Childhood fear can have a negative effect on the growth of the child and may sometimes create problems in his / her life. Like other natural fears more peopl e are either fear from swimming or afraid of water. It is natural phenomena that water individual. It is highly recommended to share the fear with others who may not just help the victim in return but can benefit them too. There are many ways or approaches to deal fear:

Why should we make Alcohol illegal Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1500 words

Why should we make Alcohol illegal - Essay Example Alcohol blocks different messages of the brain and proper messages reception is not possible in this scenario. The perceptions, movement, control, hearing and the excessive use of alcohol affects the vision of a person. People usually become addictive to alcohol because when they take it into small amounts then at times they feel more relaxed and less anxious. However, if you consume alcohol in excessive amounts then it might result in intoxication. There are different people who slur when they speak, they losses their coordination and this is all because of alcohol. All these alcohol consumers are confused and disoriented in their lives. The effects of intoxication in certain conditions are slow and people become very angry and aggressive at times. The alcohol is associated as one of the deadliest drugs of the planet because of the fact that it links the phenomenon of slow poisoning. The negative effects of alcohol can be identified by the fact that if alcohol is consumed in greater quantities than a person might die because of alcohol poisoning. People might also engage in violent vomiting and because of it, death might occur. Despite all these problems that are associated with the consumption of alcohol, there are different people and even teenagers who consume alcohol in the form of beers, whiskeys, rum, etc. Organizations that own alcohol oriented products market these products extensively uses adventurous themes to market the products. Ultimately, when people consume these products they affected by that.

Educational orientation Essay Example for Free

Educational orientation Essay According to the journal for American association for counseling and development (2008) and Zweigenhaff and Domhoff (2003) the African Americans value very much education and are ready to make sacrifices to achieve the education qualifications. Though they have that desire and willingness to have a good education background they are faced with a number of challenges that affect their performance in school. According to Rovai et al (2007) African American students as compared to the other students have lower performance standards and this is raising concern because this area has not been given much consideration to determine what could be the actual reasons behind their low grades. Lincoln et al (1990) and Henderson and Sumler (1999) discusses some of the reasons why these students do not perform well as others as to include difficulties to integrate and accept the various people from different cultural backgrounds they encounter in school and where they live. The hip hop culture is also said to contribute to the low grades because more of this students have indulged themselves in weird lifestyles that cannot allow them to have enough time with their studies. As argued in Cross (2005) and Wayne (2005) most of the African American students come from average family background and when they go to school with the white American they are seen by the fellow white students as being inferior which psychologically will affect them in their education as they find that they are discriminated. This creates a gap between them that and limits the way they will associate with the others and their presence in the school is threatened. The other reasons for their low grade as discussed in smiley (2006) include the poverty that they live in that makes them struggle to meet their basic needs and making them lose enough concentration to the education and even at times dropping out of school to try life elsewhere. The other reasons according to Obiakor (2002) and Ashe (2002) leading to low academic performance among the African Americans include the way they select the schools that they go to which might have low standards, having different curriculums that may not cover all the necessary topics and choosing areas of study that they are not competent in and also some of the teaching staff may not be giving them support because they tend to display behavior that show no much concern to their education. How to address the problem. Ogbu (2003) and Wright et al (2001) suggests that the teachers and the schools have a responsibility to encourage and support all the students they have under their care to perform well. He also argues that this will be done by helping the students to change the various negative attitudes they have towards their teachers, other students and the education materials like books. Obiakor et al (2002) suggests that the learning environment needs to be made conducive for all the students so that nobody feels threatened by the other because it will help the students settle in their education. As argued by Allen et al (1998) and Wayne (2005) the parents and guardians are encouraged to give moral support to the students and they should encourage them to develop interest in the religion as it offers psychological support. References A. P. Rovai, Louis B. Gallien, Helen R. Stiff (2007): Closing the African American achievement gap in higher education. National association for college admission counseling. Retrievedonline http://www. nacacnet. org/PUBLICATIONSRESOURCES/BOOKREVIEWS Alex B. Henderson, Janice Sumler (1999). Freedom’s odyssey Clark Atlanta university press. Allen K, Stelzer, P Wielkiewicz, M (1998). The ecology of leadership: adapting to challenges of a changing world. The journal of leadership. Bertram D. Ashe (2002). From within the frame. Routledge publishers Charles E. Lincoln, Lawrence H. Mamiya (1990). The black church in the African American experience. Duke university press. Cross T. (2005). The persisting racial gap in college student graduation rates. The journal of higher education. Festus E. Obiakor, Bridgie Alexis ford (2002). Creating successful learning environments for African American learners with exceptionalities. Corwin press Faye Z. Belgrave, KevinW. Allison (2005). African American psychology. Sage publishers. .J. Hale (2001). Learning while black. JHU publishers. Journal of counseling and development by American association for counseling and development vol 79 2008. Ogbu J (2003). Black American students in an affluent suburb: a study of academic disengagement. Lawrence Erlbaum publishers New Jersey. Tavis Smiley (2006): The covenant with black America. Third world press. W. Wayne (2005). African Americans and the color line in Ohio. Ohio university press. R. Zweigenhaft, G. Domhoff (2003). Blacks in the white elite. Rowman and Littlefield. Richard Wright, A. Chapman, Malcolm (2001). Black voices. Signet classic publishers

The Importance Of Interpersonal Communication Cultural Studies Essay

The Importance Of Interpersonal Communication Cultural Studies Essay Taking this class has really opened up my eyes on just how important communication skills really are whether it be verbal communication or non-verbal communication. In this paper I am going to focus on the interpersonal relationships. I think for me this was the most helpful for me with everything I have learned on communication. With writing this paper I understand interpersonal communication a little more than I did before. Everyone should be made to take a class so they actually understand communication and a way to just not have and I dont care attitude. Today many people still lack the ability to communicate effectively with in interpersonal relationships. It is through cooperation and collaboration that effective communication occurs. By analyzing and studying the communication process we can improve our ability to communicate effectively between one another. To have a successful interpersonal relationship one must first interact with others in an informal setting, which is called interpersonal communication (Hybels pg.156). Recognizing emotions in other is a very important first step to building a relationship. If you cant feel what someone else is feeling then you cant connect with them on a personal level and that can hinder your relationship process. Interpersonal communication is important because of the functions it achieves. Whenever we engage in communication with another person, we seek to gain information about them. We also give off information through a wide variety of verbal and non-verbal cues. Verbal communication has huge effects on many aspects of life, including interpersonal relationships. Speaking and telling our needs and wants verbally or non-verbally is a necessity for daily life. Verbal communication is organized by language; non-verbal communication is not. Most of us spend about 75 percent of our waking hours communicating our knowledge, thoughts, and ideas to others. However, most of us fail to realize that a great deal of our communication is of a non-verbal form as opposed to the oral and written forms. Non-verbal communication includes facial expressions, eye contact, tone of voice, body posture and motions, and positioning within groups. It may also include the way we wear our clothes or the silence that we keep. In person-to-person communications our messages are sent on two levels simultaneously. If the nonverbal cues and the spoken message are incongruous, the flow of communication is hindered. Right or wrong, the receiver of the communication tends to base the intentions of the sender on the non-verbal cues one receives. Before a person makes an attempt to form an interpersonal relationship they must decide what attracts them to that person. There are many factors that make up attraction to others. Physical attraction, perceived gain, similarities, differences, and proximity are some of them (Hybels, 2007). Most people are first attracted to others because of the way they look. Some people might have distinct characteristics that one might be attracted to such as; blues eyes, short hair, or even a small space between their teeth. If a person is not attracted to your appearance they are not likely to come up and carry on a conversation with you. For example, if an individual, who dislikes tattoos, is taking a class and has to choose a partner for a project, but there are only two people left and one of them has tattoos he or she will mostly likely choose the individual without tattoos, even if the person with tattoos is a very intelligent individual. There are many cases where we are attracted to someone because of the perceived gain associated them for example, one might become friends with an employee at a restaurant in hope of having discounted meal when they eat there. The similarities and differences are a major factor in determining if the relationship will be right for you. Often we find ourselves attracted to people that share the same beliefs, values, and religion. Most people are also attracted to people who enjoy the same activities as they do. Contrary to the similarities people may also be attracted to the differences. For example, person who doesnt like making decisions might be attracted to a strong decision maker. Because these characteristics complement each other, they might help strengthen the relationship (Hybels, 2007 pg161). Proximity is a valuable factor also when it comes to evaluating the pros and cons of a relationship. Proximity is the close contact that occurs when people share an experience such as at work, school, or play (Hybels, 2007 pg161).If a person does not want to have a long distance romantic relationship and their partner moves away to attend college in another state, then it is most likely that the relationship will not last. Moving on to the next steps of forming an interpersonal relationship would be our motives for communicating. We are motivated to form relationships for many different reasons such as, pleasure, affection, inclusion, escape, relaxation, control and health (Hybels, 2007 pg162-163). If an individual is motivated by pleasure he or she might just want someone to go to the movies or discuss politics with. Maybe we might be motivated by affection; many people are looking for someone to give them attention; a pat on the back or a little kiss every now and then. Many marriages end in divorce because of the lack of affection from their partner, but if they could have communicated effectively to each other that they needed more affection the relationship might not have ended. But no matter what might motivate us, once we have started developing a relationship we have to decide how much of our selves we want to disclose to the relationship and at what point in the relationship. Self- disclosure is a process in which one person tells another person something he or she would not reveal to just anyone (Hybels, 2007 pg168). Self-disclosure is not simply providing information to another person. Instead, scholars define self-disclosure as sharing information with others that they would not normally know or discover. Self-disclosure involves risk and vulnerability on the part of the person sharing the information. Self-disclosure performs many functions. It is also a way of gaining information about another person. We want to be able to predict the thoughts and actions of people we know. Self-disclosure is one way to learn about how another person thinks and feels. Once one person engages in self-disclosure, it is implied that the other person will also disclose personal information. Mutual disclosure deepens trust in the relationships and helps both people understand each other more. You also feel better about yourself and your relationship when the other person accepts what you tell them. While self disclosure can strengthen a relationship it can also damage it. A relationship can be damaged if the person you are pouring your soul out to do not like what they are hearing or if self-disclosure comes too early in a relationship it can be damaged. Thus, while self-disclosure is useful, it can also be damaging to a relationship. There are five different stages that we progress through while deve loping and strengthening our relationships, these are the coming together stages. No matter what type of relationship it is; romantic, platonic, or same gender relationship each kind still goes through each stages. The first stage is the initiating stage. The initiating stage is characterized by nervousness, caution, a bit of hesitation, and risk of being rejected (Hybels, 2007 pg186). Although one might proceed with caution, this stage can be very joyful experience and the outcomes can be great. Most people leave this stage with a new friend. The next stage is the experimenting stage. In this stage people make an effort to seek out common interest and experiences (Hybels, 2007 pg186). One might express a love for children and hopes of being a parent one day. This would be an important topic to discuss for a romantic relationship; each person needs to be aware of what the future might hold for them if they continue with the relationship. When experimenting with each other by discussing important topics and seeing the reactions of other, one can make a valid decision based on their knowledge of the other person to continue the relationship to the next stage. The intensifying stage is the third s tage that we go through. Self-disclosure becomes more common in the intensifying stage. The relationship becomes less formal and statements are made about the level of commitment each has to the relationship. In this stage individuals might have nick names for one another or inside jokes. A statement about attending a vacation next summer in France is an example of the commitment one might have for the relationship. But while self-disclosure becomes more common and makes the relationship stronger it can also make the participants vulnerable to each other. The integrating stage is the fourth stage. This is the point where personalities are beginning to merge; people are expecting to see them together (Hybels, 2007 pg187). The individuals become a pair. They begin to do things together and, importantly, others come to see them as a pair. A shared relational identity also starts to form in this stage. By the end of this stage individuals should know how to communicate and responds with ease and understanding of the other persons feelings. The final stage of coming together is the bonding stage. At this point, the participants make some sort of commitment that announces their relationship to those around them (Hybels, 2007 pg 188). Two girls friends might say they are now best friends to announce their comment to their relationship or a couple might announce they are getting married or buying a house together. This stage involves a lot of commitment and dedication to the relationship and to each other. In all of the stages discussed we all have decision to make. We can either progress forward to the next stage, stay in the same stage we are in, move back a stage or exit the relationship all together. No matter what we as individuals choose to do we need to know how to communicate effectively to that next stage and we need to know how to handle conflict or resolve conflict in our relationships. We can do this by conflict resolution, which is negotiating to find a solution to the conflict (Hybels, 2007 pg202). Depending on how a conflict is resolved it can produce a positive or negative result. For example if two sisters are fight over a dress to wear on the weekend, they have two choices: one wear the dress and the other one does not, which leaves one sister unhappy (negative outcome) or neither of them wear it, so both are satisfied and neither of them are jealous of the other (positive outcome). It also helps to take a positive approach to conflict resolution, where discussion is considerate and non-confrontational, and the heart of the matter is on issues rather than on individuals. If this is done, then as long as people listen carefully and explore facts, issues and possible solutions properly, conflict can often be resolved effectively. In conclusion, communication is the key to everyday life. You have to communicate on a daily basis so why not learn some skills that are going to help you communicate more effectively so you are understood instead of misunderstood. Your body language is also an important key, you need to show that you have good body language and you can gain more positive friends and more people will be willing to walk up to you and talk. Everything now a day is based on how you present yourself to someone you meet.