Saturday, December 28, 2019

The Interpretative View Of Organizational Communication

The interpretative view of organizational communication developed from a humanistic approach to organizational behavior. The approach views organizations as cultural centers that develop over time. Consequently, the cultural setting of an organization determines the relationship between the management and the employees as well as between the employees. The interpretive organizational communication approach centers on the nature of communication between human beings in their natural environments. Moreover, the approach seeks to establish communication between persons whose incentive to communicate develops from the desire to accomplish the goals that describe the organization. According to the interpretive approach,†¦show more content†¦Application of the interpretive perspective of communication in an organization is analyzed from three approaches. The claims derive from the intrinsic goals of the organizational communication perspective. First, interpretive communication a pproach seeks to offer insight through uncovering profound and hidden meanings of structures in an organization. The management of the Four Seasons Hotel may apply the interpretive communication approach through conducting research on the employee’s motivation to work. The Four Seasons Hotel can apply the interpretive perspective through the introduction of weekly sessions where the junior employees interact with their superiors and evaluate the period by sharing experiences. The findings of the study provide the organization with insight on the drivers of their employee’s urge to work. By understanding the nature of the employee’s motivation in the workplace, the management is better equipped in the creation of incentives that would encourage employee productivity. For instance, the management may discover that the organization’s employees prefer a greater sense of evaluation flexibility. Increased evaluation flexibility would enable the workers apprecia te reward packages from the management more enthusiastically. The interpretive communication approach adopted in the above example illustrates the importance of the approach to an organization. The management of the organizationShow MoreRelatedThe Psychological Needs Of An Organization976 Words   |  4 Pagesorganizational performance. Contrarily, Alabi (2010) and Akintayo (2012) in different studies suggested that the psychological needs of employees constitute an important cause of conflict. Comparatively, Tseveendorj (2008) indicated that in Malaysia, bank workers rated other sources such as communication, perception, values, and culture as the sources of conflict even though some of the staff differed in their degree of perception. Similarly, Fakirani (2013) did an empirical research and suggestedRead MoreEvaluation Of A Pluralistic Methodological Framework1416 Words   |  6 Pagesour case, being an employee in the institution in which the study is taking place was a big challenge. From one hand, employing a positivist approach, denies the fact to use participant observation as it’s more suitable for research that adopt interpretative approach. Nevertheless, vreede (1995) noted that in the case of complex organization, a researcher can be an observer, even if he has adopted a positivist approach. Thus, the aim of observation becomes efficient in answering question such as â€Å"how†Read MoreThe Scientific Management Principles Of Frederick Winslow Taylor3172 Words   |  13 Pagescorporations in the past two centuries, which has resulted in academic as well as practical development of concepts related to organizational behaviour, revolutionizing the current landscape. 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Organizational communication perspectives describe and illustrate the flow of information in an organization. Through the various organizational communication perspectives, an organization understands and both the internal and externalRead MoreOrganizational Communication : An Organization4433 Words   |  18 Pages Organizational communication Abdullah Allaboon Fairleigh Dickinson University Introduction Organizational communication perspectives refer to the different approaches a person can take to evaluate interactions among individuals working in an organization. There are three approaches in evaluating an interaction between employees in an organization, which are (1) Traditional perspective, (2) Interpretive perspective, and (3) Critical perspective (Papa, Daniels Spiker, 2007). ThoseRead MoreThe Principles Of Scientific Management3162 Words   |  13 PagesAlong with the development of organizations and corporations over the past 200 years, organizational behaviour and the associated concepts have undergone revolutionary changes. From Adam Smith (1776) to Peter Ferdinand Drucker in the 21st Century, numerous experts have proposed and advocated various concepts and ideas on organisational behaviour and associated practices. For example, in the pre-history era, Adam Smithï ¼Ë†1776ï ¼â€° has noted that the division of labour, this method and idea has been acceptedRead MoreCon temporary Organizations and Their Management: An Analysis2848 Words   |  11 Pagesindividuals place and meaning within the organization. The experience as an employee has been based primarily on self-discipline. However for employee volunteers to align themselves to support corporate goals at times the subjectivity of the organizational culture requires scrutiny. For management and the volunteers to be successful there must be trust and accountability within relationships to achieve co-operative work. That is each level of the organization working toward goals that are well defined

Friday, December 20, 2019

The Tragedy of the Commons and Collective Action Essay

The tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action are two key concepts in the world of political science. They act under the assumption that man is a rational being who will act in his own self interest. Humanity id broadly diverse meaning that each individual has their own ideas as to how society should run and how people should live.(heywood) This inevitably results in disagreement and this is where politics steps in. Aristotle described politics as the ‘master science’, ‘the activity through which human beings attempt to improve their lives and create the Good Society.’ Through the tragedy of the commons and the problem of collective action we can see how politics is essentially the ‘search for conflict resolution’†¦show more content†¦However Mancur Olson (cite) states in his book that ‘rational self-interested individuals will not act to achieve their common or group interests.’ Coercion or other incentiv es are needed for this to occur. Communication can be used as moral suasion (ostrom) This became known as the ‘zero contribution thesis’. A social dilemma is when individuals choose actions that will affect others as well as themselves. The individual will aim to benefit themselves short term which generally results in a lower joint outcome. If the individuals acted collectively they would achieve a better optimal outcome than the one they would achieve on their own. These social dilemmas have been characterised in game theory by the prisoners dilemma. They will achieve the Nash equilibrium which is lower than the socially desirable outcome. This is the problem of collective action. This is not to say that forms of collective action cannot be seen in everyday world. Mobs, gangs, cartels, neighbourhood associations, charities and voting are all forms of collective action. (ostrom) These social dilemmas are related to common-pool resources. The problem of free riding can be an issue. . There has to be governance of common pool resources. If, for example collective action was man’s natural instinct thenShow MoreRelatedClimate Change Is The Single Greatest Threat Facing Our Planet1504 Words   |  7 Pageshuman activity, and it is already causing devastating harm here in the United States and to people all around the world.’ Nonetheless but humans are liable to climate change, and are also affected by it with others. This article will focus on our collective and individual moral obligations to reduce greenhouse gas emissions as well as our moral obligations to climate change affected poorer countries in order to argue that we have a moral obligation as a whole. The United States, the wealthiest countryRead MoreTransnational Issues And The Global Community1486 Words   |  6 Pagesthat collective action is a critical component in resource governance, adaptation to various forms of environmental change, and resilience (Adger, 2010). Th e firm ability to collectively gather and work towards a cause relies on principles of communication, trust and most importantly, a shared vision (Beitl, 2014). However, in relation to the environment, it seems as if the world is facing a rather large scale version of the collective action problem. There are two types of collective action problemsRead MoreThe Tragedy of the Commons: By Garrett Hardin805 Words   |  3 PagesA common resource refers to a natural or man-made property that is characterized by high rivalry in consumption, meaning an increase in the amount of resource consumed by one person reduces that for others to consume, and non-excludability, meaning the resource is freely accessible to a large group of people. These factors make a common resource susceptible to its overuse and damage in the long run, especially without a controlled management and protection of the resource. In his writing, HardinRead MoreGlobal Character of Climate Change645 Words   |  3 Pagesqualify it as a collective problem. In Garrett Hardin’s (1968) Tragedy of the Commons it is argued that such problems need collective action to solve them; if individuals uninhibitedly chase their self-interest, they come to a result that is not in their common interest and which they would not prefer given their possibilities. Working together by agreement they can come to a result that in the end will much better serve their (common) interests. But where Hardin focused on commons shared by a groupRead MoreCollective Action Problems And Solutions Essay966 Words   |  4 PagesCollective Action Problems Incentives Required For Individuals to Work Together Collective action problems arise in politics because as individuals we are conflicted between our own interest and the interest of the group. Our choice is either to be selfish or cooperate with the group. â€Å"It involves building, combining, mixing, and amalgamating people’s individual goals† (Lowi, et al. 13). There are three main theories as to why collective action problems exist. First, according to Mancur OlsonRead MoreEssay about Book Report on Martin Esslins an Anatomy of Drama1039 Words   |  5 PagesThe book discusses the common definitions of drama in the first chapter, goes over the theories and critical aspects of drama as a genre in the following chapters, and concludes by declaring some statements about the truth of drama in the last chapter. Esslin often follows a pattern throughout his chapters; he undermines a critical thought or unravels a common critical confusion then injects his own notions and critical thoughts. In the first chapter Esslin deems all common definitions of dramaRead MoreThe Dangers Of Global Warming914 Words   |  4 Pagesissues are bad, but why is it so difficult to take action against them? Well, people look at the world with a short time horizon. Many people view profits versus well being of the planet only with a short-term perspective, not worrying about the future of the earth after they are gone. It seems that there are many reasons leading to the inaction in our society, but a significant issue is collective action failure, otherwise known as â€Å"tragedy of the commons.† It is a complex system, mostly filled with misunderstandingsRead MoreNatural Resource Depletion And Pollution1547 Words   |  7 Pagesthe idea of â€Å"tragedy of common† had been brought out by Garrett Hardin in 1968. In fact, the problem rooted in the tragedy of common can not be illustrated just based on its literal meaning, rather it should be understanding in more metaphorical way in which the word â€Å"tragedy† is not deemed to be a condemn resulted from reasons. However, the central argument Hardin said is that nowadays we had one technical problem that the tragedy of the common is inevitable if there has been common property andRead MoreDifferent Meanings And Values Of Poetry1385 Words   |  6 Pagessounds of the words when read aloud often follow a particular rhythmic pattern ´ (Cambridge Advanced Learner’s Dictionary Thesaurus, 2017). Nowadays definitions of poetry embrace the fundamental functions such as metre, imagination, emotion and sound, common for all of them. This characterization has its root in the very ancient times. Undoubtedly, the possibility to consider poetry as the first literal language is legitimate. The beginnings of poetry are often connected to other elements of art suchRead MoreEssay751 Words   |  4 Pagesidentity, culture, and preserve its way of life while expanding to different territories, this alone has led to countless wars and skirmishes resulting in devastation over Europe including the 30 year war, 100 year war, and the Napoleonic era. After the tragedy known as World War II, an attempt to integrate France along with other European states to form a supranational government resulted in the formation of the European union. Along the way France has battled with proponents and opponents going back and

Wednesday, December 11, 2019

Global Oil Crisis free essay sample

Whenever we talk about world energy source issues, everyone shows concern because the oil prices are increasing all the time. In addition, energy sources are depleting and will be exhausted one day. This phenomenon is called â€Å"the global oil crisis†. According to a theory by King (1956), all nations around the world will face an oil production crisis following a bell shaped curve based on the limits of exploitability and market pressure. Of course, not every nation will be faced with â€Å"Peak Oil†, it is based on the individual nation’s perspective and calculation of understanding peak oil. There are three main contributing factors that have caused this current global oil crisis: political instability, market pressure and the depletion of natural resources. Crude oil is one of the fundamental energy sources used by man. Oil is the main energy source to run the daily transportation, factories and make electricity. In view of this, energy sources have a worldwide demand in the global market. Every nation’s lifestyle and economy is still dependent on exports as a source of revenue. To influence the price of crude oil and get rid of unnecessary fluctuations in the international market, one of the international organizations was form which is calling OPEC (Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries). OPEC is alliance of thirteen nations that control over fifty percent of the world oil and natural gas export. OPEC members are Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, Venezuela, Algeria, Indonesia, Qatar, Nigeria, Libya, United Arab Emirates, Angola and Ecuador. Therefore, OPEC has a strong influence on the international market, especially when it makes a decision either to reduce or increase its oil production in the oil market. Political instability is one of the causes of the oil prices increasing in the global market. Political in nations producing oil country play an important role to influence the global oil market, success or failure in the relationship between the nations will give big impact on the international oil market. A series of evidence event has proved that political instability has cause the oil prices increasing. For example, in 1974, the political conflict between Arab nations and Israel resulted in several Arab exporting oil nations imposed an embargo on the countries who supporting Israel. Oil prices went from $3. 00 per barrel to $12. 00 which meant the price of oil had been quadrupled and it was caused by political instability in the Middle East. A series of political conflicts such as crisis in Iran in 1979, the Iraq-Iran war 1979, the Gulf War 1990, and the Iraq-Kuwait war 1990 contributed to the level of prices in the international market. Market pressure is another cause of the global oil crisis. Oil has a strong worldwide demand within the world’s population continues to grow. Billion of prosperous people especially in China and India will continue to push pressure on the oil market even though the price of oil is expensive. This is because they need energy sources to run their industrial sectors and transportation sectors. To meet with the market pressure, many oil producing nations have met with the limitation of oil supply due to the limitation of oil producing. To control the market pressure, the price of oil has to become expensive in the global oil market. Thus, it will give less demand on crude oil in the global market Apart from that, other external cause also result market pressure on the global oil crisis. For example, the shortage supply problems resulting from the Hurricane Gustav on 26 August 2008 have tore up Gulf Coast oil production and refining. As a result, the price of crude oil rises slightly in the oil market (Goldman 2008). The depletion of a natural source is another of the causes of the global oil crisis. Now, many of the nations around the world are faced with the â€Å"peak oil† crisis. Peak oil means the oil production has met its limitation and therefore the rate of oil production will decline in the future. Sample nations of oil producing country experience with peak oil crisis, US peaked in 1971 followed by the North Sea in 1999 and Mexico in 2006. Oil production in the Middle East and the Russia has not experienced it yet, but it will come eventually. Because supplies of oil and gas can increase the income of a country and also, a fall in global oil supplies could cause spiking in commodity prices and slow down a nation economy. Transition†¦.. These three causes not just only will give long term impact on all nations’ economy and lifestyle of citizen. Global Oil Crisis Effect on Social Increasing oil prices will make a lot of people suffer due to the high living cost. Increasing in oil prices in the global market meant increasing other commodities prices, especially food and the cost of transportation. People need food to continue to survive, but at the same time people need transportation to deliver food into the market. In addition, people also need transportation to run their business and earn profits to overcome with the high living cost in modern nowadays. People will experience with the high living cost in the next few years due to the commodities inflation dilemma. To rich countries such as United State, Iceland, Denmark and Canada with the average GDP (the value of final goods) per capital more than $30,000 dollar, they will not be a problem to them to experience with the commodities inflation crisis. But, to poor countries such as Malawi, Somalia, East Timor, and Afghanistan with the average GDP per capital less than $900 dollar, they will consider experience with the financial crisis due to the commodities inflation in the global market (Aneki n. d). Global Oil Crisis Effect on Economy Global oil crisis will affect on the world business. All nations around the world need petroleum products to run their business trading: export and import. This is one of the tradition ways to gain revenue of a nation country. However, oil crisis can make some of the nation’s economy slow down, whereas, at the moment, it can make some of the nations boost up their economy financial. Based on the research, OPEC countries members will get benefit while the oil crisis happens around the world. The reason is that those countries member hold large of oil producing in the world and also it holds 80% of world reserves (The future of oil and gas n. ). According to the Conclusion of Hanson: â€Å"By 2010, Muslim nations could control 60 percent of the world’s oil production and, more importantly, 95 percent of the world’s oil exports. In short, the Muslim exporting nations have Western economies by the throat†. Apart from that, the currency around the world will be fluctuated due to the limitation of oil supply to the oil market. A nation’s currency will drop if the prices of petroleum products increase in the global market. This is because expensive crude oil has force consumer use more of their income and afford to purchase the petroleum products. And, at the same time they will spend less with other goods and services such as convenient goods and shopping goods. Decrease consumer expenditures meant decrease a nation’s revenue. Global Oil Crisis Effect On Political The effect of global oil crisis not just effect on economy and social, but it is considered give a huge impact on political in the world business. There have a lot of evidence prove that the oil crisis had made conflict between those who have oil producing and those who do not have but are wiling to pay and buy it. Crude oil is nonrenewable resource and also it is one of the finite products in the international market. In addition, global oil producer country now had faced with the limitation of oil producing due to the coming oil depletion. Therefore, this kind of energy sources has a worldwide demand from all nations around the world and it can make some of nations conflict. From the research of history, the First Gulf War in 1990 is one of the examples that crude oil had made the political conflict between Iran and Iraq. The reason for Iraq invaded Kuwait is because Iraq accused Kuwait of stealing their oil (Weinberg 2005). Followed by the Second Gulf War in 2003, the US invaded Iraq with the same objective.

Wednesday, December 4, 2019

What is the Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing on Post-Traumatic Stress free essay sample

What is the Effect of Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing on Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder among Female Survivors of Sexual Assault?Living through a situation in which you feel your life or someone elses is in danger can be traumatic, given you might not have power over the situation and therefore, feel terrified. Experiencing such traumatic events can lead to developing post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Research has shown that going through traumatic events is not uncommon, for instance, at least half of Americans have had a traumatic event in their lives. From those who have had trauma, about 2 in 10 women will develop PTSD (National Center for PTSD, 2008). Going through specific traumatic events such as combat and sexual assault is more common to lead to PTSD, but it is important to note that there is no way of knowing who will develop PTSD. When studying PTSD, it is important to look at the four symptoms that people tend to illustrate such as, constantly reliving the event, avoiding things that remind them of the event, having more negative thoughts than before, and feeling on the edge. Additionally, some may begin engaging in unhealthy ways by either smoking, abusing drugs and alcohol (Korn, 2009).Given that the symptoms of PTSD can be very upsetting and disrupt someones life, it is very important for individuals to seek treatment. There are different treatment options for people with PTSD such as, medications and trauma-focused psychotherapies. When it comes to selecting treatment, exposure therapy is often supported as a treatment of choice for PTSD. Exposure treatment tends to require an extensive number of hours from the client, for instance, 15- 85 hours and up to 24 hours of homework. Controlled studies have illustrated a 60% decrease of PTSD when using exposure therapy (Rothbaum, Astin, Marsteller, 2005). In comparison, studies have illustrated that when using eye movement desensitization and reprocessing (EMDR), there has been an elimination of PTSD in 77-90% of the participants. In addition, studies have illustrated a significant decrease in a wide range of symptoms after two or three active treatment sessions and without homework. EMDR is known to help the client focus on specific sounds or movements while talking about the trauma, which helps the brain work through the traumatic events. Another form of therapy is cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), which consists of one to two hours of daily homework, as opposed to EMDR which is implemented without homework. This factor has proven to favor EMDR as it makes the overall time significantly less and easier for many clients (Rothbaum et al. , 2005).The purpose of this research is to increase the knowledge of EMDR as an intervention for PTSD. It is the intent of this study to assess the effects EMDR when treating female survivors of sexual assault. The research question of this study is: What is the effect of EMDR on PTSD among female survivors of sexual assault? The hypothesis of this study is that individuals diagnosed with PTSD who select EMDR as their treatment therapy will show a decrease in the symptoms caused by PTSD. Additionally, such improvements are to continue even after the therapy has terminated. If EMDR proves to be a more effective and long-term treatment for PTSD, then the results of this study will benefit mental health professionals working with female survivors of sexual assault. In non-profit organizations as well as county-based programs in which therapists have a high caseload and are often time are overworked, using such intervention that not only shows to be more effective, but also requires fewe r sessions while achieving similar results in comparison to other interventions that demand a substantial number of hours, will be more time effective not only for the therapist but for the client as well. Literature ReviewConceptual Framework: Information Processing TheoryAdaptive information processing (AIP) model was developed by Francine Shaprio with the intention to explain and predict the treatment effects seen with EMDR (Solomon, 2008). It is based on a theoretical information processing model, which suggests that symptoms result from events that are ineffectively processed and may be eliminated when the memories are fully processed and incorporated (Maxfield, 2007). The AIP model is known to integrate new experiences into already existing memory networks. These memory networks are the foundation of insight, attitudes, and behavior. When someone undergoes a new experience it is automatically connected with associated memory networks (Solomon, 2008). For example, when performing new tasks in a job, one might be able to complete the task accurately because of the previous experiences one has encountered at the job. However, when someone undergoes a traumatic event, information pro cessing may be inadequate given that the negative feelings that one experiences, affect information processing as it stops the individual from making relations with more adaptive information that is retained in other memory networks. This is a problem as such experiences are inadequately processed. For example, someone who has been sexually abused may be aware that their rapist committed a criminal act, yet this information might not connect with their feeling that he/she is not the one to blame. This memory is then inadequately stored without appropriate associated connections and with many elements still unprocessed. This causes the survivor to feel like they are reliving the trauma whenever they think about it or when the memory is triggered by similar situations. This can also cause them to experience strong emotions, emotional disturbance, think negatively about self, and PTSD (Solomon, 2008).Shapiro believed that EMDR could decrease such symptoms by treating the factors that contribute to the disturbing memories. This would be done thorough the AIP model given that information processing is assumed to occur when the affected memory is connected with other more adaptive information. Furthermore, learning then occurs, and the experience is grouped with appropriate emotions, able to properly direct the person in the future (Solomon, 2008). AIP model and EMDR will generate successful results for individuals with PTSD as EMDR uses a structured eight-phase approach and addresses the past, present, and future outcomes of the distressed stored memories. Moreover, the processing phases of EMDR influence the clients focus of attention through the appropriate memory associated with the aimed clinical matter (Maxfield, 2007).PTSD and Female Survivors of Sexual AssaultPTSD is a common condition as illustrated by a survey conducted by the National Co-morbidity in which results found that 7.8% of 5,877 American adults had suffered from PTSD at some point in their lives (Bisson, 2007). When analyzing specific traumas, sexual assault amongst women led to a lifetime prevalence of 50% for PTSD (Wilson, 2006). Nearly 12 million American women have a lifetime history of PTSD becau se of rape, therefore making rape victims the largest number of PTSD victims in the United States. Moreover, sexual assault is the most common cause of PTSD in women (Rothbaum et al., 2005). When an individual experience any sexual contact without voluntary consent and that violates their control over their body they are prone to experience PTSD (Wilson, 2006). Some of the symptoms they might experience given their condition consist of, nightmares, frequent distressing thoughts of the event, avoidance and numbing by not wanting to talk about the event and avoiding people and/or places that remind them of the traumatic event (Bisson, 2007). One study found that 94% of women experienced PTSD symptoms during the first two weeks of their assault (Wilson, 2006). When treating the survivor for PTSD, not only is it important to help decrease the symptoms or get them to forget about the traumatic event, but rather help them increase their interest by attaining the necessary skills to regain control over their life, overcome the guilt, shame or any other negative perceptions as well as im prove their overall functioning. When one experiences sexual assault the consequences of such traumatic event may be displayed biologically, psychologically, and sociologically (Wilson, 2006). After experiencing the sexual assault, survivors experience The Rape Trauma Syndrome (RTS) which is categorized by three phases (Wilson, 2006). The first phase is the Acute Phase, this occurs instantly following the assault. In this phase, the survivor is in crisis and goes through a range of emotional reactions such as, shaking, crying, yelling or have a flattened effect. In the second phase known as Outwards Adjustment, the survivor loses focus on the assault and rather experience denial and pretend as if nothing happened. The final phase is Long term Reorganization, in which the survivor might experience psychological effects such as feelings of shame, guilt, anxiety or depression. If the survivor does not receive the appropriate support and treatment and believe that others have failed to react in a positive manner, there is a greater risk of PTSD. A problem that arises with individuals who have been sexually assaulted is the fact that less than half disclose the assault and ther efore do not receive the support required. This is an important factor given that research illustrates support as an important factor to recovery. Furthermore, survivors who do disclose their assault can also experience secondary victimization given that some physicians, medical staff, law enforcement, and/or family and friends can exhibit and use victim-blaming behaviors, and therefore increase survivors psychological and physical distress. In addition to experiencing such traumatic event, women are also exposed to further trauma given that they are required to undergo a forensic rape exam when seeking medical assistance (Wilson, 2006). In addition, given the medical conditions that can arise from physical injuries following a sexual assault, this can also be major risk factor for persistent PTSD symptoms. Moreover, such traumatic event can not only lead to PTSD but also to other mental health and medical disorders.EMDR, PTSD, and Female Survivors of Sexual AssaultThe trauma caused by sexual assault is very traumatic theref ore, the symptoms that follow such traumatic event can be devastating and affect ones everyday life. Statistics show that within the United States, one of every five women (18. 3%) has been raped in their lifetime, which equals to nearly 22 million women (Edmond, Lawrence, ; Schrag, 2016). Apart from experiencing PTSD, survivors of sexual assault can also have experience other significant mental health consequences such as substance abuse and depression. Therefore, it is imperative to seek support and treatment to help establish effective coping skills and through this decrease the negative symptoms. Given the need to treat the symptoms of PTSD there has been a number of effective therapeutic treatments developed to treat this condition. Even though, studies have illustrated that treatments such as CBT and prolonged exposure (PE) are effective as they have illustrated a significant reduction in PTSD symptoms, EMDR has shown to be not only as effective but also provide faster and cost-effective results. For instance, in a pilot study in which it compared the effectiveness of PE and EMDR among rape victims, results illustrated that successful treatment was fa ster with EMDR as a large number of people, seven of ten, had a 70% reduction in PTSD symptoms after three active sessions compared to two of 12 with PE. Furthermore, five studies have been conducted to compare EMDR to different treatments, and results illustrated that in four of the five the studies, EMDR was superior to other type of individual treatments, group therapy and/or medication (Ironson, Freund, Strauss, ; Williams, 2002). EMDR follows a procedure in which the therapist helps the client process the memories related to the abuse, sensory experiences, affects and perceptions through an imaginal exposure technique. This is done by following an approach that addresses the cause of traumatic memories, the symptoms, and the inaccurate perceptions that develop following traumatic experiences (Ringel, 2014). In this treatment technique, the survivor is asked to imagine a scene that represents the worst part of the trauma as this will help them concentrate on the feelings of distress in their body and through this practice the negative thoughts that match that picture. The survivor is then asked to follow the therapists fingers moving back and forth for approximately 20 times each repetition. The survivor is asked to rate the level of discomfort using a 0 to 10 scale, once the level of distress reaches a level of 0 or 1, she is asked to track the therapists finger using a new image (Rothbaum et al., 2005). By d oing this, the therapist is able to assist the survivor in identifying her target image and through this link her consciousness with the memory stored in her neural memory. The therapist is then able to ask the survivor to identify any negative perceptions associated with the identified target image as it is important for the therapist to be aware how the survivor feels about self. Once the negative belief is identified, the survivor is able to identify a desired and realistic achievable positive cognition about self. The number of sets that the psychotherapist performs during the session depends on the client and their level of tolerance and how comfortable they feel as well as the level of the trauma, but in most cases, this consists of three to four sessions (Posmontier, Dovydaitis, ; Lipman, 2010).Gaps in Current ResearchEven though, EMDR has been ranked in the highest category of effectiveness and research support in the PTSD practice guidelines of both the American Psychiatric Association and U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs and Department of Defense, critiques argue that EMDR has not been used long enough to draw long-term conclusions about i ts effectiveness, therefore have found limitations (Maxfield, 2007). A study conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of EMDR among female survivors of childhood sexual abuse, did in fact demonstrate effectiveness, however noted the need for more definite evidence as to the immediate and log-term benefits of EMDR. Furthermore, it found the need for larger sample sizes, longer-term treatment with more than six sessions of EMDR before post-testing as well as ethical ways to decrease participants use of consequent treatment between post-testing and follow-ups (Edmond ; Rubin, 2004). Moreover, multiple studies have been performed to help illustrate whether EMDR is more effective than other treatments such as PE or CBT, however such studies have failed to demonstrate this as the differences between EMDR and other effective exposure treatments are minimal. Therefore, researchers have suggested the need for carefully designed, executed, and analyzed research that pays attention to issues of effect size, power, measurement, and reproducibility as well as issues of clinical significance (Davidson ; Parker, 2001, p.313). Hence, future studies should attempt to establish whether EMDR is more effective than exposure therapies. For future research, it would be beneficial to further investigate how effecti ve is EMDR with disorders other than PTSD as the evidence supporting the effectiveness of EMDR is much less convincing when focusing on anxiety, phobias, panic disorders, and depression. By doing so, this would help EMDR be a stronger treatment. In addition, in a study conducted in a rape crisis center, reports showed that there is a lack of knowledge on EMDR and how it works, therefore it would be beneficial for counselors to increase their knowledge on EMDR therapy as this would increase the likelihood of using it effectively and consequently, increase effectiveness on future studies (Edmund et al., 2016).ReferencesUnderstanding PTSD and PTSD treatment. (2018). National Center for PTSD. Retrieved from https://www.ptsd.va.gov/public/understanding_ptsd/booklet.pdf