Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis Essay Example

Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis Essay NO SUGAR (JACK DAVIS) Jack Davis’ â€Å"No Sugar†, written in 1985, is a play that highlights Australian racism and cultural destruction caused by British colonialism. It is set in 1929 (Great Depression) in Northam, Western Australia. The play explores the impacts of the European social and political philosophy of the early 20th century on Aboriginal society. The focal points of this play are the superiority of white people, racism, and the bond between Aboriginal families. These themes highlight Australian culture, and have shaped it into its many different forms for all Australian’s today. Jack Davis has used dialogue between the characters in this extract to privilege a postcolonial reading of the text. Davis uses dialogue in order to construct a world in which the aboriginal people can be identified to the audience as an ill-treated, oppressed race. Davis uses dialogue to represent how the colonized react to the social situations in which they were subjugated to, on a regular basis in the early times of colonization. â€Å"CISSIE: Aw mum, Old Tony the ding always sells us little shriveled ones and them wetjala kids big fat one. Through this dialogue the audience identifies that society at the time did not allow the colonized to be classed as the same standard as the colonizer. Davis lends this text to a postcolonial reading through the use of characterization. The use of characterization in the play reinforces the idea that the characters amplify a sort of submission to English culture displays to the audience the effect of colonization. Although the characters reta in many of their aboriginal attributes, such as living off the land â€Å"Come on, let’s get these rabbits. They have allowed themselves and their culture to be colonized by accepting many of the British attributes such as playing cricket â€Å"DAVID and CISSIE play cricket with a home-made bat and ball. † The aboriginal people have allowed themselves to colonized acquiring British aspects, which coincide with their aboriginal heritage. Through this extract the characters also begin to read the paper, the combination of the children playing cricket and the elder reading the paper appears from an outside point perspective a very British activity. Looking at the context, which surrounds the writing of the play, can also support a postcolonial reading. We will write a custom essay sample on Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis specifically for you for only $16.38 $13.9/page Order now We will write a custom essay sample on Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer We will write a custom essay sample on Jack Davis No Sugar Analysis specifically for you FOR ONLY $16.38 $13.9/page Hire Writer Another device used by Davis is stage directions principally used to invoke or create a rising dramatic tension, an example of this is â€Å"He nicks his finger with the axe and watches the blood drip to the ground. † This is symbolic of the Aboriginals manifesting frustration; they are inflicting pain on themselves because they know it isn’t possible to inflict pain on their conquerors. Jimmy’s character represents the rebellion of any marginalized race; he pushes the boundaries as far as he can. The fact that Aboriginals are â€Å"dancing† for the white Australians shows their power. This dancing is a form of service provided by the Aboriginals, they are expressing their culture but to the people who have destroyed it. It could almost be read as a child trying to get an adults attention by jumping around and holding out what they want. To Jimmy these dancing Aboriginals are jumping around and showing the White Australians that they want their culture back. This reach out to white settlers shows how much more dominate they are and their culture is. Through the use of dramatic conventions Jack Davis’ play No Sugar can be read as a postcolonial criticism. It presents a number of issues with colonization and the particular effects it had on the Australian Aboriginal people. First performed in 1985, the play deals with the struggles of the aboriginal people and oppression in which they endured by white Australian society. The play was set in 1929, a time when aboriginal people were not yet accepted as equals in society. The main ideas presented in the play are shown through the dialogue, characters and context. This extract uses techniques to set the basis for the idea’s that will be expressed throughout the entire play.

Moral and Gener in Antigone essays

Moral and Gener in Antigone essays As the course Athens to New York begins, four questions are drilled into our heads as the foundations of the course. These questions might as well be Greek to us, for many college freshmen have never been asked these questions before, not to mention required to take a course that is focused mainly on these questions. The questions force us to look deep within ourselves, to investigate what our beliefs and morals consist of and how they originated. The questions in relation to the readings also force us to compare our beliefs and morals to those of other civilizations. Two of these questions have a strong meaning in the book Antigone by Sophocles. These questions are how do individuals and communities respond to differences in race, class, gender and ethnicity and what does it mean to be moral, ethical or just. Not only do these questions pertain strongly to the book, but todays society can strongly relate to these questions and the impact they have in the book as well. In ancient Greece, women were inferior to men, for they were expected to stay home all the time and keep the house. In fact, the only women who were ever outside of their house were usually courtesans or hereartas. The families of ancient Greece were very strong, for the poleis consisted of many extended families. Gender issues are very apparent in Antigone, and these issues lead to why Antigone breaks Creons man-made laws and followed the divine laws that Antigone felt was moral and just. The gender problems in ancient Greek society and Antigones refusal to follow the man-made laws of the land are important aspects of the play, for the gender and class problems in her society were the reasons that she did what she felt was moral, ethical, and just and therefore lead to her death for the honor of being able to bury her brother. One of the questions for the course Athens to New York is how do individuals and communities re...

Behavioral Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques Essay

Behavioral Interviewing and Interrogation Techniques - Essay Example While he was standing in line, my cousin’s wife decided to go around the mall and just meet him somewhere after he was done. Around fifteen minutes after his wife left, my cousin left the bank. He called her on her cellular phone but there was no answer. So, he went to the usual shop he knew she liked. Five minutes later, his phone went off and it was his wife calling from the bank. He tells her to wait for him there. When they meet, he finds out that she had been on her way back to the bank, located on the first level, right after he had gone to the second level to look for her. They tried a newly-opened Italian restaurant for lunch. He got a medium-sized pizza for himself and she had an order of spaghetti. After eating, they headed to the supermarket to buy what they needed for the week. When they were done at the supermarket, they decided to head home so my cousin’s wife could take a nap. On the way home in the car, my cousin’s wife fell asleep and didn’t wake up until they got home. Since she was able to sleep a bit in the car, my cousin’s wife announced that she was making dinner early so she and my cousin could watch a movie at home before going to sleep. My cousin agreed. I think that the structural technique was better in this situation because I did not really want to know anything in particular. In the beginning, I used the traditional technique and asked the WH-questions. (Gosselin, 2007, p. 4-5) This is why I was able to know the date and time of some events. However, unless I asked something, my cousin would not give me additional information. Later on, I switched to the structural technique. This proved to be a lot better. I was still about to get information from my cousin. Moreover, he sensed that I was urging him to continue after his replies so he continued telling me his story. I mostly nodded to show him I understood what he was saying. I also asked follow-up questions which encouraged him to talk more. Since he was very

Construction development in China Lab Report Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 3750 words

Construction development in China - Lab Report Example ith luxurious boutiques that appear to be housed in a traditional lane house is a re-imagination of Shanghai’s old streetscape and customer experience. It reminisces and elicits nostalgia in the historical preservation. Ever growing labyrinth of skyscrapers is the new face of Shanghai. The skyscrapers stretch further than the eye can see from an observation deck in Pudong, a relatively rural district from across the river from Shanghai’s original settlement. The area was just a farmland twenty years back. It has now experienced a viral growth of skyscrapers and symbolizes the urban future of China. Architectural development in Shanghai is so fast that it is estimated that five more satellite towns will be set up from scratch to house the growing population of the city. Pudong is part of the strategic places for development to support humanity in Shanghai. Close to 18 million people live in the greater Shanghai. The figure is expected to inflate by more than one third by the year 2020. The construction of the satellite towns is urgent. Experts are more impatient that policy implementers and they have the urge to build an entire town from scratch in two or three years. Shanghai is re-inventing itself as an urban megalopolis. Shanghai is a city with a long history. In the long-term development, it has formed its own unique city scene and varied cultures and arts. Up to now, a lot of cultural relics beginning in the Tang (618-917) and Song (960-1279) Dynasties, many museums and contemporary memorial halls are well preserved. There are a lot of tourist centers in urban districts and suburbs of Shanghai, which form many tourist areas, tourist lines and special-interest tourist items. (Shanghai National Information, 2013). Throughout the past century, Shanghai has had numerous name tags attached to it; like "Paris of the Orient" and "Pearl of China". Images of Shanghai more than any other Chinese city, are bountiful in the west. A visit here therefore, is naturally

The Impact of School-Based Health Promotion

The Impact of School-Based Health Promotion Abstract The purpose of this study is to determine effectiveness and influence of Public health campaigns and health information centers in schools. The impact of the public health promotion in schools required an in depth research in which the aim was to investigate how the public health promotion can affect the lifestyle of children which is a life saving factor and due to which many fatal diseases can be avoided. It started by discussing the background of the topic and then goes onto answer specific research questions. The research methodologies will be used and includes a dedicated portion of findings and analysis. The study will be concluded by providing recommendations and devising solutions to problems. The public health care promotion includes various campaigns with the co-operation of WHO. This research study has concentrated on the most broad diseases particularly basic amongst youths, the schools, are the place such infections are the destined to take an ascent. The adjustments in the medicinal services advancement every now and then will be examined in subtle element. In the last part of the paper, the most convenient methods of public health campaigns will be discussed along with its benefits and its concussion on children’s health. INTRODUCTION This chapter will be presenting an overview of the research project. Specifically, the problem statement will be discusse, the background of the research along with the significance of the study. Furthermore, the research aims and objectives and research questions will also be identified in this very chapter. The primary target of this examination will be on discovering the effect of the general wellbeing advancement in schools among kids; therefore, the problem statement of this study revolves around †The Impact of the school-based Health Promotion on children’s lifestyle† Background The health promotion and security of children is necessary for the glorious fate of the country. The betterment of the young children is a complex endeavor. It obliges the joined endeavors of the establishments alongside the societal segments. The inclusion of parents, family, schools, media, government organizations, human services experts, postsecondary foundations and the youths themselves is very important. They are responsible to give the support by means of environment and open doors for the better development of the children. The adolescence is the period of life in which the social, mental and the physical changes happen from early age to the middle age. The youths are the significant bit of the UK populace. They are experiencing numerous muddled circumstances. The prosperity of young people speaks to the great soundness of the entire populace. Consequently, it is essential for the parents, educators and social insurance experts to grasp the hugeness of pre-adult wellbeing. T here are a few components that require the direction keeping in mind the end goal to mitigate from the lives of youths. These conditions incorporate smoking, substance ill-use, self-destructive endeavors and pregnancy in the high school. Teenagers need the support of the family, teachers and health awareness suppliers in regards to every issue. Peoples way of life and lifestyle has been going through continuous changes, for instance, the life expectancy even in the UK at birth in 1891 was 44-48yrs and 74-80 by 1996 (ONS, 1996). This reflects the blend of a mixed variety of veridical and coordinated essential human services including general health and health promotion. It is fascinating to realize that way of life difficulties – smoking, liquor, high school or eating regimen have been always appraised as most responsible to make individuals health disintegrate basically in heart disease and cancer (Ashton and Seymour, 1993). It is therefore vital to address health promotion and general health mediations identified with changing individual ways of life and behavioral change towards health. Goddard (1995) note that smoking amongst kids (11-15) have been consistently raised i.e from 8% (in 1988) to 12% (in 1994). Since 1986s international union of Child’s health, the idea of health promotion has been set up to ch ange people groups social insurance behavior and practice. As MacBride (2003) says that health promotion alludes to the co-ordinated cooperation of staff and authoritative interests in the boosting of educational, advisory and policy advances relevant to health maintenance and improvement in quality of life (p.3) – in other sense this is basically an endeavors catching both parts of health policy and educational interests. In this context, Katz, D. L., O’Connell (2005) contends that anticipation through instruction, instead of relief, was the most beneficent and efficient course (p.54) From the global point of view, it is imperative to highlight the importance of health promotion report of Lalonde of 1974 ie A New Perspective on the Health of Canadians – this has been considered as a first time the government condemning biomedical medicinal services system, appears to be unseemly to promote individuals health and forestall ailments or disease as he proposes social insurance intercessions ought to be coordinated instead of veridical methodology. He recommends that weakness could be tested by coordinating four components human science; nature; way of life; and the association of health awareness ought to be set up to get enduring change people groups medicinal services learning and practice (Bunton and Macdonald 1982). Since the Alma-Ata statement in 1978 and development of Ottawa Charcher in 1986 and HFA by the year 2000 (WHO, 1985), numerous health advancement activities have been occurred over the world – mainly focused on societal structures (Naidoo and Wills, 1994). In the meantime, a few reports highlight the part of people’s responsibilities and practices for making healthy (DHSS, 1976 ; SHHD, 1977). It is thus critical to perceive – promoting healthy way of life through changing environment variables (Lalonde, 1974), centering public health mediation –more on societal model as opposed to institutional-based social insurance model (McKeown, 1971; Naidoo and Wills, 1994) through support and preparation of individuals at diverse levels or divisions (Ottawa Charter, 1986). The essential argument here is numerous health issues including sicknesses would be overseen or averted if the public assume more greater liability for controlling their own particular healthy ways of life (Department of Health, 1987). School health promotion has been utilized as a global health promotion system as it is inarguably the most supportive platform fot the intiation of children’s healthcare. WHO reports (2014) that 1:2 youngsters are dying of tobacco related diseases, 5% of all fatalities between the ages of 15 and 29 are owing to liquor use, and > 60% of all new HIV infections happened inside of the same age-groups. Furthermore, The social overview of England 2009 reported that youngsters matured 11 to 15 are more inclined to smoke, try liquor or take drugs. WHO (2014) in this way contends that compelling school health promotion would not just be taken as savvy interests in any countries but also enhance education and health of children and their guardians by avoiding the main causes of premature death, disease and other disorders (cardiovascular ailment, tumor, long-term lung diseases, depression, violence, substance ill-use, wounds, malnutritiion, HIV/AIDS/STI and helminth infections). The health reforms are a chance to enhance the procurement of excellent health support for school-age kids yet there is restricted or disperse evidence of school-based health advancement with respect to children’s ways of life. This study along these lines intends to figure out to what degree the school-based health promotion affect in light of youngsters way of life mostly on teenage pregnancy, smoking and alcohol use under the systematic review. Governmental issues and political approaches assume an important part in advancing health and medical professionals have significant influence in the promotion of health. They are seen as agents who identify and advise the students or children for their health benefits. The past records show that absence of information and aptitudes in the territories of general health promotion, variability in general health, no emphasis on populace and no coordinated effort between associations are major factors responsible for ignorance. This can be improved further by understanding the behavior of the related population, as well as their standards and societies and the predominant financial conditions. However, The key points covered in this research and that are the most common problems among youngsters are: †¢Alcohol utilization. †¢Dietary practices. †¢Drug abuse. †¢Hygiene. †¢Depression. †¢Physical action. †¢Teenage pregnancy. †¢Sexual practices. †¢Tobacco utilization. †¢Violence. Health promotion address both essential and auxiliary reasons for a health awareness issue. These battles are significant for the awareness in the overall population and minimizing the spread of issues. At whatever point a social insurance crisis emerges, medicinal services suppliers are in charge of beginning mediations. After the beginning intervention, the health awareness expert assesses the emergency and presents his or her thought to confine such emergency later on. Health promotion models chip away at recognizable proof, history, consequences of a human services issue and have an objective result for the crusade. The UK government has dispatched various health promotion for current health issues. Some of these advancements are for smoke cessation, cancer, child obesity, substance abuse and drinking issues. Case in point, the legislature has reacted to the countrys more than once reported drug issue with a methodology on Decreasing substance abuse among youngsters (Becker, AE, Roberts AL, 2010). The policy highlights the problem by giving statistics of substance abuse related hospital admissions and deaths amongst youngsters. The policy aims to build awareness on harmful impacts of drug abuse on families’ lives, and ultimately compel them to overcome their bad habit. Purpose of the Study This research seeks to look into the general health in school going kids, ranging from 11-15. The significance of this study is to identify the impact of school-based health promSotion in children and the factors that can improve their health and wellbeing through campaigns and other promotions. It seeks to answer whether the public health promotion has created a concussion on the school going children and an insight on what ways the children have been affected. This research work will actually help to investigate the dynamics of public health promotion which is supported by several references and guided by the World Health Organization (WHO). Research Aims Objectives The aims and objectives of any research work facilitate the researcher in finding the most relevant and accurate information and eventually drawing out the conclusion. However, the main aim of this study was to assess the impact of the School-based Health Promotion in children Following are the objectives of this study: To investigate the dynamics of School-based health promotion. To examine the impact of School-based health promotion. To gain an insight into the importance of health promotion especially among adolescents, lack of research in this area and the rate with which the diseases are spreading. To summarize findings and make recommendations. Research Questions The research questions of the study basically narrow down the research and help the researcher to achieve the aims and objectives of the research work. Hence, following are the research questions of this study: How the schools and other institutes are bringing improvement in the promotion of the health campaigns and raising awareness amongst school going children, evaluate under the light of WHO and International health standards? The benefits of raising school-based public health awareness and spaces of improvement in this domain? Evaluate the present statistics and compare with the previous statistics of public health awarensess and present new ideas for campaigns that can help eradicate the most common diseases amongst youngsters? Clarify the role of local government and how can the government help raise the awareness? References Becker, AE, Roberts AL, Perloe AB, Asenaca R, Lauren K, Gilman SE, Striegel-Moore RH. Youth health-risk behavior assessment in Fiji: The reliability of Global School-based Student Health Survey content adapted for ethnic Fijian girls. Ethnicity Health 15(2): 181-197, 2010. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/20234961. Duncan, C., Jones, K., Moon, G. (1996). Health-related behaviour in context: a multilevel modelling approach.Social Science Medicine,42(6), 817-830. Katz, D. L., O’Connell, M., Yeh, M. C., Nawaz, H., Njike, V., Anderson, L. M., Task Force on Community Preventive Services. (2005). Public health strategies for preventing and controlling overweight and obesity in school and worksite settings.MMWR Recomm Rep,54(2). Kickbusch, I. (2003). The contribution of the World Health Organization to a new public health and health promotion.American journal of public health,93(3), 383-388. Macdonald, G., Bunton, R. (1992). Discipline or disciplines?.Health promotion: Disciplines and diversity, 6. McBride, C. M., Emmons, K. M., Lipkus, I. M. (2003). Understanding the potential of teachable moments: the case of smoking cessation.Health education research,18(2), 156-170. Michell, L., Amos, A. (1997). Girls, pecking order and smoking.Social Science Medicine,44(12), 1861-1869. Naidoo, J., Wills, J. (2000).Health promotion: foundations for practice. Elsevier Health Sciences. St Leger, L. (2001). Schools, health literacy and public health: possibilities and challenges.Health promotion international,16(2), 197-205..

Human Sex Trafficking Essay

Close to 800,000 people globally are forcefully moved across their countries’ borders and sold off to be exploited for various purposes. Most of these are teenage boys and girls including small children as young as 7. Human sex trafficking has been recognized as one of the major catastrophes facing mankind and a great threat to the freedoms of millions worldwide. Though immense steps have been taken by the international community, it is yet to be put to rest. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has defined human trafficking as including the forceful transportation and harboring of individuals by use of threat or financial payments with an intention of exploiting such individuals. Exploitation in this sense includes â€Å"at a minimum, the exploitation of the prostitution of others or other forms of sexual exploitation. † (Cited in Sheldon, 2007, 107). Human sex trafficking includes the forceful initiation of people into prostitution or sex slavery. Children are forcefully recruited into prostitution or driven into early marriages. Human sex trafficking is believed to be a multibillion industry although its expansiveness cannot be fully grasped due to the lack of a clear methodology. Though the reigning perception is that it is a trade that mostly affects the developing countries only, this is untrue. According to the existing accounts, almost each and every country has its own elaborate but intricate system of human sex trafficking. Influx, most of the times, is from the poor countries in Asia, Latin America and Africa then to the developed nations such as the United States. Indeed, according to the U. S. State Department, there are â€Å"approximately 14,000 to 17,000 people trafficked into the united states annually. † (Amy & Stephanie, 2008, 532) In light of these worrisome trends and much pressure from human rights activists, international organizations as well as governments have all stepped up efforts to curb the menace. The United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime has led the path in this war and a number of high flanking countries have joined these efforts. The United States, due to immense pressure form human rights activists and non-governmental organization, responded swiftly and at the close of the century began pushing other nations to adopt anti- human trafficking laws and policies. The passage of the Victims Protection Act of 2000 led to the establishment of a three tier system that ranks countries in regard to the perceived rates of human trafficking. International organizations such as Office of the Special Representative for Combating the Traffic of Human Beings has been hailed for the major steps it has taken in combating human trafficking in Europe. Indeed, in addition to the United States, EU has also spearheaded campaigns aimed at eradicating human trafficking both in its territory and overseas. In 2002, for example, EU reached an agreement to harmonize the â€Å"policies of the member states in areas such as criminalization, penalties, sanctions, aggravating circumstances, jurisdictions, and extradition. † (Kimberley, 2007, 46). These nations as well as other international organization have vowed to work together with the source countries to help them establish prudent mechanisms of curbing human trafficking. Indeed the issue of human sex trafficking continue to plague the world and mechanisms are still being put into place to alleviate the situation. It is a problem that threatens freedoms of millions worldwide be it in the developed countries which are the destination of the victims or the poverty stricken countries where women and children are sourced from. It is hence a problem that requires a multifaceted approach that has to incorporate all the regions if the situation is to be effectively curbed.

Life Span Perspectives Essay

There are many beginnings to the study of human development. The study of human developments is a science that strives to discern how people change over time (Berger, 2011). To do this, developmentalists study all types of people from different age groups, ethnicity, culture, background, nationality, income, and sexual orientation, among many other factors. To begin to understand this science, one must start by looking at what is being studied, some of the major theories that shape and guide these studies, and the interaction of heredity and the environment on human development (Berger, 2011). Developmentalists seek to tackle the challenge of defining humans in a way that simultaneously describes the universalities of humans as well as their differences. Because development is not limited, the person is the result of interactions among all the systems known as microsystems, macrosystems, and exosystems (Berger, 2011). Another aspect of development is that it encompasses the changes and uniformities of people. A visionary in the study of development was Urie Bronfenbrenner, who introduced an ecological-systems approach to the study of development (Berger, 2011). The ecological-systems approach recommends that human development should be studied by looking at the interactions and contexts that make up a person’s life. There are three levels that Bronfenbrenner proposes each person is affected by: microsystems, exosystems, and macrosystems (Berger, 2011). Microsystems are described as foundations of the person’s nearby surroundings, while an exosystem is described as the person’s local institutions. For example, a person’s family would constitute a person’s microsystem and their place of work would be their exosystem. A person’s macrosystem is their greater social settings, such as their cultural values and economy (Berger, 2011). Bronfenbrenner understood that development changes over time and, therefore, included two other systems that interact with the original three; the chronosystem and the mesosystem. The chronosystem encompasses the  historical conditions that affect the other systems and the mesosystem consists of the correlations between the three systems or parts of an individual system. In other words, the mesosystem refers to the connections between home and school, communication processes, and macrosystem factors that affect the microsystem (Berger, 2011). Understanding the shared connections between one area of life to another led developmentalists to form five standards that are beneficial for understanding human life at any age. These five characteristics are multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, and plasticity (Berger, 2011). Development is multidirectional, meaning that change occurs in every direction, with gains and losses, predictable growth, and unexpected transformations being apparent. Every aspect of life, including, intellectual growth, social interactions, and physical health are multidirectional (up, down, constant, or irregular). Additionally, in late adulthood, during old age, people tend to center on the declines rather than the gains, placing a particularly important emphasis on multidirectional change (Berger, 2011). Human lives are multicontextual, meaning life is made up of many situations, including past circumstances, economical limitations, family patterns, and physical surroundings (Berger, 2011). To put it another way, every context has an impact on the person. For example, the paths available to the individual are dependent on the historical and socioeconomic conditions. Developmentalists note that the socioeconomic status of a person greatly affects their opportunities and limitations, advantages and disadvantages, and past history and future prospects, which affect the person’s habits, knowledge, housing, and nutrition (Berger, 2011). The development of humans is influenced by many cultures. The multicultural principle understand that cognition and behavior are affected by the cultural environment, which includes the person’s social group, ethnicity, race, heritage, and even income (Berger, 2011). It is important to note that culture is dynamic, and people are capable of accepting or rejecting culture values. The study of life span and human development is  multidisciplinary; it is interrelated with various fields of academia. While psychology, biology, sociology, and education are major players, other fields such as neuroscience, anthropology, history, and economics play a role as well. (Berger, 2011) Multidisciplinary is important to the study of development because people grow in mind, body, and spirit simultaneously. The final characteristic is plasticity. Plasticity plays a role in the other four characteristics of development. It is an important characteristic because it represents two corresponding aspects of development (Berger, 2011). Plasticity understands that humans are capable of being molded, like plastic, while still maintaining a sturdy identity. Plasticity is affected by both culture and upbringing, as well as genes and other biological influences. The five characteristics led developmentalists to one conclusion: humans are individuals, whether or not they come from the same cohort, culture, or economy (Berger, 2011). Even though scientists have concluded that every person is an individual, there are still many questions about human development left to answer, which led to five major theories of development. Developmental theories offer structure for clarifying the patterns and problems of development. There are several theories of life span development such as the three grand theories: psychoanalytic, behaviorist, and cognitive (Berger, 2011). The grand theories of human development, which explain the collective development and processes throughout the entire life span, began in the field of psychology; observations and clarifications deriving in history, biology, sociology, and anthropology led to the emergent theories. The two emergent theories are not yet as coherent as the grand theories, but they draw on more academic disciplines providing a broader framework than the customary grand theories that rely only on psychology (Berger, 2011). Discussed here are the two emergent theories: sociocultural and epigenetic. The main concept of sociocultural theory is that human development is the result of a dynamic interaction between a person and their society. This concept is based on the idea that the tools and principles for development  are provided by not only customs, but society as a whole (Berger, 2011). The pioneer of the sociocultural perspective was a man named Lev Vygotsky. By studying the cognitive competency of his diverse society, he developed a theory of guided participation. Guided participation is a technique in which novices learn through shared involvement of an activity with instruction and the participation of a skilled mentor (Berger, 2011). Sociocultural theory places an emphasis on social interaction in learning. Gauvain (1998) stated, â€Å"cognitive development occurs in, and emerges from, social situations† (p.191). Another concept of learning in sociocultural theory is the zone of proximal development (Berger, 2011). The zone of proximal development is the metaphorical zone encompassing a learner that contains all the concepts, skills, and knowledge that the individual is proximal to attaining but cannot yet master without assistance (Berger, 2011). By extension, whether a person is learning a language, social custom, or manual skill, people always learn in the same way, according to sociocultural theory. Although it is true that people do learn in social settings, sociocultural theorists have been criticized for neglecting developmental processes that are not predominantly social (Berger, 2011). Epigenetic theory is centered on the notion that development is influenced by the interaction between genes and the environment. To develop this theory, researchers incorporated many disciplines including biology, chemistry, and genetics (Berger, 2011). Half of epigenetic theory looks at the genetics, referring to the entire genome, and looks at the specific genes that make each person unique and the genes that distinguish humans from other species as well as the genes that all species share. Genes influence all psychological traits as well as mood, metabolism, voice tone, blood type, and much more (Berger, 2011). The other half of epigenetic theory looks at the influence of surrounding factors on genetic expression. These factors are what gives some genes extensive influence while others have no effect (Berger, 2011). As development continues, each person continues along the path established by earlier genetic-environmental interactions, which influences outcomes. According to epigenetic theorists, genes never function alone, their latent  is not realized unless certain epi-factors transpire (Berger, 2011). Furthermore, epigenetic factors also influence groups of people and entire species. One way this happens is through selective adaptation, which is the progression by which humans and other organisms slowly adjust to their environment (Berger, 2011). In other words, over generations, a certain genetic trait in a population will increase or decrease. This depends on whether or not the trait promotes the survival and reproductive capability of that population. The particular environment is what determines which genes are harmful, neutral, or beneficial. According to epigenetic theory, adaptation occurs for all living organisms, regardless of the environment. Unlike sociocultural theory, many facets of epigenetic theory are generally accepted (Berger, 2011). To further explain the interaction of heredity and the environment on human development, one must look further at the role genes play in the development of a person. There are two major contributors to development: the genotype and the phenotype. The genotype is comprised of all the genes of a developing person. The genotype is responsible for the formation of the body and the brain (Berger, 2011). The phenotype is the appearance and behavior manifested in a person. The phenotype is dependent on many genes and the environment, with most traits being polygenic (affected by many genes) and multifactorial (influenced by many factors). Other contributors that influence the phenotype are additive alleles, which can affect height and skin color. Other additive alleles, called epistasis, produce traits that were not previously found in their ancestors (Berger, 2011). Every aspect of human behavior is affected by genes, this includes cognitive and social behavior. Personality and cognitive abilities are affected by many genetic combinations, with the genes relying on the environment for expression. No behavior could exist without genes and without the environment, no gene could be expressed (Berger, 2011). In conclusion, the study of human developments is a science that attempts to understand how people change over time. Developmentalists formed five characteristics that are beneficial for understanding human life at any age:  multidirectional, multicontextual, multicultural, multidisciplinary, and plasticity (Berger, 2011). Additionally, theories of development present introduce organization for understanding the patterns and problems of development. Sociocultural theory suggests that human development is the result of a dynamic interaction between a person and their society, while epigenetic theory is centered on the idea that development is shaped by the interaction between genes and the environment. Every aspect of human behavior is affected by genes and without the environment, no gene could be expressed (Berger, 2011). References Berger, K. S. (2011). The developing person through the life span (8th ed.). New York: Worth Publishers. Gauvain, Mary. (1998). Cognitive development in social and cultural context. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 7, 188-192.