Glass Escalator, Glass Ceiling and Double Shift

The term "double shift" and the notions of a "glass escalator" and "glass ceiling" refer to some social barriers that prevent an egalitarian balance between males and females in our society.

In homes where both the man and the woman have professional careers or work to go to during the day,  the woman usually possesses a double shift personality (whether acquired intentionally or otherwise) when for example she must leave her place of "professional" work and then return to a household in which she must also carry the weight of household responsibilities. Household responsibilities which include household chores (cooking, cleaning) and paying close attention to the children's needs. A double shift therefore represents a bias in the overall division of labor in the home,  especially because the woman is expected to work hard at the difficult, tedious and less prestigious jobs constantly and consistently.

The Glass Escalator refers to the gradual dominance by males of previously female dominated occupations. Literally the term describes the upward mobility of men in these occupations at a faster rate than the majority of their female counterparts. Some of these occupations include nursing, cooking, social work and elementary/junior/high school teaching. Sex segregation in these occupations may disappear and gradually approach more even representation from both sexes.

 Lastly the Glass Ceiling is the term describing how women are marginalized in a male dominated society. Women work alongside males but never attain as much power, influence, wealth, prestige or dominance. As a result women often appear in less leadership or managerial roles (C.E.O/Executive positions) but instead appear in supporting roles within the workforce (secretaries, assistants). In economics, the term glass ceiling refers to "the unseen, yet unbreachable barrier that keeps minorities and women from rising to the upper rungs of the corporate ladder, regardless of their qualifications or achievements." Initially, the metaphor applied to barriers in the careers of women but was quickly extended to refer to obstacles hindering the advancement of minority men, as well as women.

Theories of Intelligence

"A typical dictionary definition of intelligence is “the capacity to acquire and apply knowledge.” Intelligence includes the ability to benefit from past experience, act purposefully, solve problems, and adapt to new situations. Intelligence can also be defined as “the ability that intelligence tests measure.” There is a long history of disagreement about what actually constitutes intelligence.

Savant Syndrome

Savant syndrome, observed in some individuals diagnosed with autism or mental retardation, is characterized by exceptional talent in one area of functioning, such as music or math, and poor mental functioning in all other areas.

The G Factor

Charles Spearman proposed a general intelligence factor, g, which underlies all intelligent behavior. Many scientists still believe in a general intelligence factor that underlies the specific abilities that intelligence tests measure. Other scientists are skeptical, because people can score high on one specific ability but show weakness in others.
Eight Types of Intelligence

In the 1980s and 1990s, psychologist Howard Gardner proposed the idea of not one kind of intelligence but eight, which are relatively independent of one another. These eight types of intelligence are:

Linguistic: spoken and written language skills
Logical–mathematical: number skills
Musical: performance or composition skills
Spatial: ability to evaluate and analyze the visual world
Bodily-kinesthetic: dance or athletic abilities
Interpersonal: skill in understanding and relating to others
Intrapersonal: skill in understanding the self
Nature: skill in understanding the natural world

Gardner believes that each of these domains of intelligence has inherent value but that culture and context may cause some domains to be emphasized over others. Critics of the idea of multiple intelligences maintain that these abilities are talents rather than kinds of intelligence.

Triarchic Theory of Intelligence
Also in the 1980s and 1990s, Robert Sternberg proposed a triarchic theory of intelligence that distinguishes among three aspects of intelligence:

Componential intelligence: the ability assessed by intelligence tests
Experiential intelligence: the ability to adapt to new situations and produce new ideas
Contextual intelligence: the ability to function effectively in daily situations

Emotional Intelligence

Some researchers distinguish emotional intelligence as an ability that helps people to perceive, express, understand, and regulate emotions. Other researchers maintain that this ability is a collection of personality traits such as empathy and extroversion, rather than a kind of intelligence."

Kanye West at Coachella 2011 (Full 2hour concert), Watch the Throne 2011

Mary J. Blige - 25/8

Mesothelioma

On an episode of "Necessary Roughness", Dr. Santino's client mentions that he has/had Mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer. Rightly so. I know very little about Mesothelioma,but the internet and even television ads have been mentioning Mesothelioma. Why? Well mesothelioma has been in recent years found to be caused by exposure to asbestos.


PICTURE: resource4mesothelioma.com

"3 types of mesothelioma cancer include, Pericardial, Peritoneal and Pleural. There are different symptoms which effect different parts of a persons body.

Pericardial mesothelioma is the rarest form of  mesothelioma cancer affects the sack that surrounds the heart. The pericardial sack provides the lubrication for the heart to beat in the correct way. This can lead to a number of serious health conditions.

Peritoneal mesothelioma cancer affects the lining in the gut that surrounds the stomach and the intestines. Asbestos particles can move through the body and can damage these cells which can cause tumors to develop."

Pleural mesothelioma affects the lining around the lungs. Tiny sharp asbestos fibers cut the cells of the lungs, which over time can cause scar tissue and possible mutations which can lead to cellular plaques. Cellular plaques restrict proper lung function which can cause cancer of the lungs." mesotheliomapictures.org/

"Asbestos was known in antiquity, but it was not mined and widely used commercially until the late 19th century. Its use greatly increased during World War II. Since the early 1940s, millions of American workers have been exposed to asbestos dust. Initially, the risks associated with asbestos exposure were not publicly known. However, an increased risk of developing mesothelioma was later found among shipyard workers, people who work in asbestos mines and mills, producers of asbestos products, workers in the heating and construction industries, and other tradespeople " wiki..."Most people who develop mesothelioma have worked on jobs where they inhaled asbestos and glass particles, or they have been exposed to asbestos dust and fiber in other ways. It has also been suggested that washing the clothes of a family member who worked with asbestos or glass can put a person at risk for developing mesothelioma" wiki/Mesothelioma

I've obviously been doing my reading well because I'm curious. I read a disturbing stat though "in central Cappadocia, Turkey, mesothelioma was causing 50% of all deaths in three small villages" and even worse is that signs and symptoms of mesothelioma may take forever to appear "Symptoms or signs of mesothelioma may not appear until 20 to 50 years (or more) after exposure to asbestos"..that could mean your life or most of it without showing major symptoms.

"Previously, diagnosing mesothelioma in its early stages had been a difficult, almost impossible task, because the early symptoms of this disease resemble those of similar diseases and sometimes even basic illnesses. The severity of mesothelioma is defined by four stages, with prognosis becoming bleaker as each stage progresses, so the discovery of symptoms in the first two stages is essential for ensuring a greater mesothelioma life expectancy. Additionally, the difficulty in diagnosing mesothelioma is caused by a large latency period, meaning that it can take decades between the initial exposure to asbestos and development of symptoms. However, if you or a loved one has been exposed to asbestos and experiences initial symptoms such as chest pain, violent coughing, and fatigue, it is essential that you consult with a physician immediately." mesotheliomasymptoms.com 

Treating mesothelioma is very difficult but "current medical treatment options include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery, and most patients choose to undergo a combination of these processes in order to increase their life expectancy. But survivors of mesothelioma have shown that treatment goes beyond hospitals, and that prognosis can be better for patients through healthy dieting, regular exercise and a variety of alternative therapies. Additionally, experimental treatments are available to individual patients depending on their stage progression." mesotheliomasymptoms.com 

Wherever miners or workers are exposed to such deadly diseases on the job you can almost always expect some kind of major legal action/ law suits to be raised by employees. Because of this mesothelioma has also become a talking point for insurance companies and law firms. "Mesothelioma lawyers specialise in getting compensation for people exposed to asbestos. Usually their fee comes from the compensation awarded." mesotheliomapictures.org/ When seeking legal action people usually place their faith in mesothelioma legal advisors like SOKOLOVE LAW and MESOTHELIOMA ASBESTOS LAW FIRM

"As recent awareness of asbestos dangers like mesothelioma has grown, so have the frequency and scale of legal action. Furthermore, as increasing numbers of claimants have come forward after experiencing this professional exposure, trusts have become increasingly sizable to accommodate growing numbers of individuals showing signs of asbestos exposure.
Today we recognize the need for fair compensation paid to victims of asbestos exposure. In addition to filing a claim for pain and suffering, mesothelioma victims and others with a related disease file claims against past companies guilty of employee asbestos exposure to help alleviate the financial strain." mesotheliomasymptoms.com/legal-information

"Necessary Roughness" is Heaven Sent...

"Necessary Roughness" is heaven sent for me. I've been thinking about going into the field of psychology for a very long time now, but besides the stereotypical 'shrink' that hollywood likes to portray (a stressed out professional, lacking positive social qualities, nerdy, the list goes on...) and Dr.Phil of course I was very much detached from the reality of psychology as a profession. I never imagined that psychologists could have fun at the job or could be likeable characters.

My view of psychologists was so narrowed down to the careers of family counselors trying to mend a dysfunctional marriage or a child psychologist trapped in a small high school office faced with the struggle of solving a juveniles problems that I couldn't picture, in all honesty, that a powerful, rich, sexy figure could be in the psychology field. So when Dr. Dani Santino stepped on the scene it felt like a breath of fresh air. I love crime dramas, but I yearned for something new on TV. In the absence of my favorite TV show 'The Mentalist' I've found myself quite fulfilled with the new twist to television that Necessary Roughness is providing:

"The summer months used to be a wasteland of reruns... read the rest of the article here...