Psychosynthesis Approach: Object Relations Theory Overview

Psychosynthesis Approach: Object Relations Theory Overview The therapeutic model of psychosynthesis grew out of the psychodynamic movement and is based on work done by Robert Assagioli (1888-1974). Psychosynthesis takes an optimistic view of the human condition, theorising that a person progresses naturally towards a state of synthesis. For Assagioli, synthesis refers to the idea that people become interdependent and create higher levels of organisation within themselves and others (Assagioli, 1975). This essay examines how psychosynthesis helps people to re-establish their own centre and reach a new level of authenticity within themselves through the use of object relations theory. The model of human consciousness within which psychosynthesis operates can be seen as comprising of a number of layers (Hardy Whitmore, 1999). The layer at which we most normally operate is referred to as the field of consciousness. Most people live their whole lives at this level and do not experience different levels. In psychosynthesis, however, there are considered to be a number of levels at which human beings operate: different, lower levels of consciousness as well the higher, collective consciousness. It is the lower levels of consciousness which are of most practical interest to therapists. These contain traumas that have been covered up, childhood experiences and defensive strategies. While trauma can lie hidden, so can our greatest assets, skills and happiness. Psychosynthesis aims to establish contact with both the traumatic, damaged parts of the self as well as the beautiful parts (Hardy Whitmore, 1999). This process is often called self-realisation and is the result of three stages in psychosynthesis. In infancy, the primary task is ego formation, the creation of a vehicle for the self (Simanowitz, 2003). The second stage is the emergence of the I which normally occurs in adolescence. The third stage is referred to as self-realisation and this is the growing consciousness of the essential self. The psychosynthesis counsellor acts as a kind of external unifying centre who can facilitate the growth of self-esteem through helping the client make the I-Self connection (Whitmore, 2000). One of the main ways in which the therapist helps the client is through mirroring these are confirming responses from the therapist which attempt to calm and soothe (Simanowitz, 2 003). How is it possible, then, to reach this ultimate goal of self-realisation and high self-esteem? Psychosynthesis uses an analysis based on object relations to examine early relationships in life. Object relations theory has at its core the idea that not only do we need relationships, but that the type of relationships that we have determine how our self develops (Crossley Gopfert, 1999). Object relations is, therefore, interested in the way the self develops through the initial relationships with the primary caregivers and how the child begins to split themselves off. Where does the boundary come? How can I tell who is you (the object) and who is me (the self, the I)? In psychosynthesis, these problems are approached using the tool of object relations. Object relations concentrates on two main types of objects: the external objects of other people and the internal objects which are the way in which external objects are represented internally. There are also part objects which are those that are not recognised as full whole people: one example of a part object is that of a breast to a baby. Minsky (1995) describes how Melanie Klein often considered a transitional figure between classical psychoanalysis and object relations theorists focussed on how a baby struggles to relate to people. Central to the way the baby relates is the phantasies it creates these are essentially the babys interpretations of its internal and external representations: what are now considered its object relations. For Klein, these phantasies are based on the childs instincts. The development of these early relations, in Kleins theory, sets the tone for a persons life. Klein saw two possible positions for the baby to take up (Minsky, 1995). The first is the paranoid-schizoid position this is based on the fear of attack. Because the baby is vulnerable and completely dependent on the mother, it fears what the mother might do to it. For Klein this was a developmental stage to be overcome in order to reach the understanding that it is possible to integrate hating and loving feelings. The second is called the depressive position and here the baby must learn to internalise an external world which contains the possibility of integrating good and bad objects. Bad feelings towards the mother and the self are, thereby, integrated and accepted. It is the depressive position that provides most of us with the greatest challenge in our lives. Klein identified four unconscious processes that are important in early object relations (Minsky, 1995). The first of these is termed splitting and refers to how the baby unconsciously splits objects into good and bad (Klein, 1946/1975). This occurs to defend the baby against annihilation anxiety and is directed against threats. An example of this is how the baby idealises the breast early in life. But, over time, through the struggle between the life and death instinct, a bad and good image is created of the breast. With splitting, in Kleins theory, comes the early production of the superego in which both the good and bad aspects of the breast and the mother are incorporated. The second unconscious process is projection which refers to the baby taking its inner good and bad feelings and projecting them onto the world. The inner bad objects, split off, can be projected onto the mother. The third unconscious process is introjection this is where the baby internalises both the good and the bad things around it. In order to build an autonomous self, the baby should internalise more good than bad (Minsky, 1995). Finally projective identification occurs where, after identifying with the object initially, the baby re-internalises it. This will often lead to heavy dependence on the love object as it has effectively included part of the self (Minsky, 1995). The problem with relationships built on projective identification is that they are often characterised by a need to control as well as fear of being controlled. Central to counselling in psychosynthesis is the idea of subpersonalities. These are identities that exist within the person, each with their own behaviour pattern, beliefs and even body posture (Whitmore, 2000). Depending on the situation in which a person is placed, a different subpersonality comes to the surface, which is appropriate in a healthy person. The subpersonalities are essentially unconscious, beyond the individuals control and are normally in place to meet some kind of basic need. The danger is that a person becomes trapped by one particular subpersonality and this starts to control their life. In order to work with subpersonalities it is necessary, according to Whitmore (2000), to recognise those that seem most important. And beyond the surface behaviour of a personality, lies their quality which they want to express. One example of recognising the quality of a subpersonality might be where an ex-addict has developed a tough-guy image the quality of perseverance and c ourage can be recognised in this (Whitmore, 2000). The idea of subpersonalities is built on, and informed by, Winnicotts (1960) distinction between the true and false self. The development of each of these is strongly affected by the mothers attitude towards her child. Winnicott (1960) describes the good-enough mother and the not good-enough mother. The former acknowledges the childs displays of omnipotence in order to encourage the development of the ego. The not good-enough mother, however, tends to, for example, substitute her own signs and signals for the babys and as such the baby only develops an illusion of omnipotence. This can lead to the impaired understanding of external objects, as they are not understood in their true sense. As a result of parenting practices such as these, it is possible for a false self to develop. A false self has been described by Rubin (1998) as a predictable or inauthentic mode of being, whereas the true self is spontaneous and authentic. A clinical vignette is provided by Winnicott (1960) of a middle-aged woman who had developed a caretaker self who looked after the day-to-day functions of her real life. She felt, though, that she had not been in contact with her real self and she had not begun to exist. Winnicott treated her by allowing the caretaker self to slowly pass over its functions to the analyst until a crisis point was reached. This crisis allowed the patient to see and understand the caretaker self as well as the real self. One of the most important therapeutic dynamics in psychosynthesis, as in other forms of psychotherapy, is transference. Transference describes how clients often re-enact with the therapist those early relationships that were important to them (Hardy Whitmore, 1999). This works as the client specifically projects the traits that were, for example, seen in the parents, onto the therapist and uses the same emotional responses and behaviours. By carrying out this projection, the client is attempting to repeat their early relationships, such that the therapist can become the target for a wide range of emotions (Whitmore, 2000). Counter-transference is an important related phenomenon to transference. This acknowledges that there are two people involved in the therapeutic relationship and it is possible that the therapist will start to play out early relationships as well. In psychosynthesis, it is vital that counter-transference is acknowledged by the therapist and that the client continu es to be viewed as containing immense potential. There are a number of ways in which transference can operate; two examples are idealisation and devaluation. Idealisation occurs when the client sees the therapist as a perfect person and incapable of making mistakes. What happens in this scenario is the client effectively creates in the therapist a surrogate parent who they wished they had had this provides them with external security. On the other hand, devaluation can cause the client to see the therapist as flawed or powerless because of the way in which transference has occurred and been identified (Ashbach, 1994). Transference, for Assagioli (1967), is seen as something to be reframed in a positive manner. In this sense, transference is an attempt by the client to find unity within themselves. The separation and splitting referred to earlier, at its most basic between mother and child, requires healing. To achieve this healing, the therapist mirrors unconditional love to the client, and attempts to dissolve transference as it arises. Through this process it is hoped that the client will be able to begin reintegrating the split-off parts, allowing the I to see all of them and hold them together. Ultimately, the aim of therapy is, as Masterson (1988) expresses it, to reach a concept of constancy and wholeness that acknowledges life is a series of shades of gray rather than black and white contrasts. In conclusion, ego development and self-esteem are addressed in object relations theory by examining the clients earliest relationships. Within these early relationships are found the dynamics which can reverberate through the rest of a persons life. Psychosynthesis uses object relations to analyse these relationship, paying particular attention to unconscious processes such as splitting, projection, introjection and projective identification. The process of therapy within this model pays particular attention to the operation of subpersonalities, as based on Winnicotts distinction between the true and false self, as well as how transference and counter-transference affect the therapeutic dynamic. Finally, psychosynthesis views the journey of therapy as being towards a reintegration and acceptance of the split-off parts of the self such that the client can reach a new authentic understanding and reconstruction of the personality around the true self. References Ashbach, C. (1994) Object Relations, the Self and the Group. Oxford: Routledge. Assagioli, R. (1967) Jung and Psychosynthesis. New York: Psychosynthesis Research Foundation. Assagioli, R. (1975) Psychosynthesis: A Collection of Basic Writings. Wellingborough: Northants Turnstone Press. Crossley, D., Gopfert, M. (1999) Cognitive analytic counselling and psychotherapy. In: S. Palmer (Ed.), Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide. London: Sage Publications. Hardy, J., Whitmore, D. (1999) Psychosynthesis. In: S. Palmer (Ed.), Introduction to Counselling and Psychotherapy: The Essential Guide. London: Sage Publications. Klein, M. (1946/1975) Notes on some schizoid mechanisms. In: R. Money-Kyrle (Ed.), The writings of Melanie Klein (Vol III, 176-235). New York: The Free Press (Macmillan) Masterson, J. F. (1988) The Search for the Real Self: Unmasking the Personality Disorders of Our Age. London: The Free Press. Minsky, R. (1995) Psychoanalysis and Gender: An Introductory Reader. Oxford: Routledge. Rubin, J. B. (1998) A Psychoanalysis for Our Time. New York: New York University Press. Simanowitz, V. (2003) Personality Development. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Whitmore, D. (2000) Psychosynthesis Counselling in Action. London: Sage Publications. Winnicott, D. W. (1965) The Maturational Processes and the Facilitating Environment. London: Hogarth Press.

Aims and objectives Essay

This paper provides a context for this special edition. It highlights the scale of the challenge of nursing shortages, but also makes the point that there is a policy agenda that provides workable solutions. Results An overview of nurse:population ratios in different countries and regions of the world, highlighting considerable variations, with Africa and South East Asia having the lowest average ratios. The paper argues that the ‘shortage’ of nurses is not necessarily a shortage of individuals with nursing qualifications, it is a shortage of nurses willing to work in the present conditions. The causes of shortages are multi-faceted, and there is no single global measure of their extent and nature, there is growing evidence of the impact of relatively low staffing levels on health care delivery and outcomes. The main causes of nursing shortages are highlighted: inadequate workforce planning and allocation mechanisms, resource constrained undersupply of new staff, poor recruitment, retention and ‘return’ policies, and ineffective use of available nursing resources through inappropriate skill mix and utilisation, poor incentive structures and inadequate career support. Conclusions What now faces policy makers in Japan, Europe and other developed countries is a policy agenda with a core of common themes. First, themes related to addressing supply side issues: getting, keeping and keeping in touch with relatively scarce nurses. Second, themes related to dealing with demand side challenges. The paper concludes that the main challenge for policy makers is to develop a co-ordinated package of policies that provide a long term and sustainable solution. Relevance to clinical practice This paper highlights the impact that nursing shortages has on clinical practice and in health service delivery. It outlines scope for addressing shortage problems and therefore for providing a more positive staffing environment in which clinical practice can be delivered. Keywords: nurses, nursing, workforce issues, workforce planning Go to: Introduction The world has entered a critical period for human resources for health. The scarcity of qualified health personnel, including nurses, is being highlighted as one of the biggest obstacles to achieving health system effectiveness. In January 2004, the High Level Forum on the Health Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) reported, ‘There is a human resources crisis in health, which must be urgently addressed’ (High Level Forum on the Health MDGs, 2004, p. 4). Later in the same year, the Joint Learning Initiative reported that ‘There is a massive global shortage of health workers’ (Joint Learning Initiative 2004; executive summary, p. 3). In 2006, the World Health Organisation devoted the whole of the World Health Report to the negative impact that human resources shortages was having on global health care (WHO 2006). Against this backdrop of growing concern about shortages of health personnel, this paper focuses on one of the most critical components of the workforce: nurses. As such, it provides a context for the other papers in this special edition of the Journal of Clinical Nursing. These other papers focus in detail on specific nurse workforce issues and priorities facing policy makers and researchers in Australia, Canada, Japan, the USA and elsewhere. They emphasise the need to develop a better understanding of the specific dynamics in organisational and country level nursing labour markets if policy makers are to be well informed about the judgements they must make about what will be effective policy solutions for the nursing workforce. This paper provides a broader perspective, highlighting the scale of the challenge of nursing shortages, but also making the point that there are many common challenges and a policy agenda that points to workable solutions. Go to: Nursing and the global health workforce challenge WHO has estimated there to be a total of 59 ·2 million fulltime paid health workers worldwide in 2006, of which about two thirds were health service providers, with the remaining third being composed of health management and support workers (WHO 2006). WHO also calculated a threshold in workforce density below which consistent coverage of essential interventions, including those necessary to meet the health-related Millennium Development Goals (MDGs), was very unlikely. Based on these estimates, it reported that there were 57 countries with critical shortages equivalent to a global deficit of 2 ·4 million doctors, nurses and midwives. The proportional shortfalls were greatest in sub-Saharan Africa, although numerical deficits were very large in South-East Asia because of its population size (WHO 2006, p. 12). WHO also highlighted that shortages often coexist in a country with large numbers of unemployed health professionals: ‘Poverty, imperfect private labour markets, lack of public funds, bureaucratic red tape and political interference produce this paradox of shortages in the midst of underutilized talent’ (WHO 2006, p. xviii). WHO concluded that the shortage crisis has the potential to deepen in the coming years. It noted that demand for service providers will escalate markedly in all countries – rich and poor: ‘Richer countries face a future of low fertility and large populations of elderly people, which will cause a shift towards chronic and degenerative diseases with high care demands. Technological advances and income growth will require a more specialised workforce even as needs for basic care increase because of families’ declining capacity or willingness to care for their elderly members. Without massively increasing training of workers in this and other wealthy countries, these growing gaps will exert even greater pressure on the outflow of health workers from poorer regions’ (WHO 2006, p. xix). Nurses are the main professional component of the ‘front line’ staff in most health systems, and their contribution is recognised as essential to meeting development goals and delivering safe and effective care. One difficulty in making an accurate global estimate of numbers of nurses is the definition of  Ã¢â‚¬Ëœnurse’. Different international agencies, at different times, have developed different definitions, some related to educational level, some to years of training. The primary focus of this paper is on registered nurses, but this focus is hampered by the absence of a clear definition for some data sources, and the overall lack of a single universal definition of ‘nurse’. To give one indication of the size of the nursing workforce world wide, the International Council of Nurses reports 129 national nurses’ associations representing 13 million nurses worldwide (ICN 2007). This section of the paper provides an overview of nurse:population ratios in different countries and regions of the world. The data must be used with caution. The country level data collated by WHO which is reported in this paper may in some countries include midwives under the broad category of nurses; for some, it is also likely that the data may include auxiliary and unlicensed personnel. There can also be varying interpretations relating to the calculation of the number of nurses – some countries may report working nurses, others may report all nurses that are eligible to practice; some may report ‘headcount’, others may report full time equivalents. The analysis presented below should therefore be taken as illustrative of a broad pattern of regional variations, rather than an accurate representation of each country. Current initiatives by international organisations such as WHO, ILO and OECD to agree to standard definitions and improve the collection of count ry level HRH data should improve the current unsatisfactory situation.

Forward the Foundation Chapter 17

10 Seldon strode into Amaryl's office, unannounced. â€Å"Yugo,† he said abruptly, â€Å"the session with General Tennar has been postponed.† He seated himself in a rather pettish manner. It took Amaryl his usual few moments to disconnect his mind from his work. Looking up finally, he said, â€Å"What was his excuse?† â€Å"It wasn't he. Some of our mathematicians arranged a week's postponement so that it wouldn't interfere with the birthday celebration. I find all of this to be extremely annoying.† â€Å"Why did you let them do that?† â€Å"I didn't. They just went ahead and arranged things.† Seldon shrugged. â€Å"In a way, it's my fault. I've whined so long about turning sixty that everyone thinks they have to cheer me up with festivities.† Amaryl said, â€Å"Of course, we can use the week.† Seldon sat forward, immediately tense. â€Å"Is something wrong?† â€Å"No. Not that I can see, but it won't hurt to examine it further. Look, Hari, this is the first time in nearly thirty years that psychohistory has leached the point where it can actually make a prediction. It's not much of one-it's just a small pinch of the vast continent of humanity-but it's the best we've had so far. All right. We want to take advantage of that, see how it works, prove to ourselves that psychohistory is what we think it is: a predictive science. So it won't hurt to make sure that we haven't overlooked anything. Even this tiny bit of prediction is complex and I welcome another week of study.† â€Å"Very well, then. I'll consult you on the matter before I go to see the General for any last-minute modifications that have to be made. Meanwhile, Yugo, do not allow any information concerning this to leak out to the others-not to anyone. If it fails, I don't want the people of the Project to grow downhearted. You and I will absorb the failure ourselves and keep on trying.† A rare wistful smile crossed Amaryl's face. â€Å"You and I. Do you remember when it really was just the two of us?† â€Å"I remember it very well and don't think that I don't miss those days. We didn't have much to work with-â€Å" â€Å"Not even the Prime Radiant, let alone the Electro-Clarifier.† â€Å"But those were happy days.† â€Å"Happy,† said Amaryl, nodding his head. 11 The University had been transformed and Hari Seldon could not refrain from being pleased. The central rooms of the Project complex had suddenly sprouted in color and light, with holography filling the air with shifting three-dimensional images of Seldon at different places and different times. There was Dors Venabili smiling, looking somewhat younger-Raych as a teenager, still unpolished-Seldon and Amaryl, looking unbelievably young, bent over their computers. There was even a fleeting sight of Eto Demerzel, which filled Seldon's heart with yearning for his old friend and the security he had felt before Demerzel's departure. The Emperor Cleon appeared nowhere in the holographics. It was not because holographs of him did not exist, but it was not wise, under the rule of the junta, to remind people of the past Imperium. It all poured outward, overflowing, filling room after room, building after building. Somehow, time had been found to convert the entire University into a display the likes of which Seldon had never seen or even imagined. Even the dome lights were darkened to produce an artificial night against which the University would sparkle for three days. â€Å"Three days!† said Seldon, half-impressed, half-horrified. â€Å"Three days,† said Dors Venabili, nodding her head. â€Å"The University would consider nothing less.† â€Å"The expense! The labor!† said Seldon, frowning. â€Å"The expense is minimal,† said Dors, â€Å"compared to what you have done for the University. And the labor is all voluntary. The students turned out and took care of everything.† A from-the-air view of the University appeared now, panoramically, and Seldon stared at it with a smile forcing itself onto his countenance. Dors said, â€Å"You're pleased. You've done nothing but grouse these past few months about how you didn't want any celebration for being an old man-and now look at you.† â€Å"Well, it is flattering. I had no idea that they would do anything like this.† â€Å"Why not? You're an icon, Hari. The whole world-the whole Empire-knows about you.† â€Å"They do not,† said Seldon, shaking his head vigorously. â€Å"Not one in a billion knows anything at all about me-and certainly not about psychohistory. No one outside the Project has the faintest knowledge of how psychohistory works and not everyone inside does, either.† â€Å"That doesn't matter, Hari. It's you. Even the quadrillions who don't know anything about you or your work know that Hari Seldon is the greatest mathematician in the Empire.† â€Å"Well,† said Seldon, looking around, â€Å"they certainly are making me feel that way right now. But three days and three nights! The place will be reduced to splinters.† â€Å"No, it won't. All the records have been stored away. The computers and other equipment have been secured. The students have set up a virtual security force that will prevent anything from being damaged.† â€Å"You've seen to all of that, haven't you, Dors?† said Seldon, smiling at her fondly. â€Å"A number of us have. It's by no means all me. Your colleague Tamwile Elar has worked with incredible dedication.† Seldon scowled. â€Å"What's the matter with Elar?† said Dors. Seldon said, â€Å"He keeps calling me Maestro.' â€Å" Dors shook her head. â€Å"Well, there's a terrible crime.† Seldon ignored that and said, â€Å"And he's young.† â€Å"Worse and worse. Come, Hari, you're going to have to learn to grow old gracefully-and to begin with you'll have to show that you're enjoying yourself. That will please others and increase their enjoyment and surely you would want to do that. Come on. Move around. Don't hide here with me. Greet everyone. Smile. Ask after their health. And remember that, after the banquet, you're going to have to make a speech.† â€Å"I dislike banquets and I doubly dislike speeches.† â€Å"You'll have to, anyway. Now move!† Seldon sighed dramatically and did as he was told. He cut quite an imposing figure as he stood in the archway leading into the main hall. The voluminous First Minister's robes of yesteryear were gone, as were the Heliconian-style garments he had favored in his youth. Now Seldon wore an outfit that bespoke his elevated status: straight pants, crisply pleated, a modified tunic on top. Embroidered in silver thread above his heart was the insignia: SELDON PSYCHOHISTORY PROJECT AT STREELING UNIVERSITY. It sparkled like a beacon against the dignified titanium-gray hue of his clothing. Seldon's eyes twinkled in a face now lined by age, his sixty years given away as much by his wrinkles as by his white hair. He entered the room in which the children were feasting. The room had been entirely cleared, except for trestles with food upon them. The children rushed up to him as soon as they saw him-knowing, as they did, that he was the reason for the feast-and Seldon tried to avoid their clutching fingers. â€Å"Wait, wait, children,† he said. â€Å"Now stand back.† He pulled a small computerized robot from his pocket and placed it on the floor. In an Empire without robots, this was something that he could expect to be eye-popping. It had the shape of a small furry animal, but it also had the capacity to change shapes without warning (eliciting squeals of children's laughter each time) and when it did so, the sounds and motions it made changed as well. â€Å"Watch it,† said Seldon, â€Å"and play with it, and try not to break it. Later on, there'll be one for each of you.† He slipped out into the hallway leading back to the main hall and realized, as he did so, that Wanda was following him. â€Å"Grandpa,† she said. Well, of course, Wanda was different. He swooped down and lifted her high in the air, turned her over, and put her down. â€Å"Are you having a good time, Wanda?† he asked. â€Å"Yes,† she said, â€Å"but don't go into that room.† â€Å"Why not, Wanda? It's my room. It's the office where I work.† â€Å"It's where I had my bad dream.† â€Å"I know, Wanda, but that's all over, isn't it?† He hesitated, then he led Wanda to one of the chairs lining the hallway. He sat down and placed her on his lap. â€Å"Wanda,† he said, â€Å"are you sure it was a dream?† â€Å"I think it was a dream.† â€Å"Were you really sleeping?† â€Å"I think I was.† She seemed uncomfortable talking about it and Seldon decided to let it go. There was no use pushing her any further. He said, â€Å"Well, dream or not, there were two men and they talked of lemonade death, didn't they?† Wanda nodded reluctantly. Seldon said, â€Å"You're sure they said lemonade?† Wanda nodded again. â€Å"Might they have said something else and you thought they said lemonade?† â€Å"Lemonade is what they said.† Seldon had to be satisfied with that. â€Å"Well, run off and have a good time, Wanda. Forget about the dream.† â€Å"All right, Grandpa.† She cheered up as soon as the matter of the dream was dismissed and off she went to join the festivities. Seldon went to search for Manella. It took him an extraordinarily long time to find her, since, at every step, he was stopped, greeted, and conversed with. Finally he saw her in the distance. Muttering, â€Å"Pardon me- Pardon me-There's someone I must-Pardon me-,† he worked his way over to her with considerable trouble. â€Å"Manella,† he said and drew her off to one side, smiling mechanically in all directions. â€Å"Yes, Hari,† she said. â€Å"Is something wrong?† â€Å"It's Wanda's dream.† â€Å"Don't tell me she's still talking about it.† â€Å"Well, it's still bothering her. Listen, we have lemonade at the party, haven't we?† â€Å"Of course, the children adore it. I've added a couple of dozen different Mycogenian taste buds to very small glasses of different shapes and the children try them one after the other to see which taste best. The adults have been drinking it, too. I have. Why don't you taste it, Hari? It's great.† â€Å"I'm thinking. If it wasn't a dream, if the child really heard two men speak of lemonade death-† He paused, as though ashamed to continue. Manella said, â€Å"Are you thinking that someone poisoned the lemonade? That's ridiculous. By now every child in the place would be sick or dying.† â€Å"I know,† muttered Seldon. â€Å"I know.† He wandered off and almost didn't see Dors when he passed her. She seized his elbow. â€Å"Why the face?† she said. â€Å"You look concerned.† â€Å"I've been thinking of Wanda's lemonade death.† â€Å"So have I, but I can't make anything of it so far.† â€Å"I can't help but think of the possibility of poisoning.† â€Å"Don't. I assure you that every bit of food that came into this party has been molecularly checked. I know you'll think that's my typical paranoia, but my task is guarding you and that is what I must do.† â€Å"And everything is-â€Å" â€Å"No poison. I promise you.† Seldon smiled, â€Å"Well, good. That's a relief. I didn't really think-â€Å" â€Å"Let's hope not,† said Dors dryly. â€Å"What concerns me far more than this myth of poison is that I have heard that you're going to be seeing that monster Tennar in a few days.† â€Å"Don't call him a monster, Dors. Be careful. We're surrounded by ears and tongues.† Dors immediately lowered her voice. â€Å"I suppose you're right. Look 'round. All these smiling faces-and yet who knows which of our friends will be reporting back to the head and his henchmen when the night is over? Ah, humans! Even after all these thousands of centuries, to think that such base treachery still exists. It seems to me to be so unnecessary. Yet I know the harm it can do. That is why I must go with you, Hari.† â€Å"Impossible, Dors. It would just complicate matters for me. I'll go Myself and I'll have no trouble.† â€Å"You would have no idea how to handle the General.† Seldon looked grave. â€Å"And you would? You sound exactly like Elar. He, too, is convinced that I am a helpless old fool. He, too, wants to come with me-or, rather, to go in my place. I wonder how many people on Trantor are willing to take my place,† he added with clear sarcasm. â€Å"Dozens? Millions?† 12 For ten years the Galactic Empire had been without an Emperor, but there was no indication of that fact in the way the Imperial Palace grounds were operated. Millennia of custom made the absence of an Emperor meaningless. It meant, of course, that there was no figure in Imperial robes to preside over formalities of one sort or another. No Imperial voice gave orders; no Imperial wishes made themselves known; no Imperial gratifications or annoyances made themselves felt; no Imperial pleasures warmed either Palace; no Imperial sicknesses cast them in gloom. The Emperor's own quarters in the Small Palace were empty-the Imperial family did not exist. And yet the army of gardeners kept the grounds in perfect condition. An army of service people kept the buildings in top shape. The Emperor's bed-never slept in-was made with fresh sheets every day; the rooms were cleaned; everything worked as it always worked; and the entire Imperial staff, from top to bottom, worked as they had always worked. The top officials gave commands as they would have done if the Emperor had lived, commands that they knew the Emperor would have given. In many cases, in particular in the higher echelons, the personnel were the same as those who had been there on Cleon's last day of life. The new personnel who had been taken on were carefully molded and trained into the traditions they would have to serve. It was as though the Empire, accustomed to the rule of an Emperor, insisted on this â€Å"ghost rule† to hold the Empire together. The junta knew this-or, if they didn't, they felt it vaguely. In ten years none of those military men who had commanded the Empire had moved into the Emperor's private quarters in the Small Palace. Whatever these men were, they were not Imperial and they knew they had no rights there. A populace that endured the loss of liberty would not endure any sign of irreverence to the Emperor-alive or dead. Even General Tennar had not moved into the graceful structure that had housed the Emperors of a dozen different dynasties for so long. He had made his home and office in one of the structures built on the outskirts of the grounds-eyesores, but eyesores that were built like fortresses, sturdy enough to withstand a siege, with outlying buildings in which an enormous force of guards was housed. Tennar was a stocky man, with a mustache. It was not a vigorous overflowing Dahlite mustache but one that was carefully clipped and fitted to the upper lip, leaving a strip of skin between the hair and the line of the lip. It was a reddish mustache and Tennar had cold blue eyes. He had probably been a handsome man in his younger days, but his face was pudgy now and his eyes were slits that expressed anger more often than any other emotion. So he said angrily-as one would, who felt himself to be absolute master of millions of worlds and yet who dared not call himself an Emperor-to Hender Linn, â€Å"I can establish a dynasty of my own.† He hooked around with a scowl. â€Å"This is not a fitting place for the master of the Empire.† Linn said softly, â€Å"To be master is what is important. Better to be a master in a cubicle than a figurehead in a palace.† â€Å"Best yet, to be master in a palace. Why not?† Linn bore the title of colonel, but it is quite certain that he had never engaged in any military action. His function was that of telling Tennar what he wanted to hear-and of carrying his orders, unchanged, to others. On occasion-if it seemed safe-he might try to steer Tennar into more prudent courses. Linn was well known as â€Å"Tennar's lackey† and knew that was how he was known. It did not bother him. As lackey, he was safe-and he had seen the downfall of those who had been too proud to be lackeys. The time might, of course, come when Tennar himself would be buried in the ever-changing junta panorama, but Linn felt, with a certain amount of philosophy, that he would be aware of it in time and save himself. Or he might not. There was a price for everything. â€Å"No reason why you can't found a dynasty, General,† said Linn. Many others have done it in the long Imperial history. Still, it takes time. The people are slow to adapt. It is usually only the second or even third of the dynasty who is fully accepted as Emperor.† â€Å"I don't believe that. I need merely announce myself as new Emperor. Who will dare quarrel with that? My grip is tight.† â€Å"So it is, General. Your power is unquestioned on Trantor and in most of the Inner Worlds, yet it is possible that many in the farther Outer Worlds will not just yet-**accept a new Imperial dynasty.† â€Å"Inner Worlds or Outer Worlds, military force rules all. That is an old Imperial maxim.† â€Å"And a good one,† said Linn, â€Å"but many of the provinces have armed forces of their own, nowadays, that they may not use on your behalf. These are difficult times.† â€Å"You counsel caution, then.† â€Å"I always counsel caution, General.† â€Å"And someday you may counsel it once too often.† Linn bent his head. â€Å"I can only counsel what seems to me to be good and useful to you, General.† â€Å"As in your constant harping to me about this Hari Seldon.† â€Å"He is your greatest danger, General.† â€Å"So you keep saying, but I don't see it. He's just a college professor.† Linn said, â€Å"So he is, but he was once First Minister.† â€Å"I know, but that was in Cleon's time. Has he done anything since? With times being difficult and with the governors of the provinces being fractious, why is a professor my greatest danger?† â€Å"It is sometimes a mistake,† said Linn carefully (for one had to be careful in educating the General), â€Å"to suppose that a quiet unobtrusive man can be harmless. Seldon has been anything but harmless to those he has opposed. Twenty years ago the Joranumite movement almost destroyed Cleon's powerful First Minister, Eto Demerzel.† Tennar nodded, but the slight frown on his face betrayed his effort to remember the matter. â€Å"It was Seldon who destroyed Joranum and who succeeded Demerzel as First Minister. The Joranumite movement survived, however, and Seldon engineered its destruction, too, but not before it succeeded in bringing about the assassination of Cleon.† â€Å"But Seldon survived that, didn't he?† â€Å"You are perfectly correct. Seldon survived.† â€Å"That is strange. To have permitted an Imperial assassination should have meant death for a First Minister.† â€Å"So it should have. Nevertheless, the junta has allowed him to live. It seemed wiser to do so.† â€Å"Why?† Linn sighed internally. â€Å"There is something called psychohistory, General.† â€Å"I know nothing about that,† said Tennar flatly. Actually he had a vague memory of Linn trying to talk to him on a number of occasions concerning this strange collection of syllables. He had never wanted to listen and Linn had known better than to push the matter. Tennar didn't want to listen now, either, but there seemed to be a hidden urgency in Linn's words. Perhaps, Tennar thought, he had now better listen. â€Å"Almost no one knows anything about it,† said Linn, â€Å"yet there are a few-uh-intellectuals, who find it of interest.† â€Å"And what is it?† â€Å"It is a complex system of mathematics.† Tennar shook his head. â€Å"Leave me out of that, please. I can count my military divisions. That's all the mathematics I need.† â€Å"The story is,† said Linn, â€Å"that psychohistory may make it possible to predict the future.† The General's eyes bulged. â€Å"You mean this Seldon is a fortune-teller?†** â€Å"Not in the usual fashion. It is a matter of science.† â€Å"I don't believe it.† â€Å"It is hard to believe, but Seldon has become something of a cult figure here on Trantor-and in certain places in the Outer Worlds. Now psychohistory-if it can be used to predict the future or if even people merely think it can be so used-can be a powerful tool with which to uphold the regime. I'm sure you have already seen this, General. One need merely predict our regime will endure and bring forth peace and prosperity for the Empire. People, believing this, will help make it a self-fulfilling prophecy. On the other hand, if Seldon wishes the reverse, he can predict civil war and ruin. People will believe that, too, and that would destabilize the regime.† â€Å"In that case, Colonel, we simply make sure that the predictions of psychohistory are what we want them to be.† â€Å"It would be Seldon who would have to make them and he is not a friend of the regime. It is important, General, that we differentiate between the Project that is working at Streeling University to perfect psychohistory and Hari Seldon. Psychohistory can be extremely useful to us, but it will be so only if someone other than Seldon were in charge.† â€Å"Are there others who could be?† â€Å"Oh yes. It is only necessary to get rid of Seldon.† â€Å"What is so difficult with that? An order of execution-and it is done.† â€Å"It would be better, General, if the government was not seen to be directly involved in such a thing.† â€Å"I have arranged to have him meet with you, so that you can use your skill to probe his personality. You would then be able to judge whether certain suggestions I have in mind are worthwhile or not.† â€Å"When is the meeting to take place?† â€Å"It was to take place very soon, but his representatives at the Project asked for a few days leeway, because they were in the process of celebrating his birthday-his sixtieth, apparently. It seemed wise to allow that and to permit a week's delay.† â€Å"Why?† demanded Tennar. â€Å"I dislike any display of weakness.† â€Å"Quite right, General. Quite right. Your instincts are, as always, correct. However, it seemed to me that the needs of the state might require us to know what and how the birthday celebration-which is taking place right now-might involve.† â€Å"Why?† â€Å"All knowledge is useful. Would you care to see some of the festivities?† General Tennar's face remained dark. â€Å"Is that necessary?† â€Å"I think you will find it interesting, General.† The reproduction-sight and sound-was excellent and for quite a while the hilarity of the birthday celebration filled the rather stark room in which the General sat. Linn's low voice served as commentary. â€Å"Most of this, General, is taking place in the Project complex, but the rest of the University is involved. We will have an air view in a few moments and you will see that the celebration covers a wide area. In fact, though I don't have the evidence available right now, there are corners of the planet here and there, in various University and sectoral settings mostly, where what we might call ‘sympathy celebrations' of one sort or another are taking place. The celebrations are still continuing and will endure for another day at least.† â€Å"Are you telling me that this is a Trantor-wide celebration?† â€Å"In a specialized way. It affects mostly the intellectual classes, but it is surprisingly widespread. It may even be that there is some shouting on worlds other than Trantor.† â€Å"Where did you get this reproduction?† Linn smiled. â€Å"Our facilities in the Project are quite good. We have reliable sources of information, so that little can happen that doesn't come our way at once.† â€Å"Well then, Linn, what are all your conclusions about this?† â€Å"It seems to me, General, and I'm sure that it seems so to you, that Hari Seldon is the focus of a personality cult. He has so identified himself with psychohistory that if we were to get rid of him in too open a manner, we would entirely destroy the credibility of the science. It would be useless to us. â€Å"On the other hand, General, Seldon is growing old and it is not difficult to imagine him being replaced by another man: someone we could choose and who would be friendly to our great aims and hopes for the Empire. If Seldon could be removed in such a way that it is made to seem natural, then that is all we need.† The General said, â€Å"And you think I ought to see him?† â€Å"Yes, in order to weigh his quality and decide what we ought to do. But we must be cautious, for he is a popular man.† â€Å"I have dealt with popular people before,† said Tennar darkly.

The War On Drugs And Its Controversial Approaches

In this paper, I am going to be writing about the war on drugs and its controversial approaches. There are many debatable solutions, but legalization and decriminalization seems to be a go to for other countries, like Mexico has done with cocaine. I will be highlighting the legalization of marijuana in particular because it is a hot topic in America right now. We are watching the government’s approach to combating the use among Americans unfold present day. We will discuss what the government is doing to stop drugs from entering and leaving the United States as well. In each sub topic of my paper I will explain in further detail. â€Å"According to the National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), an estimated 20 million Americans aged 12 or†¦show more content†¦Taxing marijuana is beginning to be very beneficial to these four states. However, in every other state marijuana is being used illegally and creating no profit for state governments. In short, people want to legalize marijuana because people are using it illegally and state and federal governments are gaining nothing from it. However, if state and federal governments legalize marijuana one of the biggest crops in America will be under the law, just like tobacco and alcohol. Having marijuana under the law will allow all states and federal governments to tax and regulate marijuana. Another argument people have to legalize marijuana in all states is tobacco and alcohol are already legalized, why should marijuana not be legalized too. This sparks a debate about whether or not legalizing marijuana is dangerous to the public. In many cases people that are pro marijuana legalization will say that tobacco and alcohol create dangerous situations, so why should marijuana be any different. 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