Module 4 DQ 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Module 4 DQ 2 - Essay Example The hypothesis of the research published buy Gilmour et al. (2004) is that â€Å"many children who are identified with conduct disorder actually have a primary deficit in pragmatic language skills, of a quality and degree that is similar to children on the autistic spectrum.† The research published by Gilmour et al (2004) employed survey technique. In particular, the research surveyed 142 children referred for investigation. Analysis involved comparison of the communicative abilities of the sample with those of children with autistic spectrum. In summarization of the results, the researchers gathered the views of parents and teachers, who rated majority children with conduct disorder as having pragmatic language problems and behaviors close to those with autism. For purposes of reliability, the researchers further surveyed 54 children from socioeconomically underprivileged part of London, and found majority with comparable

Conflicts in Healthcare Organisations

Conflicts in Healthcare Organisations CONFLICT AND TEAM EFFECTIVENESS INTRODUCTION (SCENARIO) LOCATION :- MIDDLEMORE HOSPITAL Middlemore is a tertiary public care hospital which is managed by Counties Manukau Health Board. It provides several kinds of health and social care services. It is 800 bedded hospital with 24 operation theatres. In the hospital different kinds of departments are present. Around 4700 staff members providing their services in all departments. All the staff members are working as a great team. All the departments are interconnected with each other as all are depend on another departments services e.g. doctor always need help of nursing staff for providing care to the patients as well as radiology, laboratory and physiotherapy departments are also connected in all care facilities which are providing by the hospital. Sometimes team work get affected due to some issues in any workplace which affects on quality of care and on working environment as well. CONFLICT :- It is the major problem in any workplace which occur in two or more persons. Conflicts in healthcare organisations definitely affect patient care and productivity. It is necessary task for a team leader to identify the reason behind that conflict and to figure out a solution to avoid major consequences in the future. (Ramsey, M. 2001 April). Rate of happening conflicts in healthcare profession is higher instead of any other profession. (Barr Dowding, 2016). Our report is on a conflict which occur between two nurses. In the next paragraphs, I am going to submit a report on the whole problem as well as its outcomes. THE SCENARIO Conflict starts between day and night staff nurses Lisa (New Zealand resident working since last 2 years) and Tina (newly joined nurse from India) Tina (day staff) was more sincere and experienced than Lisa (night staff). Soon Tina built good IPR (Inter-personal Relationship) with all the staff members as well as doctors. She got some rewards from management because of her caring nature and working skills. On the other hand, Lisa was not good at her work as Tina was, sometimes she behave rudely with the patients. Lisa starts jealousy from Tina because of her respect in the staff and doctors. She always think Tina to make insulted from management and doctors. One night in the shift of Lisa a surgery planned by doctor for next morning but in the next morning while giving charge to Tina she hide the information about surgery and to keep the patient NPO (nil per orally) as ordered by the doctor. Moreover, she did not show the patients record to Tina in which the surgery was mentioned by the doctor. Tina serve breakfast to patient because she was unknown about the surgery. In the morning doctor came to visit the patient and asked to Tina is patient ready for operation theatre. She got shocked and said that I did not know about surgery, I gave breakfast to the patient. Doctor starts shouting to Tina. She explain that night staff did not tell anything to me about the surgery because it was planned in the night and I was just going to check the patients record than breakfast came and I serve it to patient. The doctor call the incharge nurse (Rosy) explain about the issue. Incharge feel sorry for this troublesomeness and disobliging work as well as for major issue created by her team. RESONS FOR CONFLICT Jealousy Communication gap Racism Competition Misunderstanding Disrespecting behaviour FACTORS AFFECTING WORKPLACE Conflict between Lisa and Tina increases day by day because of Lisas misunderstanding. Many times, it was noticed by incharge also and she warned Lisa several times, but the problem still exist. But today major issue was occur due to misunderstanding and communication gap between her team. These conflicts were going to affect the whole organisation which was not good for patient and the other staff members as well the organisation. Because the workplace environment influence staff satisfaction which is directly co-related to the organisation working environment that affect patient care. LACK OF COMMUNICATION When misunderstandings occur team members starts ignoring one another instructions and sometimes rules of organisation as well which definitely decreases the quality of care. STRESS AND JOB BURNOUT Lack of co-workers co-operation and communication leads to stress which decreases working power resulting in job burnout. EMPLOYMENT INSECURITY With the joining of new staff insecurity in the existing staff leads to stress and negative workplace environment. TEAM ERRORS Team is the first thing which is disturbed with these kinds of errors and misunderstandings. If the team will not work with co-operation, then many more problems are there to occur. EFFECTS OF CONFLICTS :- ON INDIVIDUAL Negative emotions Stress Lack of confidence Lack of emotions Depression ON TEAM / ORGANISATION Decrease productivity Violence among staff members Wastage of time Less focus on work ON PATIENT Stress Insecurity Compromised care Disturbed sleep pattern These all problems can disturb the chain of work and decrease the team effectiveness. So, incharge decided to discuss the problem with manager and to clear the misunderstandings of Lisa about Tina. She goes to manager and discuss about the problem and they planned about a team building day which will give time to all the staff members to communicate with each other and give some time to spend without any work load. They planned about some games and activities which were beneficial for a good team work and effectiveness of team. They choose many activities. ACTIVITIES FOR TEAM EFFECTIVENESS Team members chose some activities for team effectiveness in which all the group members were participated and they get time to introduce with each other and to understand each others behaviour very closely. On the very first stage there was confusion with some team members by doing activities together they form trust on each other and get close, all team members were clear about their roles and objectives which are mainly helpful on their workplace. Some of the team activities which were done on team building day are: BLIND FOLDES NEWS HEADINGSA MINEHUNT HUMAN KNOT BALANCING STICK AIRLOCK TEAM BUILDING All activities were helpful for building a great team but we select airlock team building in which all team members were tie with each other from legs and they have to walk through ring without any fall. We select this team activity to play because it shows automatically the dependency of one team member upon another co-worker. If one person does[A1] any mistake it will affect the whole team. OUTCOMES The major outcome of this activity was building trust on each other and working by co-operation. It shows that all group members are different from each other, their learning style are different, different personalities and traits are there, but this activity ensure that all team member can achieve any task with trust and co-operation, it must be productive as much as possible. Group activity convey a message of internalize as well as it increases team bonding. The main motto of this game was to appreciate of a team member in his/her achievement or strengths and help in weakness. It substitutes possibility thinking on the place of limited beliefs which relieve stress and increase talent of life balance. According to Switzler A (2009) some more things will need to be done on schedule. SCHEDUAL REGULAR TIME TO COMMUNICATE When poor communication occurs in any group or team there must be a written report of problem, its consequences and possible solutions. There will be a weekly or fortnightly meeting to discuss all the problem and their solutions. IDENTIFY AND SHARE BEHAVIOUR PATTERN The second main thing to do is to read team members behaviour. Behaviours to be identify are working, not working as well as missing behaviours. Involvement of team leader in every task is must. Obtaining data by survey Survey should also be involved in weekly meetings. It will help to collect sufficient and correct data to discuss with the group members and will helpful to make the solutions for major issues. GARNER SUPPORT BY TALKING YOUR COLLEAGUES The main role of team leader in this task is to solve a problem according to the situation. Never take any action if a single person complaining about another person in the team, first think about the situation and then take any action. But, if there any problem occur to your group you must have to attend it. If the same problem exists with similar frustration, then make a planned solution according to problem. OUR TEAM LEARNING STYLES AND PERSONALITY Team is a group of people who always work together with co-operation and co-ordination. Same we were a team of 4 members with different learning styles and personalities. One from us was a group leader and others follow the instruction of leader to make the team effective to do the task correctly and timely. First member SUKHDEEP KAUR she always learns from auditory style she has entrepreneur personality. Second member, HARSIMRANJIT SINGH also having great auditory learning and having campaigner personality. Third member JASPREET KAUR having console personality and she always learn through visual learning style. Fourth member was RANDEEP KAUR have mediator personality and she learns from visual activities. Harsimrans personality relates to the behaviour theory because he changes his behaviour according to situation. For instance, during the discussion in the classroom he easily adopt the new learning. Next member Sukhdeep relates to the cognitive theory because in every task she has great problem solving skills. Randeep and Jaspreet relates to constructive theory, at the time of discussion they both build new ideas from their experience. TEAM MEMBERS RECORD Sukhdeep She prepare scenario and workplace situation. She is more experienced than other team members. She had lot of ideas about workplace situations, she knows very well how to tackle that problems and to make team effective. She has done the conclusion of report as well. Harsimranjit He make the rationale and factors affecting workplace task as well as he made slides. He has great computer skills. He knows very well how to use word and what kind of slides are effective in presentation. He also create the team activity. Jaspreet she done the task of team members record. She can easily read the person his personality and style of learning and thinking. She relates theories to the team members in their role in team work. Randeep as Randeep is good in visual learning she searched on you tube as well as read course book to relate the theories with the group members in team. She did the 4th task of assignment about individual and team. MATRIX 22nd February 2017, we started our assignment in the classroom. In this period, we discuss about the task and material during the break time. 23rd February we done some work by own at our homes. Do some research on internet and read some articles about team effectiveness. 24th February we got together at Sukhdeeps home for further discussion. All members are very punctual all came on time but that day Harsimranjit got late because his train was cancelled. All team members great at their tasks and participated in every activity enthusiastically. 26th February all met at Jaspreets home, for preparing the slides and to do some role play activity preparation. In every task, Jaspreet and Randeeps role was related to Hersey Blanchard Theory. They follow all the instruction given by the group leader and done their work at a great level. Group leader explain them about the assignment that includes what to do, how to do for getting positive outcome. The character of Harsimranjit and Sukhdeep was related to transformational theory. While doing the task they motivated all group for concentration and great result. CONCLUSION At last, the whole report says about the conflict within the team members, its solutions as well as the team effectiveness. After doing all the task and activities we realise that a team can work effectively. If the team members are sincere about their role in the team. Bad behaviour of the team members can destroy the team and organisation. on the other hand, co-operative team can increase the productivity of care. [A1]

Politics :: essays research papers

MINNESOTA’S 4TH U.S. HOUSE ELECTION There are three candidates running for Minnesota’s 4th U.S. House; Democrat, Betty McCollum; Republican, Linda Runbeck; and Independent, Tom Foley. The issues at hand are; Healthcare, prescription drugs, and education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Betty McCollum graduated with a B.S. degree out of Cathrine College. She taught grade school and was a sales manager for twenty- five years up until her political career began in 1986. She served on St. Paul’s City Council from1986 through 1992. In 1992 Betty was elected to the Minnesota House of Representatives and was the only legislator to defeat two incumbents in a single year. Her Legislative accomplishments include the passing of Minnesota’s most comprehensive school bus safety laws and two constitutional amendments which; a) allows citizens to recall elected officials for wrong doing , b) provides bonuses to veterans of the Persian Gulf War. She currently serves on the Mississippi Parkway Commission, a ten state joint commission to protect the environment.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Betty McCollum wants to invest over half of non-social security surplus to insure a long-term solvency of Medicare that can be extended to prescription drugs and other medical necessities for seniors and people with disabilities as a means of getting quality, affordable health care. She also wants to hold drug companies accountable drug pricing policies in order to make prescription drugs more available for seniors. Finally McCollum wants to reduce class size improve teacher quality, modernize school buildings and expand available technology to better education.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Republican, Linda Runbeck graduated Bethel College with a B.A. in sociology/ social work. Her political career consists of being the state senator in district 53, from 1993 to the present; state representative 52A from 1989- 1992; and council member of City of Circle Pines from 1984- 1987. Her professional career began as a caseworker for Ramsy County social servicesbetween1968-69. Later, Runbeck was an advertising executive for County Seat Stores & Dahlberg Inc., and owned a Miracle Ear franchise from1991-1995. Today she is the co- owner of Braham Monument Co.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  McCollum supports state standards on local school implementation and encourages a zero tolerance for violence within the schools. Also, she wants to allow kids to transfer school districts if their current school is too dangerous. McCollum wants to make the government less influential in health care. She feels through individual responsibility in the form of co- pays and deductibles. She supports Minnesota’s Senior Prescription Drug Program, which offers financial help to senior living on a fixed income and whose said income largely goes to prescription drugs.

New Entry to the Market and Game Theory

Consider a firm that is contemplating entry into a new market. What contribution, if any, can game theory make to the analysis of the economic viability of such a strategy? Refer to the critical time line, reaction functions and the Nash premise in your reply. Introduction: Management decisions lack the full information, so they are bounded rationality decisions. Companies are players in a game, and the game dimensions are defined in terms of geography and product. So any new entrant will try to enter the market he will play a game in two dimensions geography and product (example Apple entering the smart phone market).The entrant has to decrease its price from the market price so he can guarantee a portion of the market share (steal market share from the incumbents). The incumbents have two options: either to compete or to accommodate. We introduce the principles of the Game Theory as follows: Critical Timeline: Management can observe behaviour as signals and as patterns in the signa ls. Patterns do emerge in the observed behaviour, patterns in price movements or patterns to do with achieving growth through acquisition. The patterns create a critical timeline (CTL) of observed actions and as the CTL unfolds, it reveals a strategy.The new entrant has to observe these patterns and management types of the incumbents over a considerable CTL, to forecast their reaction to his entry, is it going to be a competitive or accommodative reaction. Incumbents for sure faced previous entrants with some kind of reaction when they tried entry, the new entrant can study and analyze this CTL to forecast the possible reaction of the incumbents especially that firms management usually they repeat their type over and over again especially when it succeeds.Reaction functions: When the new entrant will enter the market, the reaction from the incumbents will be either passive (Cournot model) to balance the quantity in the market, i. e. to adjust his output so that both firms produce th e market need and they both sell all their output so that the price will not go down and the profit does not go down as well. Or, the reaction will be aggressive (Bertnard model) by cutting the price of the new entrant and accordingly start a price war. 1) Cournot model reaction function:In this case, the incumbent will think this way: since the entrant entered the market and already chose a price. If I choose to cut price and enter a price war we will all end up in loss (profit is zero), so the best reaction is to choose an output that will guarantee me a profit-maximizing given the entrant's output. So after the entrant enters, the incumbent will decrease his output as per the Reaction Function diagram shown below. Because the incumbent thinks if he increases his output then the market price will go down and profit will go down with it.Knowledge of the market here is crucial, to reach this profit-maximizing condition the market has to be in which firms must make production decisio ns in advance, are committed to selling all their output. This might occur in the majority of production costs are sunk or it is costly to hold inventories, in this environment firms will do all what it takes to sell all its output. The Cournot equilibrium here makes positive profit for the firms. 2) Bertnard model reaction function:In this case, the entrant when enters the market will enter in a lower price than incumbents to steal their customers and grant a market share for himself. The incumbents will react by reducing the price even more and the rivalry between the firms will go on and will result in a perfectly competitive outcome. In this condition the competition will be fierce because the products are perfect substitutes. If the products are differentiated, price competition is less intense. (Besanko 2010).In this Bertnard model the capacity is not constant as in Cournot. This model pertains to markets in which capacity is flexible that firms can meet all of the demand that arises at the prices they announce. If firms products are perfect substitutes, then each Bertnard competitor believes that it can steal massive amounts of business from its competitors through a small cut in price, when all competitors think this way, in equilibrium, price-cost margins and profits are driven to zero (Besanko 2010)The diagram below shows the Bertnard Reaction function when products are differentiated where both firms reach a Bertnard Equilibrium that are well above marginal cost and so they both make profit, if their products are perfect substitutes to each other then the price will be driven to marginal cost and profit will be zero. Nash Premise: If the incumbents chose the non accommodative approach then either they will reach the zero profit situation if the products are perfect substitutes, or they might reach an equilibrium (Nash) if the products are somehow horizontally differentiated.Nash Equilibrium is reached when both firms reach a situation when each of t hem chose a strategy and no one can benefit by changing his strategy while the other players keep their unchanged, then the current set of strategy choices and the corresponding payoffs constitute a Nash equilibrium. i. e. Firm 1 making the best decision it can, taking into account Firm 2's decision, and Firm 2 making the best decision it can, taking into account Firm 1's decision. (Wikipedia. com) Example:Beef-processing industry in the US, there were 4 industry leaders, then came JBS SA from South America and purchased Swift & Co. to form JBS Swift & Co. then the quantity produced increased (excess capacity). Capacity had to drop otherwise the outlook would remain bleak. Tyson decided to close its factory at Emporia, Kansas pulling 4000 head of capacity from the market. After this closure the capacity and the beef prices have stabilized. (Besanko 2010) We can see in this example how when a new entrant emerged (JBS Swift & Co. ) the capacity increased caused the prices to drop.We c onclude that the market capacity here is fixed (Cournot model) and when the incumbents saw that effect they knew for fact that reducing the output will benefit everybody. So, Tyson Co. closed one of its factories, the total output in the market dropped caused the prices to stabilize again. Here this is a kind of Cournot equilibrium that is reached. The incumbents went through an accommodative approach in this case rather than competitive. Conclusion: The entrant has to observe closely the Critical Timeline of the market's incumbents before entering this market.According to his forecast of their reaction (whether it will be accommodative or competitive) he has to build his strategy whether he can survive or not. The entrant has to study the market demand (capacity), is it going to be affected by the new entry by absorbing the extra quantity (can lead to Bertnard) or the demand is fixed (that can lead to Cournot). The entrant's strategy had to be built on the Reaction Functions foreca sted from the incumbents where from there the entrant can calculate the Nash equilibrium value and the possibility to reach it or the other possibility to reach the zero profit condition.

Gay Marriage argument Essay

The issue of legalizing gay marriage has always been a matter of great controversy in the United States. Many people believe that legalizing gay marriage is immoral and unconstitutional. â€Å"Untraditional,† â€Å"unlawful,† and â€Å"unethical† are some of the many terms used to describe gay marriage. Not all individuals feel this way. The issue has created widespread division both politically and socially. Advocates strongly believe that gay marriage is a constitutional right, while the opposition claims it has too many social disadvantages. In present day society the number of peoples in support of gay marriage is higher than ever. One of the many advocates for pro gay marriage is Evan Wolfson, the founder and president of Freedom to Marry. Wolfson presents numerous arguments for the legalization of gay marriage in his article â€Å"Without Nationwide Gay Marriage, U.S. Government Discriminates.† Using emotional, logical, and legal appeal, Wolfson presents his argument. Same-sex couples should be able to celebrate their relationships through the bondage of marriage just like heterosexual couples. Many same-sex couples want to marry and they should be able to since it is there human right. Evan Wolfson explains it flawlessly when he proclaimed â€Å"Marriage is an important moment in life when we make a public promise of love and dedication to the person we are building a life with, and ask our friends and family to support us and hold us accountable. Couples who have made that commitment in life should have the same commitment under the law; called marriage.† It is unjust to rid taxpayer citizens of this right. It is societies norm that marriage should be between a man and woman, but it is not written anywhere within the constitution. It is a saddening injustice to discriminate citizens due to their sexual orientation. This is appropriately presented when Wolfson writes â€Å"Under the law, marriage touches every aspect of life, from birth to death, with taxes in between. Denial of the freedom to marry is one of the harshest inequalities inflicted on lesbian and gay families—discrimination by their own government†¦particularly in these tough economic times.† The benefits of marriage should be extended to all individual during the present economic situation. According to Wolfson, Withholding from these benefits by preventing same sex marriage is a prime example of discrimination. There is no logical to reason to prevent gay marriage since it has been proven successful. â€Å"Gay couples share in the freedom to marry in six states and the District of Columbia; the sky hasn’t fallen.† Gay marriage has been proven successful in other parts of the world along with some of the United States. Same sex marriage is gaining more and more acceptance, yet it is discriminated against state and federal governments. The Federal government targets homosexual couples through the enactment of DOMA (Defense of Marriage Act). Wolfstan claims â€Å"DOMA harms married same-sex couples by withholding the more than one thousand federal responsibilities and protections accorded all other married couples.† Benefits such as social security survivor and health coverage are withheld from â€Å"married† couples. The constitution commands â€Å"equal justice for all† and Wolfson believes its time to abide by our nation’s written law. Although Evan Wolfson presents valid points, there are many holes in his argument. The author disregards many aspects while portraying his own ideas. To begin with, why is it necessary to define a relationship with the title of â€Å"Marriage?† If two people of the same sex want to be in a relationship, why not just be together? The author claims that â€Å"Gay couples share in the freedom to marry in six states and the District of Columbia; the sky hasn’t fallen.† In the literal sense this statement is true, but what about the rise in divorce rates in the six states and District of Columbia? The sky hasn’t fallen, but there may be negative consequences to the legalization of gay marriage. Wolfston also charges the state and federal governments with discrimination against gays. It is the government’s job to please the majority, and if anti-gay legislation will do that, so be it. If same sex couples are offended with state policies, why can’t they move to a different state or country? Wolfson mentions many appropriate points, but why doesn’t he mention any outside sources? Providing no information from experts in the fields or resources challenges the credibility of his argument. Marriage is traditionally defined as a union between a man and a woman, not a woman and a woman, or man and a man. The legalization of gay marriage would cause social and economic perils that can’t be overlooked. In his article †Opinion: Gay marriage should not be made legal,† Ryan Normandin presents numerous legitimate reasons as to why gay marriage shouldn’t be legalized. Many gay rights advocates believe that they have the right to marry whomever they want under the equal rights protection clause, but that is certainly not the case. As Normandin explains in his article, â€Å"They claim that the Equal Protection Clause of the Fourteenth Amendment guarantees them the right to marry whomever they desire, including members of the same sex. To forbid this would, in their minds, be discrimination. But do all people have the right to marry whomever they want already, with the exception of same-sex couples? No; states have laws regulating marriage, forbidding first cousins from marrying, brothers and sisters from marrying, parents and offspring from marrying, and people from marrying animals, inanimate objects, or multiple other individuals.† The legalization of gay marriage would open legal doors to other forms of relationships such as polygamous, incestuous, and other nontraditional relationships. By the logic of gay marriage, everyone has an equal right to marry whomever or whatever he or she pleases. It is only fitting that state and federal governments regulate marriage, he claims. Traditional marriage is beneficial to the American government, which makes it appropriate for couples to receive tax breaks and numerous benefits. Ryan Normnadin explains it best when he literates â€Å"The rationale is that males and females, when married, are more likely to procreate, thus ensuring the continuation of American society. It is certainly to America’s advantage to have citizens, so there exists a compelling state interest justifying government subsidization of heterosexual marriage.† Since traditional marriage is helping the United States procreate, it is in the government’s best interest to subsidize marriage that is increasing its number of citizens. Many individuals in favor of gay rights believe that happiness of same-sex couples is enough a reason for its legalization. Unfortunately, that is not the case since â€Å"happiness† is not a compelling enough argument when weighed against the drawbacks of gay marriage. One of the major drawbacks is that same sex couple can not nurture a child properly. The well being of a child cannot be jeopardized for â€Å"happiness.† Although gay couples can’t reproduce, artificial insemination and adoption are some options. Although, these arguments do not prove a viable option because complications can arise. Normandin refers to University of Canterbury professor Bruce J. Ellis to prove this point. Professor Ellis’s research claims â€Å"greater exposure to father absence was strongly associated with elevated risk for early sexual activity and adolescent pregnancy.† These are risks that can’t be taken lightly just to make lesbian couples â€Å"happy.† There are also risks involved in parenting in regards male couples. The author also refers to Stanford psychologist Eleanor MacCoby who points out that â€Å"mothers, on average, may have somewhat stronger parental ‘instincts’ when it comes to responding to young infants.† It is of utter importance for a child to grow up with both a mother and father. According to Normandin’s beliefs, â€Å"Happiness† is not enough reason to harm the future of countless children. Ryan Normandin presents a compelling argument, but there are flaws in many of his ideas. For example, the author compares gay marriage to incest and bestiality. Is it really fair to compare gay marriage to such formidable acts against nature? Bestiality and incest have far more negative effects then gay marriage, so it is not fair to compare them. They inability of gay couples to reproduce is another point Normandin brings about. Although this statement is valid, isn’t artificial insemination a tool that can help lesbian couples procreate? What about the thousands of neglected children male couples can save? Lastly, the author quotes various professionals to point out that children of same sex couples will have complications due to an absent father or mother. Studies show that this maybe true, but what about family members that can fill that absent role present in same-sex couples? Can’t the grandmother or aunt provide maternal care to a child of a male couple? Why can’t a grandfather or uncle act as a fatherly figure for a lesbian couple’s child? Normandin provided a very compelling argument, but there are minor doubts to his ideas. After analyzing both sides of the issue along with my prior experiences and knowledge, gay marriage should not be legalized. Both articles made valid points, but Ryan Normandin’s opinionative piece â€Å"Opinion: Gay marriage should not be made legal† changed my perception on this issue entirely. Viewing marriage as a governmental issue, not a personal one, made me realize that marriage isn’t only about happiness. Marriage between a man and a woman is beneficial to the government, therefore it is allowed. Since same-sex marriage doesn’t pose benefits, such as procreation, to the United Sates or its citizens, it is either prohibited or highly restricted. Reproduction is required for the survival of any society and legalizing gay marriage would deem procreating unimportant. Gay marriage also causes dire consequences for the couple’s kids. I have witnessed my co-worker’s only kid, Marshall, with an absentee father figure. Due to a missing father, Marshall took part with the wrong crowd and disregarded all authority. I have also witnessed the psychological problems with kids who are missing a mother. My cousin, who has two mothers, is socially awkward and lacks basic conversation skills. To ensure the full health of a child, they need both a mother and a father figure to provide motherly and fatherly instincts. Same sex households are not ideal environments for children. Another good point that Normandin posed was that the legalization of gay marriage would open doors to other kind of relationships such as polygamy. This would undoubtedly lead to further deconstruction of marriage and family. I also believe same sex marriage to have detrimental effects on society. A news report I read claimed that legalizing gay marriage in Scandinavia is linked to the cause of population decline and higher divorce rates. Numerous researches state that homosexual relationships don’t last long term. The fact that Wolfson did not provide any outside sources was another factor that shaped my opinion. I believe that outside sources make an argument much more credible. Challenging cultural, moral, social values, the disadvantages of gay marriage greatly outweigh the advantages. Works Cited Normandin, Ryan. â€Å"Gay Marriage Should Not Be Made Legal – The Tech.† Gay Marriage Should Not Be Made Legal – The Tech. Massachusetts Institute of Technology, 06 July 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. . Wolfson, Evan. â€Å"Without Nationwide Gay Marriage, U.S. Government Discriminates.† US News. U.S.News & World Report, 7 Oct. 2011. Web. 08 Sept. 2013. .