Psychological gambling Essay Example for Free

Psychological gambling Essay Abstract: Few studies have explored the relationship between gambling and health status. Both compulsive and pathological gambling are disorders related to obsession-compulsive disorder. The data supports the notion that gambling does affect with non-gambling health problems. The purpose of this article is to provide the information between gambling behaviors and substance use disorders, health associations, screening and treatment options for problem and pathological gambling. Pathological gambling is an addictive and stress proposing disorder. More research is needed to investigate directly the biological and health relations associated with the different types of gambling behaviors and to define the role for doctors or therapists in the prevention and treatment of problem and pathological gambling. There are many types of gambling that people indulge in today. People of all ages have been seduced by gambling. Gambling is done every day, so as it continues to grow, so does the debt of the American people. Attractions such as online casinos with jackpots equivalent to ten years salary and simple sports booking, makes it more common today than it was yesterday. Gambling is hard to resist because it offers a feeling of hope, and defines that thin line between reality and fantasy that ends with a mental payoff. The main question with this concern is; is it all about the money? It couldnt be all about the money, unless the general public was extremely stupid. The odds of winning the lottery are lesser than the odds of someone being struck by lightning (1 in 649,739) or than someone being killed by a terrorist attack abroad (1 in 650,000). (7). It has been said, If you bought 100 tickets a week your entire adult life, from the age of 18 to 75, youd have a 1 percent chance of winning the lottery. (7) Now, a number of psychological studies have been done which indicate that the desire to play the lottery has more to do with the inability or unconcern of a person to calculate the total sum of their own money over time spent of these dollar tickets. The hope and fantastic feeling they receive is worth more than the dollar they give the 7-11 clerk at that time. Casino games create a different sensation. Whether it be cards, slots, or dice games after being seated in front of it for an hour or two there will generally be a win, some kind of win. Usually that win is small. It serves the person, or the brain, with a sort of reward. The reward entices the person to want to continue their game so to get another reward (7). The basis for this affirmative award is biological. Research done at the Massachusetts General Hospital has showed similar brain activity induced by prize money to food and drug rewards. The scientists measuring this brain activity compared it with giving a cocaine addict an infusion of cocaine. (2) An experiment was set up wherein the brain activity of the subjects was measured while they gambled. Each subject was offered one of three spinners: a good spinner offered them a chance to earn $10, $2. 50, or nothing; an intermediate spinner offered $2. 50, $0, or -$1. 50; and a bad spinner let them win nothing or lose, -$1. 50 or -$6. (3) The brain activity was measured with a high-field functional magnetic resonance imaging, otherwise known as an fMRI, while they were spinning for six seconds and after then after they had spun. The results showed that the brain activity proved to be strong, moderate, and low in accordance with the level of spinning good, intermediate and bad. The proportions always demonstrated the expected brain activity. The scientists performing this experiment came to the conclusion that money serves as the same type of reward to humans as does drugs and food; it sets into motion a reward mechanism in the brain providing relative stimulus to the amount of reward or loss which is taking place. The similarity suggests that a common brain circuitry is used for various types of rewards. (3) Considering the conclusion of this experiment to be true, there still remains an unsettling question pertaining to gambling and brain circuitry. Why do some people gamble more than others? At first I searched for some demographic conclusions to support a hypothesis that some group of people gambled more than others. However, there simply isnt much discrimination when it comes to gambling. The National Opinion Research Center, a government based study, showed that there is no gender gap in terms of gambling: the 1998 statistic showed 49% women and 51% men gamble in general. (1) The consensus showed that all different ages gamble. Some specifications were made like people between thirty and sixty tended to gamble with more money than the younger and older, but that seems natural because that range probably gains the most salary. It also specified that those under eighteen tended to play less in casino, lottery and horse races but that is because they were not allowed in. Thus, those under eighteen were showed to make more wagers outside of a gambling facility than the other age groups. Depending on the game, there seemed to be a pretty even distribution of race among gamblers. The bottom line being; the desire to gamble does not depend on any specific background or gender or age or culture. It depends on the human desire to gain monetary pleasure, to get something for little to nothing, to be rewarded via dollars rather than food or drugs. The demographic statistics and equalities listed above still do not account for why some crave gambling more than others. Distinctions have been made among gamblers. The categories are as follows: non-gambler, low-risk gambler, at-risk gambler, problem gambler and pathological gambler. (1) The desire to gamble becomes increasingly more prevalent and obsessive as the levels progress. A pathological gambler, according to the DSM-IV criteria is constantly preoccupied with gambling, increases the amounts of money spent over time on gambling so not to achieve a tolerance, cannot stop gambling, gambles as an escape, attempts to break even after having lost money, lies constantly to friends and family about gambling, sometimes commits illegal acts to support gambling, risks significant relationships, jobs, or education for gambling, and uses the financial help of others to be bailed out of some situation caused by gambling. (1) Why are these people so obsessed with gambling that it takes over their lives? It has been hypothesized that pathological gamblers have dysfunctional reward pathways. When the pathways function correctly, one important result is a release of dopamine, a neurotransmitter that can stimulate pleasurable feelings. Pathological gamblers have been proven to have lower activity in an enzyme that breaks down neurotransmitters. This may create a problem for serotonin distribution. Also, researchers have identified a greater amount of certain genetic configurations in pathological gamblers, a variation which may be responsible for the deficient reward pathway. (4) The medication prescribed to some of these pathological gamblers who were tested increased their serotonin levels and seemed to have positive effects in the way of their resisting the urge to gamble. Many equate the pathological desire to gamble with a problem in the decision-making area of the brain, a constant lapse in judgment so to speak. The areas of the brain associated with the decision-making process are the middle frontal, inferior frontal and orbital gyrus. (4) While this neurological analysis may offer some understanding to why people gamble for reward purposes, it does not explain the bigger relationship between human beings and gambling. Gambling does not necessarily need to involve money; it can instead be translated to a risk. People gamble everyday whether it be the tasting of a new food or skipping an important business meeting. It seems that gambling is a part of life necessary to perpetuate the human species. Diversification, a part of natural life, involves adapting to different environments and niches. Say a bee only acquired nutrients from one specific flower, never venturing out to samples other types of pollen, what would happen? Suppose one winter that specific type of flower failed to survive, or some sort of spontaneous extinction occurred, all the bees who fed off this flower would become extinct as well. The same sort of thing may occur if a person moved to a different country, wherein the food looked completely different. In order to stay alive, that person would have to take a chance on a new type of diet. Human beings, as well as a majority of the remaining Animal Kingdom are inclined to diversify and adapt to new surroundings in order to stay strong and able to perpetuate their species. The same notion of adaptation for survival applies to drastic temperature changes and the effect it has on the body. (5) Although shell temperature is not regulated within narrow limits the way internal body temperature is, thermoregulatory responses do strongly affect the temperature of the shell, and especially its outermost layer, the skin. The temperature of the environment is directly related to the thickness of this shell. If the shell is needed to conserve heat, it may expand to a several centimeters underneath the skins surface, however, if the environment is warm, then the shell will tend to only be about one centimeter thick. This shell of warmth protects people in the case that they wish to change environmental settings, or so the same species can survive in all different locations. The complex nature of the human body responds well to their desire to gamble, to diversify, to extend their minds and risk. Whether it be monetary, behavioral or just plain desire to risk, humans are drawn towards the new and the chancy.It is the danger of loss and the thrill of life that keeps us breathing. Works Consulted: 1)Alvarez,A. The Biggest Game in Town. New York: Chronicle Books, 2002. 2)Brunson,Doyle. Doyle Brunsons Super System. Cardoza Pub, 1979. 3)Dostoeyevsky,Fyodor. The Gambler. New York: Viking Press, 1966. 4)http://www. norc. uchicago. edu/new/gamb-fin. htm 5)http://www. sciencedaily. com/releases/2001/05/010524062100. htm 6)http://www. sciam. com/article. cfm? articleID=0004400A-E6F5-1C5E-B882809EC588ED9F 7)http://www. gnxp. com/MT2/archives/001309. html 8)http://www. reflection-idea. com/psychics. html.

Declining Trust In Our Government :: essays research papers

Declining Trust in Our Government Is the American people's trust in our government declining? According to most people, it definitely is. Recent polls make this argument very valid. In 1995, the Princeton Survey Research Associates conducted a telephone interview of 1514 random sample adults. In this interview, people were asked how much of the time they trusted in the federal government to do the right thing. Twenty- one percent said most of the time and seventy-one percent said only some of the time. When asked the same question of their state governments, the results were only slightly better. Thirty percent said most of the time and sixty-two percent said only some of the time ("Why Don't"). This indicates that a majority of the American people believe that the American government is not doing the right thing in a lot of the actions it takes. Of course, nobody expects the government to operate perfectly with no mistakes, because this is not a perfect world. These numbers are too high though. What caused this problem in the United States, what is the extend of this problem in our country, and is this distrust of our government even a serious problem at all? These are three questions that need to be addressed in out society today. What really has caused the American people to distrust our government and when did this trend actually begin? I do not believe there is any clear answer to these questions and I do not believe it would ever be possible to pinpoint any exact reason for the feelings of the American people. One reason cited by some is that it is the fault of poor leaders. Two commonly blamed leaders are President Johnson and President Nixon. Two of the biggest drops in the public's confidence in our government occurred in 1964, during the bombing of Vietnam, and in 1972, during Watergate (Nye). Although these two events may have contributed to the distrust of the American government, I do not believe that two events and two leaders can be held totally responsible. For one thing, these things occurred over twenty years ago, why is there still distrust today. Not only does this distrust still exist, but many would say that it has increased greatly since then. I do not thing that two leaders can be pinpointed and blamed for destroying the trust in our government. Perhaps though the blame could be laid on American political leaders in general. In a 1995 poll, thirty- five percent said the main reason that they do not trust the federal government

Analytical Response: Romeo and Juliet Essay

Act 3, Scene 1 contributes to making Romeo and Juliet a true tragedy as this scene is the unfolding of a series of ill-fated events (3.1.84-87) ‘This days black fate on more days doth depend. This but begins the woe others must end’. Violence and blood is demanded early in the scene, as Tybalt is after Romeo in order to challenge him to a duel. Newly wed Romeo ignores Tybalt’s insults and respectfully declines his offer, as he knows he must respect and love the Capulet’s. Irritated by Romeo’s calm submission, Mercutio steps up to the challenge to defend the Montague name. Outraged by Mercutio’s death Romeo lets rage control his actions as he seeks vengeance upon his friend’s death, forgetting his intentions to settle the family feud. The dramatic irony of this scene, will possibly affect the audience, as they know this will cause uproar within the family feud. The events in this scene impact greatly on Romeo and Juliet, as this is the b reaking point of the play. This scene also creates a domino effect on the events later on in the play. Characters The characteristics of Mercutio have a significant influence on the events that occurred during Act 3 scene 1. It is evident throughout the scene that Benvolio is the peacekeeper as he see’s a way around the brawling, (3.1.1-3) ‘ I pray thee, good Mercutio, lets retire. The day is hot; the Capulet’s abroad; and if we meet we shall not ‘scape a brawl.’ However, Mercutio ignores Benvolio’s attempts to bypass the Montague Capulet conflict, as he is quick to temper and always ready for a fight. His use of irony to provoke Tybalt (3.1.28-33) provides further evidence on his combativeness ‘But I’ll be hanged, sir, if he wear your livery. Marry; go before to the field, he’ll be your follower. Your worship in that sense may call him man. ‘ Mercutio’s argumentative attitude leads him into a brutal affair; he is left wounded blaming Romeo for his injury. It is unquestionable that Mercutio’s pugnacious, aggressive b ehavior led to the violence of this scene that has guaranteed an unfortunate fate for Romeo and Juliet. Themes and Perspectives Act 3 scene 1 provides perspective on the resentment between the two families, Montague and Capulet. The family feud holds a great deal of power throughout Romeo and Juliet, as it is the reason for many of the unpleasant events that occur throughout the play such as; Mercutio’s death, Romeo and Juliet’s secret marriage, Romeo’s exile and of course the feud itself which also provokes the tragic ending of the play. Evidence of the theme is seen throughout Act 3 scene 1 particularly towards the end when Benvolio is left to explain the tragedy to the Prince. Lady Capulet believes Benvolio is lying, as he is a Montague therefore Romeo must die for Tybalt’s death. (3.1.38-42) ‘He is a kinsman to the Montague. Affection makes him false. He speaks not true. Some twenty of them fought in this black strife, And all those twenty could but kill one life. I beg for justice, which thou Prince, must give. Romeo slew Tybalt. Romeo must not live.’ Throughout R omeo and Juliet there is persistent evidence that the resent between Montague and Capulet conduct the tragic events and heartbreaking end to the narrative. Audience response; attitudes, values and beliefs The audience is at an advantage as they are able to see both sides of the family feud, providing them with a true understanding of the tragedy. During this scene they observe the brutal affair between Mercutio vs. Tybalt and Romeo vs. Tybalt and finally Lady Capulet vs. Benvolio. There are various reactions the audience may have experience throughout this scene. Those in the Elizabethan times perhaps felt a sense of gratification towards Mercutio for standing up to Tybalt in order to defend Romeo and the Montague name. However the contemporary audience may declare Mercutio as arrogant or foolish. The audience can recognize that both Benvolio and Romeo gave warnings to Mercutio and Tybalt. They stated the brawl was not required neither did they desire one on numerous occasions however, both Mercutio and Tybalt would not take no for an answer. Either way the audience is able to experience the full effect of the events, which help mould this star crossed love story into a true tragedy.

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