Rebuttal Definition, Usage and Examples

A rebuttal takes on a couple of different forms. As it pertains to an argument or debate, the definition of a rebuttal is the presentation of evidence and reasoning meant to weaken or undermine an opponents claim. However, in persuasive speaking, a rebuttal is typically part of a discourse with colleagues and rarely a stand-alone speech. Rebuttals are used in law, public affairs, and politics, and theyre in the thick of effective public speaking. They also can be found in academic publishing, editorials, letters to the editor, formal responses to personnel matters, or customer service complaints/reviews. A rebuttal is also called a  counterargument. Types and Occurrences of Rebuttals Rebuttals can come into play during any kind of argument or occurrence where someone has to defend a position contradictory to another opinion presented. Evidence backing up the rebuttal position is key. Academics Formally, students use rebuttal in debate competitions. In this arena, rebuttals dont make new arguments, just battle the positions already presented in a specific, timed format. For example, a rebuttal may get four minutes after an argument is presented in eight. Publishing In academic publishing, an author presents an argument in a paper, such as on a work of literature, stating why it should be seen in a particular light. A rebuttal letter about the paper can find the flaws in the argument and evidence cited, and present contradictory evidence. If a writer of a paper has the paper rejected for publishing by the journal, a well-crafted rebuttal letter can give further evidence of the quality of the work and the due diligence taken to come up with the thesis or hypothesis. Law In law, an attorney can present a rebuttal witness to show that a witness on the other side is in error. For example, after the defense has presented its case, the prosecution can present rebuttal witnesses. This is new evidence only and witnesses that contradict defense witness testimony. An effective rebuttal to a closing argument in a trial can leave enough doubt in the jurys minds to have a defendant found not guilty. Politics In public affairs and politics, people can argue points in front of the local city council or even speak in front of their state government. Our representatives in Washington present diverging points of view on bills up for debate. Citizens can argue policy and present rebuttals in the opinion pages of the newspaper. Work On the job, if a person has a complaint brought against him to the human resources department, that employee has a right to respond and tell his or her side of the story in a formal procedure, such as a rebuttal letter. Business In business, if a customer leaves a poor review of service or products on a website, the companys owner or a manager will, at minimum, need to diffuse the situation by apologizing and offering a concession for goodwill. But in some cases, a business needs to be defended. Maybe the irate customer left out of the complaint the fact that she was inebriated and screaming at the top of her lungs when she was asked to leave the shop. Rebuttals in these types of instances need to be delicately and objectively phrased. Characteristics of an Effective Rebuttal If you disagree with a comment, explain the reason, says  Tim Gillespie in Doing Literary Criticism.  He notes that mocking, scoffing, hooting, or put-downs reflect poorly on your character and on your point of view. The most effective rebuttal to an opinion with which you strongly disagree is an articulate counterargument. Rebuttals that rely on facts are also more ethical than those that rely solely on emotion or diversion from the topic through personal attacks on the opponent. That is the arena where politics, for example, can stray from trying to communicate a message into becoming a reality show. With evidence as the central focal point, a good rebuttal relies on several elements to win an argument, including a clear presentation of the counterclaim, recognizing the inherent barrier standing in the way of the listener accepting the statement as truth, and presenting evidence clearly and concisely while remaining courteous and highly rational. The evidence, as a result, must do the bulk work of proving the argument while the speaker should also preemptively defend certain erroneous attacks the opponent might make against it. That is not to say that a rebuttal cant have an emotional element, as long as it works with evidence. A statistic about the number of people filing for bankruptcy per year due to medical debt can pair with a story of one such family as an example to support the topic of health care reform. Its both illustrative — a more personal way to talk about dry statistics — and an appeal to emotions. Preparing To prepare an effective rebuttal, you need to know your opponents position thoroughly to be able to formulate the proper attacks and to find evidence that dismantles the validity of that viewpoint. The first speaker will also anticipate your position and will try to make it look erroneous. You will need to show: Contradictions in the first argumentTerminology thats used in a way in order to sway opinion (bias) or used incorrectly. For example, when polls were taken about Obamacare, people who didnt view the president favorably were more likely to want the policy defeated than when the actual name of it was presented as the Affordable Care Act.Errors in cause and effectPoor sources or misplaced authorityExamples in the argument that are flawed or not comprehensive enoughFlaws in the assumptions that the argument is based onClaims in the argument that are without proof or are widely accepted without actual proof. For example, alcoholism is defined by society as a disease. However, there isnt irrefutable medical proof that it is a disease like diabetes, for instance. Alcoholism manifests itself more like behavioral disorders, which are psychological. The more points in the argument that you can dismantle, the more effective your rebuttal. Keep track of them as theyre presented in the argument, and go after as many of them as you can. Refutation Definition The word rebuttal can be used interchangeably with refutation, which includes any contradictory statement in an argument. Strictly speaking, the distinction between the two is that a rebuttal must provide evidence, whereas a refutation merely relies on a contrary opinion. They differ in legal and argumentation contexts, wherein refutation involves any counterargument, while rebuttals rely on contradictory evidence to provide a means for a counterargument. A successful refutation may disprove evidence with reasoning, but rebuttals must present evidence.

Analysis Of Aldous Huxley s Brave New World - 2114 Words

In its essence, the caste system is defined as a system of social stratification, sorting individuals into a number of endogamous castes, each with predestined customs and obligations. The juxtaposition of the traditional caste system and stability in a contemporary society is unorthodox and seemingly nonsensical at first glance. However, in observing the caste system in its application today, one would argue in terms of stability at least, that it operates at a much higher degree of effectiveness than the common Western social structure. The fictional World State portrayed in Aldous Huxley s Brave New World serves as a testament to the potential efficacy of such a mandated caste system in postmodern society. The caste system serves†¦show more content†¦Historian H.T Buckle brings forward such a principle in his paper â€Å"A History of Civilization in Britain† formulated as such: â€Å"If a system provides its parts with an optimum environment, they will tend to con serve it. Thusly, for an individual to strive to conserve the social system of which he is part, the latter must provide the outlets which will enable him to fulfill those functions for which he was culturally and genetically designed.†(Buckle, Vol. 1) Huxley’s World State does just this, as each caste comes gilded with its own responsibilities: As the Epsilon caste is tasked with menial labor and the Alpha caste is tasked with social development and government. Each caste member contributes to these tasks productively as he is surrounded by others doing the same; as made evident in the novel excerpt: â€Å"Everyone belongs to everyone else.†(Huxley, 3.138) a hypnopaedic utterance recited by portrayed scientist Henry Foster in an effort to encourage his colleague (Lenina Crowne) in her promiscuity. The feeling of self-worth brought about by community in a caste is an indispensable variable when regarding the stability of said caste. When his self-worth depreciat es, the individual becomes dissatisfied with his circumstance, seeking an alternate one; this hinders the system (World State) as it breeds rebellious thoughts. In Brave New World, such a phenomenon is observed in analyzing the novel s

Exploring the 1960’s Free Essays

As an archeologist I have seen many things while traveling the world. But I recently came across an interesting time capsule in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I would have never thought the 60’s were an eventful decade, since it was way before my time, but boy was I amazed at what I found. We will write a custom essay sample on Exploring the 1960’s or any similar topic only for you Order Now The invention and distribution of birth control pills gave a new freedom to women and their sexuality. The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a young president that had a promising future, along with many other high profile men who had a large support following. Woodstock in upstate New York 1969 was a huge event that spawned many other festivals featuring several day events and equally rowdy crowds throughout the U. S. And my all-time favorite movie, debuted in 1968, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. In centuries past there have been many forms of birth control. In Egypt 1550 B. C, women would mix berries, herbs and honey as a vaginal suppository to kill sperm during intercourse. 1700’s Giovanni Casanova, and Italian adventurer and author, attempted a form of female condom with sheep intestine and lemon juice. In 1839, Charles Goodyear who vulcanized rubber, created the first true condom, douche syringes, and a womb veil or a form of a diaphragm, which was later officially called a diaphragm in 1880. But, it was not until 1960 that the first birth control pill, Envid was created, and almost half a million women were taking it for actual medical purposes other than a form of not getting pregnant. The creation of the birth control pill allowed a new freedom for women to explore their sexuality and not get pregnant, but it did not and still does not prevent sexually transmitted diseases. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, born on May 29, 1917, was not a very healthy child. Suffering from typically ailments such as whooping cough, chicken pox, and measles, almost did not make it after a battle with scarlet fever before the age of 3. He grew up as an Irish Catholic in Massachusetts. Though a sickly and slightly clumsy kid, being one of nine kids, he had a very dominant personality. In 1936 he entered Harvard University playing football alongside his older brother Joe; however he was not as good of a player as his brother and suffered a back injury that would never fully heal. His brother Joe was the one with the aspirations to become the first Irish President. His senior year at Harvard, he wrote his thesis based on why Great Britain was not ready to take on Germany. It was later published, called Why England Slept. Joining the Navy after graduating, he served as Captain on a PT-109 to keep the Japanese from delivering supplies to their soldiers. He was awarded the Medal of Honor from both the Navy and Marine Corps for his courage and bravery after a Japanese destroyer rammed the ship he was on, splitting it in 2, killing two of the twelve crew members. JFK rescued one of his shipmates who was severely burned, as well as the rest of the crew when he wrote a note on a coconut shell that was found by natives days later. In 1946, after his service time, he ran for congress in Massachusetts and won a seat. He went on to serve 3 terms and was then elected to the Senate. He wrote a book in 1957 regarding U. S. Senators who fought for what they believed in called Profiles of Courage, which won him a Pulitzer Prize. On July 13, 1960 he was nominated by the Democratic Party to run for President of the United States, making him the youngest President (43), and was elected the 35th President on January 20, 1961. On November 22, 1963 John Fitzgerald Kennedy, also known as Jack, was riding in a motorcade on his way to a luncheon when he was hit in the head and neck passing by the Texas School Depository in Dallas, Texas. Also hit was the Governor, who later recovered from his serious chest wound. John F. Kennedy was an advocate for fighting poverty, racial discrimination, disease, war and wanted to be the first country to put a man on the moon. His assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, who also killed a police officer the same day, was himself assassinated by Jack Ruby, silencing the only man who could answer questions as to why Kennedy was killed. The assassination of JFK has been a controversial topic for many years and until any documents and or photos come to light on who or what was behind his assassination we may never know. Kennedy was a big pusher for space exploration, and though he was not present to see his dream come true, on July 16, 1969, a team of three men were catapulted into space to be the first men on the moon. There have been many speculations as to whether this event even happened, even though there is video footage of the event, many question if it was actually just filmed on a Hollywood back lot. Since that first landing there has not been another U. S. man or woman on the moon, but there have been many who have entered space for further exploration, and it is expected that there will once again be a man/woman on the moon in the future, but for a longer period of time. Music makes the world go round. No matter what race, religion, gender or age, music can make us smile, laugh, love, cry, or calm us down. So what could bring the world together to send a message of peace, cultural expression, and openness? In 1969, more than half a million people travelled to Bethel, NY for a music festival that made sure many generations would be heard. In August 1969, over a 4 day period of time, 32 acts performed on a 600 acre dairy farm to bring awareness regarding the environment, universal human rights, free trade, and creative expression among other things. Performances by the great artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Creedance Clearwater Revival and Crosby, Stiles and Nash. Many other music festivals have been established over the years but none have rivaled the original. The Woodstock Festival has been repeated two more times over the years, once in 1994 featuring bands such as repeat performer Joe Cocker, new bands of the time like Blues Travelers, as well as established bands like Metallica, Aerosmith, and also a repeat performance by Crosby, Stiles and Nash. Again, five years later, featuring Punk bands such as George Clinton and the P. Funk Band, The Offspring, and many others. Still maintaining the education of the importance of keeping our earth clean, trade among countries, and the importance of creative expression. Another form of expression is filmography. Over the years there have been a variety of movies created for our entertainment from comedy, drama, science fiction, documentaries, action and my favorite, horror. In my opinion, one of the best horror movies created was in 1968. George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was awesome. Writer and Director George Romero went on to write many other horror movies after Night of the Living Dead, such as The Crazies (1973), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), the screen play for Stephen Kings Monkey Shines (1988), and two remakes of Dawn of the Dead (2004) and The Crazies (2010). The original Night of the Living Dead, did not have a well- known cast, and they did not go on to have a lucrative movie careers. The storyline is of siblings Barbara and Johnny traveling to Pennsylvania to visit the gravesite of their father. Attacked on their trip by a strange individual, Johnny is killed and Barbara runs to a nearby abandoned farmhouse or so she believes. Inside, she meets Ben, who is also trying to escape the unusual creatures that are attempting to attack them. Survival becoming key, they search the house for items they can use to keep themselves safe. Upon their search, they find a radio, and able find a working radio station they find out that radiation from a satellite that returned to Earth from Venus, is affecting the dead, and reanimating them, however it causes them to attack the living. Over the decades since the original screenplay, it has been reworked by many, but nothing Romero’s by far is my favorite. Our future is ever changing and if we have learned anything since the beginning of time is progress is important for an ever evolving world. Upon discovering the time capsule from the 1960’s, I am getting a better realization on how important change is to our future. The evolution of birth control, from Egyptians using an all-natural vaginal suppository to the creation of the pill to give women a freedom to have more sexual experiences without the consequences of pregnancy. The progress John F Kennedy tried to push, space exploration, a peaceful cohabitation between cultures and races within the United States and trying to make a difference in the poverty stricken areas in the U. S. Being the first country to put men on the moon and constantly exploring the universe, perhaps we are not the only ones here. And exploring the infinite creativeness of music and film, the possibilities are endless. How to cite Exploring the 1960’s, Papers Exploring the 1960’s Free Essays As an archeologist I have seen many things while traveling the world. But I recently came across an interesting time capsule in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. I would have never thought the 60’s were an eventful decade, since it was way before my time, but boy was I amazed at what I found. We will write a custom essay sample on Exploring the 1960’s or any similar topic only for you Order Now The invention and distribution of birth control pills gave a new freedom to women and their sexuality. The assassination of John Fitzgerald Kennedy, a young president that had a promising future, along with many other high profile men who had a large support following. Woodstock in upstate New York 1969 was a huge event that spawned many other festivals featuring several day events and equally rowdy crowds throughout the U. S. And my all-time favorite movie, debuted in 1968, George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead. In centuries past there have been many forms of birth control. In Egypt 1550 B. C, women would mix berries, herbs and honey as a vaginal suppository to kill sperm during intercourse. 1700’s Giovanni Casanova, and Italian adventurer and author, attempted a form of female condom with sheep intestine and lemon juice. In 1839, Charles Goodyear who vulcanized rubber, created the first true condom, douche syringes, and a womb veil or a form of a diaphragm, which was later officially called a diaphragm in 1880. But, it was not until 1960 that the first birth control pill, Envid was created, and almost half a million women were taking it for actual medical purposes other than a form of not getting pregnant. The creation of the birth control pill allowed a new freedom for women to explore their sexuality and not get pregnant, but it did not and still does not prevent sexually transmitted diseases. John Fitzgerald Kennedy, born on May 29, 1917, was not a very healthy child. Suffering from typically ailments such as whooping cough, chicken pox, and measles, almost did not make it after a battle with scarlet fever before the age of 3. He grew up as an Irish Catholic in Massachusetts. Though a sickly and slightly clumsy kid, being one of nine kids, he had a very dominant personality. In 1936 he entered Harvard University playing football alongside his older brother Joe; however he was not as good of a player as his brother and suffered a back injury that would never fully heal. His brother Joe was the one with the aspirations to become the first Irish President. His senior year at Harvard, he wrote his thesis based on why Great Britain was not ready to take on Germany. It was later published, called Why England Slept. Joining the Navy after graduating, he served as Captain on a PT-109 to keep the Japanese from delivering supplies to their soldiers. He was awarded the Medal of Honor from both the Navy and Marine Corps for his courage and bravery after a Japanese destroyer rammed the ship he was on, splitting it in 2, killing two of the twelve crew members. JFK rescued one of his shipmates who was severely burned, as well as the rest of the crew when he wrote a note on a coconut shell that was found by natives days later. In 1946, after his service time, he ran for congress in Massachusetts and won a seat. He went on to serve 3 terms and was then elected to the Senate. He wrote a book in 1957 regarding U. S. Senators who fought for what they believed in called Profiles of Courage, which won him a Pulitzer Prize. On July 13, 1960 he was nominated by the Democratic Party to run for President of the United States, making him the youngest President (43), and was elected the 35th President on January 20, 1961. On November 22, 1963 John Fitzgerald Kennedy, also known as Jack, was riding in a motorcade on his way to a luncheon when he was hit in the head and neck passing by the Texas School Depository in Dallas, Texas. Also hit was the Governor, who later recovered from his serious chest wound. John F. Kennedy was an advocate for fighting poverty, racial discrimination, disease, war and wanted to be the first country to put a man on the moon. His assassin, Lee Harvey Oswald, who also killed a police officer the same day, was himself assassinated by Jack Ruby, silencing the only man who could answer questions as to why Kennedy was killed. The assassination of JFK has been a controversial topic for many years and  until any documents and or photos come to light on who or what was behind his assassination we may never know. Kennedy was a big pusher for space exploration, and though he was not present to see his dream come true, on July 16, 1969, a team of three men were catapulted into space to be the first men on the moon. There have been many speculations as to whether this event even happened, even though there is video footage of the event, many question if it was actually just filmed on a Hollywood back lot. Since that first landing there has not been another U. S. man or woman on the moon, but there have been many who have entered space for further exploration, and it is expected that there will once again be a man/woman on the moon in the future, but for a longer period of time. Music makes the world go round. No matter what race, religion, gender or age, music can make us smile, laugh, love, cry, or calm us down. So what could bring the world together to send a message of peace, cultural expression, and openness? In 1969, more than half a million people travelled to Bethel, NY for a music festival that made sure many generations would be heard. In August 1969, over a 4 day period of time, 32 acts performed on a 600 acre dairy farm to bring awareness regarding the environment, universal human rights, free trade, and creative expression among other things. Performances by the great artists like Jimi Hendrix, the Who, Creedance Clearwater Revival and Crosby, Stiles and Nash. Many other music festivals have been established over the years but none have rivaled the original. The Woodstock Festival has been repeated two more times over the years, once in 1994 featuring bands such as repeat performer Joe Cocker, new bands of the time like Blues Travelers, as well as established bands like Metallica, Aerosmith, and also a repeat performance by Crosby, Stiles and Nash. Again, five years later, featuring Punk bands such as George Clinton and the P. Funk Band, The Offspring, and many others. Still maintaining the education of the importance of keeping our earth clean, trade among countries, and the importance of creative expression. Another form of expression is filmography. Over the years there have been a variety of movies created for our entertainment from comedy, drama, science fiction, documentaries, action and my favorite, horror. In my opinion, one of the best horror movies created was in 1968. George Romero’s Night of the Living Dead was awesome. Writer and Director George Romero went on to write many other horror movies after Night of the Living Dead, such as The Crazies (1973), Dawn of the Dead (1978), Day of the Dead (1985), the screen play for Stephen Kings Monkey Shines (1988), and two remakes of Dawn of the Dead (2004) and The Crazies (2010). The original Night of the Living Dead, did not have a well- known cast, and they did not go on to have a lucrative movie careers. The storyline is of siblings Barbara and Johnny traveling to Pennsylvania to visit the gravesite of their father. Attacked on their trip by a strange individual, Johnny is killed and Barbara runs to a nearby abandoned farmhouse or so she believes. Inside, she meets Ben, who is also trying to escape the unusual creatures that are attempting to attack them. Survival becoming key, they search the house for items they can use to keep themselves safe. Upon their search, they find a radio, and able find a working radio station they find out that radiation from a satellite that returned to Earth from Venus, is affecting the dead, and reanimating them, however it causes them to attack the living. Over the decades since the original screenplay, it has been reworked by many, but nothing Romero’s by far is my favorite. Our future is ever changing and if we have learned anything since the beginning of time is progress is important for an ever evolving world. Upon discovering the time capsule from the 1960’s, I am getting a better realization on how important change is to our future. The evolution of birth control, from Egyptians using an all-natural vaginal suppository to the creation of the pill to give women a freedom to have more sexual experiences without the consequences of pregnancy. The progress John F Kennedy tried to push, space exploration, a peaceful cohabitation between cultures and races within the United States and trying to make a difference in the poverty stricken areas in the U. S. Being the first country to put men on the moon and constantly exploring the universe, perhaps we are not the only ones here. And exploring the infinite creativeness of music and film, the possibilities are endless. How to cite Exploring the 1960’s, Papers

Multiple Personality Disorders Essay Example For Students

Multiple Personality Disorders Essay Multiple Personality Disorders By Philip AushermanMultiple Personality Disorder (MPD) or Dissociative Identity Disorder (DID) was first recognized in the 1700s but was not understood so therefore it was forgotten. Many cases show up in medical records through the years, but in 1905, Dr. Morton Prince wrote a book about MPD that is a foundation for the disorder. A few years after it was published Sigmund Freud dismissed the disorder and this dropped it from being discussed at any credible mental health meetings. Since then the disorder has been overlooked and misdiagnosed as either schizophrenia or psychosis. Many in the medical profession did not believe that a person could unknowingly have more than one personality or person inside one body, even after the 1950s Three Faces of Eve was published by two psychiatrist. In 1995, records showed that three to five thousand patients were being treated for MPD compared to the hundred cases reported ten years earlier. There is still as increa se in the number of cases being reported as the scientific community learns more and more about the disease and the public is becoming more and moreaware of this mental disorder. There are still many questions left unanswered about the disease, like Is it genetic? or Is a certain type of personality more vulnerable to the disorder? but many aspects of how people come by the disorder are already answered (Clark, 1993, p.17-19) MPD is commonly found in adults who were recurrently abused mentally, physically, emotionally, and/or sexually as young children, between birth to 8 years of age. The child uses a process called dissociation to remove him/herself from the abusive situation. Dissociation is when a child makes up an imaginary personality to take control of the mind and body while the child is being abused. The child can imagine many personalities but usually there is a personality for every feeling and or emotion that was involved during the abuse (BoyyM, 1998, p.1). As an adult, the abused child finds it hard to keep track of time and may have episodes of amnesia. Other symptoms that will appear in adults with MPD are depression, auditory and visual hallucinations (hearing voices) and suicidal thoughts. Another major symptom is when the adult has no recollection of their childhood. The adult with MPD has no idea they were abused as children and also unaware of the other personalities living inside of their head (Multiple Personality Disorder-fact sheet, 1996-99, p.1). Multiple Personality Disorder is when there is the presence of two or more distinct identities or personalities, each with its own relatively enduring pattern of perceiving, relating to, and thinking about the environment and self(BoyyM, 1998, p.1). There can be anywhere from two to over a hundred different personalities. Usually each personality will fall into one of the following categories: core, host, protectors, internal self-helper, fragments, child members, preteen, teenager, adults, a rtistic/music, cross-gender, cross-colored, animal members, inanimate members (BoyyM, 1998, p. 2-3). The host personality is the person who is the multiple, this is the original personality, or the one that created the other personalities, but is unaware of them. The most common apparent identities are the child, persecutor, rescuer, and helper. The child is the identity that is under the age of twelve. They behave as children often sucking thumbs, twisting hair, like to eat cookies, throw tantrums, and use child-like vocabulary. The Persecutor identity is the self-destructive identity that is violent and angry. Persecutor identities usually have a drug/alcohol problem and generally put the host at risk. The rescuer personality is usually devoid of emotion but logical, able, proficient, and responsible. The helper personality knows the most about the history of the multiple; they generally want to help everyone for the general good. The helper personality is the personality that is most helpful in therapy because they usually know about all the other identities (Clark, 1993, p.80-83). Subpersonalities are not only part of a person with MPD but they are also evident in emotionally normal persons as well. Although, in a normal person, he/she remembers when their subpersonality takes over, but in a MPD patient, the personality disconnects from the host that the host can not remember what happens. When a traumatic experience happens, whether positive or negative, a subpersonality will develop. In a normal person, the splitting is broken into an ok self and a not ok self. In a multiple, the personalities are more defined; they are broken into smaller fragments that disassociate from the human host (Rowan, 1990, p. 7, 20). In the book by Terri A. Clark, M.D., it shows the distinct the personalities are in several cases. It also shows how each identity can be different from the other identities and the host. In one of Clarks cases, Veronica, one of the personalities of her patient Regina, showed up for the weekly appointment instead of Regina (note that it really was Regina, but she was a different identity). Clark noticed a change in the appearance of Regina on her arrival and noted the difference in her voice. Veronica (Regina) continued to speak to Clark as if it was the first time they had met. Although, Veronica knew about Clark, Reginas personal life, and therapy, this was the first time Clark had met this personality. Clark discovered while talking to Veronica that she had a separate business which she ran on the weekends, and when Veronica was in control of the body. Regina had no idea about the business; Veronica used the fake name and an Art Gallerys telephone number in which to run her business. Veronica even had a different handwriting than Regina. According to Clark, each personality has its own distinct features, such as handwriting, fashion taste, hobbies, and culinary taste. In most cases, there will always be personality that w rites with their left hand, while the host and other identities write with their right. In Reginas case, Veronica wore different clothes than Regina and she had an interest in fine art. Each personality of a host, when asked, will tell you they have a certain type of hair color and cut, height, weight, and even gender (Clark, 1993, p. 73-78). The problem with having all these personalities is that they do not mesh well. Consequences can arise from having so many different traits inside one body like eating and sleep disorders, depression, anxiety, and substance abuse (Smith, 1993, p.1). Each alter also has their own name, these names can come from anything but there are three common factors that influence the alters name. Some alters are just born with the name, this is when the alter is modeled after a real or fictional character. Some alters are named after emotional responses, such as Sad One or Angry Janie. Many alters are named for the specific job they are supposed to do, like Director, Helper or Avenger. The names chosen have been created by a child so they are most likely modeled after a fictional or real character. Although the host will have no idea of the other personalities and will not respond to the names at first, the alters respond to the birth personalities name (Clark, 1993, 90-91). The circumstances that the identities get the host into can also become a problem. The different alters while in possession of the body can go somewhere where the host does not know and then leave and the host is left with no idea how he/she got there and how to get back. In Sybil, one of the first times she realized she had a problem was when she had to leave her Columbia University Chemistry Lab when something broke. The last thing she remembered was standing at the elevator but when she regained consciousness she was in the warehouse district of Philadelphia. Miles from where she had been before in New York and it was five days later (Schreiber, 1973, p. 23-36) . The persecutor identity has a tendency to leave the host in dangerous situations. Carla, one of Clarks patients, had a persecutor alter named Godiva. Godiva was always putting Carla in sticky situations like Godiva would pick up men at bars and bring them home or go home with them. Carla would come to consciousness with an unknown man in her bed and she would pass out, another alter would have to come out and rescue Carla. CJ (Carlas big burly male alter) would come out punch the guy and leave. Christine (Carlas logical alter) would come out and handle the situation using her negotiation skills. At other times Timmy (the young boy who was an escape artist) would come out talk his way out of the situation, leaving the man so bewildered because he was with a woman who thought she was a young boy. When this occurred it would leave the other alters upset at Godiva (Clark, 1993, p.99). There are three different types of relationships that alters can have between each other. The first o ne is, one-way amnesia, this is when alter number one knows about alter number two but alter number two does not know about number one. The second relationship is two-way amnesia exist when neither alter know about each other(Clark, 1993, p. 87). Cognizance, the third relationship, is when all the alters know about each other but the host personality knows about none of them. The host will hear conversations in his/her head, these conversations are between the alters. This is when the alters know the host personality but is unable to affect it as long as the host is in control (Clark, 1993, p. 87-88). The cause of MPD is severe trauma, most of the trauma happens at a young age and the violator is usually someone who the child knows. In satanic cults, children mistreated and abused, to intentionally cause MPD, do not know everyone who is involved in the abuse. Examples given by Clark are children put in a coffin with rats, snakes, and bugs then buried alive. Later the satanic cult le ader or priest will rescue the child therefore making the child feel obligated to that person. In satanic cults, children are also raped. During the rape, men and women would violate the child they would also violate the child with objects such as a knife, an upside down crucifix, and other objects (Clark, 1993, 181-198). The child gets to the point where they think they are going to die, and they disassociate themselves from the situation, this is when the personalities are born. Other types of abuse are emotional and psychological abuse by a parent. One of Clarks patients remembered under hypnosis a time when she was two. Her mother took her outside put her in a tree and told her to jump, the child after a slight hesitation did so, and the mother stepped back, watched the child fall to the ground, and laughed. These traumatic events and others are the cause of MPD (Clark, 1993, 105-106). No matter how bad the abuse was and how many different personalities are present; a MPD patien t can be cured. The process to recovery for a MPD patient is long and hard. The personalities are not being made to disappear but to become one. There has to be a fusion of all the alters into the host, the host has to learn to express all the emotions, that for so long, another alter would take care of for them. Although some MPD patients are harder than others to fuse, but all patients can be cured. Patients that were subject to Satanic Ritual Abuse are more difficult to fuse due to the threats that the cult made or are making on their lives. A patient that was in a cult must have lost all contact with the cult before successful fusion can take place. When fusion is successfully accomplished, the host person can handle their emotions as where before fusion they were unaware of many common emotions (Clark, 1993, 208-213). Research is continuing to be done on this disorder. Many people still doubt the realism of the disorder, especially as more people fake the disorder to get out of judicial problems. About 1% of Americas population has MPD, but many are scared to see Psychiatrist, and many fake the disorder (Smith, 1993, p. 1). As awareness for the disease is becoming more prevalent, more patients are discovering after years of misdiagnosis, they finally can start the right kind of therapy. Multiple Personality Disorder is not a disease or mental illness, it is a disorder caused by traumatic events in early childhood. MPD is treatable and a MPD patient can hope to one day live a normal life with every part of his/her personality fused into one. A MPD patient is not something to be afraid of as where they usually just inflict pain upon themselves and not on others. MPD patients can be your next door neighbor, parent, and even spouse. They do not seem that different from normal people, and many do not even know they have the disorder. Awareness is the key, not only awareness of MPD but of child abuse, if child abuse is stopped MPD will not be a problem. Multipl e Personality Disorder is often brushed aside by Christians who think that MPD is demon possession, but MPD and demon possession differentiate in many ways. MPD although it can be caused by satanic ritual abuse is not evil, it is a process of the mind. Possession on the other hand, is when a body is taken over by an evil spirit. It is the physical body that the demon has control over not the mind. In MPD the only part affected is the mind, the body is not changed and does not convulse as it does in possession. In Ephesians 6:12(NIV) it is written, For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against rulers, against authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. Demon possession is the fight against the flesh MPD is the fight against the mind. I do not believe that MPD is demon possession, I do believe that they are more susceptible to it if they have been involved in a satanic cult. MPD patients are gifted, smart individuals who suffered greatly as children and they used their only defense their imaginations to alleviate the pain. Our Hearts Grow Tender with Childhood Memories EssayIn conclusion I believe that anyone that believes they have MPD should seek help to bring out the feelings that are causing these split personalities to work against eachother and to join eachother and work together. EMDR is a new technic that is being tested and it causes you to bring out represt memories and to express and discuss the situations that you were put in. Psychology Essays