Introduction
Mastery, Tyranny, & Desire is a book written by a historian Burnard Trevor and published by the University of North Carolina Press in 2003. The book addresses the subject of slavery, white privilege, and abuse of power by white plantation owners in Jamaica in the 18th century. The author seeks to illustrate the hardships and suffering of slaves under an oppressive regime of white slave-owners as well as demonstrate the casual brutality and excessiveness with which they were dispensed and contrast with how slave owners treated themselves and each other.
The overarching goal was to demonstrate what part did slave oppression play in the life of an average white plantation owner and how the possession of power over others leads to the most horrifying examples of exploitation, oppression, and brutality. Despite the author doing a superb job at bringing the dry facts and reports from various historical sources to life and highlighting the hardships of slaves (especially women slaves), it failed to recognize the agency and desire to obtain freedom from the slaves. Burnard significantly downplayed slave resistance and willingness to challenge authority, despite the evidence provided in the book pointing to the contrary.
Sources Used
The book is largely based on the primary source, which is the diary of Thomas Thistlewood, a British plantation owner and overseer, who lived in the 18th century. His diary is one of the very few sources about the history of the land during that time period. The diary was written in a very dry, report-like language, with no persona thoughts or feelings cropped into the writing. In order to bring the stories to life and to give the reader a historical, economic, and philosophical context, Burnard provides references and citations from other primary sources, such as various slave codes practiced in Jamaica as well as in North America.
Other sources included the British code of laws of the 18th century as well as modern and contemporary records and reviews of the history of slavery. There is an overreliance on Thistlewood’s diary, but such a measure is forced because, as was mentioned, there is very little primary source information about the history of Jamaica during the time of Tacky’s Revolt of the 1760s. However, the rest of the sources are academic and reliable, having been published in peer-reviewed scientific journals.
Summary
The book describes the life of Thomas Thistlewood and his management of the plantation during his time in Jamaica. The diary itself followed his day-to-day activities in the form of reports about business, acquisitions, personal life, punishments, scientific endeavors, and sexual activities. Burnard synthesized the information from the diary in a more structured way, separating certain activities one from another and dividing them into thematic chapters.
These chapters are following one another in groups of two, in order to cover particular topics and episodes of Thistlewood’s life. The first two chapters describe his personal history and rise to power. The second two chapters are largely dedicated to his academic pursuits and relationships with other white owners. The transition of focus from slavers to slaves comes in chapter five, which described the alleged “unseen war” between slaves and their masters, with the latter doing their best to keep the slaves down. The next two chapters describe how male and female slaves fared under Thistlewood. The last chapter is a verdict to the man, his accomplishments, his ethics, and morals.
Dissemination of Arguments
Burnard makes several arguments in regards to what shaped Thistlewood into what he became to be, starting from his rather humble beginnings as a second son in a fatherless family. The first chapter is dedicated to describing his life on the mainland, where he was found rather inadequate for employment or marriage (Burnard 2003, 12).
However, his value as a worker and a human being significantly rose in Jamaica, where the majority of the population was black, and where whites were suffering from a demographic crisis (Burnard 2003, 19). The second chapter further supports that idea, stating that Thistle received quick promotions and was invited to parties and balls, despite being of relatively low rank.
Using these facts, Burnard establishes the idea that Jamaican plant owners a kind of egalitarian society, which was very advanced for their century. However, these perceptions of egalitarianism and pursuits of intellectuality did not spread on the slaves, as another thing that united the white community in Jamaica was their treatment of slaves (Burnard 2003, 83). Chapter 5 presents how plantation owners viewed their slaves.
It was a mix of brutality, utilitarianism, and fear, as they made sure to keep the slaves down in order to prevent any attempts at revolt. Burnard (2003, 150) states that the slavers had ample reasons to fear a slavery uprising. Nevertheless, at the end of the chapter, he draws a conclusion that Jamaican slaves were too psychologically damaged to engage in a violent or nonviolent struggle against their owners.
Chapters 6 and 7 describe the suffering of slaves as well as the labor they engaged in. Burnard (2003, 210) states that female slaves were significantly worse-off than male slaves, as, in addition to backbreaking labor, they were also the targets of sexual advances and bore the burden of mothering children. The last chapter summaries the author’s conclusion about slavery and intellectual development in Jamaica. As presented by Thistlewood, his way of life and his proclivities towards slaves, enlightenment, humanity, and equality were aimed only towards the “master race,” which was why the memory of Thistlewood would that of a sadistic tyrant and not a scholar (Burnard 2003, 271).
The greatest controversy in Burnard’s analysis is his underplay of slave resistance to the pervasive society they were forced to live in. He avoids the term “resistance” throughout the book, replacing it with “opposition.”
According to him, the population was psychologically bruised to challenge white authority (Burnard 2003, 178) despite providing evidence to the contrary. Thistlewood’s area was the one most affected by Tacky’s Revolt, and his own diary demonstrates the presence of rebellious slaves and runaways, such as Sally, Coobah, and Phibbah, who managed to transcend the limitations of slavery and rise to a position of power (Burnard 2003, 217). His argument about whether the slave-master relationship was a negotiation, a submission, or a long-term battle, is confusing, especially considering the overarching argument that slaves had little to no agency in the first place (Bernard 2003, 212).
Conclusions
Burnard does a great job of systematically portraying the life of slaves and masters in the Caribbean. Although some of his interpretations and views on the matter are questionable, the book leaves plenty of opportunities to learn about slavery and the history of Jamaica in the 18th century. It should be considered a required reading within the subject of Caribbean colonial history. It also shows how much did skin color mean on the frontiers of the British Empire. The thesis of the book remains undisputed, as even the most enlightened and egalitarian of the colonists turned tyrants and psychopaths when exposed to power over others. Absolute power corrupts absolutely.
Bibliography
Burnard, Trevor. 2003. Mastery, Tyranny, & Desire. Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press.
Internet-Based Psychotherapy As An Innovative Tool
Introduction
The use of evidence-based innovations in the healthcare sector has significantly improved patients’ access to quality and safe health services (Pedersen & Johansen, 2012). Based on the effects of innovation on the healthcare practice, it is essential for nurse leaders to evaluate them and promote innovations that have a positive impact on health outcomes. This paper discusses Internet-based psychotherapy as an innovative tool for increasing access to quality psychotherapy services.
The Innovation and Problem Being Addressed
Internet-based psychotherapy is an Internet-based innovation that allows psychotherapists to provide their services virtually. It has different applications in the healthcare sector, but the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2012), has registered its effectiveness in providing rehabilitation services to patients who have brain injuries.
The problem being addressed by the innovation stems from the need for patients who have acquired brain injuries to get rehabilitation services. Although they are required to visit a health care facility to get such services, some of them have trouble doing so because of geographical or logistical barriers. Consequently, they fail to get valuable services. Internet-based psychotherapy could bridge this service gap.
Outcomes
The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (2012) says that patients with brain injuries who have received rehabilitation services using the Internet-based psychotherapy have reported improved not only cognitive functioning but also registered high levels of satisfaction with the innovation. For example, patients who had severe memory impairment reported improved cognitive performance because of the innovation (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012).
A post-therapy assessment of the innovation also indicated high levels of satisfaction among therapists (buoyed by increased productivity) (U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, 2012). The major contribution of technology is its improved access to rehabilitation services for patients who have difficulties traveling to healthcare facilities (Kumar, Sattar, Bseiso, Khan, & Rutkofsky, 2017).
How the Innovation Could Be introduced at Johns Hopkins Hospital and Strategies to Sustain It
Internet-based psychotherapy could be used by Johns Hopkins Hospital to provide emergency psychiatric services (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2018). It creates the opportunity for an in-office therapist to conduct cognitive therapy sessions on different groups of patients who visit the hospital, such as those recovering from substance abuse or those who are seeking child and adolescent psychiatry services (Johns Hopkins Medicine, 2018). Sustaining Internet-based psychotherapy at Johns Hopkins Hospital requires the implementation of three key strategies. First, the treatments offered on the platform should be guided.
However, as Andersson and Titov (2014) opine, “guidance” does not necessarily have to be explicitly therapeutic in orientation; instead, it could be practical and supportive. Secondly, as suggested by Dückers, Wagner, Vos, and Groenewegen (2011), it is important to evaluate the impact of the innovation on the quality and safety of services offered to patients at the facility. Lastly, it is important for Johns Hopkins Hospital to make sure there is a functional information technology infrastructure within the organization that supports the technology. For example, there should be reliable Internet services and well-trained psychotherapists who are knowledgeable about innovation.
Summary
Internet-based psychotherapy is an effective, evidence-based tool for the provision of psychotherapy services. The success of the innovation in providing rehabilitation services to patients who have brain injuries partially demonstrates its effectiveness. Johns Hopkins Hospital could benefit from the same innovation if it integrates the technique as a tool for facilitating outpatient appointments. However, to sustain the innovation, the hospital needs to provide reliable technology infrastructure, periodically evaluate the impact of the innovation on the services provided to patients, train its psychotherapists to use the technology, and make sure that the services provided on the virtual platform are standardized.
References
Andersson, G., & Titov, N. (2014). Advantages and limitations of Internet-based interventions for common mental disorders. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 13(1), 4-11. Web.
Dückers, M. A., Wagner, C., Vos, L., & Groenewegen, P. P. (2011). Understanding organizational development, sustainability, and diffusion of innovations within hospitals participating in a multilevel quality collaborative. Implementation Science, 6(1), 18-27.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2018). Psychiatry and behavioral sciences. Web.
Kumar, V., Sattar, Y., Bseiso, A., Khan, S., & Rutkofsky, I. H. (2017). The effectiveness of internet-based cognitive behavioral therapy in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. Cureus, 9(8), 1-13. Web.
Pedersen, A. R., & Johansen, M. B. (2012). Strategic and everyday innovative narratives: Translating ideas into everyday life in organizations. Innovation Journal, 17(1), 2-18.
U.S. Department of Health & Human Services, Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (2012). AHRQ healthcare innovations exchange. Web.
Happiness, Positive Psychology And Counselling
Happiness is perceived differently by people. Its basis is not the same for all. There are also different factors that make people experience their own kind of happiness. The degree of happiness also differs given the same instance thus making happiness very subjective to the person who is given the stimulus. The person’s response is different depending on the internal and external factors that the person may be undergoing at the time that the possible cause of happiness happened. But what is happiness and how can one say “I AM HAPPY?”
What is Happiness?
If we look through the books and the dictionaries, we can find a lot of meaning of happiness. Searching through Google you will find the definition of happiness as a state of being happy (google.com). But what is that state of being happy? Is it because of love, money, friendship, family or a job?
Each one has their own definition of what happiness is. One thing that makes one happy may not be the same factor that the others can base their happiness on. Those who do not have food may be happy if they received instant noodles to be shared by the family, but this instant noodles if served to the elite may cause them rage.
One’s overall happiness is where one judges the degree of the quality of life that he or she has (Veenhoven, 2015). No one is a better judge than oneself when it comes to one’s happiness. People who have everything in life may not necessarily be happier people compared to those who can hardly afford to eat one meal a day.
No one can really define happiness as happiness definition is different from one person to another. There are different factors that people consider to really say that they are happy. The same circumstances may not necessarily make two people happy, thus making happiness complex and subjective.
Theories of Happiness
The first theory of happiness is Hedonism. Happiness is based on one’s happiness that is based on increased pleasure and decreased pain. This is a theory of happiness where pain and pleasure are the two important key elements to make a person happy. The definition of happiness, therefore, is dependent on the pleasure the person is receiving (Weijers, 2012).
Another theory of Happiness is Desire theory. This is where happiness gives more weight to getting what you want. This is where the fulfilment what one desires contributes to the happiness not giving weight to any amount of displeasure (Royzman, 2003).
Objective List Theory is another theory of happiness. A person can find happiness in meeting their life’s objectives. This may include career advancement, love, friendship, family, or good conscience. This is where you feel happy when you reach certain goals in life (Royzman, 2003).
Measurement of Happiness
The three theories may have explained their perception of where happiness comes from but the basis of one’s happiness will not be the same for all. Say for example in the Hedonism theory, where people give weight to pleasure over pain to measure happiness. The things that make this person happy and the extent of happiness it gives to that person may not be the same with this kind of person. So how is happiness measured?
There are a lot of tools that researchers come up with when it comes to measuring happiness. Some examples of the happiness scale are the Oxford Happiness Inventory developed by Argyle and Hill (Hills et al, 2002), The Satisfaction with Life Scale by Deiner et. al (1985)., Panas Scale by Watson et.al., and Subjective Happiness scale by Lyubomirsky and Lepper (1999). These will help to evaluate the current level of happiness.
The Challenges and the Impact of Measuring Happiness
There may be a lot of ways on how you can measure happiness by using different tools developed by the researchers. However, the results of these tools may not be consistent depending on the current emotions of the person during the assessment. There are limitations that each of the tools has when measuring happiness. As to what is the basis of one’s happiness? Is it really measuring one’s happiness or is it measuring one’s self-esteem? Is it measuring one’s authentic happiness or is it just comparing his achievements with others (Kashdan, 2003)?
Sometimes studies would show that the more the person has achieved or the more the person has succeeded may indicate more happiness compared to those who are not successful. This creates a notion that unsuccessful people are not the happiest people which may not be necessarily so. Being a company’s CEO does not mean one would not have the same level of happiness compared to clerks or to the company’s cleaners. There is a remarkable difference in what they monetarily make giving more opportunities for the CEO to spend for family’s needs and wants while the company janitor may not be making enough for their needs. But does it mean the janitor is not happy?
Promoting Happiness in Counselling
Counselling plays a big part in promoting happiness to a person. This is also called positive Psychology. Previously, in giving counselling, it focuses more on what is the problem and what can we do to solve it. Counselling may have been teaching us to realize that this is your mistake and this is where you need to work on changing the person to what one may not want. Positive Psychology is where one will be made to realize his own potentials and actually have the power to change things for the better. It makes use of the person’s innate ability and turns it into positivity. There are circumstances that make people blind to their abilities and what they can actually do to make themselves a better person (Barnard, 2009).
Counselling to promote happiness does not teach you on how you will land as a CEO in the company, it will basically show one how he can be happy in his current state and how he can turn his life from feeling miserable to feeling happy with what he has. Happiness is subjective. It does not mean that having more in life means being happier.
Positive Psychology is there to assist the individual in bringing out his potentials. Leading the person to be more self-trusting, independent and to be someone who believes in himself. This is where a person is being taught of optimism. This is where one is encouraged to see the beast within him to help improve his life’s focus and lead him to a path where he can find his own happiness not based on anybody else’s definition of happiness. This is a scientific approach that will help an individual cope and head on a positive life.
What is the Role of Positive Psychology in Counselling?
Positive Psychology applied in counselling can help a lot of people to cope with their miserable life. It is geared towards helping the person see the better side of the world rather than sulk and surrender in thoughts that nothing can be done to improve one’s quality of life.
Positive Psychology in a study presented by Burke that is able to help people with depression. The interventions were actually effective to the extent that they lessened the symptoms of depression among teens.
There are lots of positive interventions used in Positive Psychology and how it affects a person’s view of positivity. Here are some of the interventions that Positive Psychology used.
Gratitude
In a study done by Seligman and Royzman (2005), it is stated that the persons who were tasked to write a letter of gratitude to a person they are thankful for and asked them to deliver it to that person were found happier a month later compared to the control group who were only asked to write about their early memories.
Writing 3 Good things in Life
In the same study by Seligman and Royzman (2005) the participants were asked to write 3 things that positively happened to them within that day and the reason why it happened. This exercise promoted a person’s sense of well-being. These participants were shown to be happier and less depressed after six months.
Optimism
In a study done by Shapira and Mongrain (2010), they implemented a project that promotes optimism. The participants on the optimism group were asked to write about their positive future giving it as many details as they could compare to the control group wherein they are only asked to write about experiences and how they felt about it as much as they can remember. The optimism group showed an increase in the level of happiness for over 6 months.
Positive Psychology plays an important role in counselling as it helps the person see that there is more to life rather than feeling inferior. This branch of Psychology helps a person see that no matter what the status in life is, regardless of who you will spend it with, no matter what your job is and no matter how much you earn, it does not affect somebody’s right to be happy. Positive Psychology will help individuals to see the best in themselves, their potentials and their worth that will contribute to their happiness in life. Happiness is not about your bank account or the house that you live in, or the position that you have right now, but it is the contentment of what you are and what you have and who you are with.
References
Barnard, J. (2009). Concepts of Happiness. Web.
Deiner, E., Emmons, R., Larsen, R., and Griffin, S. (1985) The Satisfaction With Life Scale. Web.
Hills, P., & Argyle, M. (2002). The Oxford Happiness Questionnaire: a compact scale for the measurement of psychological well-being. Personality and Individual Differences, 33, 1073–1082.
Kashdan, T. (2003). The assessment of subjective well-being (issues raised by the Oxford Happiness Questionnaire).
Lyubomirsky, S. & Lepper, H. S. (1999). A measure of subjective happiness: Preliminary reliability and construct validation. Social Indicators Research, 46, 137-155.
Royzman, E. & Seligman, M. (2003). Authentic Happiness.
Shapira, L. & Mongrain, M. (2010). The benefits of self-compassion and optimism exercises for individuals vulnerable to depression. Journal of Positive Psychology, 5, 377-389.
Seligman, M. E. P., Steen, T. A., Park, N. P., & Peterson, C. (2005). Positive psychology progress: Empirical validation of interventions. American Psychologist, 60, 410-421.
Veenhoven, R. (2015). Concept of Happiness. Web.
Weijers, D.M. (2012). Hedonism and Happiness in Theory and Practice. Web.