Anatomy And Physiology: Need For Nutrition

Anatomy And Physiology: Need For Nutrition Nutrition is the process by which living organisms obtain or absorb food. These foods contain chemical substances which are the source of energy and necessary for growth, repair and maintenance. Nutrients build the body and allow it to function. There are six types of nutrients; carbohydrates, protein, fats, vitamins, minerals and water which living organism need for sustenance. Carbohydrates produce and store energy and heat. There are two types of carbohydrates; simple and complex. Examples of simple carbohydrates are glucose and sugars. Complex carbohydrates are the starches the body gets energy from, they include; potatoes, rice and pasta. Protein plays a vital role in the formation of structures in organisms. They are used for body building or growth and repair of damaged tissue. Proteins are also used in the formation of enzymes, hormones and muscle. Living organism also needs fat to be healthy because it supplies and stores energy and heat. They are used in the transportation of the fat soluble vitamins and supports organs like the kidneys, and signals hormones. Vitamin A ensures proper bone growth and healthy skin, vitamin B complex breaks down carbohydrates and fat and helps to give healthy nervous system, whiles vitamin C heals wounds and helps the immune system. Vitamin D ensures the absorption of calcium for strong bones and teeth whiles vitamin E helps in the formation of red blood cells. Minerals also play important function in the body: Iron is very important in the formation of haemoglobin, Calcium and phosphorous are needed for the formation of strong bones and teeth, whiles Iodine is important for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Water is an important compound because it provides the medium in which all biochemical reactions such as digestion, excretion and absorption takes place. Water helps in regulating the body temperature and also forms the basics of all the body fluids. 2.1 Explain the functions of carbohydrates, lipids and proteins, and evaluate different food sources. Carbohydrate is one of the nutrients that provide our bodies with energy. They include sugars and starch, and their principal function in organisms is the production and storage of energy and heat. There are two types of carbohydrates; simple and complex. Examples of simple carbohydrates are glucose and sugars, whiles complex carbohydrates are the starches the body gets energy from. Different food sources of carbohydrates are; rice, potatoes, and pasta. If the right amount is taken, they supply the body with the required energy needed for the muscle, brain and central nervous system. They also play an important role in the metabolism of amino and fatty acids as well as regulating blood glucose. Lipids consist of natural fats and oils which are derived from plant and animal sources. They perform the function of storing and supplying of energy, body building components and certain vitamins. Most of the energy used by the heart is obtained from fats. Lipids also protect various organs. Lipids are also used as hormones that play the role in regulating body metabolism. They help in the production of hormones and store vitamins ADEK. Sources of fats are: margarine, milk and groundnut oils. Proteins play a vital role in the formation of structures in organisms. Proteins are built up from amino acids and are used for body building or growth. They are also for the repair of damaged and worn out tissues. When there is shortage of carbohydrates and fats, they are used for the production of energy. Proteins are also used in the formation of enzymes, hormones and muscle. They also form a major component in the bone, muscle and other tissues and fluids. Food sources of protein include; meat, fish, eggs and groundnut and the end product of digesting protein is amino acids. 2.2 Explain the need for vitamins and minerals and evaluate different food sources. Vitamins are organic constituents of food required in very small amounts for a variety of metabolic purposes and for good health. Minerals on the other hand are inorganic elements essential for normal growth and development. There is the need for vitamins and minerals because they are important for maintaining good health and prevents some diseases. They are found in a variety of foods, so a balanced diet should provide the body with the needed quantities. They control the chemical reactions within the body to convert food into energy. There are 13 vitamins which are classified into two groups: water soluble vitamins which are B C and fat soluble vitamins; A, D, E k. Vitamin A is important for growth and healthy skin, and also helps in the bodys immune system. Food sources for these vitamins include; milk, butter, chicken, and mackerel. Vitamin B complex breaks down carbohydrates and fat and helps to give healthy nervous system; whiles vitamin C heals wounds and helps the immune system. Vitamin D ensures the absorption of calcium for strong bones and teeth and vitamin E helps in the formation of red blood cells. Vitamin K helps the liver in the production of blood clotting factor for the prevention of internal bleeding. Through the activity of the healthy bacteria, the body also makes vitamin K in the large intestine. Various food sources of vitamins include; liver, beans, green vegetables, oranges and egg yolk. Minerals also play specific and important function in the body. There are two types namely; macro minerals and micro or trace minerals. Macro minerals are needed in large quantities and they are calcium, phosphorous, magnesium, sodium, potassium, chloride and sulphur. Trace or micro minerals are needed in small quantities. Even though the body needs it, it requires just a little bit for the body to function; ion, manganese, copper, iodine, zinc, cobalt, fluoride and selenium. Ion is present in foods as green vegetables, eggs and kidneys and is very important in the formation of haemoglobin. Its absence reduces the oxygen carrying capacity of the blood and causes anaemia. Calcium and phosphorous are needed for the formation of strong bones and teeth. You can get them from milk, fish and whole grain cereals. Calcium plays a role in blood clotting and muscle contraction. Iodine is important for the proper functioning of the thyroid gland. Its food source include cheese and sea fish. Magnesium is derived from fruits and helps in the transmission of nerve impulses. Potassium is another form of mineral which keeps the muscles and the nervous system working properly. It ensures the right amount of water in the blood and body tissue. Food sources are bananas, broccoli and tomatoes. Zinc is the last mineral type which helps the immune system. It is the bodys system for fighting off illnesses and infections. It also helps with cell growth and helps heal wounds such as cuts. The food sources for this mineral include pork, lamp, beans and lentils. 3.1 Describe the main organs of the digestive system The digestive system comprises of the digestive tract; a series of hollow organs joined in a long tube from the mouth to the anus, and other organs that helps the body to break down and absorb food, known as the accessory organs. Those accessory organs include the salivary glands, the pancreas, the liver and the gallbladder. The human digestive tract takes in food in various forms and extracts the nutrients that the body turns into energy, and the remains are then excreted. The digestive tract also contains a layer of smooth muscle that helps to break down food and move it along the tract. Organs that make up the digestive tract are the mouth, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine also known as the colon, rectum and the anus. The mouth is the site of ingestion. Its primary function is to help digest food by crushing and breaking down the size of the food into smaller units. The mouth includes the teeth, tongue and the hard and soft Pilates. There are also three sets of salivary glands: parotid, sublingual and sub maxillary that secrete saliva to help in chewing food. There is a lining in the mouth called the mucosa which contains tiny glands that produces juice to help digestion. The tongue also mixes saliva with food and moves it towards the pharynx. The oesophagus is a food tube that begins at the pharynx and leads to the diaphragm into the stomach. Bolus is pushed down the oesophagus by peristalsis; a circular sphincter muscle opens to let food pass and closes behind it to prevent the food flowing back from the stomach. The stomach is the location for breaking down food by gastric acid and digestive enzymes after it comes down the oesophagus. There is also a lining called the mucosa which contains tiny glands that produces juice to help digestion. The small intestine is the main place for digestion because, it where vitamins and nutrients are absorbed. It then passes through the large intestine which compact the waste and stores any water left over from the small intestine. Wastes are finally disposed off by the anus at the end of digestion. The liver, pancreas and gall bladder are important in secreting and storing substances that helps in the breaking down of food. The liver and pancreas produces digestive juice that reaches the intestine through the small tubes called ducts. Digestive juices are stored in the gallbladder until they are needed in the intestine. Parts of the nervous and circulatory systems also play a major role in the digestive system. 3.2 Explain the function of the main organs of the digestive system. The role of the digestive system is the physical and chemical breakdown of food. After ingestion, food and fluids are processed by the digestive organs so that nutrients can be absorbed and circulated through the bloodstream and then to the body for the needed nutrients. Any remaining food which is not able to digest is eliminated through the anus as faeces. The digestive system is made up of the digestive tract; a series of hollow organs joined in a long tube from the mouth to the anus and other organs that help the body to break down and absorb food. Organs that make up the digestive tract are the mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine, large intestine also known as the colon, rectum, and anus. These are the main organs of the digestive system. There is a lining called mucosa inside these hollow organs. In the mouth, stomach, and small intestine, the mucosa contains tiny glands that produce juice to help digest food. The digestive tract also contains a layer of smooth muscle that helps break down food and move it along the tract. Mouth is where digestion process begins; food is entered, cut, crushed and chewed by the teeth and broken down with saliva. The process of mechanical and chemical digestion begins at the associated accessory organs such as the teeth tongue and salivary glands through mastication, whiles the mouth also begins the propulsive process of swallowing. The next organ is the pharynx which serves as the passage way when food is swallowed and connects the mouth and the oesophagus. The oesophagus is a thick walled muscular tube that connects pharynx with the stomach and serves as the passageway for food from the mouth to the stomach. This works by a process called peristalsis. The stomach is a j shaped muscular bag which chums, digests, and stores food. It continues the process that began in the mouth of reducing the size of the food. It acts as a temporary storage site for food where chemical digestion of proteins begins. A few fat soluble substances are also absorbed through the lining of the stomach into the blood stream. Another organ of the digestive system is the small intestine which is located between the stomach and the large intestine. It measures about 6m approximately. The small intestine is where digestion is completed and virtually all the absorption of the digestion products into the blood stream happens. Mechanical digestion and propulsion of the food through the gastrointestinal tract is achieved by the alternate contraction of the smooth muscles of the small intestine wall. Enzymes conveyed through ducts from the pancreas, liver and gallbladder, together with enzymes secreted from the cells lining. The small intestines function is to chemically digest the food. The soluble digestion products are taken up into the blood stream by passive and active mechanisms. The large intestine, also known as the colon is part of the main organs of the digestive system which measures about 1.8m long approximately and is located by the pancreas and wraps around the small intestines. It is considered as the largest part of the digestive system which contains large amount of vitamin producing bacteria B1, B2, B6, B12, folic acid and biotin. The large intestine is the site of absorption for the remaining water from the indigestible food matter, stores this unusable food and eliminates them from the body as faeces which consist of indigestible materials, bacterial and sloughed off intestinal cells. The large intestine takes about 11 to 16 hours to finish up the remaining process of the digestive system. The rectum acts as a temporary storage facility for the human waste. It walls expands the receptors from the nervous system found in the rectum walls, stimulate the desire to remove waste matter from the body through the anus, which is the opening part of the rectum where waste from the body are expelled. Two solid digestive organs, the liver and the pancreas, produces digestive juice that reach the intestine through small tubes called ducts. The gallbladder stores the livers digestive juices until they are needed in the intestine. Parts of the nervous and circulatory systems also play major roles in the digestive system. 4.1 Explain the process of digestion The digestive system is a gastrointestinal tract that has mouth, pharynx, oesophagus, stomach, small intestine and large intestine. It has other accessory structures, such as salivary gland, pancreas, liver, and gallbladder. (Anatomy and physiology,1999). Digestion actually starts in the mouth when food is ingested; food is chewed and mixed with saliva to moisten it, as the enzymes in saliva begin to break down carbohydrate (starch). When food is chewed, it becomes lubricated, warmer, and easier to swallow and digest. The teeth and mouth works together to convert each bite of food into a bolus that can readily move into the oesophagus. There is a lining in the mouth known as mucosa which contains tiny glands that produce juices to help digest food. After the bolus is swallowed, it enters the oesophagus where it continues to be warmed and lubricated as it moves toward the stomach. The acidic environment of the stomach and the action of gastric enzymes and pepsin convert the bolus into chime, a liquefied mass that is squirted from the stomach into the small intestine. Inside the hollow organs is a lining called the mucosa in the stomach, which contains tiny glands that produce juices to help digest food. Carbohydrates tend to leave the stomach rapidly and enter the small intestine, proteins leave the stomach less rapidly, and fats stayed there the longest. The stomach then secretes juice that works to convert food into a thick liquid. These liquid then passes into the small intestine. The conversion of protein into amino acids, fat into fatty acids and starch or carbohydrate into simple sugars is what happens next in the small intestines. The small intestine is the principal site of digestion and absorption. Enzymes and secretions from the pancreas, liver, gallbladder, and the small intestine itself, combine to break down nutrients so that they can be absorbed. The pancreas is a veritable enzyme factory, supplying enzymes to digest proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Intestinal cells also supply some enzymes. The wall of the small intestine has millions of tiny cells that are known as villi. Inside the hollow organs is a lining called the mucosa in the small intestine which contains tiny glands that produce juices to help digest food. Cell has many small blood vessels where digested materials are taking in, and transported to the body cell. Materials that are not absorbed move into the larger intestine, where the water and salt get absorbed. The hard solid waste go es out via anus. 5.1 Describe the structure of the liver The liver is the largest gland found in the body, and it weighs between 1and 2.3 kg. It is located at the right upper part of the stomach. It has two lobes that is a round body part. Its two blood vessels enter the liver as hepatic portal vein that comes from the small intestine, and the hepatic artery that is oxygenated blood from the lungs. The liver has two ducts that unite to form the shared (joint) hepatic ducts that open with the pancreatic duct in the hollow side of the duodenum. The gallbladder is inside liver, it acts as storage for bile, which is formed by the liver cells. The right lobe of the liver is larger than the left. The boles divide into many tiny lobules that are made up of many liver cells. The whole liver structure is permissible with the system of blood capillaries and lymph capillaries. The liver cells do secrete bile that is collected in the bile capillaries, and then join to form bile ducts. The entire bile ducts eventually join to form the main hepatic duct . The main hepatic duct then gives off a branch that is known as cystic duct. The cystic duct goes into the gallbladder. The cystic duct joins hepatic duct while inside the gallbladder. The two ducts continue as the universal bile duct, which joins the pancreatic duct to form a shared duct, which opens into the duodenum (first section of small intestine). (Anatomy and physiology,1999). 5.2 Describe the role of the liver in dealing with nitrogenous waste and toxins. The liver is like chemical processing centre which has got many functions and they includes; the production of bile, it also produces proteins, and stores glycogen, iron and some vitamins. The liver also removes toxins and waste from the blood and converts them into less harmful substances. It also regulates blood sugar, lipids and amino acids, forms plasma proteins and stores vitamins such as A and D. When the body uses protein, it is broken down into amino acids by the liver. The by product of the used protein is ammonia which is toxin to the body. The liver then uses enzymes to convert this ammonia into urea, which goes into the blood. It is then picked by the kidneys to flow out of the body. Other disposal is through the intestines. Without the help of the liver to convert ammonia into urea, it would build up in the blood which can cause problems. Another factor is the use of drug or alcohol. Again, the liver with the help of digestive enzymes breaks down this substance which is then disposed off by the body. These broken down toxins are eliminated from the body by converting and then excreted to the bile or blood. Through the duodenum, bile waste substances enter the intestine and eliminates from the body as faeces. Blood waste substances is also filtered from the blood by the kidneys and eliminated from the body as urine. The liver has to convert fat soluble toxins into water soluble substances that can be excreted from the body. It filters the blood to remove large toxins, synthesizes and gets rid of bile and other fat soluble toxins and live enzymes eliminate unwanted chemicals. The process of disposing of toxins occurs by oxidations and conjugation. Oxidation neutralizes the toxin which will then be neutralised by conjugation. This process converts a toxic chemical into a less harmful chemical. Conjugation is the pathway where the liver cells add another substance such as sulphur molecule to a toxic chemical to make it less harmful then excretion. 6.1 Describe the gross and ultra structure of the kidney The gross structure of the kidney is what we can see with our naked eye. It consist of the fibrous capsule surrounding the kidney, the cortex which is a red/brown colour layer of tissue that is below the capsule and outside the pyramid and the medulla, which is the innermost layer consisting of the renal pyramids. The ultra structure is what we can not see with our naked eye. They are the functional units, the nephrons and the smaller numbers of collecting ducts. The kidney is either of two bean shaped excretory organs that filter waste from the blood. It is located at the dorsal part of the abdomen. The left kidney lies slightly above the right. Each kidney is supplied with blood by the renal artery and drained by the renal vein. Coming out of the two kidneys are a pair of ureters which conveys urine from the kidneys to the urinary bladder for temporary storage. The last portion is the urethra which is responsible for sending urine out of the body. The diagram below was lifted from; (www.ivy-rose.co.uk/human body), shows the gross structure of the kidney. The kidney is reddish brown in colour and has got a deposit of fat on top of it. It can be seen to have a central cavity, the pelvis, while the surrounding mass of tissue is differentiated into an outer cortex and an inner medulla. Urine formed in the kidney passes by a pair of ureters, into the bladder where it is stored until released by the urethra. Each kidney contains about one million nephrons which can be regarded as the functional unit performing both functions of excretion and homeostasis. At the inner end of the nephron is a spherical structure called the Malpighian body which is located in the cortex. It consists of a cup-shaped Bowmans capsule and a double layer of epithelium, enclosing a small cavity known as capsular space. The capsule then extends into a tube that coils many times to form the proximal convoluted tubule. It then descends into the medulla where it makes a u-turn known as the loop of Henley. The tubule ascends again into the cortex, forming the distal convoluted tubule, which opens into a collecting duct, along with several other nephrons. The collecting ducts converge at the pelvis of the kidney, shedding their contents into the ureter, which carries the urine to the bladder for temporary storage. Entering the narrow opening of each Bowmans capsule is a small arteriole, which breaks up into a network of capillaries, the glomerulus. Leaving the capsule is another arteriole, which subdivides to give a network of capillaries enveloping the convoluted tubule. 6.2 Explain the process of filtration in the nephron The main function of the kidney is to purify the blood which flow through it. It extracts and eliminates all harmful substances and ensures it has the correct composition. This is achieved through the process of filtration, re-absorption and secretion. Because the artery bringing blood into the glomerulus is larger than that carrying blood away from it, a high pressure is built up within the glomerulus. Under this pressure, filtration occurs. This involves the forcing of substances from the glomerular capillaries through the thin wall of the Bowmans capsule, into the lumen of the tubule. This filtrate consists of water, glucose, amino acids, vitamins, salt and urea. The filtrate passes down to the proximal convoluted tubule where considerable re absorption occurs. Over 80% of the glomerular filtrate is absorbed including all the glucose, amino acids, water and vitamins. The process of absorbing the useful metabolites back into the blood stream is known as selective re absorption which involves active transport and passive diffusion. Active transport requires energy (ATP) which is provided by the cells of the tubule. Further waste substances may be added to the tubules by active secretion from the blood capillaries surrounding the tubules. The Henles loop and distal convoluted tubule help to regulate the amount of water in the body. This is achieved by the help of a hormone known as ADH (Antidiuretic hormone) produced by the pituitary gland. The tubule also helps to regulate the pH of the blood, regulating the amount of ions in it. When the osmotic pressure of the blood is very high, more water is absorbed from the urine. This mechanism dilutes the blood and returns its concentration to normal. At low osmotic pressure of the blood, very little or no water is absorbed in the convoluted region of the tubule. Low concentration of the blood increases its regulatory activities by forming weak or diluted urine at regular intervals but discharged in large quantities to help bring the blood concentration to normal. This regulatory activity is controlled by ADH. Its presence in the blood stream affects the collecting duct thereby regulating the amount of water in the urine. 6.3 Explain the methods by which the kidney varies the volume and concentration of urine. The cells of the human body are surrounded by liquid that is remarkably constant in its properties. The various metabolic processes that take place in the cells of the body require a constant internal environment. Homeostasis is the process that ensures maintenance of this internal environment. Almost all chemical activities in the body system are enzyme controlled and they work better under good condition with respect to pH, temperature and other factors. Whenever the bodys normal temperature is altered and the condition of salt with respect to K*, Na*, C1- ions are not well maintained within the physiological limits, a number of process including nervous transmission are affected. The regulation of the amount of water and mineral salt in the body is controlled by hormones. When the amount of water in the body is low and the body begins to dehydrate, the concentration of salt in the blood increases resulting in an increase in the osmotic concentration of blood. The brain detects this change and nerve impulses are sent to the pituitary gland to stimulate an increase in the production of ADH. This increases the permeability of cells of collecting ducts and they reabsorb more water which helps to normalise the osmotic condition of the blood. On the other hand, when water in the body system is higher than normal, ADH production stops or reduces. Under this condition, large volumes of water are discharged together with the urine into the external environment, which is known as osmoregulation. REFERENCE: Ken, Chisholm (2009) importance of nutrition [online] Available at: http://www.nutrition.about.com (Accessed: 03/01/2010 at 2227) Matt, Ziemian (1982) Human Anatomy Colouring Book, New York: Dover publication. Ross, Wilson (2006) Anatomy and Physiology, Churchill Livingstone Elsevier 10th Ed. Ross, Wilson (1990) Anatomy and Physiology, Churchill Livingstone 7th Ed. Thompson, Bnowak (2009) liver detox [online] Available at: http://www.people.cornellcoge.edu (Accessed: 02/12/2009 at 0800) Author unknown (2009) the digestive system [online] Available at: http://www.digestive.niddk.nih.gov (Accessed: 10/01/2010 at 1815) Author unknown (2010) structure of the kidney [online] Available at: http://www.ivy-rose.co.uk/humanBody (Accessed: 12/01/2010 at 1002) Author unknown (2010) filtration of the kidney [online] Available at: http://www.purchon.com/biology (Accessed: 12/01/10 at 1717) Author unknown (2010) filtration of the nephron [online] Available at: http://www.health.howstuffworks.com (Accessed: 12/10/2010 at 1733) Author unknown (2010) filtration of the nephron [online] Available at: http://www.nsbn.org/humanphysspace/focus4/ep-urine(Accessed: 12/10/2010 at 1747) Professional Ethics: Compare And Contrast Professional Ethics: Compare And Contrast Professionals carry a lot of moral responsibilities to those in the population in general, and to society. Professionals can act on informed decisions that the public cannot, because the public lacks the knowledge that the professional has. There are several ethical principles that dictate how a professional should act in a business setting. These ethical principles have many similarities but are ultimately very distinct. Teleology is a Greek word meaning end or purpose. Teleology refers to moral philosophies that results in moral decisions based on the final outcome. A person looks at the choices presented to them and weighs all the outcomes and then chooses the consequence that best suits there desires. There are two major teleological philosophies, egoism, and utilitarianism. An egoist is a person who is only concerned for him/her self. They do everything that they can to further their own needs. This doesnt mean they are evil and greedy. An egoists goals can include getting a better job, a better house, or that stock portfolio they always wanted. In regards to ethical decisions, the egoist will choose the path that leads to their own goals with little to no regard to the other stakeholders. For the most part an egoist only thinks short term, there are some egoists that can think long term. These egoists are called enlightened egoists. Another version of the egoist, the enlightened egoist, is able to look further along in time, they are also able to think about other peoples interests when making ethical decisions. An enlightened egoist will still keep there own interests ahead of others. An example of an enlightened egoist would be some one that helps a turtle cross the street only because that person would feel bad if the turtle were to get killed by a car, and also it would help the turtle. In regards to business ethics, the egoist would be someone that tells management of someone else wrong doing against the company but only if it would benefit there position in some way (Ferrell, Freidrich, Ferrell, 2010). The egoist isnt the only one that is concerned with consequences. A utilitarianist concerns themselves with many consequences but unlike egoists they dont do things just for themselves. The egoist and utilitarianist are very much plan oriented. They weigh all the outcomes and consequences, and what will happen to the stakeholders. The difference however is that the utilitarian will try to find the best choice to benefit everyone, while the egoist will of course try to get as much benefit as possible for himself. Utilitarians dont just think about the benefits to humans either. Utilitarians will choose whats best for everything, including plants, animals, and the environment. Dont confuse them for tree hugging hippies though. If a solution does not benefit all stakeholders a utilitarian will not choose it. Deontology Deontology is completely different from teleology. Really the only thing that they have in common is that deontology is also a Greek word. Deontology is from the Greek word for ethics, and refers to a focus not on the self like Teleology but on others, and others intentions. Deontology teaches that there some things that just should not be done even if it could increase utility. Someone that follows deontology would try to convince there boss to give an employee another chance to improve their performance even though it would probably help overall productivity just to fire the person. The basic guiding ethical principle of deontology is that if you are comfortable having everyone see your actions and your rationale for committing this action is suitable to become a universal guiding principle then you are ethically sound in committing that action (Ferrell, Freidrich, Ferrell, 2010). Another example of this would be the taking of office supplies for use at home. If this were a universal ethical standard then companies would be going out of business because they would be spending ridiculous amounts of money on office supplies. Deontology can also be broken down into two different schools of thought, rule deontology, and act deontology. Rule deontology focuses on a conformity to general moral principals. Basic deontological philosophies use reason and logic to create their rules of behavior. Whistle-blowers are the best example of rule based deontologists, if the whistle-blower is bringing up a complaint that affects the general health and well being of its employees and customers even if they would suffer the loss of their job or worse. On the other end of the deontological spectrum is the Act deontologists. The act deontologist will still use rules and logic but not the currently established ones that the rule deontologists have created. Those rules are only guidelines to be used to make an ethical well thought out decision. Act deontologist also treat every action differently and as a seperate incident to be determined on its own. There is also some debate on the obligations of deontologists to the law. Some argue that one of the deontological duties is the duty to obey the law. Otheres argue that any duty to obey the law depends on whether the possesses practical authority (Deontological Ethics, 2003). Relativist Perspective The relativist perspective is more of a study of ethical norms and behaviors across the numerous and uncountable cultures of this world. It kind of follows the ideals of deontology in that it studies the rules of ethics that each culture creates. Relativists pride themselves on being fair and impartial to each cultures ethical norms. Relativists know that ethical decisions are based on cultural norms and therefore there can be no absolute ethical rules. For the most part relativists will adhere to moral and ethical standards of the culture that the relativist is currently in, but will adjust these morals and ethical rules as they move from culture to culture. To put this in perspective the relativist perspective can almost be used as the job description for an anthropologist. A good example would be polygamy, the practice of which is very acceptable in some societies but frowned upon in most of America (Moral Relativism, 2004). Virtue Ethics Virtue ethics is all about being an ethical person. Virtue ethicists will tell you that they do not follow a set of rules. Their actions are dictated by virtues and these virtues are inherent to your person. Virtue ethicists are also not concerned about the consequences of their actions like the Teleologists, nor do they have to think things through like a utilitarian. A virtue ethicist does whats right because they are a good person. Virtue ethics are not a habit like smoking, it is a persons very nature. These virtues (the rules that drive a virtue ethicist) will often come into conflict with a persons emotions. The truly virtuous however, are capable of putting aside their emotions and act without pause. Justice Justice is a system that is used to evaluate the fairness of different situations. Justice is based on rules, just like the deontologists, but in contrast these rules are written and are capable of forcing people to follow them. There are three types of justice that can be used. There is distributive justice, procedural justice, and interactional justice. Distributive justice relates to the guidance of the allocation of benefits and burdens of economic activity. In other words this is what decides who the laws should apply to. Procedural justice relates to the procedures used to produce the outcome, and interactional justice is used to evaluate communication processes. Conclusion Professionals have an uncountable number of moral and ethical decisions that they must decide on, and they need guidelines to help them make the best ethical and moral decisions. These guidelines can come from a great many sources, and it is ultimately the professionals decision on what to follow. Society in general follows these guidelines, and indeed without these guidelines society could very well fall apart into chaos. Are We Dependent on the Media? Are We Dependent on the Media? Media! Are we becoming dependent? Media is everywhere in society; it is almost impossible for people to ignore. Media; such as television, film and social media; can play a significant role in socialising children, and forming their ideas about the world. This creates a cycle where each generations views and ideas become influenced by media and each generation depends upon it for morals and ideas. UK children watch an average of more than two and a half hours of television a day and spend an hour and 50 minutes online a day, a poll suggests. It is estimated that children watch 40,000 television adverts each year. (AAP, 2006) and as children grow, viewing of television increases. Under 6s only watch 2 hours of television whereas 8 18 year olds watch on average 2 extra hours a day. This suggests that people rely more on television as they grow, now this may be because there is more choice for them to choose from or that they are in fact becoming dependent upon it. Most forms of media are seducing in many ways, which can make them become addictive because they appear exciting. Advertising people use clever techniques to hook people in and make them want to consume more media; using techniques such as; repetition of the advertised item, allowing for them to be build awareness and using television adverts, it allows both sight and sound to be used. This allows the advertiser to disguise the repetition by changing how its delivered. An advert for a product called HeadOn is an example of this. (Number 1) Viewers dont know what the product does but the name is remembered. There are many other techniques; such as association with something well known; i.e. a celebrity or song, or a desirable emotion being used. There are also ways such as promotions, bandwagon usage; everyone else is using it and so should you. A successful advertisement creates a desire in people and allows for a way to fulfil that desire, which makes the audience feel good about doing anything about it. Often we just receive messages from the media and do not question them making it easier for people to forget that everything does not have to be accepted. Media messages have only been one way. Audiences watch and consume them but we do not create or influence the media, however, new content on the internet has changed this; such as social networking sites and audiences uploading content online, using sites such as YouTube. Changes have come about because it allows for the audience to interact more with media, instead of just creating it, they allow for thought processes and creativity to flow, people do not just consume the media they are given but they add their spin, allow themselves to show off their opinions, creativity and even make a career out of something they are passionate about. They interact with the media they are looking at. Youtubers make a significant amount of money. Dan Howell aka Danisnotonfire; uses YouTube professionally and has a net worth of around  £2million. (Telegraph, 2015). He is a video blogger and recently became a radio personality. He creates many different videos; from internet help groups; asking his followers to ask him questions; to collaborating with other YouTubers such as AmazingPhil; Phil Lester. They like to interact with their followers, even having Tumblrs which allow for this. They show peoples fan art and vlog about different subjects. Young people dont sit in front of the TV for hours, they sit in front of a laptop for hours, says Danisnotonfire. Media companies have to adapt or die, like Blockbuster Video. (Conrad Withey, founder of Popshack, 2015) Many YouTube stars have become household names: Zoella (8.4m subscribers) has published four best-selling books in six months. Both Danisnotonfire (4.8m subscribers) and AmazingPhil (2.6m subscribers) have also brought out a book and sold out a UK tour. YouTube stars have become one of the few ways to reach younger consumers. A survey by Variety found that the five most influential figures among Americans aged 13-18 were YouTube stars, eclipsing mainstream celebrities including Jennifer Lawrence and Seth Rogen. (Variety, 2015). In the last 15 years media outlets have rapidly increased. In 1988 there were 4 television channels in the UK, now there are over 250. There were 60 radio stations, now almost triple that. There were 14 cinemas, now there are 2000 (Peake, 2002) these changes suggest a wider range of choice meaning people can spend more time using what is there. Early theories of media effects argue that media has a direct effect on behaviour. Hypodermic syringe theory (Harold Lasswell, 1920s) sees the media to have an immediate effect on peoples mood and actions. For example, violence in movies can produce violent behaviour which can enable influences on peoples perceptions. This could manipulate and control audiences but most of the research used to support this is from laboratory experiments which is fine but it lacks ecological validity as people behave different in laboratories than in real life. This theory ignores individual differences. Uses and gratification theory challenges this approach. T his asks what an audience does for the media instead of vice versa. It is argued that media is there to satisfy certain needs. McQuail et al. (1972) identified four needs that need to be met by watching television, they were escapism, companionship, personal identity; this was to see how clever they were using programs like quizzes; and the last need was their need for information. The uses and gratification approach lets the audience choose from the media to satisfy their needs. However, how can we identify audiences needs and how do we know that audiences have a wide range of programs, are they selective? People are adapting with the technology. In 1990, the internet had existed for only 7 years and only 3million people had access to it worldwide, of these 73% of were American. In 2008 there were 140 million people alone who have registered Facebook accounts and 40 million people had Bebo (comscore.com) Of these people there were only 22% of adults used them whereas almost double of children aged up until 17 used these sites, showing that maybe age has a part to play. According to Ofcom (2011) there were 18.8 million people to have a fixed residential broadband in the UK; while the figures continue to rise the UK population in 2011 was 63.2 million so only 30% of the population had it. The usage increases as the range of media increases but it only explains correlation and not causality. This could also suggest that people did not have internet at home but with the rise in other devices that access the internet; smart phones and dongles; they could be using these instead. 76% of those asked in thinkwithgoogle.coms survey said they accessed the internet every day from their phones, so the internet usage could be higher. It could be argued that people could be seen to use more media as there is more of it to access, so the average could still be the same. Peoples needs are forever changing and they seem to change with the media, as we are predisposed to media from a young age and it increases with age. (Jessica Farrow, 2015) Media dependency theory argues that the more dependent an individual is on the media for having their needs met, the more important the media be to that individual, thus there is a vicious cycle. (Sandra Ball Rokeach and Melvin Defleur, 1976). This theory is based on the uses and gratification theory which identifies how people use and become dependent upon media. People will use the media for many reasons; information and entertainment are just two examples. The media will also have much more influence over the individual; if someone is dependent upon the media then it is easy to set an agenda. Agenda-setting theory (Max McCombs and Donald Shaw, 1968) describes the ability to influence the importance of topics on the public agenda. I.e. if a news story is frequently covered then the audience will regard it as more important. For example, the constant televised show of the presidential 2017 election, this is important to everyone but is it only important because we keep getting told of it. The Paris attacks are another example, whilst this is important, there were bombings and attacks in different eastern countries but we were never told of this. Bad news almost always dominates the headlines; people respond more to negative words than they do to positive. Media is always made for a reason and the audience helps that by being a part of the cycle. This approach can be easily measured as it is positivist and it predicts a correlation between media dependence and importance the media has. However, each person uses the media differently, so individual differences need to be taken into account. This theory does not do this but according to Chaffe and Bergers criteria for scientific theories (1997) this theory is good. It is simple to understand and can be proven false, if a person is not dependent upon media then it will not be of great importance to the individual. This is also a great springboard to further research and helps to organise and relate to other media effect theories. It is a good theory but it needs to be expanded using the other theories such as Social cognitive theory (Bandura, 1986) build on uses and gratification theory[T1], it helps distinguish the stimulus for media consumption. Social cognitive theory explains behaviour in terms of the reciprocal causation between individuals, environments, and behaviours. This allows to make a more personal relationship between them instead of a much larger picture. Cognitive approaches like cultivation theory treats media consumers as passive sponges who file away bits of information. This does not always adequately describe consummation of media. Some people are more involved in certain aspects of medias, like fans of shows or movies. These people are not passive in their approaches but are interpreting material and seeking pleasures such as happiness and escaping their routines. People who are dependent upon media rely upon getting their needs met, so they spend more time using media to get the socialising they need and the needs covered. Each individuals needs is different but this seems to happen from childhood. Addiction is a serious problem for everyday life, usage of the internet; a large part of mass media; helps to fuel peoples addictions. To be classed as an addiction suggests that people are becoming much more dependant and that the use of media can be dangerous especially if it is changing the biology of peoples brains. Media activates the same pleasure centres of the brain as substances like alcohol and drugs. Among these alterations, the most significant is in the uncinate fasciculus which connects the limbic system to the hippocampus, creating a dissymmetry in the frontal lobe of the brain. Addiction is only possible if the activity is rewarding to the individual. They start to need to media for their own personal needs and become selfish and as it is everywhere it is almost impossible to stop what they are doing. Even if individuals do not have much of a reason to use any form of media, they have to use it because it is necessary to stimulate their brain and release the chemicals needed to feed the addiction. Having behaviour problems such as ADHD and depression can effect this differently, as the brain reacts to different stimulus in ways that a brain would usually do and I will discuss this in my next essay. Using social media can be detrimental to health. We see people doing different things with their life, maybe getting promoted or just a holiday and the mood can change, people can become envious. It makes everyone compare their lives to others, making people feel like they could be doing better, that they want something. Alison Stevenson wrote a blog on this and she says, For years, Id hear news of a friends success, and my immediate reaction would not be joy for that person. Instead Id think to myself, why didnt that happen to me? Only after the initial wave of self-pity had subsided, would I be able to finally feel genuinely happy for that personà ¢Ã¢â€š ¬Ã‚ ¦ I couldnt help but obsess over why my particular path hadnt lead me to the success I saw in other peoples lives. (Alison Stevenson, 2015)[T2][JF3][JF4] If a mood can change like that just from using sites such as Facebook, then what is it doing to the mass population who are constantly using it. People seek approval and online media makes that much easier and worse to do. Stevenson admits that stopping using the site helped her ease off on the envy and learn to be happier. Social media also allows people to showcase the best side of their lives. They can show an idealised self to the world which allows people to be envious. A poll on Twitter revealed a sentiment of social media fatigue. Jazzi, does not blog so much anymore, hasnt used Instagram in 70 weeks and her response to the poll was her first tweet since 2014. She still maintains all platforms except for Facebook and doesnt interact with others. Stacey, a PA from London, deleted Facebook three years ago when it went rogue and published private messages on [her] public wall. Since she deleted it she has no regrets. (Jane Helpern, Think Pieces, 2015) This goes to show that people do not have regrets from leaving social media and that can make it easier to live a day to day life.[T5] We consume media but how much is it sensationalised to create more drama and effect. Television does it; even documentaries have a habit of adding to it. For example, Nanook of The North (1922) raised issues that continue to this day, there was a deceptive depiction of Inuit culture, actors were used in place of real people, parts of the Inuits identities were erased and the plight of the eskimos were overlooked. He manipulated the story, changing customs to show his vision. He continued to omit issues regarding the natives in favour of supporting his vision (Gray, 1950). A documentary, chronicles the lives of real people. Flaherty, the director, raised controversy with Nanook, because his most serious manipulation of the subject was to pay both his technical assistants and his performers (Nanook of the North, 1996) and establish characters.[T6] Documentaries seem to show one side, does this make them biased or does that allow for the subject to be talked about? The Rageh Omaar documentary (2016), which talks about migration and technology, talks about Estonian culture and how the media seems to have hindered the culture they live by but there is also the other side, did the media help create the culture? Documentaries can provoke different feelings, such as socialisation; which in turn, linking up to the Rageh Omaar documentary; can be a hinder to everything and make people change in some way. If the culture is aware of the media presence then could it help, maybe creating empathy in people if they are represented truthfully? By using the programme itself to show this, it shows how technology do both. [T7][JF8] Children still use a lot of media today, using items like tablets for games and educational purposes. This changes their development and the way they learn and socialise with each other, many children in the western world use media at such a young age. I will look more into this when I write my second essay, also looking at the cultural differences posed and how different media technology is in developing countries and how the rise in technology and the effects of this. People get sensitised to the media and they do not always know or realise how much they are taking in. The aim of this study is to establish if society is dependent upon media and whether they use too much of it in their everyday lives. What is too much needs to be considered but this will be looked into further in my next essay. To ensure validity I will back it up with theories already made and statistics already found. Media dependency theory will be one of these. As stated media is everywhere so this study will sh ow people use media in all aspects of their lives and they need it fulfil their needs; whether psychological or biological. References Ball Rokeach, S, and Defleur, M. (1976) A dependency model of mass media effects Communication Research, 3, 3 21. Chron (2017) 5 Most Common Advertising Techniques [Online] Available At: http://smallbusiness.chron.com/5-common-advertising-techniques-15273.html (Accessed 17th January 2017) Google (2012) Smartphones and the Internet. [Online] Available At: thinkwithgoogle.com (Accessed: 13th October 2016) Halavais, C. Petrick, C. Anker, A et al. (2004 2006) Communication Theory. London: eM Publications Helpern, J (2015) social media suicide: why generation z is going off the grid. I-D Think Pieces [Online]. Available At: https://i-d.vice.com/en_us/article/social-media-suicide-why-generation-z-is-going-off-the-grid (Accessed: 17th January 2017) Internet World Stats (2013) INTERNET USAGE STATISTICS The Internet Big Picture [Online] Available At: http://www.internetworldstats.com/stats.htm (Accessed: 28th September 2016) Mass Communication Context (2000) Media Dependency theory [Online] Available At: http://www.uky.edu/~drlane/capstone/mass/dependency.htm (Accessed: 14th October 2016) New Media TrendWatch (2013) Usage Patterns and Demographics [Online] Available At: http://www.newmediatrendwatch.com/markets-by-country/18-uk/148-usage-patterns-and-demographics (Accessed: 15th October 2016) Ofcom (2012) Facts and Figures [Online] Available At: http://media.ofcom.org.uk/facts/ (Accessed: 15th October 2016) On Assignment (2016) On Assignment with Rageh Omaar. ITV1, 27th September 2016 Pilkington, A and Yeo, A. (2009) Sociology in Focus for AQA A2 Level. Second Edition East Lothian: Scotprint and Haddington Stevenson, A (2016) Theres an antidote for life-envy [Online] Available At: https://www.headspace.com/blog/2016/01/13/how-social-media-is-distracting-you-from-your-goals/ (Accessed: 17th January 2017) Tech Addiction (No Date) Internet Addiction Statistics [Online] Available At: http://www.techaddiction.ca/internet_addiction_statistics.html (Accessed: 12th December 2016) The Telegraph (2015) Making money from Zoella and Dan Is Not On Fire: the start-ups behind the YouTube stars [Online] Available At: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/businessclub/technology/11669543/Making-money-from-Zoella-and-Dan-Is-Not-On-Fire-the-start-ups-behind-the-Youtube-stars.html (Accessed: 17th January 2017) WorldMapper (No date) Internet Users 1990 [Online] Available At: http://www.worldmapper.org/display.php?selected=335. (Accessed: 15th October 2016) Image References: Number 1: HeadOn, (2006). HeadOn Advertising, ScreenShot image. Available at: https://i.ytimg.com/vi/f_SwD7RveNE/hqdefault.jpg [Accessed 17 Jan. 2017] Video References: KyleLC (2006). HeadOn. Available At: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f_SwD7RveNE (Accessed: 17th January 2017). [T1]You do not always use a capital letters when referring to this theory make sure you are consistent. [T2]Cut down this quotation to save word count [JF3] [JF4] [T5]Decrease this section, include only a couple of examples? [T6]Reduce section on Nanook of the North [T7]Reduce [JF8]