Discussion 2 Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words - 2

Discussion 2 - Essay Example From Dr. Kenny Handelman’s blog (2012), most users claimed they suffered increased heart rate and increased blood pressure. One patient in particular, Lori’s eight year old daughter, is said to describe the medicine as cardiac medication because it makes her heartbeat go fast. Another patient, Donna, says she suffers vomiting and headache after a few days of taking the drug. Other side-effects that the drug gives are anxiety, decreased or loss of appetite, diarrhea, dizziness, dry mouth, irritability, trouble sleeping, upper stomach pain and weight loss. It is important for patients to inform their doctor about any other medications or even food supplements taken because there are certain reactions of the drug to other medications and vice versa that may cause further health problems. There may also be side-effects that may be caused when the drug is simultaneously taken with vitamins, supplements or medications. With the side-effects specified earlier, precaution must be taken by patients with heart problems, heart defects, high blood pressure, mental problems such as psychosis, tits or Tourette’s Syndrome and seizures. The physician must be informed about the medical history of the patient to make sure there would be no adverse side-effects to the medication (fda.gov,

Oprah Winfrey Talk Show Furror Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Oprah Winfrey Talk Show Furror - Essay Example The talk shows like any other new television genre were an assortment of old programming forms; many of them were aired at daytime. They were mostly geared towards women issues and their roots can be traced back to Arthur Godfrey and Art Linkletter. The shows also reflected their times; Phil Donahue daytime talk show began at the inception of the women’s movement. He tackled women’s issues such as artificial insemination, sexism and homosexuality and was capable of breaking the barrier between the host and the audience. However, his popularity dwindled when Oprah Winfrey began her show in 1983. Use of therapeutic sensibility gave her an advantage over Donahue. The style used by Oprah was unique; she focused on revealing problems, improvement of self-esteem, use of empathy as a cure and empowering women. She wept openly, hugged guests, and said goodbye to each of the member of the studio audience in person. She was able to walk in between the races (cultural bilingualism) thus she was capable of having a coalition of audiences. Imitators of Oprah emerged as her success became evident and they employed similar skills as hers; even Donahue was tackling similar topics like Oprah’s. A survey done on the talk shows by Michigan State University Researchers revealed similar characteristics in all the talk shows. There was a feeling of little attention and credit among the supporters of these shows for their contribution in neglected matters such as family dysfunction and race. The shows were characterized by traditional values and conventional view of morality; a show heavily influenced by empathy for victims. Political influence in these shows cannot be ignored. Clinton appeared in Donahue in a talk-show presidency during the 1992 campaigns; a similar talk-show was done with H. Ross Perot and George Bush in the same year. The key point of these shows was to persuade the victims/audience to feel their pain as a

Gender Roles in Socialization Process Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

Gender Roles in Socialization Process - Essay Example Some brands even have gender-specific designs on their diapers: rocket ship details and ribbon details for boys and girls, respectively. Then of course, when the baby grows a bit, the hairstyles can be more telling as well. As in boys should have short ones and the girls should have long ones. These are also part of the gender socialization process, and ironically, the baby, being the participant in the whole interaction thing, does not even know that he is being conditioned to be a â€Å"boy† according to society’s definitions. I’m sure it occurred similarly for me. As a boy growing up, I have been conditioned to like the certain things that boys are supposed to like: toy cars, action figures and the like. I might not know what color my baby things were when I was an infant but I am quite sure that they were not pink. Society has a very strong influence on a person’s gender socialization process. Not only they are the first ones to take on the child’s first gender identification process, but they also reinforce it. Schools, the community, and peers also influence the child too. I am thankful that my family, even if they are traditional, is not as strict with their expectations of me as a boy growing up. Sure, I have been exposed to â€Å"boy† objects and activities that are essentially rough and tumble in nature - and labeled for â€Å"boys†. I have had friends who were from the opposite sex when I was growing up, but then as a young boy, we did not play together not because we were forcefully separated because of our genders; we simply had different toys. I think this is because of the society’s strong influence on the gender differentiation. This influence is even felt in the workplace, or at least when one working. There are expectations for me at work, as I am a man and a manager in a dental office. Although most employees in our office are females, the manager (me) is a man.  

Classical Music Concert Report Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 250 words

Classical Music Concert Report - Essay Example Each of the pieces from the performance was composed in March 1941 by Benjamin Britten. Different pieces of the performance included symphony and orchestral pieces. Each of the pieces from the performance was written to provide entertainment to the audiences. In addition, the compositions also meant to portray the meaning of opera in the lives of the people (Boosey & Hawkes, â€Å"Benjamin Britten†). In terms of the composer’s background, it is observed that Benjamin Britten was one of the most broadly performed British 20th century composers who studied at Royal College of Music. He founded a new English-language opera convention. His major works comprise invaluable offerings related to opera and the various components that are associated with the creation of symphonic music. Benjamin Britten was born on 22nd November 1913. He passed away at the age of 63 on 4th December 1976. Benjamin Britten belonged to an era in which the concept of classical music was quite widespr ead and consequently he received much admiration. In the era, audiences were able obtain a number of classic pieces of compositions in numerous musical concerts (Boosey & Hawkes, â€Å"Benjamin Britten†). The composer i.e. Benjamin Britten represented a great source of influence on many contemporaries. He had been and still is regarded as one of the great sources of inspiration to many classical music artists namely Percy Grainger among others. His music also inspired the young audiences (Boosey & Hawkes, â€Å"Benjamin

Problems of students Essay Example for Free

Problems of students Essay Top 10 Problems of Students While time spent at college is a fond memory and a happy experience for most, college life is not without its rough patches and problems. While each person problems are unique to their current circumstances, I know that there are a few problems that almost all college students deal with at least once during their time at school. College is not high school so please do not think its a walk in the park. Depending on what type of school you are going to, depends on what kind of problems you are going to face. Certain problems, you going to face regardless of what type of school you are going too. Most common problems of college student are the following. 1. First Day of School ? University students also face problems with making new friends. University is a new chapter in life, and with every new chapter, we have to try to meet new people and make new friends. It is normal for people to feel shy in the beginning, especially when they don’t know anyone around them. Students should learn to step out of their comfort zones and put themselves out there when trying to make new friends. It always seems that people are always just waiting for someone to approach them because they are too shy to make the first move. So, why not try taking the first step, and maybe you’ll find yourself heading towards a really wonderful friendship. 2. Relationship Thingy! Another problem we often hear students talk about are relationship problems. University students are usually at the age where they are looking for someone to share their lives with. We hear many stories about students getting into a relationship too quickly, and things going sour because both parties didn’t know each other well enough as friends. Maybe we should accept some advice from the older generation when they always say that we should always strive to get to know a person of the  opposite sex as a friend, before deciding if there is anything more to pursue with the person. There seems to be very little success rate when rushing into a relationship with someone we do not know well enough. 3. I’m so stress. . When a person faces any type of problems in their daily life, we will definitely find that the person is under high amounts of stress. This applies very aptly to the life a university student. Students are very susceptible to stress when they have any of the above mentioned problems. One good way to deal with stress is to exercise. Exercising helps release endorphins which is a hormone that helps our body relax and feel good. Students who exercise seem to be able to handle stress a lot better than those who do not exercise. 4. Problem everywhere -. The unavoidable problem that students will have to face is problems with their studies. Whether it is a topic that is very hard to grasp, a misunderstanding with a group mate, or just not knowing how to do the work given to them, students will definitely face these sort of problems. It appears that when a student faces these sort of problems, they like to just keep it to themselves, or complain about it to their peer. The solution to these sort of problems is to address it and bring it up to the lecturer, or ask a friend if they can help you with it. Rather than just complaining that they do not understand what is going on, they should seek assistance to help solve their problem. 5. Still Sleepy \^o^/ Many students also suffer from irregular sleeping patterns. Students have assignments, projects and deadlines that appear almost daily after each class. A lot of them spend their time doing all those assigned work during the hours that they are supposed to be asleep. Some of them claim that they work better at night, but it is a  very unhealthy habit. It would be good if students could learn to finish up their work in the day time and leave the night-time to sleeping as that is the time where your body is regenerating, mending, and creating new cells. There is a discipline that should be built into a student when it comes to assignments. They should try their very hardest not to leave their work to the last possible minute. 6. My Hectic Schedule -. Another problem that university students face is poor time management. Due to their busy lifestyles, students often find it hard to find a good balance between their  studies, social lives and working lives. Students should strive to have a planned schedule for their day so that they can try to maximize their productivity and not fall behind in any aspects of their lives. Students often have to learn to be independent and responsible with managing their time, when in university, away from the direct guidance of their parents. 7. Why you’re so Slow Internet? _ With most universities and colleges making use of technology, it’s always an instant heart attack for you when it’s time to enroll in classes and check grades. To  make matters worse, everyone else is trying to access the website of your school hence the slower loading of the page and also in doing assignments and projects. You end up holding your breath while your heart attempts to break free from your body. The struggle is real! 8. Suspension Abangers *. * You stay up late at night and refresh your Twitter account every minute to see if there are suspension announcements. You wake up early in the morning with high hopes of class suspensions because the rain is too strong. You wait, and wait, and wait. You struggle with the thoughts of facing the storm or continue hoping for a class  suspension. You end up going to school anyway; but just as you’re finally at the end of your storm challenge, the suspension you’ve longed for comes and then you just stare at an empty space and mentally flip all the tables in your school. 9. Lack of Confidence There are students who do not believe in their ability to do well in college. Rather than focusing on their abilities and what they are capable of achieving, they place more emphasis on what they feel they can’t achieve. If you tell yourself, â€Å"I’ve always been lousy at math, I am going to fail this course,† then chances are, you probably will. 10. Commute line Don’t you hate it when you wake up early and leave early, but still end up being late for class because of those horrible commute lines? It’s definitely extremely frustrating when you arrive at the terminal or station only to find out that the end of the line is nowhere in sight These are just ten of the many problems that college students face. In the end, is college worth facing these problems and struggles? While students get stressed to the max, the good times outweigh the problem times and the college experience becomes one which shapes the minds and futures of many young people worldwide.

Definitions of Styles and Learning Styles

Definitions of Styles and Learning Styles 2.1.1.1 Definitions of Styles and Learning Styles Styles Before reviewing the literature of learning styles, it is necessary to know the definition of styles. The concept of styles was first put forward by cognitive psychologists. Brown (2002: 104) defines style as a term that refers to consistent and rather enduring tendencies or preferences within an individual. Therefore, styles are those general characteristics of intellectual functioning (and personality type, as well) that especially pertain to one as an individual, that differentiate one from someone else. Learning Styles Regarding studies of learning styles, the most serious problem is the confusion of its definitions. In the past two decades, the learning styles has been used in various and sometimes confusing ways in the literature. It is very common to hear different opinions on its definitions based on different findings in this comparatively new research field of learning styles, for each study defines it from particular perspectives. However, there is not an agree-upon definition of learning styles. Learning styles can be defined in the following ways. Keefe (1979, cited in Brown, 2002:10) defines learning styles as the characteristic cognitive, affective and physiological behaviors that serve as relatively stable indicators of how learners perceive, interact with and respond to the learning environment. Dunn et al. (1978:11) defines learning styles as the way in which each person absorbs and retains information and/or skills; regardless of how that process is described, it is dramatically different for each person. Sims Sims (1990, cited in Reid, 2002) put forward that learning styles are typical ways a person behaves, feels, and processes information in learning situations. Therefore, learning style is demonstrated in that pattern of behavior and performance by which an individual approaches educational experience. Oxford et al. (1991) briefly defines the learning style as the general approaches students used to learn a new subject or tackle a new problem. Tan Dingliang (1995: 12) defines learning styles as: the way that a learner often adopts in the learning process, which includes the learning strategies that have been stabilized within a learner, the preference of some teaching stimuli and learning tendency. Reid (1995) summarizes definitions of learning styles as internally based characteristics of individuals for the intake or understanding of new information. Essentially learning styles are based upon how a person perceives and processes information to facilitate learning. 2.1.2 Categories of Learning Styles Confusion also exists in the literature on categories of learning styles for many same or similar factors researched under the same name. Reid (1995) divides learning-style research into three major categories: cognitive styles, sensory learning styles, and personality learning styles. 2.1.2.1 Cognitive Learning Styles Cognitive learning styles which include field-independent/field-dependent, analytic/global, reflective/impulsive learning styles, and Kolb experiential learning model, belong to the aspects of psychology. Among them researches on field -independent/field-dependent (FI/FD) attract the most attention of SLA domain (Ellis, 1994). According to Reid (1995), field-independent learners learn more effectively step by step, or sequentially, beginning with analyzing facts and proceeding to ideas. They see the trees instead of the forest; whereas field-dependent (field-sensitive) learners learn more effectively in contexts, holistically, intuitively, and are especially sensitive to human relationships and interactions. They see the forest instead of the trees. Chapelle (1995) explains that FI/FD refers to how people perceive and memorize information. Reid (1995) defines that analytic learners learn more effectively individually; prefer setting own goals, and respond to a sequential, linear, step-by-step presentation of materials; whereas global (relational) learners learn more effectively through concrete experience, and by interactions with others. According to Reid (1995), if learners can learn more effectively given time to consider options before responding, they are reflective learners; and they are often more accurate language learners; whereas if learners can learn more effectively being able to respond immediately and to take risks, they are impulsive learners; and they are often more fluent language learners. 2.1.2.2 Sensory Learning Styles According to Reid (1995), sensory learning styles include two dimensions: perceptual learning styles and environmental learning styles. Perceptual learning styles contain four types of learning styles which are auditory, visual, tactile and kinesthetic styles. Auditory learners learn more effectively through the ears; visual learners learn more effectively through the eyes (seeing); tactile learners learn more effectively through touch (hands-on); kinesthetic learners learn more effective through concrete complete body experiences (whole-body movement). Physical and sociological styles belong to the environmental learning styles. Physical learners learn more effectively when such variables as temperature, sound, light, food, mobility, time, and classroom/study arrangement are considered. Sociological learners learn more effectively when such variables as group, individual, pair and team work, or levels of teacher authority are considered. 2.1.2.3 Affective/Temperament Learning Styles Learning styles of this type are based on affect, personality, tolerance of ambiguity and brain hemisphere. Myer and Briggs (1987, cited in Reid, 1995) report that affective and personality factors influence learners learning styles a great deal. Mayer-Briggs team tested four dichotomous styles of functioning in their Mayer and Briggs Temperament Styles (MBTI) which include extraversion-introversion, sensing-perception, thinking-feeling, and judging-perceiving. According to Reid (1995), extroverted and introverted styles belong to extraversion-introversion. Extroverted learner learns more effectively through concrete experience, contract with the outside world, and relationships with others; whereas introverted learner learns more effectively in individual, independent situations that are more involved with ideas and concepts. Sensing-perception contains sensing and perception styles. Sensing learner learns more effectively from reports of observable facts and happenings; prefers physical, sense-based input. Conversely, perception learner learns more effectively from meaningful experiences and from relationships with others. In thinking-feeling styles, thinking learner learns more effectively from impersonal circumstances and logical consequence; whereas feeling learner learns more effectively from personalized circumstances and social values. And in judging-perceiving styles, judging learner learns more effectively by reflection, and analy sis, and processes that involve closure; conversely, perceiving learner learns more effectively through negotiation, feeling, and inductive processes that postpone closure. Reid (1995) suggests that tolerance of ambiguity styles also belong to the affective/temperament learning styles. Ambiguity-tolerant learner learns more effectively when opportunities for experiment and risk, as well as interaction, are present; whereas ambiguity-intolerant learners learns more effectively when in less flexible, less risky, more structured situations. Reid (1995) also claims that whether the learner is left-brained or right-brained will influence learners learning styles. Left-brained learners tend toward visual, analytic, reflective, self-reliant learning; conversely, right-brained learners tend toward auditory, global/relational, impulsive, interactive learning. 2.1.3.1 Sensory Learning Styles Visual styles Visual students enjoy reading and they prefer material in a classroom environment to be presented in a visual format such as books, board work, and handouts. Auditory styles Auditory students enjoy lectures, conversations and oral directions. They prefer material in a classroom environment that is presented as auditory input such as radio, oral instruction, oral communication and audiotape. Hands-on styles Hands-on students like lots of movement and enjoy working with collages, flashcards, and tangible objects. They prefer to be physically involved with tasks, tending to prefer activities such as Total physical Response (TPR) and role-play. 2.1.3.3 Personality Learning Styles Extroversion/Introversion The dimension of styles particularly influences classroom management, especially grouping of students. Extroverted students perform most productively in a group environment, enjoying activities that involve other students, such as role-play, conversation and other interaction favoring social goals as opposed to impersonal rewards. Conversely, introverted students are stimulated most by their own inner world of ideas and feelings. They like working alone or else in a pair with someone they know well. They dislike lots of continuous group work in the ESL/EFL classroom. This contrast is somewhat similar to the categories of group/individual style made by Reid (1987). In conclusion, according to Reid (1995), the role of learning styles in foreign language learning has some fundamentals of learning styles. She claims that learning styles in the ESL/EFL classrooms is based on six hypotheses: Every person, students and teachers alike, has a learning style and learning strengths and weaknesses; Learning styles are often described as opposite, but actually they exist on wide continuum; Learning styles are value-neutral; that is, no one style is better than others (but it is true that there are students with some learning styles work better than those with some other learning styles); Students must be encouraged to stretch their learning styles so that they will be more empowered in a variety of learning situations; Students strategies are often linked to their learning styles; (6) Teachers should allow their students to become aware of their learning strengths and weaknesses.

Criminology Essays Left Realism Critique

Criminology Essays Left Realism Critique Left Realism Critique. Left realism emerged as an influential theory during the 1980s. Its drive was partly dissatisfaction with the dominant criminological perspectives of the time and partially attributable to the prevailing political climate. This essay will outline the emergence of left realism as a means of explaining its main principles. The discussion will also engage with the criticisms of left realism and identify the criminological perspectives with which it conflicts. An understanding of left realism cannot be gained without an awareness of the prevailing intellectual, ideological and political context that surrounded its emergence. Therefore, it is important to appreciate the background from which left realism emerged. In the period immediately preceding the genesis of left realism, the most prevalent and influential criminological perspectives were based largely upon Marxist theories based upon notions of utopianism that were increasingly coming to be viewed as irrelevant in light of the political ethos of Margaret Thatchers Britain (Jones: 2001, 245). In particular, left realists were extremely critical of the way that radical criminological theories presented a characterisation of criminals as political catalysts against bourgeois hegemony and therefore to attempt to explain criminal behaviour in terms of it being a revolution against the injustices imposed upon the majority of the population by the ruling classes (Moore, 1991). Radical criminological theory saw crime as a consequence of (real or imagined) economic deprivation and under-privilege. Left realists were opposed to this view which allocated responsibility for crime to the State, which was seen as an instrument of the ruling class designed to consolidate the position of the powerful and promote the interests of the rich and powerful, rather than with the individual offender. Left realists also objected to the characterisation of the offender as the victim of the labelling process; a view which was popular with symbolic interactionists who were providing a popular alternative voice to the radical criminologists during the late 1970s and early 1980s: For over two decades [criminology] has neglected the effect of crime upon the victim and concentrated on the impact of the of the state through the process of labelling on the criminalIt became an advocate for the indefensible: the criminal became the victim, the state the solitary focus of attention, while the real victim remained off-stage (Matthews and Young, 1986: iv). The rejection by left realists of these constructions of the offender demonstrated one of their central beliefs which was that the offender should be not be absolved of responsibility for his actions and that it was not appropriate to cast blame on either the institutional or structural nature of society as was the tendency of the radical and interactionist schools of criminological thought. Rather than concur with this characterisation, left realists saw criminals as well-socialised individuals who exercised conscious and rational choice in deciding to offend and who saw crime as a way of resolving their particular problems. For left realists, the problems that offenders were trying to solve came from the capitalist ideology that was predominant in 1980s society. Left realists saw this capitalism as producing egalitarian notions such as that of political equality and the deterioration of views that each individual had an immutable place in the social hierarchy that was pre-determine d at birth. With these views came feelings of deprivation amongst those who were not possessed of material wealth but who were desirous of the benefits that were enjoyed by other members of society. Left realists felt that these individuals would see criminal enterprise as a way of rectifying this perceived inequality and securing their access to the commodities of capitalist society which they craved (Hopkins Burke, 2005: 220). In this respect, left realism could be seen as promoting a return to traditional Marxist views whereby crime was seen as an individual response (by the offender) to structural inequalities created by those in power in society which actually was a counter-active diversion away from the real problems of the causes of these inequalities that could only be solved by political change. Left realism rejected the post-Marxist radical theories that characterised crime as a revolutionary endeavour. In their seminal work, Lea and Young (1984) depicted criminal behaviour as almost an amplification of capitalist normalcy. In other words, the dominant view in the 1980s was that of capitalistic self-advancement in which individual endeavours were rewarded with material gain. Lea and Young asserted that a significant percentage of criminals shared these beliefs and replicated what had become conventional social values based upon the value of individual (and self-interested) effort in a society based upon competition and motivated by material success. However, criminals did not channel their energy into legitimate pursuits such as the endeavour for advancement in employment or entrepreneurial success, preferring instead to pursue socially acceptable goals through illegitimate avenues (criminal activity). As such, left realism viewed crime as the expression of capitalist values but though non-conventional means. In one respect, left realists agree with radical theorists in that it is common ground that crime is a reaction to an unjust society (Lea and Young, 1984: 45). However, there is also disagreement in that, unlike radical criminologists, left realists do not believe that the criminal should not be blamed for responding by engaging in offending behaviour: Crime is one form of egoistic response to deprivation. Its roots are in justice but its growth often perpetrates injustice (Lea and Young, 1984: 72) This notion of crime as the illegitimate manifestation of capitalist values is one of the central principles of left realism. However, although crime is seen as a self-interested and individual enterprise, left realists also believe that crime is a group response rather than an individual decision. They believe that crime is an inevitable consequence of a social situation in which a particular group feels that it is subject to disadvantage such as in a situation whereby there is a common ideological drive to measure success in material goods but there exist barriers to the attainment of these goals for some members of society. In such a situation, particularly if there appears to be no way of circumventing the obstacles, crime is certain to result. One of the key criticisms that has been levelled against left realist explanations of crime and criminality is that its focus on economic deprivation explains only economic crime but does nothing to account for the other manifestations of offending behaviour that are prevalent in society. Left realism is prepared to counter this criticism by drawing upon strain theory (Merton, 1968) to explain how the exclusion from legitimate economic opportunity may result in financial crime to rectify the situation or violent crime as a vent for frustration at the denial of a seemingly equitable access to benefits and resources. This actually consolidates one of the key principles of left realism in that reliance is placed upon subculture theories to support the argument of left realism that those who are excluded from the benefits of mainstream society develop their own cultures, norms and principles and operate within these. Inevitably, for those excluded from legitimate avenues of enterprise, t his involves criminal behaviour (Young, 1975). One of the central principles of left realism was a conceptualisation of crime that did not take an offender-centred view. Young proposed a square of crime in which the four key components were the offender, the victim, the agencies of formal control (such as the police) and the agencies of informal control (such as other members of society). This was an important tenet of left realism because it challenged a major paradox within radical theories; that of the powerless working-class criminal driven to offending behaviour as a result of the oppression of the privileged classes. Lea and Young examined official crime statistics and victim report surveys (such as the British Crime Survey) and concluded that although members of the working class appear to commit a disproportionate amount of crime, they often target the other members of the working class as their victims. Left realism addressed the issue of the ordinary victim of crime and thus changed the emphasis within criminological th eory and, gradually, within the practices of the criminal justice system. In particular, the square of crime ensured that crime prevention strategies were evolved which took account of the contributions of each of the four factors: To control crime from a realist perspective involves intervention at each part of the square of crime: at the level of the factors which give rise to the putative offender (such as structural unemployment), the informal system (such as lack of public mobilisation), the victim (such as inadequate target hardening) and the formal system (such as ineffective policing) (Young, 1986: 41). This emphasises one of the main principles of left realism; the belief in a joined up approach to tackling the problems of crime. However, this multi-causal approach that takes account of a variety of factors in explaining criminality could be accused of borrowing from a range of sociological explanations of crime, such as strain and control theories, and amalgamating selected aspects of these and giving them a Marxist slant. It seems reasonable to state that there is nothing particularly new in left realism; it is a pragmatic restatement of a number of established criminological principles taken from a particular ideological perspective (Downes and Rock, 2003: 292). However, left realism did become influential in raising awareness of the plight of victims of crime thus negating their invisibility and overcoming their marginalisation. Lea and Youngs studies showed that official statistics gave an incomplete picture of the extent of victimisation and therefore presented an inaccurate impression of the nature and extent of criminal activity. For Lea and Young, victim studies gave a fair more comprehensive and accurate account of victimisation, firstly because they included information about crimes which had occurred but which victims may not have reported to the police and, secondly, because they were capable of analysis on the basis of geographic location thus giving a true impression of the localised nature of much criminal behaviour. One of the other most notable contributions of left realism to criminological theory that emerged from victim surveys is the recognition of fear of crime as a significant social problem that is just as in need of re solution as actual crime . By acknowledging the existence of victims of crime, left realists gave voice to notions of pre-emptive strategies to counteract attempts at criminal behaviour: The organisation of communities in an attempt to pre-empt crime is of the utmost importance (Lea and Young, 1984: 267). This emphasis on the community and its role and importance in combating crime typifies the principles of cohesion and inclusion that characterises left realism. At its core, left realism is seeking for realistic strategies that will have a quantifiable impact upon crime (and fear of crime) within communities, especially amongst the poor and disadvantaged who are the most frequent victims of crime. This has been said to be a central component of contemporary left realism (Matthews and Young, 1992: 2). Notwithstanding this emphasis on the prevention of crime, it is a fundamental principle of left realism that the attainment of justice is more important than controlling crime. As such, the police play a key role in maintaining social control by establishing, maintaining and nurturing good community relations so as not to alienate the populace to whom they should be fully accountable (Kinsey, Lea and Young, 1986). Many of the criticisms levelled against left realists were voiced by the radical theorists of whom the left realists themselves were so critical. For example, Lea and Young criticised radical theorists for their excessive concentration of corporate crime and their marginalisation of real crime that affects ordinary people even though they accept that corporate crime is worse than working-class crime. Radical theorists counter by questioning why Lea and Young are prepared to view working-class crime as more serious merely because it is what ordinary people fear. Surely, it is argued, the actuality of crime is more potent and more serious than the fear of falling victim to a crime that may never occur. Left realists have no effective rejoinder for this criticism, other than to draw attention to the way in which fear of crime can have a real and negative impact upon ordinary members of society, by preventing them from going about their ordinary business, for example, or avoiding particu lar activities or places (Young, 1999). The multi-causal approach of left realism can also be criticised for failing to explain all forms of criminal behaviour. Feminist criminological theorists have also been critical of left realism in its tackling both of female criminal behaviour and of its failure to explain crimes that are traditionally seen as targeting women, such as rape. Just as it could be criticised for failing to provide an adequate explanation of different types of criminal behaviour, left realism can be accused of an overly one-dimensional focus on young, male, working-class criminal behaviour to the detriment of offenders from other socio-demographic backgrounds. Female criminality is largely unaddressed and, moreover, exposes a central weakness in one of the key principles of left realism; the reliance on relative deprivation as an explanation of criminal behaviour. For example, Lea and Young assert that crime results from the exclusion of a particular group from legitimate opportunities for success and material gain. In light of this, it would be expected that female criminality, which was always extremely low, would decrea se even further as women gained greater equality in the workplace as this would ensure that they were less excluded from legitimate avenues of success. However, the converse proved to be true and the greater prominence of women in the workplace was mirrored by a growth in female offending; an outcome that is directly contrary to the explanation of criminal behaviour propounded by left realists (Smart, 1989). Equally, it is difficult to see how left realism can explain sexual crimes against women unless this falls within the same category as violent crimes that are the result of frustration following a failure to achieve legitimate success. This seems an extremely tenuous argument for such complex crimes and, in any case, left realists have tended not to engage with the issue of rape to any great degree thus the explanation remains speculative (Heidensohn, 1985). Overall, it is clear that the emergence of left realism was both a product of the prevailing political climate and a strong influence on the social and political development of more cohesive approaches to crime control and prevention that drew together a range of players in the criminal justice process rather than focusing exclusively on the offender. As a theoretical perspective, it expanded the focus of criminological enquiry and moved beyond the dominant ideology of the 1970s and early 1980s. As such, its contribution to criminological debate cannot be under-estimated. However, it can be criticised as a rather narrowly-focussed theory that fails to provide an adequate explanation of the full gamut of criminal behaviour. It has, however, provided a building block upon which other theories can build a broader and more wide-ranging explanation of criminality. 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