The Pros and Cons of Crowdsourcing Research Paper

The Pros and Cons of Crowdsourcing - Research Paper Example At the present, Oracle Corporation is facilitating the companies to use the influence of crowdsourcing to the various tasks of the company like that customer relationship management software program through a new enterprise. Regardless of the introduction of crowdsourcing potentials, a high-quality idea carries the menace of sneering at the source, making wrong way to the suitable sector, otherwise being deferred for a long time that it turns out to be useless. Increasingly companies across upright productions are making their way to crowdsourcing. In this scenario, eMarketer revealed in a business article that has proficiently utilized crowdsourcing as an imperative aspect of CSR programmes, almost 95% people say that it was at least somewhat important and effective approach to utilize. Additionally, a survey over 200 corporate executives was carried out in Fortune and almost 200 businesses stated the most helpful feature of crowdsourcing for their CSR program efforts. Whereas respo ndent frequently is inspired for the reason that they desire a specific product to become successful, businesses as well are able to offer incentives or rewards in the form of prizes to nonfinancial advantages for instance rank figures as stars, desired user status, a well-known fame on the Web site. Crowdsourcing is an emerging trend which has been used in various aspects and area of life. The purpose of this research is to study the concept of crowdsourcing and analyze the impacts of crowdsourcing in various disciplines of businesses and industrial framework. This research also analyzes the economic impacts of crowdsourcing. With the passage of time, the actual components of crowdsourcing were revealed by experiment and mistake. However, a number of corporations or individuals encompass a covert formula that they apply to guarantee constant accomplishment; whereas other people exercise the tried-and-true techniques those have been suggested by the professionals.

The Disagreement on Human nature among the Greatest Philosophers Article

The Disagreement on Human nature among the Greatest Philosophers - Article Example Plato gave his Allegory of the Cave explaining this habitual nature (Soccio 141). A man lives all his life in a cave, he considers his environment as the only reality as if nothing exists outside of it. On exposing him to the sunlight, this person thinks he is dreaming, that the fresh air, green grass, and the singing birds are hallucinations. The habitual nature of human is Plato’s version. Aristotle and Kant, on the other hand, focused more on how humans should behave; the maxim behind every action. Aristotle gave two levels of human behavior the one where he only acts like a man and the other where he acts as if there is a divine spirit within him, thus achieving a life higher than mere human nature (Aristotle 191). This is very different from Plato’s narrative because Kant implies that man by nature is evil or corrupt therefore he has to conform to the moral law in order to live a better life. He is not simply a product of its environment, he is inherently corrupt. It is hard to pick one theory and reject the other. It will also be negating the introduction that there is no absolute truth or knowledge. In Kant’s theory, there is space for spirituality. There must be divine authority overseeing man’s activities. Plato, on the other hand, is more supportive of nurture as opposed to nature. Kant considers human nature as a composition of feelings, one relation and cognition, and these aspects are governed by a priory prescribed by a â€Å"higher cognitive power† (Frierson 13) Descartes is also in agreement with Kant that there is a divine authority. And hence man has a defined nature. Renà © Descartes's held anti-elitist and egalitarian views on human nature (Lopston 24). It also implies that considering this premise one has to accept that humans have been created as part of a grand design.

Discourse Analysis Politeness In Ionescos The Lesson English Language Essay

Discourse Analysis Politeness In Ionescos The Lesson English Language Essay This article is concentrating on the linguistic strategies of politeness presented in drama text. The text chosen for analysis is Ionescos The Lesson, a play which would virtually demand a politeness analysis. the discourse model which has been selected for the analysis is one which should enable me to explore ,in a systematic way, the relation between language use and the social relation of the speakers. The present study will examine literary text from a discourse oriented perspective because the subject of the analysis is the drama dialogue. The choice of the dialogues is further justified when one notice that the drama dialogue selected for analysis represents a particular kind of discourse situation ;a lesson. a discourse stylistic analysis should examine the interaction between the fictional characters in the play as well as encompassing the interaction between writer/playwright and reader /audience. This echoes the embedded nature of drama discourse. Generally a discourse styl istic analysis should highlight the role of the writer and reader as conversationalists in realtime speech events, pointing particularly the formers ability to exploit the conversations of language use for stylistic effect and latters ability to recognize these exploitations and motivations behind it. Politeness and Interactions Much of what we say and a greater deal of what we communicate is determined by our social relationships. A linguistic interaction is necessarily a social interaction. In order to make sense of what is said in an interaction we have to look at various factors which relate to social distance and closeness. Some of these factors are external ,they involve the relative status of the participants ,based on social values, such as age and power. However here are also internal factors such as amount of imposition and degree of friendliness. It might accord with what Foucault talked about power and relation. He said that power is not something to be seized it is exercised from different points of an interplay in a mobile non-egalitarian relation. Both types of factors have an influence over not only what we say but on how we are interpreted. In order to understand the meaning of politeness in an interaction we need the concept of face. As a technical term, face means the public self-image of a person .it refers to emotional and social sense of self that everyone has and expects the others to recognize it .politeness in an interaction can then be defined as the means employed to show awareness of another persons face. Within their everyday social infraction people generally behave as if their expectation concerning their public self-image, or their face wants, will be respected. If a speaker say something that represents a threat to another individuals expectations regarding self-image, it is described as a face threatening act ..Alternatively given the possibility that some action might be interpreted as a threat to anothers face, the speaker can say something to lesson the possible threat. This is called a face saving act. We also have negative and positive face. a persons negative face is the need to be independent, to have freedom of action ,and not to be imposed on by others. The word negative here doesnt mean bad it s just the opposite pole of positive. a persons p ositive face is the need to be accepted ,even liked ,by others ,to be treated as the member of the same group, and to know that his and her wants are shared by the others. In short negative face is the need to be independent and positive face is the need to be connected. There are also various forms of face threatening act. Depending on the social relationship of the speakers and the amount of imposition which the face threatening act entails. For example if you say closed the door it is a face threatening act that has been done baldly, without redress. In fact a bald non redressive act is one that adheres to four conversational maxim introduced by a philosopher called Grice. It is maximally efficient in so far as it is non-spurious (quality maxim), it does not say more or less than is required ( quantity),it is relevant(relation) and it avoids ambiguity and obscurity (manner). There are a number of alternatives to perform face threatening act. If you say your request not directly and the other partner can also behave as if the statement has not been heard, this is technically described as being off record. In general ,linguistic realization of off-record strategies include metaphor and irony, rhetorical questions ,understatement ,tautologies and all kinds of indirect hints .but if you directly address the other partner as a means of expressing your need like the example above this is described as being on-record .in the face saving act we have positive politeness and negative politeness. Positive politeness is like being on-record more risky. This can be used in more friendly and close relations. In negative politeness the request is most typically performed via a question like may I ask you †¦.? Or could you lend me your pen?.the tendency to use positive politeness forms ,emphasizing closeness between speaker and hearer ,can be seen as solidarity strategy. Such a strategy will include personal information, use of nicknames even use of abusive terms. The tendency to use negative politeness forms, emphasizing the hearers right to freedom, can be seen as a deference strategy. This strategy can be performed through using hedges, indicating deference, minimizing the imposition, indicating pessimism, apologizing, impersonalizing , etc†¦ The Analysis In The Lesson the central event is a private lesson involving an ageing professor and an eighteen year old pupil. The specific aim of the lesson is never made clear ;the pupil, it seems ,wishes to undertake all the doctorate ,yet the professor directs most of his pedagogical energy toward ridiculously elementary arithmetic .at the start of the play the professor is nervous and difficult while the pupil is vivacious and dynamic .the professor gradually loses his timidity ,becoming increasingly domineering and aggressive, whereas the pupil grows more and more passive. finally in the storm of verbal abuse the professor murders the pupil with what can only be described as an imaginary knife. The play concludes with the revelation that not only is this the professors fortieth victim of the play but also he had planned subsequent lesson of a similar nature. The professors transition from diffidence to dominance, and the pupils decline into passivity is a gradual and almost imperceptible pr ocess. the shift in the interactive roles of the two characters is reflected by subtle changes in their linguistic behavior. To account for this three short extracts have been taken from key stages in the play development. The opening encounter between the professor and the pupil; Professor; Good morning, good morning †¦Ã¢â‚¬ ¦.you are†¦..err†¦..I suppose you are really†¦.err†¦.the new pupil? (The pupil turns round briskly and easily, very much the young lady; she gets up and goes toward the professor ,holding out her hand) Pupil; yes ,sir. Good morning, sir. You see I came at the right time . i didnt want to be late. Professor Good .yes , thats very good. Thank you. But you shouldnt have hurried too much ,you know dont know quite how to apologize to you for having you kept waiting†¦.. I was just finishing†¦.you understand ,I was just†¦err†¦..i do beg your pardon †¦..i hope you will forgive me†¦ Pupil; oh, but you mustnt sir its perfectly all right, sir. Professor; my apologies†¦.. the professors first remarks are clearly phatic.it is noticeable that he repeats the phrase good morning, possibly this repetition revealing some anxiety in the early stage of the encounter. Then the professor goes on to make the first threatening act of the interaction he requires information concerning the identity of his interlocutor..first he begins with a declarative sentence which will function as a request for confirmation from the pupil .this is followed by a hedging particle. In addition to the particle err hedges are achieved by the phrases I suppose and really .the use of I suppose makes more tentative assumption in the professors request, while really functions to weaken the force of the request. Actually the professors opening gambit is a good example of negative politeness phenomena. The pupils use of the honorific sir communicates deference, her linguistic strategy conveys confidence and self- determination. She is eager to play merit for her punctuality, not letting this possible feature of her behavior escape her interlocutor. She also response to the professors earlier phatic initiation in a calm and equanimous. The pupils non verbal behavior here is also significant and displays considerable confidence on her part. The professors second speech begins with some positive feedback concerning the pupils punctuality, but then he moves into an extraordinary sequence of negative politeness. It should be noted here that the professor has kept the pupil waiting for no more that a few seconds. It is completely clear that he considers himself to have made some immense imposition on her interlocutor. He declares his inability to apologies this first indicates his deference .secondly ,he draws on the apologize strategy , or rather claims his inability to apologize. He supplements this by utilizing a specific sub strategy of apologize; he admits the impingement , by explicitly referring to the imposition caused to the addressee. After some hesitation he proceeds with more negative politeness, he attempts to state the overwhelming reasons which lead him to perform the face threatening act. Then after this and he attempts a more hedge version of the same sub strategy, with a complete lack of success. Then he moves to beg forgiveness strategy, which also incorporates the pessimistic strategy in its use of I hope. This elaborate display of politeness strategy is in reality a relatively trivial imposition the professor minimally impinged on the negative face of the addressee ,on the other hand he persist with a gratuitous build up of repair strategy ,there is in fact a kind of pragmatic mismatch here .so this shows that the politeness strategies he uses are vastly out of proportion to the actual imposition he makes on the hearer. The pupils injection is well timed, what is more significant is that the pupil grants the forgiveness requested by the professor with her remark its perfectly all right sir .indeed on the basis of this exchange ,it seems as if it is the pupil not the professor who is more powerful of the interaction. The pupils persistent use of the honorific sir is incongruous. The second extract is taken from the middle of the play; Professor; what is four? Greater or smaller that three? Pupil; smaller †¦.. no greater. Professor; excellent answer. How many units are missing between three and four? †¦.. or between four and three if youd rather? Pupil; there arent any units sir, between three and four. Four comes immediately after three; there is nothing at all between three and four! Professor; I cant have made myself understood properly .its doubtless my own fault .i havent been clear enough. Pupil ; oh no sir the fault is entirely mine . Professor; listen .here are three matches .and here is another one . that makes four. Now watch carefully†¦. In this conversation the characters are competing with one another in their use of negative politeness strategies .the trade in deference phenomena would suggest that a more symmetrical power relation exists between the two characters at this point in the play .these face threatening act ,which impose upon the negative face of the addressee by demanding a particular service ,have been done baldly. They are impolite , in fact these bald non repressive face threatening act are the first suggestion that the professor is becoming not only more powerful but less concerned with being polite to his interlocutor.. it is also noticeable that nowhere in this extract the professor used his hedging particle err which was used so frequently in the first conversation..There is generally a change in professors linguistic behavior..There are signs that the professor is beginning to assume a position of high relative power. The third extract is taken from near the end of the play .it occurs shortly before the professor murders the pupil with the invisible knife. This act can be considered the ultimate face threatening act. Professor; every language mademoiselle- note this carefully and remember it till the day you die Pupil; oh !yes sir till the day I die †¦. Yes sir †¦ Professor ; †¦ and again , this is another fundamental principle , every language is in fact only a manner of speaking , which inevitably implies that it is a made up of sounds , or †¦ Pupil; phonemes †¦. Professor; I was just about to say so . Dont show off , airing your knowledge !youd better just listen . Pupil ; very well sir .yes sir . Professor; sounds mademoiselle, should be caught in flight by their wings so that they do not fall on deaf ears..consequently when you have made up your mind to articulate ,you are recommended , in so far as possible ,to stretch your neck and your chin well up , and stand righty on the tips of your toes ,look now ,like this ,you see †¦.. Pupil; yes, sir. Professor; be quite. dont interrupt †¦. the conversation here has changed to an extended nonsensical monologue from the professor .considering the professors opening speech ,which is the beginning of a disoriented proclamation of language .it is not only a bald ,non-repressive face threatening demanding careful attention from the pupil but there is a sinister threatening quality to this face threatening act. .the pupils reaction on the other hand is a display of genuine deference. Here the use of the honorific sir is not incongruous but it is a term of address used by an inferior to a superior .when the pupil is eager to participate in the interaction this draws admonition from the professor in the form of another threatening ,bald, non -redressive face threatening act. At last the professor gives three unmitigated command which illustrate how the professors politeness strategies have completely vanished . it is also significant that one of these face threatening acts is intended to restrict the physical movement of the addressee .thus the pupil who was able to move confidently in the first extract ,is now confined powerless to her chair. In three passages from the lesson , when compared to one another ,show a marked reversal in the interactive relation of the two characters ,during the course of the play the reversal is gradually achieved and it is difficult to isolate a specific point at which a character gains or loses power .one thing that is clear is that the transition in interactive roles is signaled by the subtle variations in the linguistic strategies which these characters use to one another .

short narrative essay (avalanche) -- essays research papers

Lost but Not Forgotten   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was a cold night in January, when he awoke covered in snow, his board broken and hanging from his left foot, the binding from his right still securely strapped to hit now numb, right foot It was now nearing Zero degrees Fahrenheit he thought, and not a soul was anywhere to be found. Zane Farrell had last seen another creature what he guessed was about six hours ago. As far as he knew he was about thirty miles north of Bull Creek, at the local ski area- Bull Mountain. Unsure of his exact location, cold and growing weary he started his tedious climb up what he thought was the northern side of the peak, he was unsure how he got to where he was, but his best guess was that when he was the origin of a small avalanche. His last memory before his startling awakening in his would be snowy grave was snowboarding. It had been just after lunch and he thought he would try some new terrain. He laced up his snowshoes, and proceeded to climb to the highest point of the mountain. He arrived at his first destination after about an hour of hiking. After a short while he figured he had looked over his new found haven enough, he was ready. He started down the grade with a small arsenal, consisting of a shovel, about ten granola bars, two bottles of power-ade, his snowshoes, and what was left in his hydration bladder in his pack. After descending about two hundred feet he came into the clearing he was hoping to find, it was as smooth as silk, twenty inches of fresh powder under his board. Up ahead he say a small but formidable drop off on the mountain, he knew if he was going to escape this with his dignity he was going to have to work some magic, to his success. The drop was approximately eighteen feet, but he was ready for it, he landed perfectly, it was like a dream the poof of snow exploding out from his impact, and the gentle flakes hitting his face. As he continued down the slope he did not realize that his gentle landing had severely weakened the physical s tructure of the mountain’s blanket, and that any moment he could bring the mass down upon himself at impossible speeds. Then it happened, he turned too sharply, caught his heel edge and fell onto his backside. He slowly got up and regained his balance, but it was too late. What he saw was like being attacked by the vengeful clouds of the gods. He turned down... ...of chili and three spaghetti-o’s. After he had finished eating he decided that he had better get some rest, he went to bed in the small cot he found in the corner. He slept well in the warmth of the cabin, but awoke to the sound of a gasoline engine. Startled he looked around and saw a woman rekindling the fire. She saw him looking at her and told him he was ok, and that when he was ready her husband would take him back to town. She had already made coffee and some pancakes, and told him he was more than welcome to have some.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  After a while of talking he decided it was time to go home, after apologizing for the broken door, and the food he ate the night before, she insisted that it was no problem and that they were very glad to have helped. She walked out the door to get her husband. After fumbling through his wallet, he pulled out a fifty and put it on the table, then walked out to find a snowmobile waiting for him.   Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  Ã‚  It was a long cold ride, but he was grateful, when they got to town he insisted that it was far enough and thanked the man with a handshake. Zane Farrell had never been happier to see that small mountain town.

Nicolò Paganini

When Paganini walked along the street, people eyed him closely, wondering whether they might detect his cloven foot-a mark of the devil. Once, shortly before he was to go onstage, he felt a nail in his shoe, which caused him to limp slightly as he arrived on the podium. Some members of the audience looked at each other knowingly, for it was widely believed that there was something mysterious, supernatural about his playing. Even people who did not believe in the devil were convinced of it. Ever since they have tried to discover his secret. For almost a year, an Englishman followed him on his tours, taking an adjoining hotel room and listening constantly. While on the road, however, Paganini hardly ever practiced, and when he briefly warmed up before concerts, he used such a heavy mute that no one could hear him (Prod'Homme 13). Countless books and pamphlets have been written about the secret of his practicing and about other, hitherto unknown, explanations of his virtuosity. Much has been brought to light that is interesting and informative, but no secrets have been revealed. Paganini's accomplishments must be attributed to a handful of quite understandable factors, as is true of above-average achievement in any field. In his case we are aware of great musicality; a distinct talent for the violin that included certain physiological characteristics; a strict practicing regime supervised by his father, who soon noted the unusual gift; and a highly developed desire to excel as an artist. All produced astonishing results (Anders 39). Paganini was born in Genoa in 1782, the son of a dockworker whose hobbies included fortunetelling and playing the violin and mandolin. He taught Nicolà ² both instruments. â€Å"It would be hard to imagine a stricter father,† the boy recalled. Further instruction by two orchestra violinists led to lessons by Giacomo Costa, music director at the cathedral, whose pupil soon performed solos there. This was a customary eighteenth-century venue, as it had been for Tartini, and such appearances in church were occasionally reviewed in the press. On 31 May 1794 a notice was printed in Avvisi, a Genoa newspaper: â€Å"[During high mass] Nicolà ² Paganini, a highly gifted eleven-year-old boy, performed a concerto, for which he was greatly admired.† (Prod'Homme 7-8) Encouraged by such successes, the father entrusted the thirteen-yearold Nicolà ² to Alessandro Rolla, then teaching in Parma. Though Rolla declared that there was nothing he could teach him, he gave his young student a solid foundation in music theory, and probably good advice as well. While in Parma, Nicolà ² also studied counterpoint with Ghiretti and Paà «r, for whom he wrote, among other exercises, twenty-four fugues in parts. Years of intensive practice under the father's strict supervision followed his return home. During this period he acquired the phenomenal command of the violin that amazed musicians and music lovers everywhere (Anders 40-41). Paganini stands at the threshold of a new era in violin playing, if later in life he referred to himself as self-taught, this does not imply a lack of gratitude to his teachers. He developed his very individual style of playing on his own, during his up to twelve hours of daily practice, as he recalled. In 1801 he freed himself of his father's relentless supervision by joining the orchestra in Lucca as a first violinist. Five years later he moved on to the court of Napoleon's sister Elisa Bacciocchi, then princess of Lucca. He remained there until 1809, active as a soloist, music director, orchestra member, and chamber music player. His career as a touring virtuoso did not begin until 1813 when, thirty-one years old, he reaped such spectacular successes in Milan that the world took notice (Anders 42). Paganini was a compulsive gambler who at times came close to being sent to debtor's prison, and who once had to use his violin to pay his debts. In this dilemma, someone presented him with a Guarneri violin so that he could play a concert that had already been scheduled (McGinnis 117). The sensational aspects of Paganini's public appearances were heightened by a wealth of freely invented stories, such as the one about his prison sentence, for which there is absolutely no foundation. While he played the violin in prison, it is related, three strings broke, one after another, until only the G string remained, so that he was forced to develop his uncanny ability to play on one string alone (Athanassoglou-Kallmyer 1). The later â€Å"Moses† Fantasy is one of his compositions demonstrating this skill.) According to another wild story he strangled his wife (in fact, Paganini never married) and used her intestines as raw material for strings. Such stories may have been inspired by the virtuoso's fondness, reminiscent of Don Giovanni's, for the fair sex, which indeed accounted for many romantic adventures in his youth. Stories persisted, even late in his life, about wealthy countesses and others who offered him their money and their everything-stories that of course were good publicity. It is a fact that his profoundly melancholic appearance and his haggard, mephistophelian figure held a strong fascination for women, which he did not mind at all (Prod'Homme 24). Behind the virtuoso facade he cultivated, there was another Paganini-the one who in private gatherings played Beethoven quartets well and with great enthusiasm, including the late quartets. When on tour, he missed no opportunity to hear Fidelio or Don Giovanni. He also was quite fond of older vocal music, especially Palestrina's (Prod'Homme 24). Paganini's fame was restricted to Italy until 1828, when, at the age of forty-six, he traveled to Vienna for his first engagement abroad. The impression he made there defies imagination. The first recital took place on 29 March in the Redoutensaal, filled to capacity (Athanassoglou-Kallmyer 2). All local violinists were there, along with Schubert, the poet Grillparzer, the Esterhà ¡zy family, and everyone who was anyone in the arts and in society. Thirteen more concerts followed, all equally crowded. A veritable Paganini mania broke out (Prod'Homme 35). Strauss wrote a â€Å"Paganini Waltz,† merchants offered Paganini schnitzel, cravats, and haircuts. When Paganini's good business sense led him to raise the price of admission to one gold florin, that coin became known as a â€Å"Paganinerl.† There were poems of fulsome admiration, and the critics outdid each other writing hymns of praise. Until 1831, Paganini chiefly concertized in Germany, residing in Frankfurt on the Main. Some during this period refused to be caught up in the delirious adulation and were all the more critical of the violinist and his mesmerized public. Others were more insightful and understanding of the changing times (Athanassoglou-Kallmyer 1). Serious scholars, eccentrics, journalists, and charlatans ever since have tried to discover the miracle of his playing and its effect on audiences. Some significant details were established, but anyone who tried to build an entire system on such discoveries, even a philosophy of violin playing, lost their credibility. As Flesch (The Art of Violin Playing, vol. 2) said, â€Å"A publication whose title uses the name Paganini as a sales placard impresses one at once as a mere advertising puff† (Flesch 85). Paganini must be credited with inaugurating a new era, not only for violin playing but for instrumental accomplishment in general. The standards he set are still valid in our time. Liszt, a genius, was able by virtue of great effort and superhuman concentration, to adapt Paganini's technique to his own piano playing. It took violinists almost a century to accomplish this for their instrument and to develop pedagogical methods based on Paganini's achievements. Works Cited Anders, G. E. Nicolo Paganini: His life, personality, and secrets. Dover Publications, 1991. Athanassoglou-Kallmyer, Nina. â€Å"Blemished Physiologies: Delacroix, Paganini, and the    Cholera Epidemic of 1832†. The Art Bulletin, Vol. 83, 2001. Flesch, Carl. Art of Violin Playing: Book Two. Carl Fischer Music Dist, 2000. McGinnis Ferguson, Hugh. No Gambling at the casino Paganini. The Phi Beta Kappa Society   Ã‚   in The American Scholar, 1994. Prod'Homme, Jacques Gabriel. Nicolo Paganini. Ams Pr Inc, 1975.      

Marriage and Family Therapy Essay

Marriage and Family Therapy Abstract The purpose of this paper is to examine the field of marriage and family counseling beginning with the history and development of the profession and its importance in the field of counseling. This paper will also evaluate five major themes relevant to Marriage and Family Therapy which include: roles of Marriage and Family Therapists; licensure requirements and examinations; methods of supervision; client advocacy; multiculturalism and diversity. The author will discuss significant aspects to the field of Marriage and Family Therapy such as MFT identity, function, and ethics of the profession. This paper will assess biblical values in relation to Marriage and Family Therapists and to the field itself. In conclusion, the author will provide reflections on Marriage and Family Therapy and the personal commitment to provide counseling that is ethical, biblically grounded, and empirically based. Marriage and Family Therapy This paper is an examination of the history and development of the field of Marriage and Family Therapy. Education, licensure requirements, methods of supervision, client advocacy, and cultural sensitivity are the focus of the evaluation with specific attention given to counselor identity, function, and ethics. History and Development The field of Marriage and Family Therapy is an emerging profession with roots dating back to the late 1940’s. In 2009 licensure for Marriage and Family Therapists was attained for all 50 states and the District of Columbia but this dream began in 1949 when the American Association of Marriage and Family Therapists (originally called the American Association of Marriage Counselors) joined forces with the National Council on Family Relations to form a committee to create the standards that would one day regulate the practice of marriage and family counseling (Northey, 2009). Marriage and family counseling was once thought of as a subset of other helping professions but now Marriage and Family Therapy is one of the major mental health professions in the United States with over 50,000 licensed therapists (Northey, 2009). The profession has its own accrediting body, COAMFTE, for accrediting graduate and doctorate programs in Marriage and Family Therapy. To further strengthen the profession, 128 core competencies have been identified with six primary domains and five subdomains (Miller, 2010). The six domains include: admission to treatment; clinical assessment and diagnosis; treatment planning and case management; therapeutic intervention; legal issues, ethics, and standards; and research and program evaluation. The subdomains relate to types of skills and are comprised of: conceptual, perceptual, executive, evaluative, and professional (Miller, 2010). According to the American Association for Marriage and Family Therapy website, a marriage and family therapist is a highly trained professional working in the mental health field that brings a family-oriented perspective to health care (http://www. aamft. org). In order to help families and married partners accomplish this, marriage and family therapists assess what kinds of emotional and mental disorders, behavioral and health problems, and relationship issues are encountered and then a treatment plan is devised. Treatment of the problems that families and couples face often results in greater understanding as well as more effective communication between members and couples which can ultimately aid in the prevention of crises for the individual and family. A main aspect of marriage and family therapy is the focus on the here and now and what can be done to remedy these current situations.