Aztec, human sacrifice free essay sample

When you think of the Aztec, what comes to mind? Perhaps you think of the Spanish conquistadors or their beautiful capital at Tenochtitlan. What comes to mind for a lot of people is their practice of human sacrifice. In class, we learned a lot about the civilizations of the Maya and the Inca but not much about the Maya. Chapter 13 of the assigned readings talks about the Aztec and how they came to power and their collapse. One paragraph in the chapter, although morbid and disturbing, caught my attention. â€Å"The victim was stretched out over the sacrificial stone. In seconds, a priest with an obsidian knife broke open his chest and ripped out his still beating heart, dashing it against the sacrificial stone. † These sentences refer to the ritual of human sacrificed practiced by the Aztec priests. Body The Aztec believed that they owed everything to the gods who created themselves as well as the world around them. We will write a custom essay sample on Aztec, human sacrifice or any similar topic specifically for you Do Not WasteYour Time HIRE WRITER Only 13.90 / page The would perform sacrifices in order for a good crop yield or good weather among other things. They believed that the best way to repay them was to offer up blood to them in regular rituals. Although many just assume this was human blood, they also sacrificed animals as well. Some offerings weren’t outright killings as well. They would have been cutting oneself and offering the blood shed to the gods. Archaeologists estimate that a few thousand people would have been sacrificed each year. Some were members of the Aztec community but they believe that most were prisoners of war. Instead of killing their enemies in battle, they would sometimes capture them and take them back to the capital to be offered up to the gods. In one ritual, the prisoners were forced to walk up the many stairs of the temple. Once they reached the top, the priest would cut open their stomach from throat to stomach. They would rip out their heart to offer it to the gods. The bodies were then pushed down the stairs. At the bottom, the body would be dismembered or carried off depending on the ritual. Its hard to believe this sort of activity happened regularly, especially as a public event where people would gather in the square to watch. Human sacrifice was not only an Aztec event. It happened all over the world in several different cultures. It was a part of their religion and a way to please the gods so the Aztecs would avoid disaster. No amount of human sacrifice could have stopped their collapse at the hands of the Spaniards. Human sacrifice was practiced to some extent by many peoples in Mesoamerica (and for that matter, around the world) for many centuries. But it was the Aztec empire that really took the ritual to new heights. How many people were sacrificed by the Aztecs? We dont know how many were sacrificed over the years its possible that some accounts are exaggerated but it was probably thousands each year tens of thousands or more all together. Some estimates claim 20,000 a year. The Aztecs had 18 months in one cycle, and for each of the 18 months there was ritual sacrifice. The victim would be painted as a part of the ritual, they would be placed on a slab where their heart would be removed and held up to the sun. The body would be thrown down the stairs of the temple/pyramid. The body would be disposed of in various ways, such as feeding animals at the zoo or putting on display (the heads). There are some accounts of cannibalism, but its uncertain if this was practiced to any great extent. â€Å" Life is because of the gods; with their sacrifice they gave us life. They produce our sustenance which nourishes life. † What the Aztec priests were referring to was a central Mesoamerican belief: that a great, on-going sacrifice sustains the Universe. Everything is tonacayotl: the spiritual flesh-hood on earth. Everything —earth, crops, moon, stars and people— springs from the severed or buried bodies, fingers, blood or the heads of the sacrificed gods. Humanity itself is macehualli, those deserved and brought back to life through penance. A strong sense of indebtedness was connected with this worldview. Indeed, nextlahualli (debt-payment) was a commonly used metaphor for human sacrifice, and, as Bernardino de Sahagun reported, it was said that the victim was someone who gave his service. Human sacrifice was in this sense the highest level of an entire panoply of offerings through which the Aztecs sought to repay their debt to the gods. Both Sahagun and Toribio de Benavente (also called Motolinia) observed that the Aztecs gladly parted with everything: burying, smashing, sinking, slaying vast quantities of quail, rabbits, dogs, feathers, flowers, insects, beans, grains, paper, rubber and treasures as sacrifices. Even the stage for human sacrifice, the massive temple-pyramids, was an offering mound: crammed with treasures, grains, soil and human and animal sacrifices that were buried as gifts to the deities. Adorned with the lands finest art, treasure and victims, these temples had become buried offerings under new structures every half a century. The sacrifice of animals was a common practice for which the Aztecs bred dogs, eagles, jaguars and deer. Objects also were sacrificed by being broken and offered to the gods. The cult of Quetzalcoatl required the sacrifice of butterflies and hummingbirds. Self-sacrifice was also quite common; people would offer maguey thorns, tainted with their own blood and, like the Maya kings, would offer blood from their tongue, ear lobes, or genitals. Blood held a central place in Mesoamerican cultures. The Florentine Codex reports that in one of the creation myths Quetzalcoatl offered blood extracted from a wound in his own genital to give life to humanity. There are several other myths in which Nahua gods offer their blood to help humanity. Common people would offer maguey thorns with their blood. Much like the role of sacrifice elsewhere in the world, it thus seems that these rites functioned as a type of atonement for Aztec believers. Their sacrificial hymns describe the victim as sent (to death) to plead for us, or consecrated to annul all sin. [14] In one such poem, a warrior-victim announces that I embrace mankind I give myself to the community. Aztec society viewed even the slightest tlatlacolli (sin or insult) as an extremely malevolent supernatural force. For instance, if an adulterer were to enter a house, it was believed that all turkey chicks would perish from tlazomiquiztli (filth-death). To avoid such calamities befalling their community, those who had erred punished themselves by extreme measures such as slitting their tongues for vices of speech or their ears for vices of listening, and for a slight [sin they] hanged themselves, or threw themselves down precipices, or put an end to themselves by abstinence. A great deal of cosmological thought seems to have underlain each of the Aztec sacrificial rites. The most common form of human sacrifice was heart-extraction. The Aztec believed that the heart (tona) was both the seat of the individual and a fragment of the Suns heat (istli). To this day, the Nahua consider the Sun to be a heart-soul (tona-tiuh): round, hot, pulsating. In the Aztec view, humanitys divine sun fragments were considered entrapped by the body and its desires: Where is your heart? You give your heart to each thing in turn. Carrying, you do not carry it You destroy your heart on earth —Nahua poem Tezcatlipoca, Huitzilopochtli, Tlacahuepan, Cuexcotzin Sacrifice of captives by extraction of the heart Tlaloc, Quetzalcoatl Sacrifice by drowning and extraction of the heart Huixtocihuatl, Xochipilli Sacrifice by extraction of the heart Xilonen, Quilaztli-Cihacoatl, Ehecatl, Chicomelcoatl Sacrifice of a decapitated woman and extraction of her heart Huitzilopochtli, Tezcatlipoca, Mictlantecuhtli Sacrifice by starvation in a cave or temple Xiuhtecuhtli, Ixcozauhqui, Otontecuhtli, Chiconquiahitl, Cuahtlaxayauh, Coyolintahuatl, Chalmecacihuatl Sacrifices to the fire gods by burning the victims Toci, Teteoinan, Chimelcoatl-Chalchiuhcihuatl, Atlatonin, Atlauhaco, Chiconquiauitl, Cinteotl Sacrifice of a decapitated young woman to Toci, she was skinned and a young man wore her skin; sacrifice of captives by hurling from a height and extraction of the heart Xochiquetzal Sacrifices by fire; extraction of the heart Tlaloc-Napatecuhtli, Matlalcueye, Xochitecatl, Mayahuel, Milnahuatl, Napatecuhtli, Chicomecoatl, Xochiquetzal Sacrifices of children, two noble women, extraction of the heart and flaying; ritual cannibalism Mixcoatl-Tlamatzincatl, Coatlicue, Izquitecatl, Yoztlamiyahual, Huitznahuas Sacrifice by bludgeoning, decapitation and extraction of the heart Huitzilopochtli Massive sacrifices of captives and slaves by extraction of the heart Tlaloques Sacrifices of children, and slaves by decapitation Tona-Cozcamiauh, Ilamatecuhtli, Yacatecuhtli, Huitzilncuatec Sacrifice of a woman by extraction of the heart and decapitated afterwards Ixozauhqui-Xiuhtecuhtli, Cihuatontli, Nancotlaceuhqui Sacrifices of victims representing Xiuhtecuhtli and their women (each four years), and captives. Hour: night, New Fire The sacrifice would then be laid on a stone slab by four priests, and his/her abdomen would be sliced open by a fifth priest with a ceremonial knife made of flint. The cut was made in the abdomen and went through the diaphragm. The priest would grab the heart and tear it out, still beating. It would be placed in a bowl held by a statue of the honored god, and the body thrown down the temples stairs. The body would land on a terrace at the base of the pyramid called an apetlatl Conclusion In this research project I learned that they have high religious significance to the Aztec sacrifice. And I learned that the incredible loss of human life because of the sacrifices would weaken an otherwise powerful nation.

Massacre at the Festival of Toxcatl

Massacre at the Festival of Toxcatl On May 20, 1520, Spanish conquistadors led by Pedro de Alvarado attacked unarmed Aztec nobles congregated at the Festival of Toxcatl, one of the most important festivals on the native religious calendar. Alvarado believed he had evidence of an Aztec plot to attack and murder the Spanish, who had recently occupied the city and taken Emperor Montezuma captive. Thousands were slaughtered by the ruthless Spaniards, including much of the leadership of the Mexica city of Tenochtitlan. After the massacre, the city of Tenochtitlan rose up against the invaders, and on June 30, 1520, they would successfully (if temporarily) drive them out. Hernan Cortes and the Conquest of the Aztecs In April of 1519, Hernan Cortes had landed near present-day Veracruz with some 600 conquistadors. The ruthless Cortes had slowly made his way inland, encountering several tribes along the way. Many of these tribes were unhappy vassals of the warlike Aztecs, who ruled their empire from the marvelous city of Tenochtitlan. In Tlaxcala, the Spanish had fought the warlike Tlaxcalans before agreeing to an alliance with them. The conquistadors had continued on to Tenochtitlan by way of Cholula, where Cortes orchestrated a massive massacre of local leaders he claimed were complicit in a plot to murder them. In November of 1519, Cortes and his men reached the glorious city of Tenochtitlan. They were initially welcomed by Emperor Montezuma, but the greedy Spaniards soon wore out their welcome. Cortes imprisoned Montezuma and held him hostage against the good behavior of his people. By now the Spanish had seen the vast golden treasures of the Aztecs and were hungry for more. An uneasy truce between the conquistadors and an increasingly resentful Aztec population lasted into the early months of 1520. Cortes, Velazquez, and Narvaez Back in Spanish-controlled Cuba, governor Diego Velazquez had learned of Cortes exploits. Velazquez had initially sponsored Cortes but had tried to remove him from command of the expedition. Hearing of the great wealth coming out of Mexico, Velazquez sent veteran conquistador Panfilo de Narvaez to rein in the insubordinate Cortes and regain control of the campaign. Narvaez landed in April of 1520 with a massive force of over 1000 well-armed conquistadors.   Cortes mustered as many men as he could and returned to the coast to battle Narvaez. He left about 120 men behind in Tenochtitlan and left his trusted lieutenant Pedro de Alvarado in charge. Cortes met meet Narvaez in battle and defeated him on the night of May 28-29, 1520. With Narvaez in chains, most of his men joined Cortes. Alvarado and the Festival of Toxcatl In the first three weeks of May, the Mexica (Aztecs) traditionally celebrated the Festival of Toxcatl.   This long festival was dedicated to the most important of the Aztec gods, Huitzilopochtli. The purpose of the festival was to ask for the rains which would water the Aztec crops for another year, and it involved dancing, prayers, and human sacrifice. Before he left for the coast, Cortes had conferred with Montezuma and had decided that the festival could go on as planned. Once Alvarado was in charge, he also agreed to allow it, on the (unrealistic) condition that there be no human sacrifices. A Plot Against the Spanish? Before long, Alvarado began to believe that there was a plot to kill him and the other conquistadors remaining in Tenochtitlan. His Tlaxcalan allies told him that they had heard rumors that at the conclusion of the festival, the people of Tenochtitlan were to rise against the Spanish, capture them and sacrifice them. Alvarado saw stakes being fixed into the ground, of the sort used to hold captives while they awaited being sacrificed. A new, gruesome statue of Huitzilopochtli was being raised onto the top of the great temple. Alvarado spoke to Montezuma and demanded he put an end to any plots against the Spanish, but the emperor answered that he knew of no such plot and could not do anything about it anyway, as he was a prisoner. Alvarado was further enraged by the obvious presence of sacrificial victims in the city. The Temple Massacre Both the Spanish and the Aztecs became increasingly uneasy, but the Festival of Toxcatl began as planned. Alvarado, by now convinced of the evidence of a plot, decided to take the offensive. On the fourth day of the festival, Alvarado placed half of his men on guard duty around Montezuma and some of the highest-ranking Aztec lords and placed the rest in strategic positions around the Patio of the Dances near the Great Temple, where the Serpent Dance was to take place. The Serpent Dance was one of the most important moments of the Festival, and the Aztec nobility was in attendance, in beautiful cloaks of brightly colored feathers and animal skins. Religious and military leaders were present as well. Before long, the courtyard was full of brightly colored dancers and attendees. Alvarado gave the order to attack. Spanish soldiers closed off the exits to the courtyard and the massacre began. Crossbowmen and harquebusiers rained down death from the rooftops, while heavily armed and armored foot soldiers and about a thousand Tlaxcalan allies waded into the crowd, cutting down the dancers and revelers. The Spanish spared no one, chasing down those who begged for mercy or fled. Some of the revelers fought back and even managed to kill a few of the Spanish, but the unarmed nobles were no match for steel armor and weapons. Meanwhile, the men guarding Montezuma and the other Aztec lords murdered several of them but spared the emperor himself and a few others, including Cuitlhuac, who would later become Tlatoani (Emperor) of the Aztecs after Montezuma. Thousands were killed, and in the aftermath, the greedy Spanish soldiers picked the corpses clean of golden ornaments. Spanish Under Siege Steel weapons and cannons or not, Alvarados 100 conquistadors were seriously outnumbered. The city rose in outrage and attacked the Spanish, who had barricaded themselves in the palace which had been their quarters. With their harquebuses, cannons, and crossbows, the Spanish were able to mostly hold off the assault, but the rage of the people showed no signs of subsiding. Alvarado ordered Emperor Montezuma to go out and calm the people. Montezuma complied, and the people temporarily ceased their assault on the Spanish, but the city was still full of rage. Alvarado and his men were in a most precarious situation. Aftermath of the Temple Massacre Cortes heard of his mens dilemma and rushed back to Tenochtitlan after defeating Panfilo de Narvaez. He found the city in a state of uproar and was barely able to re-establish order. After the Spanish forced him to go out and plead for his people to stay calm, Montezuma was attacked with stones and arrows by his own people. He died slowly of his wounds, passing away on or about June 29, 1520. The death of Montezuma only made the situation worse for Cortes and his men, and Cortes decided that he simply did not have enough resources to hold the enraged city. On the night of June 30, the Spanish tried to sneak out of the city, but they were spotted and the Mexica (Aztecs) attacked. This became known as the Noche Triste, or Night of Sorrows, because hundreds of Spaniards were killed as they fled the city. Cortes escaped with most of his men and over the next few months would begin a campaign to re-take Tenochtitlan. The Temple Massacre is one of the more infamous episodes in the history of the Conquest of the Aztecs, which had no shortage of barbarous events. Whether or not the Aztecs did, in fact, intend to rise up against Alvarado and his men is unknown. Historically speaking, there is little hard evidence for such a plot, but it is undeniable that Alvarado was in an extremely dangerous situation which got worse daily. Alvarado had seen how the Cholula Massacre had stunned the population into docility, and perhaps he was taking a page from Cortes book when he ordered the Temple Massacre.   Sources: Diaz del Castillo, Bernal. . Trans., ed. J.M. Cohen. 1576. London, Penguin Books, 1963. Print.Levy, Buddy. Conquistador: Hernan Cortes, King Montezuma and the Last Stand of the Aztecs. New York: Bantam, 2008.Thomas, Hugh. Conquest: Montezuma, Cortes and the Fall of Old Mexico. New York: Touchstone, 1993.

Initial conclusions regarding whether or not terrorist groups are Essay

Initial conclusions regarding whether or not terrorist groups are likely to use WMD - Essay Example The disastrous events of September 11, 2001 and other similar attacks on the American nation and on our allies provide proof to that claim. These increasing threats to our very lives have made us adopt better measures on security front although the possibility of another terrorist attack looms consistently over us. In forcing their own ideologies onto free men these terrorists have no regard for loss of human lives including that of women and children, as witnessed throughout our struggle against them these tyrants would use any means necessary to inflict fear amongst us. The use of Weapons of Mass Destruction (WMD) against the United States is dominantly the most considerable threat. These WMDs in form of biological, nuclear and chemical weapons are not easy to acquire but non-state actors belonging to enemy states such as Iran and North Korea or friendly states such as Afghanistan, Pakistan and others consistently try to get their hands on these weapons in order to inflict destruct ion on a massive scale. In an interview with CNN, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton highlights the concern of WMD when she asserted he biggest threat to America’s national security doesn’t come from North Korea or Iran but from trans-national non-state actors (Clinton 2010). She proclaimed, â€Å"Most of us believe the greater threats are the trans-national non-state networks, primarily the extremists, the fundamentalist Islamic extremists who are connected to al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula or al Qaeda in Pakistan and Afghanistan. They continue to try to increase the sophistication of their capacity, the attacks that they’re going to make and the biggest nightmare we have is that one of these terrorist member organizations within this syndicate of terror will get their hands on a weapon of mass destruction† (CNN 2010). In the pages that follow we will comprehensively examine the use to weapons of mass destruction and the possibility of terrorists using them against the

Health care Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

Health care - Essay Example Although the coverage changes will largely take effect after 2014, yet the changes made so far are likely to benefit the rural people by improving their coverage rates. Children in the family plans would be qualifying for coverage up to 26 years of age as dependents. The implementation of changes would develop high-risk pools which would be particularly meant for those whose health conditions have existed for quite a while in the past. Owners of petty businesses as well as their workers would benefit from the subsidies and the addition of tax credits. People in rural frontier and nonadjacent areas conventionally have very low rates of health care insurance as compared to those in the urban regions. Therefore, effects of the provisions of ACA will generally be much more profound in the rural areas as compared to the urban areas. Rural people happily accept to work for little compensation. Volume of business does not matter much for them. It is important to note that the effect of ACA in rural regions will be the aggregate of appreciable advancements in coverage, which would be steadied by the imposed limitations on payments to the health care providers in rural areas particularly through such programs as the Medicare program.

Significance of a Study Essay Example for Free

Significance of a Study Essay The study of the knowledge, attitude and practice on premarital sex of senior high school students in a certain national high school in Iloilo can serve as a learning paradigm to teachers, guidance counselors, school administrators, health educators, parents and the students themselves to enhance their insight and for their ceaseless quest for knowledge. Being the secondary mentors, the teachers and guidance counselors can benefit to the findings of this study. The findings of this research may serve as a guide to deal with problems, controversies and topics related to sexuality. Equipped with this information, they will be able to understand, educate and give apt advice in order to breed respected and responsible members of the community. School administrators, being the ones to discipline the students, will gain advantage to the findings of this study since this will provide them additional awareness on the sexual attitude and practices of high school students. These may enable them to formulate policies and plan of actions that can help increase consciousness on pre marital sex in their schools and prevent sexually related problems amongst the students. The insight health educators and service providers will gain from the results of the study, will hasten their interest to propagate more ideas and facts or basis essential to the practice of their profession. The information provided by the study is important for them to plan interventions, prevention programs and dissemination of vital information addressed to the needs and problems of adolescents. The high school students will be the most benefited by the results of this study. They will have a criterion as to whether their knowledge is adequate, their attitude and practices on premarital sex conform to the standards of the community. The findings will guide them in terms of their limitations or boundaries. Being sexually active, they will be presented with the advantages and disadvantages of early engagement in sexual activities, which subsequently give rise to severe problems. The findings of the study will provide the parents, as primary educators, beneficial insights and useful information on the teenagers’ sexual attitude and practices. These will help them in managing such matters. Lastly, the result of the study may confront them with existing sexual issues that will provoke them to understand their children better. The knowledge they obtain may improve their parental roles and for their children to recognize better their parental authority. Furthermore, the results of this study may answer queries parents themselves don’t totally understand and for them to know the factors that may affect the sexuality concerns and sexual activities of their children.

Homosexuals and James Baldwins Role in the Civil Rights Movement Essay

During the Civil Rights Movement, James Baldwin wrote many articles and essays on racial issues. His unique and powerful style invoked the thoughts of many people. What also made Baldwin stand out from others was his homosexuality. Baldwin wrote several essays and novels that had a homosexual theme rooted within the story. It was through this method that Baldwin was able to express his homosexuality and at the same time present a view of black culture that was highly unacceptable during that time period. His works gave him much widespread attention but essentially he was not recognized as a prominent leader of the movement. This was a result of stereotyped images of homosexuals and the desire for African American men to align themselves with the image of being powerful and very masculine. Because African Americans were in the struggle for equality and power here in America, to have a homosexual, who is stereotyped to have effeminate features, might prove detrimenta l in the drive for equality. There were a lot of things going on during the 1960s. The Civil Rights Movement was in full steam and the push for African American quality was greater than ever. The mass of appeal for protest was overwhelming and it spread to other causes as well. Movement could be found in other minority groups, women, and homosexuals as well. This period in time was unique because change was being encouraged and many people took advantage of it. James Baldwin was no exception to this motion of change. During this time period he produced many essays and novels, some of which contained a homosexual theme. He was bold in his move because he was one of a few among many who dealt with the topic. It was only until r... ...among other writers in the literary circle and in a sense became a leader that way. In more recent times, Baldwin has been given much praise for his work, he fueled other writers to follow suit and write about issues like race and sexuality. Hopefully his works will continue to be passed on to others and will open the minds and hearts of many. Works Cited Boykin, Keith. One More River to Cross New York: Anchor Books/Doubleday, 1996. Holland, Sharon P. â€Å"(Pro)Creating Imaginative Spaces and Other Queer Acts: Randall Kenan’s A Visitation of Spirits and Its Revival of James Bladwin’s Absent Black Gay Man in Giovanni’s Room.† McBride 265-87. McBride, Dwight A., ed. James Baldwin Now. New York: New York U P, 1999. Spurlin, William J. â€Å"Culture, Rhetoric, and Queer Identity: James Baldwin and the Identity Politics of Race and Sexuality.† McBride 103-21.

Eating Disorders: Symptoms, Signs, Causes Essay

What is an eating disorder? Well, one of the many definitions for an eating disorder is any range of psychological disorders characterized by disturbed eating habits; which include anorexia nervosa (AN), bulimia nervous (BN) and binge-eating disorder. (CITE). All eating disorders have similar characteristics. This could be a fear of becoming fat, food, weight or calories. The reason why I want to focus on this population is that eating disorders are a significant problem during the adolescent years affecting up to 5% of adolescent girls (Golden et al., 2003). Someone suffering from an eating disorder has a very unhealthy relationship with food that is prying into many areas of their everyday life. An individual may eat little to no food, eat unreasonably massive amounts of food, be infatuated with thoughts of food or exercise, and have a distorted body image. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders fifth edition (DSM-V) recognizes four main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorder not otherwise specified (EDNOS). (CITE DSM-5).The signs of an eating disorder will vary and may include refusal to eat, extreme exercise, social withdrawal, self-induced vomiting or binge eating. Many families that have a family member that suffers from an eating disorder also have an increased risk of depression, obesity, substance abuse or consuming too much food. People that suffer from eating disorders may struggle socially, physically and or mentally, there are also many symptoms and signs to watch for. (article 7) Causes of Eating Disorders: Eating Disorders are complex disorders, influenced by a faà §ade of factors. Thought the exact cause of eating disorders is unknown, it is generally believed that a combination of biological, psychological and/or environmental abnormalities contribute to the development of these illnesses. (Cite Article 4) Biological Factors: When it comes to biological factors some include; certain people may have irregular hormone functions that increase their risk of developing eating disorders. Genetics (the tie between eating disorders and one’s genes is still being heavily researched, but we know that genetics is a part of the story). And lastly, there are nutritional deficiencies; which is an inadequate supply of essential nutrients in diet resulting in malnutrition or disease. (Mayo Clinic) Psychological Factors Some of the psychological factors or emotional health include people with a negative body image. They may have low self-esteem, perfectionism impulsive behavior and troubled relationships with friends and loved ones. (Article 4) Environmental Factors Environmental factors or social factors that would contribute to the occurrence of eating disorders are dysfunctional family dynamic, professions and careers that promote being thin and weight loss, such modeling. Aesthetically oriented sports, where an emphasis is placed on maintaining a lean body for enhanced performance. Family and childhood traumas: childhood sexual abuse, severe trauma and cultural and/or peer pressure among friends and co-workers. (Article 6) Signs and Symptoms: (CITIE Article) Symptoms may vary depending on the type of eating disorder. A man or a woman suffering from an eating disorder may reveal several signs and symptoms that are both the same and different. Anorexia Nervosa Anorexia is possible life-threatening eating disorder characterized by an atypically low body weight, intense fear of gaining weight and one-sided perception of weight or shape. People that suffer from anorexia use dangerous efforts to control their weight and shape, which often knowingly interferes with their lifestyle. Obsession with calories and fat contents of food or use other methods to lose weight; such as having engaging in formalized eating patterns, including, cutting food into tiny pieces, eating alone, and/or hiding food. (Cite article 5) Bulimia Nervosa Bulimia is a serious, theoretically life-threatening eating disorder. When you have bulimia, you have episodes of bingeing and purging that involve feeling a lack of control over your eating. Many people with bulimia also restrict their eating during the day, which often leads to more binge eating and purging (Cite article 3). During these episodes, bulimics typically eat a large amount of food in a short time, and then try to rid of the extra calories in an unhealthy way. Because of guilt, shame and an intense fear of weight gain from overeating, they may force vomiting (purging bulimia), exercise too much, or use other methods, such as laxatives, to get rid of the calories (no purging bulimia). Even if you are bulimic, you’re undoubtedly preoccupied with weight and body shape and may judge severely and harshly for self-perceived flaws. Bulimic may be at a normal weight or even a bit overweight. (Cite article 4) Binge-Eating Disorder When it comes to a binge-eating disorder, many regularly eat too much food (binge) and feel a lack of control over eating. Eating quickly or eat more food than intended, even when not hungry, and may continue eating even long after becoming uncomfortably full. After a binge, there may feeling of guilty, disgusted or ashamed by the behavior displayed and the amount of food eaten (Cite Article 2). Many will try to but do not try to compensate for this behavior with excessive exercise or purging, as someone with bulimia or anorexia might. Embarrassment can lead to eating alone to hide bingeing. A new round of bingeing usually occurs at least once a week. Many may be normal weight, overweight or obese (Cite article 1) Treatments: Treatment of an eating disorder generally includes a team approach. The team typically includes medical providers, mental health providers and dietitians; all with experience in eating disorders. Many of the treatments are based around your specific type of eating disorder. However, in general, it typically includes psychotherapy, nutrition education and medication thorough being either an outpatient, or inpatient and if your life is at risk the possibility of being hospitalized. (CITIE ARTICLE 2). Psychotherapy, also known as talk therapy can help learn how to replace unhealthy habits with healthy ones. Psychotherapy can also help to improve the relationships and moods. Psychotherapy can include both Cognitive Behavioral therapy and Family Based Therapy. (Cite Article 3) Cognitive Behavioral Therapy Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) is applicable to all eating disorders but has been most intensively studied in the treatment of bulimia nervosa (BN). CBT is designed to alter abnormal attitudes about body shape and weight. (CITE ARTICLE 1) CBT is effective in reducing all core features of BN and shows good maintenance of therapeutic improvement. Family Based Therapy Family Based Therapy (FBT) is an evidence-based treatment for children and over teenagers dealing with eating disorders. The family is involved in making sure that the child or other family member follow healthy-eating patterns and maintains a healthy body image and weight. (Cite article 1) Outpatient: The goals of this form of treatment include restoring a normal weight and maintaining that weight, managing physiologic abnormalities, reducing the comorbid psychiatric symptoms such as depression, and changing the fundamental thoughts that are underlying the anorexia. Bulimics require similar medical management with the goal of the treatment being the restoration of a normalized eating pattern free of the binge and/or purge cycle. (Article 6) Partial Hospitalization: For the patient with anorexia nervosa (AN) who have had repeated hospitalizations, a partial hospitalization treatment plan is recommended. The partial hospitalization treatment should follow a group treatment model and should include nutritional counseling, meal planning and additional groups such as social skills training. For a patient with BN who are in transition from inpatient to outpatient treatment or those whose bingeing and purging have begun to interfere with their functioning may be treated in partial hospitalization. (Article 3) Inpatient Treatment: The criteria need for hospitalization for both anorexia and bulimia include unstable medical conditions. Weight loss of 10% to 15% or more normal for relapse only or 16% to 20% or more if it is a patients’ first episode. (Cite article 1). The inpatient hospitalization beings with a full evaluation, including a psychiatric and medical evaluation. Patients with anorexia are fed initially with supplemental liquid feedings 6 times a day until they are within at least 10% of their goal weight. Patients who refuse the feedings consistently and do not gain weight are given feeing through nasal gastric tubes (Mayo Clinic). Bulimic patients being with food trays. The goal for both anorectics and bulimics is self-regulated weight maintenance. This is done through letting the patient self-selecting meals after a period of weight maintenance within their range. Both the bulimic and the anorectic are participants in response prevention techniques intended to prevent any purging behavior. (John Hopkins) Future Practitioner Helping Individual with Eating Disorders from Empowerment and Strength Perspectives The empowerment perspective and the strength-based approach work together. In social service work, the strengths-based approach involves helpers highlighting the client’s strengths and not their shortfalls. There are different ways to empower clients; and how empowerment can benefit the clients and social services workers attitudes, relationships etc. Social workers need to be aware and practice methods for empowerment effectively to be able to believe in their client’s strengths, abilities, and dreams. (Cite empowerment article). Empowerment does not give people power, people already have plenty of power. Empowerment is defined as letting this power out. It encourages people to gain the skills and knowledge that will allow them to overcome obstacles in life or work environment and eventually help them develop strengths within themselves or in the society (Cite Theo class).