HR Case Study of Motivation, Compensation and Rewards Research Paper

HR Case Study of Motivation, Compensation and Rewards - Research Paper Example It however has a large number of employees whom it ensures that they receive a fair and equitable treatment. TRI Company however will require an appropriate compensation, reward and benefits system to enable its employees to stay motivated and to improve their performance. The appropriate performance appraisal system will also be required to measure the performance of the employees. The appropriate reward system will therefore be needed and this involves the financial rewards, non-financial compensation and the employee benefits. The reward system will be composed of processes that measure the value of job, motivational practices applicable, structures that relate the appropriate pay to the value of work done, schemes for providing incentives and rewards and structures that help to maintain the reward system (Armstrong, 2002). With the large number of employees available in the company, TRI will require compensation models that will ensure that the employees are more productive in their contribution to the company. The models that TRI may use to compensate their employees include merit pay, base pay, which include salaries, rewarding them using hourly wages, contingent pay, which includes use of bonuses, stock options, and gain sharing plans, indirect compensation and profit sharing. Base pay, which is also referred to as basic pay will include payment of a basic salary to the employees in the organization. The application of this model to TRI Company will involve ensuring that every employee is entitled to a basic monthly salary, which they should receive at the end of every month, year or other determined interval. The basis for this basic salary will be the managerial judgments that are used to recruit these employees. It is used as a platform through which other additional payments are determined. It also forms the platform on which other entitlements such as pensions are based. Merit Pay for TRI will involve determining the amount of

WWII Uboat campaign Term Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

WWII Uboat campaign - Term Paper Example German boats were equipped with 5 torpedoes and one main gun (Russell 122). U- Boats were mainly constructed for intelligence gathering of enemy movement and for launching special operations. German war planners very efficiently used U-boats to threaten and ultimately target the royal and merchant navy. U-boats sunk Royal navy and merchant ships sunk in huge numbers in different occasions. Restrictions of â€Å"treaty of Versailles† could not compel German navy to do away with submarine tactics during the Second World War (Gannon 47). Besides sinking battleships, boats also sunk an aircraft carrier in the Atlantic waters. U-boats almost compelled Britain war planners to consider surrender in the war. After the completion of German campaign in Western Europe, Hitler’s navy employed all the u-boats in Atlantic for patrolling the waters. This posed great threat to British merchant fleet as very less escort was available to guard the ships against German u-boat attacks. Sub marines had already proved the metal in the First World War but after passing about 20 years the U-boat tactics played havoc in Atlantic waters (Russell 119). U-boats played an important part in world war two, Winston Churchill claimed that U-boat war in Atlantic was so impressive and result oriented that Britain was forced to consider surrender during the Second World War.... German navy decided to target merchant fleets to threaten trade in the Atlantic. Merchant fleets used to travel with inadequate fleet so vulnerability to German attacks was already increased. It was almost impossible for Britain to provide complete protection and aerial cover to fleets throughout their Atlantic route. German navy started analyzing the points on the sea route where these fleets were coverless and no aerial or naval support available to merchant ships (Showell 71). Mid Atlantic was one of the lucrative options for attacking these fleets. The royal Britain navy was already over tasked in different regions of the world. Royal navy was facing challenging situation in accomplishment of the tasks in Atlantic, Far East and the Mediterranean. Therefore, the royal navy was already overstretched in the war. Such huge tasks of royal navy demanded careful planning and use of intelligence and tactics from naval and army commanders (Russell 132). Royal navy was greatly assisted by the French navy in defending the Mediterranean. Germany had 56 boats out of which only 46 were operational at the start of the war. According to the understanding of the famous â€Å"treaty of Versailles† Germany was not allowed to maintain any submarine as part of its naval fleet (Stern 58). Therefore, Germany took other measures by sending the troops abroad for submarine training. The treaty posed no restrictions on training the troops for anti submarine tasks. U-boat commanders were told to target merchant ships in Atlantic to break the backbone of British trade. In august 39, seventeen U-boats were sent to Atlantic Ocean with the mission of patrolling and laying mines (Showell 72). At the start of the battle, u-30 attacked and sunk liner â€Å"thania† casting 112 life causalities

SWOT Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SWOT Analysis - Research Paper Example This practice aids the firm to ensure that its efforts bring positive results to the desired areas. In other words, combined operation would assist the firm to deliver quality care services to its clients. Camelot is located at Staten Island in New York City and the organization has counseling programs throughout the five boroughs of the New York City. The current location is a major internal strength to the organization since New York City is an important drug destination and distribution center in the United States (NC Buy). Excellent customer service also adds to the firm’s performance efficiency. It is the main reason why majority of the New York population primarily tend to opt Camelot’s services. Weaknesses Higher employee turnover rate is the most challenging weakness of the company. The employee turnover is often a costly process since the company needs to make some additional investments to train a newly appointed employee. The time taken for the employee repla cement process would adversely affect the organizational productivity. Furthermore, the increased rate of employee turnover may adversely affect the corporate image of Camelot. The issue would cause the organization to lose continuity in its proposed programs. Similarly, it seems that the organization does not hire from within the firms and this strategy in turn incurs the operating expenses of Camelot. Furthermore, this practice prevents the firm from obtaining experienced employees. Lack of employee incentive is another weakness of the Camelot Counseling Centers; and this weakness often leads to employee turnover. In addition, it negatively affects employee motivation and thereby organizational productivity. Finally, since the organization does not have sufficient funds to purchase up to date equipments for employees, it seriously impinge on the operational efficiency of the Camelot. Under such circumstances, employees may be forced to work with improper equipments. Evidently, thi s situation often affects the quality of the services delivered. Opportunities The Camelot Counseling Centers is the only one treatment facility in the New York City that offers assistance to teenagers in their problems associated with drugs and education. In addition, there are only a few providers in the City that offer residential treatment facilities. The US official data indicate that substance abuse is becoming a threatening issue in the country, especially in megalopolis cities like New York. Hence, the city’s lifestyle offers certain potential opportunities to the organization. Another opportunity for the company is that it possesses experienced teachers and counselors on every site. This facility helps the company to extend its services to each and every corner of the city with no time lag. Studies have pointed that a drug addicted person needs continuous support until he is completely recovered from addition.. Since the organization has counselors on site, they can more closely work with the clients. Since the lab suppliers charge the same price for private insurance and Medicaid, clients can obtain improved services from Camelot at a fairly low cost. This advantage may attract more clients to the organization. Threats Recently, the Camelot Counseling Centers are losing their customers to competitors including Drug Rehab & Alcohol Addiction Treatment New York and New York City Rehab Center. Over the past few years, the organization

'Critically discuss the common law duty of seaworthiness' Essay

'Critically discuss the common law duty of seaworthiness' - Essay Example It is also used as a shipment receipt after the goods have been delivered. This receipt is mandatory for the shipment process and it is required that an authorized individual from all three parties, i.e. carries, shipper, and receiver, signs this document as it serves as an evidence of receipt of goods in the desired condition (Schmitz). This bill is very useful in situations where the good received are damaged while they were in good condition when loaded on to the vessel or when the receiver does not receive the goods at all. The process of carrying goods by the sea can be somewhat complicated with reference to defining the parties involved and their position in the entire process (Low). The contract begins between the shipper and the carrier who takes the responsibility of delivering the good from one port to another. Since the bill of lading receipt is issued by the carrier, the responsible party in case of any discrepancies in the quantity, quality, or condition of the good deli vered would be the carrier. It must be noted that the receiver of good is in more cases not the shipper but the consignee. It can be said that the bill of lading is the prima facie evidence between the shipper and carrier and conclusive evidence between the carrier and the consignee (Andersson). In the entire process of shipment, the ship owner has certain obligations to the shipper and the consignee. These obligations can be divided in to three parts of before commencement of the voyage, during the voyage, and after the voyage has been completed (Baughen). These obligations include providing a vessel which seaworthy, a reasonable dispatch of cargo, protection of cargo, not deviating from the route and delivering the cargo in time, at the right destination, in the desired condition (Baughen). Providing a Seaworthy Vessel The obligation to provide a seaworthy ship for the voyage is understood between all parties even when it is not explicitly agreed upon. There has been much debate r egarding the definition of the term â€Å"seaworthiness†. Though it generally implies that the carrier provides a ship which is physically fit to stand any perils of the sea and complete the journey. Not only is it settled that the ships provided by the carrier will be seaworthy in the general sense but it will also strong and sit enough to make it through any perils that might come across on the voyage along with strong furniture and other equipment in order to receive the cargo (Dockray and Thomas). Though different branches of Maritime law make use of the same definition of the term â€Å"seaworthiness†, this definition is little broad to explain the condition of the ship in this context. Seaworthiness under Carriage of Goods by Sea Even though the definition of seaworthiness has been changed a number of times under common law, Harter Act, and Hague/Hague-Visby rules, the term is still based on the same principles. It has been stated under common that the ship must be fit enough â€Å"to meet and undergo perils of the sea and other incidental risks which of necessity she must be exposed in the course of the voyage† (Kopitoff v. Wilson 380). Moreover, seaworthiness has

SWOT Analysis Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1000 words

SWOT Analysis - Research Paper Example This practice aids the firm to ensure that its efforts bring positive results to the desired areas. In other words, combined operation would assist the firm to deliver quality care services to its clients. Camelot is located at Staten Island in New York City and the organization has counseling programs throughout the five boroughs of the New York City. The current location is a major internal strength to the organization since New York City is an important drug destination and distribution center in the United States (NC Buy). Excellent customer service also adds to the firm’s performance efficiency. It is the main reason why majority of the New York population primarily tend to opt Camelot’s services. Weaknesses Higher employee turnover rate is the most challenging weakness of the company. The employee turnover is often a costly process since the company needs to make some additional investments to train a newly appointed employee. The time taken for the employee repla cement process would adversely affect the organizational productivity. Furthermore, the increased rate of employee turnover may adversely affect the corporate image of Camelot. The issue would cause the organization to lose continuity in its proposed programs. Similarly, it seems that the organization does not hire from within the firms and this strategy in turn incurs the operating expenses of Camelot. Furthermore, this practice prevents the firm from obtaining experienced employees. Lack of employee incentive is another weakness of the Camelot Counseling Centers; and this weakness often leads to employee turnover. In addition, it negatively affects employee motivation and thereby organizational productivity. Finally, since the organization does not have sufficient funds to purchase up to date equipments for employees, it seriously impinge on the operational efficiency of the Camelot. Under such circumstances, employees may be forced to work with improper equipments. Evidently, thi s situation often affects the quality of the services delivered. Opportunities The Camelot Counseling Centers is the only one treatment facility in the New York City that offers assistance to teenagers in their problems associated with drugs and education. In addition, there are only a few providers in the City that offer residential treatment facilities. The US official data indicate that substance abuse is becoming a threatening issue in the country, especially in megalopolis cities like New York. Hence, the city’s lifestyle offers certain potential opportunities to the organization. Another opportunity for the company is that it possesses experienced teachers and counselors on every site. This facility helps the company to extend its services to each and every corner of the city with no time lag. Studies have pointed that a drug addicted person needs continuous support until he is completely recovered from addition.. Since the organization has counselors on site, they can more closely work with the clients. Since the lab suppliers charge the same price for private insurance and Medicaid, clients can obtain improved services from Camelot at a fairly low cost. This advantage may attract more clients to the organization. Threats Recently, the Camelot Counseling Centers are losing their customers to competitors including Drug Rehab & Alcohol Addiction Treatment New York and New York City Rehab Center. Over the past few years, the organization

Personal Goals Essay Example for Free

Personal Goals Essay Setting goals should not be just for school assignments but should be part of one’s everyday life. Developing goals gives people something to strive toward and allows an individual to keep going forward in life. Without goals, it is very easy to give up when things get rough. According to Bishop, Carter and Kravitis (2011), â€Å"Setting goals involves defining what an individual is aiming for in both long-term and short-term time frames. Long-term goals are broader objective an individual wants to achieve over a long period, perhaps a year or more. Short-term goals are smaller steps that move an individual toward a long-term goal, making it manageable and achievable, piece by piece (p. 98). Smart Goals is a tool that helps to focus and create effective goals. Smart Goals is an acronym that consists of five steps: Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time frame (Carter, Bishop, Kravits, 2011). Examples of using these acronyms for writing this paper are Specific – by receiving a B grade in every nursing class, Measurable – by completing each class for a step closer to receiving a degree, Attainable – by commitment and many hours of study, Relevant – achieving a B grade is not unrealistic with commitment and determination; the goal is to think positive and know that I can achieve anything, and Time frame – every five weeks completing a class. The following are the specifics of my personal and professional short and long-term goals along with the challenges in achieving them. Short-Term Personal Goals One of my short-term personal goals is to control my overspending. Most of my overspending is a result of depression, hence the compulsive purchases. The way I deal with depression is to go out and buy things. It makes me feel good for the moment but when I get the bill I become depressed and stressed. I believe in dealing with this issue will allow me a sense of peace. Since, I started back to school, there is no better time to start on this goal because attending school and studying is a tremendous distraction that will take up a majority of my time. My boyfriend manages his money very well and pays off all his credit cards every month and has no debt. I decided that I will have him help manage all my credit cards and bills to achieve my goal. The next step will be to cut up my credit cards and keep one for an emergency. Another strategy I am going to use, the days go out with my friends I will make them aware of my goal and solicit their help to keep me on track. When I am about to buy something, I will have them remind me about my goal of getting out of credit card debt. My milestone for this goal is one week to get the above strategies in effect. Long-Term Personal Goals One of my long-term personal goals is to pay-off all my credit cards. The first thing I need to do is to create a picture of how much debt and recurring bills I have in a month. This involves adding up all my credit card debt to see how much I owe, adding the monthly minimum payments, and adding up all my monthly recurring expenses: i.e. car loan, car insurance (divided by six), gas Family Fitness fees, ATT bill, and groceries. The next step is to add up all my income in a month. From here I can subtract the minimum amount due on all my credit cards and recurring bills from my income with an outcome of my maximum monthly income. With this result, I will decide how much more I want to contribute to paying down my highest interest rate credit card first, putting some away in my savings account for unexpected emergencies, and some for a little pleasure. The next step is to decide a realistic milestone to achieve this goal. I am giving myself one and a half years, my expected graduation date, so I have a clean slate to start paying off my school loan. To keep myself on track to my target date, I am starting an expense log that will allow me to monitor exactly where my money is going. By doing this I should be able to adjust my numbers to meet my goal. Another way to achieve this goal is by staying in school believe it or not. If I am in school and studying a majority of my time, I will have less time to go out and spend money. By doing and implementing all the above, I will be on my way to being debt free by the time I graduate. Short-Term Professional Goal One of my short-term professional goals is to complete the HCS/301 class with at least a B grade. My milestone achievement date is set for two weeks. To reach this goal I am taking several courses of action. The first is to manage my time. Managing my time will be challenging to say the least. I will be juggling my time between work, school, keeping up my home and spending a little time with my longtime boyfriend and dog. Oh wait, I forgot to list time to sleep. To do this, I will write down how many hours of work and commuting time I do each week (average 56 hours), time for boyfriend, dog, and home management (17 hours), and. time for school (39 hours). With my learning challenges, 39 hours per week is enough time for school. Another course of action is to form a study/support group. This group will help in discussions on schoolwork, to reinforce the in class material, and to discover different ways of doing and thinking regarding school assignments. A third way to achieve this goal is to take advantage of all the resources available at University of Phoenix. This would include using the university library, disability services, technical services, and taking workshops just to name a few. By consuming all these resources, I am sure it will reduce the amount of time and stress it takes me to complete each assignment. Long-Term Professional Goals One of my long-term professional goals is to obtain a Bachelor of Science in Nursing (BSN) degree. Working as a Registered Nurse (RN), I have experienced many roadblocks in obtaining another job and have fought going back to school for the past year. I finally have come to the realization that to make myself more employable in today’s job market that a RN with a BSN degree has a distinct advantage over a candidate with only an AA degree. According to Williams (n.d., p. 1), a study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, and reported by the American Association of Colleges of Nursing, â€Å"surgical patients treated by greater percentage of nurses holding Bachelor’s Degrees had a survival advantage† over those patients who did not have nurses with BSN. It was also reported that there has been a 10% increase in nurses with BSN degrees, and this increase in BSN-prepared RNs has decreased the risk of patient death by approximately five percent.† a BSN will give me more credibility, put me in a position of higher demand, increase my opportunities, and in a position to obtain higher pay. I have already started toward this goal by enrolling at University of in their BSN program will take one and a half years to complete the curriculum. As mention previously, I plan to succeed academically by continuing with my study/support groups, staying organized, continuing using resources at University of Phoenix, and completing each course in a the curriculum with at least a B grade. Challenges Everyone will face challenges and roadblocks throughout their lifetime. What sets up apart is how deal with them. If one allows it, challenges can stop us from achieving our goals. The major challenge I am facing at this time starting University of Phoenix is my negative thinking. I do not want to go back to school but have to out of necessity to keep my job. My negative thinking is due to my learning disabilities some of which are a lack of skills in reading and writing that seem to be a requirement in obtaining a BSN degree. Adding all these challenges together greatly contributes to my lack of confidence. A good support group at school and home is easing my negativity. Conclusion In conclusion, this paper was about personal and professional short and long-term goals. With each one, I discussed strategies on low to achieve each goal and the expected milestone for each. Reaching each milestone is empowering, to know that we are one step closer to achieving the next goal (Morisano, 2008). From researching on the subject of goals, when settling on goals, one should have positive outcome expectations regarding their ability to actually achieve these goals or they are unlikely to be highly motivated in following through with goal-relevant behavior (Williams, n.d., para 1). The importance of setting goals is that it gives me something I to have. When a goal is achieved, it gives me a little self- satisfaction and more confidence that I can achieve anything that I put my mind to if I have a clear vision of what I want. References Bishop, J., Carter, C., Kravits, S.L. (2011). Keys to Effective Learning. Study Skills and Habits for Success (6th ed.). Morisano, D. (2008). Personal goal setting in university students: Effects on academic achievement, executive functioning, personality, and mood. McGill University (Canada)). ProQuest Dissertations and Theses, 235. Retrieved from http://search.proquest.com/docview/762858991?accountid=35812. (762858991). Williams, M. (n.d.). Is a BSN important? Nurses Speak Out. Retrieved from http://www.workingnurse.com/articles/Is-a-BSN-Important-Nurses-Speak-Out

Exorcism in religion and psychology

Exorcism in religion and psychology Contrary to what may seem to be common sense, nowadays the beliefs in paranormal are still very prevalent in the society. Indeed, the revival of the interest and acceptance of such phenomena as poltergeists, ghosts, and devil took place in a quite secularized modern society dominated by the scientific thinking and medical worldview (Milner, 2000). However, it is not that surprising. It could be assumed that the possibility of the belief in the existence of such phenomena is rooted in the peoples understanding of the functioning of the world with religion being one of the sources that provide this kind of information. Some modern scientists propose that religious and spiritual phenomena consist of multiple factors like inherited or developed neural circuitry of the brain, pro-social tendencies selected through evolution, and the general biology of the human mind which generates the specific cognitive processes like religious beliefs (Fayard, Pereau, Ciovica, 2009). This kind of biological predisposition for spirituality and religion might explain why similar phenomena such as possession by the spirits as well as the subsequent healing and expulsion of these spirits are found in many different cultures and religions around the world despite the existing significant differences in ideology and practice. Furthermore, it may also explain why the belief in such paranormal phenomena is still alive in the society even when many old religions and beliefs were extinguished or substituted by science, and modern religions like Christianity, Islam, Buddhism and etc. The revival of the interest in exorcism in the mainstream Christianity was evoked by the rise of the interest in the occult in the society in general such as the fascination with New Age movements which are interested in learning more about the occult (Milner, 2000). Acknowledging all the risks involved in the exorcism, the Christian church was afraid that vulnerable individuals might be hurt by the ritual performed by the healers who lack proper training, beliefs, and resources despite their good intentions, if such are present(Milner, 2000). Furthermore, fascinated by the enthusiasm, spirituality, and mass appeal of various Charismatic and Pentecostal movements that put the emphasis on various occult practices including exorcism, the mainstream Christianity tried to incorporate such practices into their worship in part in response to the demands of the society and due to the perceived threat to the authority of the mainstream Christianity (Milner, 2000). As a result, the issue of e xorcism was brought back to life, however in the light of science. Exorcism defined Despite the revival of interest in exorcism for many people including the ones involved in the Christian ministries, it still remains a bizarre and frightening ritual that came from the past targeting the vulnerable individuals who could be traumatized by this practice (Milner, 2000). For instance, within the legal system traditionally exorcism is defined as physical act of holding down the individual while facing the spiritual, psychic and physical opposition from him. It might be even recognized by the court as the false imprisonment, if exorcism is performed without the consent of the individual (Koploy, 2010). On the other hand, in certain religious groups this ritual is considered to be fundamental to faith just like baptism or marriage (Koploy, 2010). Furthermore, due to the fact that exorcism is very closely connected to the belief system and basic religious experiences, it might be seen as a indirect way of controlling and leaning peoples minds (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). It is very hard to describe the actual ritual of exorcism because the practices as well as the beliefs in demons and spirits vary greatly even within the branches of Christianity (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). However, every incidence of exorcism regardless of the religion within which it is performed includes common elements and can be assessed by the following criteria (Versteeg Droogers, 2007): demonological criterion the nature of the evil: personal or impersonal, spiritual or human; etiological criterion the explanation of the problem, spiritual and natural causes; diagnostic criterion methods of finding the cause: discovering spirits and other medical causes; tropical criterion the experience of reality by the people involved in the ritual: direct or metaphorical; ritual criterion: the structure of the ritual, the people involved in it, and other treatments scientific or spiritual that accompany the exorcism. In the Christian perspective the exorcism is the violent and dangerous battle between the person performing the ritual and the devil inside the individual (Milner, 2000). Therefore, the possessed individual may express uncontrollable anger, strange noises, supernormal extrasensory perception and strength, may uncontrollably call the name of Jesus or devil and have a strong desire for drugs, alcohol, and abnormal sexual practices, be subject to violent rages and be able to speak in language they never knew before (Milner, 2000). Furthermore, they might be unable to perform certain religious practices such as praying, reading Bible, and participating in meditation. In addition, the possession affects the social life of individual due to the rapid deterioration of their relationships with other people and outbursts of panic, terror and envy (Milner, 2000). However, the main danger of such practice as exorcism is not the lack of the acceptance in the society, but rather the too much emphasis on it, which may escalate into a full blown paranoia of attributing everything that is contrary to a specific understanding of the world and religion to the work of devil (Milner, 2000). This misunderstanding may result in tragic occurrences such as abuse, violence, criminal activity, suicide or homicide (Milner, 2000). Furthermore, looking from the psychological perspective, the focus on the devil as the cause of the behavior and demonizing what is not demonic encourage people to ignore the psychological and physiological needs and characteristics of the person and may lead to the diffusion of responsibility or even encourage people to deny that they are in fact responsible for their own actions and behavior (Miquel, 2010). Thus, the presence of devil becomes a very quick and simple explanation and may distract the attention from various psychologi cal, medical or social problems (Milner, 2000). Demon possession Being the result of the problem, it is hard to explore exorcism from both religious and psychological side without taking into account its primary cause, demon or spiritual possession. The word possession within the field of psychology usually refers to the belief that the persons mind and body can be controlled by another personality (Stevenson, 1995). That personality might be represented as the deceases person or an evil spirit. This idea was accepted almost universally till the 16th century and was almost always linked to witchcraft (Stevenson, 1995). However, even after the 16th century when the first skeptical work on witchcraft and magic started to appear, such beliefs remained prevalent in the society. The literature indicates many ways of differentiation among the states of possession such as ritual non-ritual, good evil, or voluntary involuntary, but no single classification is yet developed (Stevenson, 1995). The research shows that the incidents of possession are even though infrequent, but not that uncommon as people usually think. For instance about 2% of general Canadian population reported having experiences a possession (Bull, 2001). Furthermore, even though the general religious affiliation declined in the last century, the cases related to vampires, werewolves, and demons have not ceased (Bull, 2001). Despite the fact that such instances are highly influenced by the traditional culture, the beliefs in paranormal and supernatural are common in the modern society and that many of them arise from the direct personal experience (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Scientists agree that spiritual possession is a more cultural phenomenon (Miquel, 2010). This suggests that the existence and identification of this phenomena depends not only the perception and the beliefs prevalent in the society, but also on the interpretation given by the typical members of this culture (Miquel, 2010). Therefore, it is understandable that while working with the Christian clients the reports related to demonic encounters may even increase. For instance the survey of the 343 Swiss Protestants patients showed that about 38% of them believe that evil spirits or demons may be the cause of their psychiatric illness and around 30% of them actually tried the healing prayer or exorcism (Bull, 2001). The frequency increases even more if the individuals with the Dissociative Identity Disorder better known to the general population as the Multiple Personality Disorder are assessed. In one study around 29% out of 236 individuals with this diagnosis indentified their other per sonality as a demon (Bull, 2001). Interestingly enough, the tendency to attribute mental illnesses to the work of devil and possession exists in our society from the Stone Age (Ward Beaubrun, 1980). Even though this etiological theory advanced a lot, it is still evident in the modern society. One of the disorders proposed in DSM-IV-TR for further research and possible inclusion in upcoming DSM-V is Dissociative Trance Disorder (2000). The defining diagnostic criterion for this disorder is the presence of a single or episodic altered state of consciousness in which the identity of the person is replaced by another altered identity usually attributed to the spirit or deity (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). However, such diagnosis is valid only if this experience leads to distress or dysfunction. Therefore, it could be said that within the framework of religion, not all possessions are pathological and require some kind of treatment. Furthermore, the possessions experienced during the specific ritual ceremonies may even have a valid individual and social function (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). However, in some countries such as Italy possession disorders where another identity is identified as a demon appear to be quite widespread. In one survey done in the 1990s 46% of respondents said that th ey believe in devil (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Furthermore, there was a higher incidence of various paranormal and magical phenomena among this group of respondents. The fact that the majority of the majority of respondents who reported these beliefs and the incidents of encounter with paranormal were women might possibly be explained by the fact that women are considered to be more religious than men (Spilka, 2003). In addition women are also more likely to have Dissociative Identity Disorder, which is often associated with the demon possession (DSM-IV-TR, 2000). However, some researchers indicate that the belief in paranormal, magical and spiritual phenomena is not pathological unless it interferes with the functioning of individual on both interpersonal and intrapersonal levels (Ward Beaubrun, 1980). Furthermore, possession may even be seen as the culturally appropriate coping mechanism because it offers the way to escape the stressful reality and reduction of guilt by transferri ng it to the evil entity that possessed the individual (Ward Beaubrun, 1980). Exorcism in Christianity Within the Christian tradition, exorcism often belongs to the broader category of ministry called deliverance (Milner, 2000). It includes dealing with such paranormal phenomena as poltergeists, ghosts, and devil. Therefore, the term deliverance derived from the line of the Lords Prayer deliver us from evil is the preferred official term for exorcism in Christianity (Milner, 2000). However, deliverance may apply to both people and places or things, while the term exorcism still traditionally is used only in connection to people. The existence of such practice is defended by the Bible, which describes Jesus healing abilities, one of them being to cast out demons (Koploy, 2010). Thus, the main task of the person performing exorcism is defined as to confront the demon that possessed a person, and restore the victim of possession to life making the person again whole with self, community, church, and God (Milner, 2000). This description allows seeing that the ritual of exorcism is meant t o bring not only religious, but also psychological and social benefits. However, due to its nature the ritual of exorcism can be easily abused, if not carefully controlled. Therefore, churches had to develop the guidelines for diagnosing the need for this kind of interventions in the cases involving the paranormal as well as for the way to carry them out (Milner, 2000). The control is executed by normalizing and medicalizing the primary cause of the exorcism which is demon possession, as well as bureaucratizing and rationalizing the procedures of exorcism. Furthermore, the revival of exorcism in the secularized and scientific society is risky because it raises many issues about the proper balance between the etiological explanations that emphasize the role of the paranormal and spiritual activity or the role of the material and physical factors. These tensions may lead to the reduced cooperation between the medical professionals and spiritual healers (Milner, 2000). Thus, exorcism may become one of those battle fields, where the ideas of medicine, psycho logy or science in general clash with the ideas of religion eliminating each other from their own worldview. However, according to the famous psychologist David G. Myers, this should not necessarily be the case and both religion and psychology may complement each other by addressing different sides of the same issue (1991). Some members of the church involved in the healing ministry try to take an approach that helps to ease the tensions. They still believe in possibility that the devil can be present inside the person, but they also accept other psychological and physical explanations of the condition (Milner, 2000). The healers try to normalize the process of exorcism making it anything but bizarre to the society and develop a healing model that would correspond to the treatment of the whole person which is emphasized in the modern medicine. The actual process of exorcism includes the involvement of doctors, therapists as well as the healers at every level. Thus, such regulations make an exorcism the last option of healing if neither medical nor psychiatric or psychotherapeutic approaches work (Milner, 2000). The healers are trying to make exorcism a highly regulated and infrequent procedure used together with medical diagnosis and treatment of the condition. Furthermore, they emphasize the idea that the task of the person doing exorcism is not only to cast out demon, but to help the person recover in religious, physical, psychological, and social spheres (Milner, 2000). Therefore, the medical, psychiatric or psychological help remains essential even after the exorcism is performed. As one of the authors stated, The results are important, not theories (p.262). Furthermore, the healers tend to distinguish between the possession syndrome, when people due to other medical, psychiatric or psychological factors falsely believe to be possessed, and the actual possession, when the devil is involved (Milner, 2000). Thus, now it is not uncommon to meet an expert in spiritual healing who also has education and professional training in psychotherapy or counseling (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). Exorcism in psychology In the field of psychology of religion, exorcism received some attention in the light of research done on other topics such as cults, Satanism, and even conversion (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). It is known that some experiences such as religion can create and sustain a community because they provide a common purpose for existence, help to define the identity of the group as well as legitimize the community and its goals (Singleton, 2001). Thus, religious experiences are very important elements of the religion, faith, and culture (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). The supernatural experiences of evil and the encounters with the devil are quite obvious examples of such religious experiences. For instance 80% of the Australian Protestants believe that evil spirits are active in this world and 65% of them have no doubt about it (Singleton, 2001). Even though the actual percentage of such people varies according to the doctrines of specific Christian denomination, it still could be said that the b eliefs in the devil are very widespread. Furthermore, Christians believe that both physical and spiritual parts of the body can be subject to the attack of the devil, thus allowing for the physical as well as spiritual healing (Singleton, 2001). However, despite the prevalence of these beliefs in the society, the literature on psychotherapy generally describes exorcism as being not therapeutic for psychiatric patients and even harmful (Bull, 2001). The fact that exorcism is a part of the religious healing practice leads to the view that it is not scientific or psychological and thus could be dismissed as not feasible treatment. In the literature concerning the Dissociative Identity Disorder points out that those performing exorcism are prone to confuse the other protective or self-destructive identity of the person with the presence of the demon (Bull, 2001). Only small percentage of authors actually considers the possibility of implementing exorcism as a treatment option for the disorder. However, the extremely negative and deteriorative outcomes for the exorcised patients found in several separate studies even lead to the idea that exorcism should never be used in therapy (Bull, 2001). The main two objections for its use a re formulated as the lack of psychological or medical understanding of the disorders by the members of the church performing the exorcism as well as the lack of cooperation of the patient during this process (Bull, 2001). However, the therapists with the Christian background, such Friesen and Mungadze, who acknowledge both the presence of the demon as well as the disorder, see exorcism being a helpful treatment in addition to the psychotherapy for some of the patients having a particular religious background (Bull, 2001). They allow the possibility that the psychological disturbance may coexist with the spiritual disturbance, which could be a defining justification for the application of both psychological and spiritual treatments. Even in the same studies that found the negative outcome to be associated with exorcism some positive outcomes were also reported (Bull, 2001). The differentiating factors in these situations were whether the exorcism was couples with psychotherapy and whether the patient felt coerces to participate in exorcism. For instance, even Allison, one of the pioneers in treatment of dissociative identity disorder had mentioned that he has too much experience of the demon possession , exorcism, and positive outcomes to completely dismiss this possibility (Bull, 2001). Furthermore, medicine and science alone are not capable of fully explaining human abilities. Therefore, it is proposed that both the neurobiology of the individual as well as the context of culture significantly contribute to the development of complex human abilities and the ability to relate to God among them (Fayard, Pereau, Ciovica, 2009). This implies that spiritual or religious experience does not exist apart from our physical reality and daily life in the immaterial spiritual reality. Thus, both religion and science can work hand in hand in order to increase the wellbeing of the individual. Bull proposes the phenomenological model of application of exorcism to the treatment of certain disorders such as Dissociative Identity Disorder (2001). According to him, current treatment of this disorder includes the usage of the perception of the patient without taking into account and questioning the reality or truthfulness of what the patient reports. Therefore, the same approach might be used while applying the exorcism as a treatment. This allows to avoid the clash between the religion and psychology by dismissing the delicate question about the actual existence of demons that is so puzzling for some secular therapists and to work within the belief system of the patient in order to use the beliefs otherwise considered irrational and delusional for the benefit of the patient (Bull, 2001). In addition, this also allows keeping the personal biases of the therapist at minimum. Thus, the religion practices and beliefs being the part of the culture and cultural identity of the perso n, the incorporation of such beliefs in the therapy might be seen as a simple culture-sensitive therapeutic approach. Furthermore, taking into account the idea that the patient is coming from the religious background that acknowledges the belief in the existence of demons and views the problem as caused by the foreign evil entity possessing the mind or the body, gives the therapist one more psychological tool for helping the patient (Bull, 2001). Such beliefs and worldview propose the idea that if the patient believes that something was put into the mind or the body, then it can be expelled. This technique showed to improve the overall social functioning of the individuals diagnosed with the Dissociative Identity Disorder (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Thus, the therapist may help the patient to apply their own spiritual resources while fighting the psychological or psychiatric diseases or at least coping with it (Bull, 2001). However, some research also indicates that religious coping strategies may be helpful for patients who identify themselves religious leading back to the issue of working within the belief system of the patients (Wildman McNamara, 2008). The same approach is suggested not only in the cases of psychotherapy but also in family therapy or counseling (Bull, 2001). In addition to the beliefs, the actual term exorcism might also be concern while adopting this approach. Due to the negative depiction of this ritual in the popular media such as in the famous film The Exorcist, this term may evoke a negative reaction. Therefore, for the sake of the comfort of the patient it can be substituted with more appropriate terms like the one preferred by the church which is deliverance or spiritual warfare (Bull, 2001). Furthermore, the therapists are even advised to use the same work describing the perceived foreign evil entity inside the patient that the patient uses (Bull, 2001). The therapist should not only identify the evil spirit that possesses the patient, but also ask the patient to tell if he or she believe in the any higher force that is more powerful than the one inside them in order to use this reference in the further treatment trying to expel the foreign evil entity (Bull, 2001). Assessing this approach from the perspective of the Christian healers, it should be said that it does not contradict the scripture. The Bible shows many episodes of exorcism. However, there are no strict guidelines regarding the symptoms, places or the ways to perform it. Furthermore, the patients from the Judeo-Christian background that perceive themselves being possessed also believe in the power of God who can help to expel the demons (Bull, 2001). However, the personal and professional skills of the person performing exorcism are no less important than the skills of the psychologist because they both provide the guidance during the exorcism necessary to achieve the regenerative outcome (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Conclusion The presence of extensive literature on exorcism and demon possession in the fields of theology, anthropology and sociology where spirit possession is considered to be a classic topic, and the lack of it in the fields of psychology of religion or psychiatry shows that these phenomena are not very well researched (Versteeg Droogers, 2007). Even though such incidents are not very common, they are also not as rare as society perceives them to be. For instance, about 10% of the patients in India who are diagnosed with dissociative disorder not otherwise specified actually have a possession disorder (Ferracuti Sacco, 1996). Thus, studying the psychological significance of exorcism within the Christianity or any other religion and the ways it can be applied for the benefit of the patients in combination with other medical or psychological treatment may bring some substantial results. However, as Wildman and McNamara state, while doing an empirical study in the field of religion the resea rchers should be very careful considering the social implications of their research (2008). Even the unbiased study on religion still occurs in the specific social and cultural context. Thus, the results of the ideologically neutral study might escalate and have a profound effect on the social policies, laws, and both religious and non-religious self-understanding of individuals (Wildman McNamara, 2008). Handling such controversial topic as exorcism and its application in medical, psychological or psychiatric treatment which brings together the issues of religion, medicine, psychology and psychiatry requires even more carefulness because it possesses both the benefits and the problems of each field.