Antwone Fisher Essay

Antwone Fisher is a young man with anger and temperament issues associated with childhood interpretation of physical and emotional abuse caused by the authoritarian figures of his family. Self-image and true self have been challenged, but the Navy as various events trigger tragic memories from the past. A psychiatrist played by Denzel Washington accepts the challenge to assist human development through various methods and intervention techniques. Furthermore, intervention helps to remove the layers of negative emotion and can be accomplished if the right counselor assists with proper intervention techniques. Carl Rogers theorized the importance of looking at â€Å"self†. He drew a distinction between the self perception and the perception of the â€Å"Ideal-self. There are organized patterns associated with the established one self or the many selves. The â€Å"phenomenal field of the individual includes both unconscious and conscious perceptions, including those of which an individual is aware and is not aware (Pervin p. 172). Focus is on providing avenues to consciousness, as the means to a healthy functional individual. Antwone’s self-image is buried in painful memories and unchecked past emotional events. Rogerian Theory seems to be based in self image. It provides a basis for understanding, evaluating, and providing the appropriate intervention. Gordon Allport’sTheory Rationale Functional Autonomy derives from the notion of healthy and well-organized aspects of human behavior. Traits are the basis of and most important aspect of personality, and they are seated in the nervous system. They represent generalized personality dispositions that account for regularities in the functioning of a person across situations and over time (Pervin p. 32). Antwone’s predictable pattern of behavior becomes traits controlled by his changing emotional state. When a memory challenges the nervous system, he makes irrational emotional unhealthy decisions. Allport’s theory application may reveal more options to understanding the root cause of aggressiveness and angry outbursts. Character Description Antwone Fisher was born in an Ohio prison (his mother was an inmate; his father was shot dead before his birth) and grew up in an abusive foster home in Cleveland. Beaten and often kept tied in the basement, Fisher ran away when he was seventeen and had to face life on the streets. Antwone joined the Navy only to find he was fighting to save himself from insult and to help preserve his pride. Antwone progressively becomes a healthy young man after a psychiatrist helps remove layers of anger and pain based memories. Character Analysis Structure- Antwone Fisher’s character is wrapped up in pressure associated with memories of a mother in prison, a father killed by his girlfriend, abandonment, and physical, emotional, and sexual maltreatment. He was placed in a foster home with his half-brothers. The pastor beat the light-skinned boy for having too much pride. Mrs. Tate tied Antwone’s hands behind his back and beat him unconscious and threatened to burn him with an open fire. She would create division between them while using skin color and the degrading terms. Antwone was the middle child. In the Navy, Antwone was a loner. He constantly went inside to find answers to his past. His treatment as a child stemmed from slave-based disciplinary practiced by Mrs. Tate. His character begins to be formed according to the daily exposure to verbal and mental lashings from her. His self-worth in her eyes amounts to nothing. His submissive behavior is degrading and subservient. He is chastised every step of his childhood into his teen years until he finally puts an end to the beating. There is no reward for good behavior. He even pokes fun at Dr. Davenport (Played by Denzel Washington) while making a mockery of his intervention suggestions. Denzel again reverts to memories from his past and the feelings associated with self-perception. Confusion after making an attempt to straighten-up drives him away from seeking more attention from the psychiatrist. He just wants to be a good shipman, but continues to find a problem with anger. Process He has to find himself before he can find his ideal-self. He realizes through the help of Dr. Davenport that he can change. He tries to find a trust based relationship to compare thoughts and feelings to his own. Establishing relationships may be difficult when internal issues have not been resolved; He wants to impress his woman friend but cannot find the words to begin a caring relationship. Denzel role plays away some of the perceived self-critical behavior to instill confidence. There is a growing consensus about the relationship between personality traits and emotional states, biological theorists of adult personality are exchanging ideas with theorists of childhood temperament, and long-term studies of personality development across the life span are delivering on the promises made many years ago William Revelle; Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 46, 1995, p. 1). Antwone finds incongruence between his perceived self image and his true self image. Dealing with emotional baggage and the inexperience of having the ability to build and maintain a lasting relationship can distort feelings and create confusion. Growth and Development Growth continues during the date with Cheryl as she points out things about his appearance that she finds attractive. His character develops as he shares himself in a way never before experienced. His self-worth grows as he overcomes fear to be â€Å"himself† as he lowers defenses and builds a relationship. He also looks to his psychiatrist the same night for validation and confirmation as he shares his first kiss experience. This appears to be the first time that lowering defenses and trusting his feelings creates a self-worth like never before. Personality theories attempt to account for individual behavior. The scope of such theories is vast. (Revelle, p. 1). Antwone is trying to be nice, but finds it difficult when provoked to anger. Dr. Davenport employs empathy as a way to meet Antwone where before moving quickly ahead. Affective level understanding creates an environment of trust and deeper understanding. Any attempt to withhold judgment and establish rapport assists greatly in growth rate and early development. In sensing the private world of a client, the counselor or therapist attempts to convey an empathic understanding of the person’s experiencing. Through a sensitive attunement, an individual is able to empathically sense his or her own subjective internal state. In an immediate context, a person’s reactions assume the form of hunches and a flow of inner feelings. In this mode, experiencing includes such reactions as love, hate, enjoyment, boredom, sensing, and perceiving. As a basic way of knowing, experiencing subjective responses is fundamental to everyday life. Empathy: Implications of Three Ways of Knowing in Counseling Journal article by Arthur J. Clark; Journal of Humanistic Counseling, Education and Development, Vol. 43, 2004, p. 1). Carl Rogers (1964) described 3 ways of knowing with reference to empathic understanding: subjective, interpersonal, and objective. Dr. Davenport questions Antwone about his family life after he was thrown out of Mrs. Tate’s house. He talks about going back to the orphanage to develop his social skills. It’s what happens when empathy becomes a part of the process. Dr.  Davenport uses a line of questioning based in empathetic understanding. The centrality of understanding the private perceptual world of a person from an interpersonal perspective is a recurring theme in the writings of Rogers. Thus, the direction of an individual’s empathy is toward another person in an effort to grasp his or her phenomenological functioning. (p. 1). Institutionalized incarceration lacks sensitivity and empathy. The penal system and rehabilitation process formalize a different skill set and can impede growth and development. From reform school to a men’s shelter to living on the street creates a survival response and an identity vacuum and a need for understanding and belonging. Keep in mind the basis of the Roger’s approach is, to enact empathy, genuineness, and unconditional positive regard (An Analysis of How Carl Rogers Enacted Client-Centered Conversation with Gloria Journal article by Scott A. Wickman, Cynthia Campbell; Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol. 81, 2003, p. 1). Antwone begins to show a trend of behaviors with anticipated responses. His motives are driven by basic human needs for survival. His dysfunctional past needs to be replaced with more productive behavior. Antwone’s park bench experiences before joining the Navy have to be considered in the same way Gordon Allport suggests personality and trait development tied to the environment. Antwone is very conscious of his reaction and responses to people and events in the environment. Antwone, a nice person, may be misunderstood and misjudged because of the trait behaviors associated with anger and violence. Allport surveys of personality psychology included discussions of such concepts as defense mechanisms, self, and identification. Shoring up the SASB Bridge between Personality Theory and Clinical Psychology Journal article by Jerry S. Wiggins; Psychological Inquiry, Vol. 5, 1994. 3 pgs, p. 3). Antwone employs each concept on the road to becoming a balanced healthy, functioning young man. Allport’s theory suggests growth or development of personality is equally important. Regardless of whether one favors traits or motives, many of the questions driving personality psychology are developmental: How do people develop the trait of sociability (or the need for achievement)? At what developmental period does this trait (need) emerge? When are the critical periods during which the trait (need) is expressed? Is sociability (need for achievement) stable from one developmental period to the next, and, if not, what factors are responsible for those changes? How does being high in sociability (need for achievement) shape the individual’s life path (Traits and Types, Dynamics and Development: No Doors Should Be Closed in the Study of Personality, Journal article by Oliver P. John, Richard W. Robins; Psychological Inquiry, Vol. 5, 1994. 6 pgs, p. 140)? Psychopathology The development of psychological theory tends to oscillate between optimistic advances and self-critical analyses and retrenchment (William Revelle; Annual Review of Psychology, Vol. 46, 1995, p. 1). Antwone employs defense mechanisms to preserve his client/patient relationship with Dr. Davenport. His regression begins when he recalls the memory of his old friend tricks him into committing a crime. During the crime his best friend is killed. Self-maintenance becomes an issue as he recalls how many people in life have left him. He believes Dr. Davenport is determined to leave him after making him an extended member of the family. His high level of trust and sense of belonging gives way to loss and suffering. He’s willing to do almost anything to hold on to certainty in his life. Optimism crashes and retrenchment occurs as the feelings of loss become incongruent with the memory of his friends blood splatter across his face. His friend Jesse fed him when he was hungry and died during a botched robbery the next day. Believing the death relieved Jesse from fighting anymore, increases the feeling of abandonment, letdown and pain associated with accepting the last session with Dr.  Davenport. Internal and External Factors Internally something is missing. Self-concept and self-actualization cannot occur unless he is reunited with his past. As most counselors know very well, person-centered theory and therapy began with and evolved from the thinking, research, and practice of Carl Ransom Rogers (The Development and Evolution of Person-Centered Expressive Art Therapy: A Conversation with Natalie Rogers Journal article by John Sommers-Flanagan; Journal of Counseling and Development, Vol. 85, 2007, p. 1). Carl Rogers was raised by parents under one roof. The integration of person-centered principles and art is a natural combination of her parents’ most distinct qualities (p. 1). Antwone Fisher’s parents were non-existent. Internal and external support was missing therefore disrupting self-centered support. Much like Dr, Davenport, Roger’s interactions with clients were like small miracles of compassionate understanding and communication†. Carl Rogers believed that the relationship between therapist and client facilitates emotional and psychological healing. As counselors we often see ourselves in the same situations as our clients. For some reason, the need to remain ethical and subjective creates a gap in reality as our own defense mechanisms preserve internal wellness. The therapeutic atmosphere produces positive changes when unconditional positive regard supersedes poor judgment and inflexibility. When our practiced behavior becomes predictable, we become trait driven and predictable which often leads to in effective counseling alternatives. Pervin’s analysis and critique of personality-trait research rests on the assumption that the five-factor model (FFM), and trait models more generally, should fulfill all the goals of a complete theory of personality (Traits and Types, Dynamics and Development: No Doors Should Be Closed in the Study of personality Journal article by Oliver P. John, Richard W. Robins; Psychological Inquiry, Vol. 5, 1994. 6 pgs. , p137) In a summary statement about the nature of this relationship, the whole person remains fragmented until explanations associated with internal messages match externally. Antwone had to trace his family history for answers to self image, self-esteem, and the ideal self. Throughout the movie, he is polite, articulate, and very well-balanced in a trusting and loving environment. When the memories were released and support from his girlfriend prevailed, gradually the â€Å"real† Antwone Fisher began to take shape and grow. How can one become person centered and grow when completeness is rooted in deteriorating external information? Conclusion Communicating genuiness and unconditional positive self-regard is the key to breaking down the walls and destroying the defenses of a troubled and angry client. When a negative self image impeded growth and development, the counselor must build trust, establish rapport and utilize empathy effectively. Providing a safe environment and a loving and caring ethical and professional relationship with your client are the keys to successful intervention. Carefully choosing the process and defining reasonable goals assist in the healing process on the way to independence. Looking into a mirror and defining the meaning of self and the perceived ideal self may be incongruent occasionally. Self-talk can be detrimental and harmful when discouragement follows as a result of unanswered questions about the self and the past. When life becomes puzzling and negative behaviors overshadow self-perception, the counselor must provide a way to trace behaviors to the root cause. Rogers and Allport provide reasonable theories on personality development to help achieve successful and healthy lives. We must also consider the internal and external factors associated with changes in behavior as they impact behavioral changes. Antwone Fisher returned to the environment of his past abusive childhood and confronted the abusers before moving ahead. Three sessions may not be adequate for long-term care and permanent change. Being flexible with healthy boundaries throughout the intervention process, may reveal our own shortcomings as we attempt to stay the course. Antwone Fisher and Commander Davenport established an amazing, growing, and client-centered relationship. The outcome proves that independent and healthy living can be facilitated on both sides when unconditional positive regard prevails.

The Word of the Year for 2012

The Word of the Year for 2012 The Word of the Year for 2012 The Word of the Year for 2012 By Mark Nichol Each year, the major dictionary companies trot out their choice for Word of the Year and its runner-ups, based partly on search frequency and partly on staff consensus. Note that these words are selected not for their staying power Words of the Year often fade into obscurity but for the significance of their usage in a given year. Merriam-Webster’s 2012 Word of the Year is a toss-up between capitalism and socialism, reflecting the controversy and debates about universal health care and discussion about the comparative government systems in the United States and in much of Europe. These words are straightforward except that they’re not: Capitalism is fraught with negative connotations (and not just by those who oppose the system), and many Americans, as an unfortunately lingering artifact of the Red Menace of the mid-twentieth century, confuse socialism (the concept, not the word) with communism and fear both even though the US government system, like many European ones, is irrevocably infused with socialistic components. Dictionary.com’s choice is bluster, which means â€Å"loud, swaggering, often empty boasts, threats, or other comments† an appropriate term, considering the unusually contentious political climate in the United States over the last year. The American arm of the Oxford Dictionaries chose GIF (pronounced â€Å"jif† and standing for â€Å"graphics interchange format†), thanks to the ubiquity of GIFs, simple animations consisting of a looped series of images, employed to humorous effect but also in scientific models and other contexts. They’re not new, but their place in popular culture has recently been elevated by the ease with which they are created. The selection by editors at Oxford University Press’s UK headquarters is omnishambles, which denotes a thoroughly mismanaged situation notable for a chain of errors. The sense is similar to the American English acronyms fubar and snafu, which originated among service personnel inspired with an ironic nod toward the military’s propensity for describing bureaucratic phenomena with abbreviations. (For the record, fubar stands for â€Å"fouled up beyond all recognition,† and snafu is an acronym for â€Å"situation normal all fouled up† except that I’ve substituted fouled for another word starting with f, as do many others who cater to their own or others’ delicate sensibilities when they spell these terms out.) Want to improve your English in five minutes a day? Get a subscription and start receiving our writing tips and exercises daily! Keep learning! Browse the General category, check our popular posts, or choose a related post below:Coordinating vs. Subordinating ConjunctionsAmong vs. AmongstMood vs. Tense

dying to be thin essays

dying to be thin essays In todays society an increasing number of girls experience blows to their self-esteem and even develop eating disorders due to the medias influence. The main source of these self-esteem blows are fashion magazines, as well as TV characters. The age of girls being influenced by the media is getting younger and younger. Studies have shown that pre-pubescent girls as young as four or five are concerned with their body weight. This concern is often as extreme as feelings of guilt, shame and complete distortion of body image. Studies show, that these self-destructive feelings are often due to the medias influence. Destructive and negative feelings about ones body can lead to eating disorders such as anorexia and bulimia . Some characteristics of one who suffers from anorexia include: losing a significant amount of weight, fearing weight gain, continuing to diet although thin, feeling overweight even after significant weight loss, losing monthly menstruation, preferring to di! et in isolation, binging and purging and preoccupation with food, calories and nutrition. Danger sings of bulimia include Binging or eating uncontrollably, and abusing laxatives or diuretics (Effects pg.2-3). By parading very thin women in sexy clothing with boys falling at their feet, the media is sending the message to young impressionable girls that boys will like you if you have a good body. This type of message then can lead to eating disorders in girls as young as nine or ten. With so many different types of fashion magazines to choose from, young girls and women alike find themselves consulting magazines to discover what beauty is; what these woman often find is pages of impossibly thin models. These magazines claim to define beauty and then proceed to do so using a single, specific body type. Though fashion magazines and teen magazines are aimed at teenagers and woman, the age group that reads ...

Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 750 words

Joseph Ellis's Founding Brothers - Essay Example The Eminent Victorians which was a similar account of narration amongst English notables. Furthermore, the book is a result of a rigorous analysis of the events which followed the 1787 constitutional convention of the United States to reflect how history was made during the time when the circumstances were rather contingent. The central idea of the book is to demonstrate the conflicting interpretations of the concept of American Revolution by the rival parties; whereby explaining that the State of America was a product of collective decision making between diverse personalities who believed in contrasting ideology yet they succeeded to overcome their differences due to various reasons. Thus, Ellis has focused on the thoughts and dialogues of John Adams, Abigail, Aaron, Benjamin Franklin, Thomas Jefferson, Alexander Hamilton, James Madison and George Washington where the book has been sectioned according to the themes being portrayed. The thesis of the book i.e. contrasting ideologies at war during the time converging eventually has been depicted convincingly in the book. Ellis begins with carefully conceptualizing the revolutionary domains as interpreted by each individual. He explains that though it seemed as if end of the British colonialism was inevitable yet due to the stark contrast in ideas, there was a high chance that American Revolution may turn out to be a failed experiment. He also argues that the contrast in ideologies is still prevalent in the American discourse. He argued that Thomas Jefferson wanted to interpret the revolution as a rebellion aimed at reducing the impact of centralized state, however, Hamilton aimed at characterizing the revolution as a product of livery thus favoring federation. John Adams as well as George Washington was favoring the stance of Hamilton. To conclude how the issue was resolved, Ellis mentions various episodes. For instance, ‘The Duel’ highlights the

The History on my Japanese Dish Research Paper Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 500 words

The History on my Japanese Dish - Research Paper Example uch as French fries or French rolls, bacons and hamburgers as uniquely American or English, pizza, spaghetti or pepperoni cheese as Italian and so it is with the Japanese, with their food. History of chopsticks – Asian culinary culture and history is closely intertwined with the development and spread of chopsticks. These so-called sticks are actually two pieces that are about 9-10 inches in length and rectangular in shape, used to pick up small pieces of food. These first originated in China some 5,000 years ago and most probably was invented by the people who first used branch twigs to pick out hot food from a pot, since they cannot wait any longer for cooked food to cool down a bit (must have been really hungry already!). Using the chopsticks requires a degree of manual dexterity, as food could easily fall off or slide down in the process of picking it up and putting it into the mouth. Eating using chopsticks means to eat from a bowl because it cannot possibly be used to handle soups, so the bowl makes it easier to just gulp down the soup or any liquid while using the chopsticks to scrape for solid tidbits. Japanese chopsticks – the Japanese are an enterprising and innovative people. They are quick learners too, and adopted the chopsticks from the Chinese, like the Koreans and the other Asian nations or cultures such as the Vietnamese and Malaysians of Chinese descent. In Japan, their chopsticks are round in shape instead of rectangular, and the lower ends are now pointed or tapered instead of being flat or blunt. Chopsticks as used in Japan are associated in their religious ceremonies and the so-called fine art of dining, together with the tea ceremony. Eating in Japan is not merely for the sake of eating to assuage hunger pangs but rather a very elaborate affair, designed to prolong the gustatory delight of savoring delicious food. Chinese chopsticks were like tweezers, as they were joined at the top but this reduces flexibility as it is being used.

Indicate a person who has had a significant influence on you, and Essay - 1

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The office of The Presidency Essay Example for Free

The office of The Presidency Essay Arguing for a strong, central figure of authority in the American President, Alexander Hamilton made his feelings quite explicit in Federalist No. 70 that duplicity in regards to the Presidency is an undesirable position. For Hamilton, history was replete with examples of shared responsibility or rule-by-partnership which provoked tragic results. The lesson of history, according to Hamilton, was to avoid creating any discrepancy in Presidential authority while simultaneously preventing the President in an American Constitutional democracy from becoming an autocrat. Although Hamilton leaves little room for second-guessing on the topic of a duplicitous leader, his reasoning admits that his ideas are based on an understanding of human nature: Wherever two or more persons are engaged in any common enterprise or pursuit, there is always danger of difference of opinion [ ] Whenever these happen, they lessen the respectability, weaken the authority, and distract the plans and operation of those whom they divide (Hamilton). This assertion, of course, begs the question as to whether or not leaders, even in a Constitutional democracy must be expected to rise, at least to some degree, above the mean average of human impulse. A counter-argument of sorts is presented in Madisons Federalist No. 51, which should be examined in tandem with Hamiltons assertions. Hamiltons ideas about human nature may be evident in the extant history of the United States. Presidential authority within the constitutional democracy of the United States has posed a continuous and evolving potential threat to the integrity of a government formed by the people for the people. Whether by the machinations and ambitions of the personally ambitious and influential, or by an endemic tendency for all social systems to unify and in doing so, centralize authority, a pattern of political and judicial evolution toward Presidential supremacy is evident in the political history of America. The mounting supremacy of Presidential authority in the United States presents a profound and complex challenge for the present generation and the determination of exactly where and how the Presidents authority can be checked will prove to be of great consequence for the future of not only domestic, but international, affairs. Hamiltons suggestion that a robust and energetic leader is a desirable consequence in a democracy: Energy in the Executive is a leading character in the definition of good government. It is essential to the protection of the community against foreign attacks; it is not less essential to the steady administration of the laws (Hamilton), the potential for the dangerous expansion (and possible supremacy) of Presidential authority exists within the original Constitution. The executive authority given the President led many of the original framers to express reticence regarding the development of a new monarch. Some modern political scientists believe that this is exactly what is taking place now and has been taking place over the course of US political history: we have changed our constitutional democracy into a political democracy[ ] substituted an unwritten for a written constitution and a government of laws for a government of men. This means that the principles of the American Revolution, as the foundation of our constitutional system, have been destroyed and that we have returned to the principles of the British system. (Patterson, 1947, p. ) Such a dire pronouncement may seem like hyperbole, however, several key points contribute to this rather scathing indictment. First, there is the issue of national unity, a fact which modern communications, transportations, educational and economic systems have made unavoidable. Since 1789 the movement toward national unity has developed far more rapidly. In this respect, we have only followed the law of the life of nations, beginning in isolation, passing through confederation, and ending in unity. (Patterson, 1947, p. 6) Unity heralds a sole leader, rather than a confedaration of leaders. Secondly, the two-party political system has allowed for the centralization of political power within the congress. The powers necessary for presidential supremacy had first to be centralized in the Congress before the control of the Congress by the President would give him national supremacy. The President has facilitated this movement by urging the Congress to seize power to enact his policies into law and by making appointments to the Supreme Court. (Patterson, 1947, p. 7) The movement toward unity entails the expansion of the federal bureaucracy, which in turn, enhances Presidential authority. The tremendous growth in the functions of the national government have necessarily multiplied executive agents by the hundreds of thousands. The President cannot perform this multiplicity of services without authority and without an army of subordinates. (Patterson, 1947, p. 77) These factors, plus the politicization of the ensuing civil and legislative offices, greatly enhance the scope of Presidential authority. The fact that the President has become our political executive is not exclusively a result of the development of political parties though without a party system, or a party in the totalitarian sense, there could be no political executive. (Patterson, 1947, p. 84) Perhaps one of the most critical and complex issues which faced the framers of the United States constitution was that of how to limit the government and associated governmental beuracacy while ensuring that the Federal government retained enough power and authority to interpret and enforce the constitution itself. As Madison remarks in the opening lines of his now-famous Federalist #51, there can be no more urgent an issue, nor one which so directly confronts both the self-interested nature of the individual, but the self-interested nature of government itself: to what expedient, then, shall we finally resort, for maintaining in practice the necessary partition of power among the several departments, as laid down in the Constitution? (Madison, 1788). The partition of power is a key phrase and contains within it the seeds of Madison answer to his own opening, rhetorical question. Madison offers a direct and seemingly mandatory vision of how the partition of power should be best accomplished: The only answer that[ ] by so contriving the interior structure of the government as that its several constituent parts may, by their mutual relations, be the means of keeping each other in their proper places (Madison, 1788). This conclusion is commonly referred to as the system of checks and balances upon which the democracy of the United States is founded. Madisons observations in Federalist #51 are frank and founded upon concerns that the basic self-interests of human-beings, coupled with the leviathan power of the State pose the continual potential for dictatorship and the subversion of the constitution itself. In this light, there is an almost exclamatory tone to Madisons writing and there is, without a doubt, a tone of warning in the following, famous passage: But the great security against a gradual concentration of the several powers in the same department, consists in giving to those who administer each department the necessary constitutional means and personal motives to resist encroachments of the others[ Ambition must be made to counteract ambition. The interest of the man must be connected with the constitutional rights of the place. (Madison, 1788) In Colonial times, no mistake would have been about just what kind of encroachments of others Madison meant to illustrate: the potential of personal ambition to trump the idealism of a democratic government founded upon principles of liberty and equality. Similarly, the idea of connecting the interests of the individual with constitutional principles is an exceedingly complex idea, but one which would have been explicit, in consequence, to the Colonial framers of the constitution. Madison means no less than: all citizens of a democracy must put the principles of that democracy, its traditions, its institutions, laws, and integrity above their personal ambitions and self-interests. The subtext of this, of course, is that all mens self-interests are ultimately best-served by a government which enables them to live free and which enables them to pursue their self-interests to a point of true liberty; however, the maintenence of the constitution and the democratic state, which are, in actuality, protections against the propensity of governments to turn oppressive and hostile, must be regarded as more essential, more important than the mere personal self-interests of those who serve in government. Against this summation, Hamiltons assertion that responsibility has two aspects becomes hat much more provocative: Responsibility is of two kinds to censure and to punishment. The first is the more important of the two, especially in an elective office. Man, in public trust, will much oftener act in such a manner as to render him unworthy of being any longer trusted, than in such a manner as to make him obnoxious to legal punishment (Hamilton). What Hamilton is saying is that the concentration of power and responsibility in the figure of the President leads to a greater amount of accountability in government. By contrast, Madison viewed the American people, as a whole, as being the firewall of the democratic traditions the President was theoretically bound to serve. However, the idea that individuals in high positions of power must function both as facilitators of the democracy but also as a check against the possible tyranny of the majority is also an idea which Madison sets forth in this paper which is quite a radical idea: Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common interest, the rights of the minority will be insecure (Madison, 1788). In conclusion, Hamiltons Federalist #70 is one of the most important political documents associated with the framing of the US constitution and forms a remarkable counterpoint to Madisons thought. Both writings represent an attempt by the framers to pinpoint the points of danger and structural weakness in both the democratic form of government and the innate nature of the citizens who comprise that democracy.