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Critical thinking involves centrality of thinking about an issue or a problem of concern
Critical Thinking
Introduction
Critical thinking involves centrality of thinking about an issue or a problem of concern. It involves coming up with a workable solution when one is faced with a complex situation. A person applying critical thinking analyzes what action to take in a complex situation. It is worth noting that the greatest tool a person has in possession is his/ her own mind. One can read as many as a thousand books as well as consult a thousand experts but they will ultimately decide for themselves which course of action to take. Critical thinking proceeds on carefully evaluating premises as well as evidence and arriving at conclusions objectively. This is usually through considering all important factors and employment of valid procedures.
Applying Critical Thinking in Work Related Experience
In my work experience as a police officer, critical thinking is essential in arriving at decisions in order to uphold my responsibility as a police officer in maintaining law and order as well as be on the lookout for my life. Such decisions originate from a common consensus of the normal and the most appropriate thing to do in the circumstances. To be able to carry out a task, I ought to use skill and logic in order to arrive at a good conclusion (Robins, 2004).
My career involves sometimes solving and investigating a crime. In the course of my investigations, I usually gather contradictory evidence from the suspects. As a police officer faced with such a situation, I exercise critical thinking in order to decide which evidence to rely on as well as which evidence is truthful in order to solve the crime mystery. I usually analyze and consider circumstances present during the commission of crime. Usually this will call for my critical thinking to be able to determine which evidence to work with.
A certain case can require me to interview people in the scene of the occurrence of a certain wrong. In these types of inquiries, critical thinking is crucial in assisting me to determine how to work with different people with different personalities. As I figure out how well to work with such people, I should assess their responses as well as review their actions and reactions to see if they possess any knowledge about the case. Finally, i filter my interviews and go through the possibilities to enable me identify a suspect or establish lead. Handling a case is a long journey for me. I am expected to examine into all possibilities while making sure the case’s course is maintained. I gather Information from agencies of the government as well as from interviewing complainants. To be able to codify all these stories into one believable story, then it goes without saying that critical thinking is essential.
Another important aspect of my career that calls for critical thinking is as regards the issue of morality as well as ethical pressure that is put on me. I am on a number of times been tempted to take an action for my advantage. I am always tempted to abuse my position as well as authority as a law enforcer. This is especially as pertains to use of the gun. Since I am licensed to carry a fire arm, the temptations to misuse it are high. Many are the times that I get pissed of by thieves’ behaviors that I get tempted to shoot even when the thieves have surrendered. This situation calls for rational thinking because if I allow myself to act irrationally; I could end up being harmful to the people I am supposed to protect as well as the law I am supposed to uphold.
From the experiences outlined herein above it is worth noting that Critical thinking is vital to a police. As a police officer, I am expected to use logic as well as reasoning in order to identify the best solution to the problem at hand. This as has been shown by my experiences I must evaluate and analyze clues so as to make sense out of them. As a police officer, I use more of my brain and also social skills than I use my body in my work.
Importance of critical thinking
Critical thinking is important in all professions as well as academic disciplines. It involves careful acquisition as well as interpretation of information. This therefore ensures that one reaches a conclusion that is well justified. Critical thinking also helps a person in analyzing, evaluation, explanation as well as restructuring their thinking. This decreases the chance of adopting, action or a thought premised on a false belief. Since most of the critical thinking criteria’s are based on tested hypothesis, it is hard that after employing critical thinking, one is likely to arrive at a long conclusion. However, this does not mean that there can never be instances where after employing critical thinking skills a correct decision is inevitable. Since, no one is perfect, there are instances where even after exercise of critical thinking, a wrong outcome results (Elder & Paul, 1997).
Personally, critical thinking has played a great role in helping me arrive at justifiable, reasonable ad sound solutions and actions in the course of my duty. I am able to explain why I took a certain step as well as be able to justify any outcome of my step.
Conclusion
It is evident that in order to avoid making obvious mistakes and arriving at wrong conclusions, it is usually important to avoid acting irrationally. It is prudent to think critically while considering all the aspects of a particular circumstance if one is keen on arriving at the correct conclusion. Though it is not a guarantee that we will arrive at a correct decision, critical thinking will help one to avoid making obvious mistakes.
References
Elder, L. Paul, R. (1997). Critical Thinking; Tools for taking charge of your learning and your life. Washington D. C. United States. John Wiley and Sons.
Robbins, S. P. (2004). Decide & Conquer; Making winning decision and take control of your life. New York. N. Y. United States. FT Press.
The Problem of Substance Abuse among Teenagers in the United States Today
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The Problem of Substance Abuse among Teenagers in the United States Today
Introduction
Compared to other populations, teenagers remain at risk of drug and alcohol abuse. Teenagers are in a stage where want to push limits and test boundaries. Teenagers go through a lot of stress in their developmental stages. While not all adolescents abuse drugs, drug abuse remains a big problem in this age group. Substance abuse has a huge impact on the well-being and health of teenager users (Singh, et al., 362). The most commonly abused drugs by teenagers include alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana. Others include depressants such as benzodiazepines, stimulants such as cocaine, heroin, morphine, codeine, mushrooms ecstasies among others.
Following a corporative agreement between the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP), a guide for screening of substance use in pediatrics was developed. It was meant to assist substance users to resolve abuse concerns. Further, the guide noted that in addition to alcohol tobacco, and marijuana being the most abused drugs by adolescents, two-thirds of students in 12th grade have tried alcohol (Winters, et al., 150). Additionally, 2 in 10 12th graders have consumed prescription drugs without a prescription. The purpose of this essay is to assess the problem of substance abuse among teenagers in the United States today. The text further explains family influence and educational tools as solutions for teenage substance abuse.
Family Influence
Resolving drug and substance abuse begins at home with the teenagers’ parents. Having clear communication between parents and teenagers regarding the emotional, functional, and physical effects of drugs are directly linked with a decline in drug abuse among teenagers. With adequate parental supervision comes a deterrent to drug abuse. Parents should talk to their children more and advise them against drug abuse to form a strong foundation about their awareness about drug abuse. Parental influence has a positive influence on children’s behavior as it teaches them about boundaries (Azofeifa, Margaret, & Althea, 1765). By teaching children about boundaries, parents assist their children to say no to things that might harm them. This way they remain in full control of unhealthy requests. Conversations create deep guidance and bonds between parents and children, strengthening their trust. This way, teenagers are better placed to make informed decisions about their friends, habits, influences, and interests.
Educational Tools
It is the primary responsibility of school personnel, community leaders, and governmental agencies to teach their children about the importance of leading a drug-free life. This strategy is helpful in preventing teenagers from abusing drugs before they enter adulthood and enter into the real world. Over the last few decades, education tools have been helpful in reducing drug abuse among teenagers a great deal (Peiper, 352). As such, it is important to educate teenagers about dealing with potential drug abuse problems and addiction before maturity. Currently, there are various educational programs including indicated, universal, and selective. Universal programs purpose is to teach personal, drug, and social resistance techniques to teenagers every week. Indicated programs on the other hand help teenagers to display any problematic behavior they might be experiencing. Selective programs are meant for teenagers at more risk of substance abuse due to unstable homes and other problematic behavior.
Conclusion
In the United States, drug and substance abuse is common among teenagers particularly because of the stress they go through in their developmental processes. Statistics show that alcohol, tobacco, and marijuana are the most abused drugs among teenage populations. Some of the solutions that can be employed to address this problem include increased family influence such are open communication by parents and employing selective, indicated, and universal educational programs. Additionally, the government should invest in ensuring the implementation of existing laws by taking legal action on people found consuming alcohol under the required age of 21 years.
Works Cited
Azofeifa, Alejandro, Margaret E. Mattson, and Althea Grant. “Monitoring marijuana use in the United States: challenges in an evolving environment.” Jama 316.17 (2016): 1765-1766.
Peiper, Nicholas C., et al. “Overview on prevalence and recent trends in adolescent substance use and abuse.” Child and Adolescent Psychiatric Clinics 25.3 (2016): 349-365.
Singh, Tushar, et al. “Tobacco use among middle and high school students—United States, 2011–2015.” Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report 65.14 (2016): 361-367.
Winters, Ken C., et al. “Adolescent substance abuse treatment: A review of evidence-based research.” Adolescent substance abuse (2018): 141-171.
The problem of gun violence
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Solutions to Gun Violence in the United States
Introduction
The problem of gun violence is an unavoidable health tragedy that impacts various communities across the world. Over 100 Americans die every day through gun violence out of where 64 succumb to firearm suicide, 39 through firearm homicide, and 3 from other forms of violence. Additionally, about 200 patients present with nonfatal firearm injuries at the emergency department daily. There is overwhelming evidence to suggest that access and ownership of firearms are directly linked with rising cases of homicide, suicide, injuries, and unintentional firearm ownership (Silver, Andre, & Sarah, 67). While these deaths and injuries can be prevented, there is a need to employ evidence-based solutions to eliminate gun violence among various communities in the United States. Notably, some minority groups such as people of color and those with economic status are at higher risk of experiencing gun violence than their male counterparts. According to a report released in 2017 by the Urban Institute, gun violence in some neighborhoods is linked with fewer service and retail establishments and fewer jobs. The purpose of the text is to discuss the solutions to the problem of gun violence in the United States including cultivating a culture of gun safety and adopting a public health approach to addressing gun violence.
Cultivating a Culture of Gun Violence.
One of the solutions that can be used to reduce gun violence in the United States is establishing a culture of safety in the handling of guns. The US is the nation with the most guns in the world hence the need to keep its citizens safe (Alcorn, 125). This can be achieved by restricting access to firearms to young people and other populations that are likely to harm themselves. This would require ensuring firearms are kept out of reach of violent partners and individuals with a history of violent convictions. This can be achieved through conducting background checks, expanding the lethality of the assessment, supporting restraining orders relating to gun violence and domestic violence bills. Additionally, the gun industry should be held accountable to ensure sufficient oversight in the sale and marketing of ammunition and guns. Noteworthy, 5% of gun dealers trade in about 90% of the total guns that are used to commit crimes and they must be held to account with a code of conduct. This will ensure that violators of inspection protocols and state licenses are brought to book.
Adopting a Public Health Approach to Gun Violence
Taking a public health approach to gun violence can help in coming up with solutions that go beyond the risk factors of violence and boosting resilience in families, individuals, and communities. Public health solutions recognize that the issue of gun violence is a preventable and critical public health issue. In the United States, gun violence takes lead as the cause of premature deaths. The United States is ranked 32nd in the death rates across the world with 2019 registering 3.96 death in every 100,000 people (McQuiller, 1). Unlike other causes of death, we are yet to have the political will required to address it. Gun violence becomes noticed only when many people die at once but people fail to recognize that domestic violence, suicide, community violence among other forms of violence affect many families and communities. According to data, the risk of gun violence varies by race, gender, age, and geography. By employing a public health approach, we note that violence is preventable in all forms.
Conclusion
Gun violence is an issue that is well alive in the United States today. It affects people from various neighborhoods and backgrounds with people of color and poor people being most adversely affected. More than 100 people die daily in gun violence and while these deaths and injuries can be prevented, there is a need to employ evidence-based solutions to eliminate gun violence among various communities in the United States. Some of the viable solutions to the problem of gun violence in the United States include cultivating a culture of gun safety and adopting a public health approach to addressing gun violence.
Works Cited
Alcorn, Ted. “Trends in research publications about gun violence in the United States, 1960 to 2014.” JAMA internal medicine 177.1 (2017): 124-126.
McQuiller, Michael V. “Enough is enough: Congressional solutions to curb gun violence in America’s K-12 schools.” DePaul J. Soc. Just. 12 (2018): 1.
Silver, James, Andre Simons, and Sarah Craun. “A study of the pre-attack behaviors of active shooters in the United States between 2000 and 2013.” (2018).