Tuesday, January 28, 2020

Leadership approach suggested by Lao Tzu

Leadership approach suggested by Lao Tzu First of all let us define leadership? Leadership is a very essential issue and can be understood in different views. It would be very hard to give leadership a general definition because many writers have tried without reaching an accord. According to Mullins, 2005, Good Leadership involves the effective process of delegation and empowerment. The Leadership relationship is not limited to leader behaviour resulting in subordinate behaviour Susan Ward, 1997 gave a simple definition of Leadership as the art of motivating a group of people to act towards achieving a common goal. Leadership in simplest terms can be defined as an ability through which you can gain followers. To gain followers requires authority but does not exclude the lack of reliability to achieve this. Whether you are the managing director or a shift leader, the way you lead is the single biggest success factor for everyone you work with. Leaders change the organisations around them. They make a difference to the business, rather than just making the business work. Leadership is about what you do. It involves learnable skills that can be applied to the tasks that occur in every business. Storr A. 1996 Leaders can generally be defined as those who take action when they do not want to leave things to chance. Leadership can also be defined as an instrument of goal achievement Bass 1990:15-16 Leadership is behaviour, not a position Bass 1990 The superior leader gets things done with very little motion. He imparts instruction not through many words but through a few deeds. He keeps informed about everything but interferes hardly at all. He is a catalyst, and though things would not get done well if he werent there, when they succeed he takes no credit. And because he takes no credit, credit never leaves him. Lao Tse, Tao Te Ching Famous Quotes on Leadership To lead people, walk beside them As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honour and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate When the best leaders work is done the people say, We did it ourselves!' Lao-tsu If the blind lead the blind, both shall fall in the ditch. Jesus Christ Dictators ride to and fro upon tigers which they dare not dismount. And the tigers are getting hungry. Winston Churchill Control is not leadership; management is not leadership; leadership is leadership. If you seek to lead, invest at least 50% of your time in leading yourself-your own purpose, ethics, principles, motivation, conduct. Invest at least 20% leading those with authority over you and 15% leading your peers. Dee Hock Founder and CEO Emeritus, Visa Leadership is intentional influence. Michael McKinney People ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives. Theodore Roosevelt Four rules of leadership in a free legislative body: First, no matter how hard-fought the issue, never get personal. Dont say or do anything that may come back to haunt you on another issue, another day. Second, do your homework. You cant lead without knowing what youre talking about. Third, the American legislative process is one of give and take. Use your power as a leader to persuade, not intimidate. Fourth, be considerate of the needs of your colleagues, even if theyre at the bottom of the totem pole. George Bush Former President of the United States Chester Barnard, 1997, believes that a good leader must have qualities such as Validity, Endurance, Intellectual Capacity, Persuasiveness and he should be responsible for any decision taken. THEORIES OF LEADERSHIP The Rise of Contemporary Leadership Theory Theories of leadership in any period are driven by a set of convictions and hopes on the part of the theorist. One certainty is that swift societal development makes it crucial to keep ones pulse on social changes and their implications for how groups of human beings can best be led, a natural assumption in the writings of leadership theorist Rosabeth Moss Kanter and numerous other scholars. A challenging view is that human nature is stagnant and unchanging and that the lasting lessons of history provide surer instruction in leadership than do the passing ripples of modernity. Ironically, the exemplars of this view are relatively ancient figures such as Lao Tzu and Machiavelli TRAIT THEORY OF LEADERSHIP: Trait theory is all about the types of personality tendencies and behaviour linked through effective leadership. Many theorists argued that key leadership trait include motivation; desire to seek power, self confidence to name a few. The biggest disapproval of this theory is that it suggests that leadership personality are inherited hence one is born with them. BEHAVIORAL AND STYLE THEORY OF LEADERSHIP: Another theory you should include in your leadership dissertation is Behavioural and style theory of leadership. In this theory the theorists stated that unlike the trait theory, leadership is not a set of traits but a pattern of motives. The Behavioural leadership grid model by Robert Blake and Jane Mouton based on concern for people and concern for productivity which are the basis of five different leadership styles. Studying this model will give you very clear emphasize of how to identify a clear leader. SITUATIONAL LEADERSHIP THEORY: This theory presumes that different styles of leaderships are better in different situations. Many theorists have given their views about this theory. Its better to understand what each theorist proposes as to understand what they perceive is the right action on a certain situation. CONTIGENCY THEORY: Contingency theories of leadership focus on particular variables related to the environment that might determine which particular style of leadership is best suited for the situation. According to this theory, no leadership style is best in all situations. Success depends upon a number of variables, including the leadership style, qualities of the followers, and aspects of the situation. PARTICIPATIVE THEORY: Participative leadership theories suggest that the ideal leadership style is one that takes the input of others into account. These leaders encourage participation and contributions from group members and help group members feel more relevant and committed to the decision-making process. In participative theories, however, the leader retains the right to allow the input of others. MANAGEMENT THEORY: Management theories (also known as Transactional theories) focus on the role of supervision, organization, and group performance. These theories base leadership on a system of reward and punishment. Managerial theories are often used in business; when employees are successful, they are rewarded; when they fail, they are reprimanded or punished. RELATIONSHIP THEORY: Relationship theories (also known as Transformational theories) focus upon the connections formed between leaders and followers. These leaders motivate and inspire people by helping group members see the importance and higher good of the task. Transformational leaders are focused on the performance of group members, but also want each person to fulfil his or her potential. These leaders often have high ethical and moral standards. Rosabeth Moss Kanter and Kendra Van Wagner, 2001 Leadership at All Levels Leadership whoever is doing it is about creating positive change to achieve long-term objectives. 1.1 Leadership involves setting goals, then moving the business towards them. Making the best use of resources, including peoples potential, is the key skill. 1.2 Leaders have to earn the authority to lead. For example, in a new job you should usually start by asking questions. You need a sound knowledge base before you start making decisions on technical issues. People need to be convinced of a leaders expertise and determination. 1.3 Leading a team means developing and motivating individuals and group. This includes helping people find meaning and purpose in what they are doing, so that it is seen to be worthwhile. Leaders create more leaders. By setting a positive example and allowing people to learn and develop on the job, you encourage them to take a more proactive role. 1.4 Leaders must often press ahead where managers see problems and back off. For example, every new product idea will face a series of obstacles. A leader will find a way around each of them. Leaders at supervisor or office level need backing, as it is often difficult for them to be recognised as leaders by their workmates. Odirone, George S. 1961. How managers make things happen VIEWS ON LEADERSHIP Leaders and leading are different. Leading is initiating change by developing the plan, implementing and evaluating the plan. Leaders work with others at all levels to explore the nature of the required change. A leader learns from others, mentors, and coaches. Leading is the verb, leader the noun. Both are necessary for change. Linda Burnes, 2001 Leadership is self discovery, and facilitation for others. It is the energy potential that evolves from the synergy of being in the right place and in the right frame of mind at the right time. This definition requires one to intuitively discover self, develop keen intuition, seek a positive attitude, utilize active listening skills and practice honest communications. Bass 1990 Leadership could also be the balancing energy for mind, body and spirit harmony. Leadership can be compassionate: Compassionate leadership is the ability to be there for others, without withdrawing and without judgment. Unconditional compassion for us leads naturally to unconditional compassion for others. There are whole parts of ourselves that are so unwanted that whenever they begin to emerge in ourselves or others, we run away. We can learn to use all the unwanted things in our lives to awaken compassion for ourselves and others. We can then relate compassionately to people and things we would rather push away. A compassionate leader is centred, accepting, honest and clear, helping others find their path toward wholeness while seeking wholeness oneself. LAO-TZU view on Leadership To lead people, walk beside them As for the best leaders, the people do not notice their existence. The next best, the people honour and praise. The next, the people fear; and the next, the people hate When the best leaders work is done the people say, We did it ourselves! Lao Tzu From the above quote from Lao Tzu, his views on what a good leader should be are listed below: A good leader should be able to always sort himself out by adopting an array of self-oriented mechanisms to improve self performances such as self goal-setting, self-reward, self-criticism and by reconstructing his approach to management in alignment with the strategy of being a good leader. A good leader should always be able to walk the talk, and to demonstrate the tight link between rhetoric and deed to others. A good leader should apply this attitude to his subordinates, embracing them in their own goal-setting and provide positive strokes wherever possible. A good leader should believe in team work and have a self-leading culture. A good leader should be selfless, extremely humble and never take full praise for any success the team makes. Manz and Sims 1991 CONTEMPORARY LEADERSHIP Democratic Leadership This is a type of contemporary leadership. Unlike Lao Tzu, Bass (1990) defined leadership a general definition on Leadership. He defines Leadership as an interaction between two or more members of a group that often involves a structuring or restructuring of the situation and the perceptions and expectations of the members. He also explained that Leadership occurs when one group member modifies the motivation or competencies of others in the group. Any member of the group can exhibit some amount of leadership His own view on leadership is viewed as constituting only constructive behaviours aimed at pursuing group goals. This type of leadership was described by Lewin and Lippitt 1938; as a kind of leadership that involves the democratic leaders relying upon group decision-making, active member involvement, honest praise and criticism, and a degree of comradeship. They believed leaders using the other styles were either domineering or uninvolved. In democratic leadership, Kutner (1950:460) explains that Leaders need authority but the delegation of authority in a democratic group is never a mandate for any leader to employ authority without the eventual approval of the group. Democratic leaders are the kind that must be accountable for the decisions they make as individuals and the roles they play in the democratic group. (Starhawk 1986) Their position in the network of power relations also makes these leaders responsible for making lines of authority, power and decision making clear and visible. They must keep their agendas and motivesopen and visible, not hidden. (Starhawk 1986; 272) Conceptions of Democratic Leadership Distributing Responsibility among the Democratic group (DEMO) Here, the democratic leader seeks to spread responsibility rather than to concentrate it. The essence of democratic leadership is that it shall promote opportunities for the fitting initiative of those within the society, and in the manner the latter desire. Nagel (1987) goes further arguing that democratic leadership should not merely ask members to take on responsibility; at times, the democratic leader must be demanding in reminding people of their collective responsibilities. Some members may be less than enthusiastic to do their share, and leaders who allow free riders to exploit fellow citizens do not serve their communities well. Empowerment Here, Gibbs (1971) describes this as asking fellow members of the DEMOs to take on responsibility, this is one of many ways in leaders can help develop members decision making capabilities. The members must be skilled at wide variety of tasks, such as speaking, thinking and organizing (Evans and Boyte 1986). Democratic Leadership can augment members skills by setting high but reasonable standards and asking members to challenge themselves (Tead 1935). Members ability may develop through taking on new responsibilities, but leaders can also pay a direct role by offering instruction or suggestion, particularly when asked to do so. Democratic leaders show genuine care and concern for the members of the DEMO (Starhawk 1986, Desjardins and Brown 1991) but not in a way that makes them into a substitute parent of guardian. A democratic leader must never manipulate the masses through shrewd exploitation of their mentality Aiding Deliberation Democratic Leaders must distribute responsibility appropriately and empower other group members, but they must devote the bulk of their time and energy to ensuring productive and democratic decision-making. Deliberation is the heart of democracy (Barber 1984; Mathews 1988) Democratic leadership aids the deliberative process through constructive participation facilitation, and the maintenance of healthy relationships and a positive emotional setting. Conclusion In conclusion, one would believe this quote from Linda Burnes saying Leaders and leading are different. Leading is initiating change by developing the plan, implementing and evaluating the plan. Leaders work with others at all levels to explore the nature of the required change. As a leader you have to learn to commune your idea or the vision of your company to the people you want to follow you. You must have zeal because you have to show your followers that you want to accomplish the goal as badly as they do, your zeal will drive them. You must learn to be a great decision maker. Sometimes, leaders must face times of pressure where they are forced to make quick decisions; a great leader must have this skill. You must be a team builder. To become a great leader, you must first make your followers great, you must have the authority to give your team responsibilities, and trust them too, and you must slowly make them greater and greater. You must also have character because your innate character strengths play a critical role in your leadership style. You must also be able to understand your followers and be able to speak their language in order to communicate properly with them. From research leadership can viewed as a phenomenon that is constantly changing. This essay has highlighted some leadership approaches and behaviours but there is no predicted way of behaviour for a leader. It is a matter of contingency

Monday, January 20, 2020

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie Essay -- Balzac

Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress by Dai Sijie Throughout his novel Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress, Dai Sijie illustrates the powerful influence that books have on their readers. Through his narrative, he establishes his stance on the controversial issue of whether or not storytelling is good. He combines countless events and feelings to create a novel that demonstrates the good of storytelling and the iniquity of book banning and burning. In the end, Sijie portrays storytelling as a means of good entertainment, enlightening experience and positive encouragement. First and foremost, Sijie displays storytelling as a means for entertainment, and in turn, as something good. He portrays Luo as an incredible storyteller. His creativity and ability to capture his audience sets him apart from the other boys on the mountain. The narrator describes the amazing effect that Luo’s film reenactments have on the village people. The headman is so enthralled that he gives Luo and the narrator the opportunity to view more films so that Luo can reproduce the stories developed in the films to both him and the other villagers (18-20). The headman’s fascination with these films portrays storytelling’s ability to entertain. While some readers may feel that entertainment is not necessarily a positive thing as it gives people new and possibly dangerous thoughts and ideas, Luo’s storytelling allows the people of the mountain village to escape the caged reality in which they live. These people use the stories to experience the excite ment and happiness that is absent from their lives. In this way, Sijie establishes storytelling as a form of positive entertainment. Through his own story, Sijie proves to the reade... ...dness found in all stories. As he follows the lives of three different characters and their experiences with stories, Sijie proves that storytelling plays an important positive role in the lives of many, if not all, people. Through his portrayal of storytelling as a channel of entertainment, enlightenment, and hope, he advocates the goodness of books. By leaving his audience with a sense of wonder, he makes concrete the effect that stories have on the lives of all people as striving intellectual individuals. Works Cited Plato. â€Å"The Allegory of the Cave.† The Arlington Reader: Canons and Contexts. Ed. Lynn Z. Bloom and Louise Z. Smith. Boston: Bedford, 2003. 723-26. Sanders, Scott Russell. The Force of Spirit. Boston: Beacon Press, 2000. Sijie, Dai. Balzac and the Little Chinese Seamstress. Trans. Ina Rilke. New York: Anchor-Random, 2002.

Sunday, January 12, 2020

John Locke Provisos Essay

John Locke was an English philosopher who had the thought that all people have natural rights. Their natural rights included that of life. autonomy and belongings and the thought of these rights being held by each person is frequently said to be the primary influence of the American Declaration of Independence. Locke farther explains his principle behind natural rights in Two Treatises of Government and peculiarly belongings right in his â€Å"Provisos. † saying the conditions the brand belongings populace or private. Locke’s â€Å"Provisos† discusses the thought that belongings becomes private when a individual labours upon the belongings. His logical thinking that the land becomes the person’s private belongings is that a individual has the right to the fruits of his labour. and he besides has the right to the resource that bore his fruits. in this instance the belongings. As Locke says. â€Å"He by his labour does. as it were. envelop it from the common† ( page 437 ) . By this he means that by tuging over the land. the land is taken off from the remainder of society. the common. and becomes the private belongings of the person. Locke besides believes that â€Å"as much as a adult male tills. workss. improves. cultivates. and can utilize the merchandise of. so much is his property† ( page 437 ) . In this. he is saying that a adult male can have every bit much as can be utile to him ; claiming belongings in surplus and non being able to do it productive is incorrect because the belongings will so travel to blow alternatively of bearing fruit. This is incorrect because â€Å"nothing was made by God for adult male to botch or destroy† ( page 436 ) and holding land lying to waste is along the same lines as destroying the land. This thought from Locke’s â€Å"Provisos† follows from his thought of general belongings rights. He believes that land that has non been influenced by an individual’s labour is land available for all of society. Man should still esteem the land and non work it. but â€Å"were it non for the corruptness and ferociousness of pervert adult male. there would be no demand of any other. no necessity that work forces should divide from this great and natural community† ( page 441 ) . However because world can non be trusted. Locke believes that one time a adult male does set forth attempt to better a piece of belongings. that land and the merchandises of it belong to him. Although that land might belong to one adult male. it is still profiting the remainder of society because â€Å"the commissariats functioning to the support of human life produced by one acre of enclosed and cultivated land are ten times more than those which are yielded by an acre of land of an equal profusion lying waste in common† ( page 437 ) . This is similar to the manner in which both a husbandman and society benefits from his crop. The husbandman and society both can have nutriment from his crop and what crop goes to the remainder of society. he is repaid for. which allows him to go on seeding seeds that will go on to foster the common. A state of affairs of private belongings that would conflict with one of the Lockean provision is belongings that is acclaimed through coercing Native Americans to hold with the American imposts that were being imposed and the American regulation. or to go forth. such as with the Indian Removal Act that was signed into jurisprudence in 1830. The Native Americans had worked the land and made it suited to back up their life style and in the quest to accomplish Manifest Destiny. nil would impede the determined heads of the Americans. Harmonizing to Locke. the land truly belonged to the Native Americans because they had labored on the land to do it comfortable. They did non work it ; they used the resources sagely and nil went to blow with their minimalist life style. With the Indian Removal Act that President Andrew Jackson signed into consequence. all Native Americans had to be relocated to countries west of the Mississippi River. The Native Americans were removed on the footing that American colonisers needed the land and wanted to accomplish Manifest Destiny. Another state of affairs affecting private belongings that would go against one of the Lockean provision would be that of the authorities prehending land due to unpaid revenue enhancements. In this state of affairs. a husbandman could hold yielded a big crop. but the demand for his harvest declined greatly to the point that he is unable to do a big adequate net income to pay his revenue enhancements. This could fall into a form for many old ages to come. finally making the point that the authorities can no longer merely maintain seting the husbandman into more debt. The husbandman would hold to claim bankruptcy and the authorities would prehend his land. This would go against Locke’s thought that the land a adult male plant. is his. The husbandman was making the best he could. was profiting society. and ne'er consented to losing his right to his land. but the authorities took it away anyhow. I believe that Locke right draws the line on private belongings because we have the right over our ain organic structures. and if the work of those organic structures can unite with resources to make something. so we have the right to claim that merchandise and the resources we used to do it. No 1 else put forth the attempt and therefore the fruit of our attempts are ours. I believe that difficult work deserves reward and that wages is the right to the merchandise. As Locke says. â€Å"The labour of his organic structure and the work of his custodies. we may state. are properly his† ( page 436 ) .

Saturday, January 4, 2020

Essay on Schizophrenia - 1941 Words

nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;During the 1950s, mentally disordered people who were harmful to society and themselves could be treated with medications and were able to return safely to their communities. During the 1980s, the cost of health care increased more than any other cost in our national economy. As a result, strategic planning has been made to reduce costs. â€Å"The political decision made to deinstitutionalize chronic mental patients started with the appearance of phenothiazine medications. Dramatically reducing the instability influenced by psychosis, these medications were of great significance to many individuals with serious mental disorders. At both the state and federal levels, legislators looked at the high cost of†¦show more content†¦This plunge into fantasy results in a loss of contact from reality that can vary from mild to severe. Psychosis has more than one acceptable definition. The psychoses are different from other groups of psychiatric disorders in t heir degree of severity, withdrawal, alteration in affect, impairment of intellect, and regression. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;The severity of psychoses are considered major disorders and involve confusion in all portions of a persons life. Psychosis is seen in a wide range of organic disorders and schizophrenia. These disorders are severe, intense, and disruptive. A person with a psychotic disorder suffers greatly, as do those in his or her immediate environment. Individuals suffering from withdrawal are said to be autistic. That is, the person withdraws from reality into a private world of his or her own. The psychotic individual is more withdrawn than a person with a neurotic disorder or any other mental disorder. The affect, mood, or emotional tone in a person with a psychotic disorder is immensely different from that of normal affect. In the mood disorders, one observes the exaggeration of sadness and cheerfulness in the form of depression and mania. In the schizophrenic disorders, affect may be exaggerated, flat, or inappropriate. nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;nbsp;In psychotic disorders, the intellect is involved in the actualShow MoreRelatedSchizophrenia And Its Effects On Schizophrenia815 Words   |  4 Pagesand has schizophrenia. According to Mayo Clinic â€Å"Schizophrenia is a severe brain disorder in which people interpret reality abnormally. Schizophrenia may result in some combination of hallucinations, delusions, and extremely disordered thinking and behavior. Contrary to popular belief, schizophrenia is not a split personality or multiple personality. The word schizophrenia does mean split mind, but it refers to a disruption of the usual balance of emotions and thinking. 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A person dealing with this debilitating illness may think that people are going to kill them, or kidnap them. Some Schizophrenics often have â€Å"voices† in their heads telling them what to do. In some cases this has caused people to take their lives or try to. Schizophrenia is everywhere you look. Out of one hundred thousand people at least one hundred and fifty people have schizophrenia. Like