Psychological factors – Essay Questions
Question #1 You are working with a 35 year-old white male who appears to be exhibiting the effects of stress.
Describe both the physiological and psychological SIGNS and SYMPTOMS of stress (Clearly distinguish signs from symptoms).
The effects of stress can be deadly for this 35 year old white male and that signs and symptoms of stress are recognized from such physiological as well as psychological aspects as the condition does affect his mind, his body as well as his behavior. It can be that symptoms relate to a patient’s complaints, which can be subjective and amenable to suggestion as well as alterations in the patient’s mood and some of the mental process and no more than mere indications. Meanwhile, signs can be objectively noted and are being measurable, stress evidence does exists and there may link to such pathological stature for example, fatigue is a symptom of stress and caused by too much work load which can presume a sign of stress. The below shows certain physiological as well as psychological signs and symptoms of stress that a 35 year old male may possess in his life.
Stress Signs and Symptoms
Cognitive Symptoms
Emotional Symptoms
Memory problems
Inability to concentrate
Poor judgment
Seeing only the negative
Anxious or racing thoughts
Constant worrying
Moodiness
Irritability or short temper
Agitation, inability to relax
Feeling overwhelmed
Sense of loneliness and isolation
Depression or general unhappiness
Physical Symptoms
Behavioral Symptoms
Aches and pains
Diarrhea or constipation
Nausea, dizziness
Chest pain, rapid heartbeat
Loss of sex drive
Frequent colds
Eating more or less
Sleeping too much or too little
Isolating yourself from others
Procrastinating or neglecting responsibilities
Using alcohol, cigarettes, or drugs to relax
Nervous habits
It can be that, signs and symptoms of stress can also be caused by other psychological and medical problems
Source: Belmonte, J. (2008), in Help Guide: Understanding Stress Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects Available at: <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm>
Analyze the possible causes of stress for this gender, race and age group.
For this gender, age and race group, the causes of stress can be rooted from extreme stress situations and the mode of stress can be born out of the man’s age and race as geared towards life and health issues to tackle rigorously and some unavoidable complexities that matter. Ideally, the one cause of stress could be that the man was being laid off from work can put marital conflict under stress and several events as death within the family, midlife crisis, financial problems, and mostly there was a sudden lay-off from a job leaving the old make into experiencing tremendous stress and some marital issues with his wife.
Construct a possible scenario. What questions could you ask? Be careful to note the concept of individual differences in terms of stressors.
For a possible scenario leading to the presence of stress, the 35 year old white male can be experiencing marital problems and family issues with his wife after he was laid off from work last month in a technology based company and that his wife has been nagging him hard for financial shortcomings within the family as they have 2 children studying from a reputable University in South Korea. The old male was stressed out and has endured himself into vices such as smoking and alcohol drinking which the man is not doing until recently. The question can be punted as to: How this 35 year old male relates to stressors? Is the man ready enough to face the quirks of his married life and children relationships? Are there tendencies to feel stressed and reacts in anger and frustration? Thus, any failure in adopting a realistic attitude to the impeding situation will create symptoms of anxiety with depression and will exacerbate stress situations of the old male. Then, how can the 35 year old male acquire the right attitude in order for him to combat life stress? And how he can cope with stress?
Which psychological test(s) could you use to determine the severity of stress in this individual? Why would you want to be careful if using a “checklist” type of measure- What are the inherent problems with stress “checklists” (of stressors) that assign a value to a given stressor?
Several psychological tests I can use to amiably determine the stress severity of the 35 year old male are through utilizing; Comprehensive Stress Management Inventory as well as Job-related Stress Checklist, the usage of such inventory and checklists will help in determining direct points of several unknown pressing health disorders as well as the assuming of possible mental issues raised. The inherent problems with stress checklists which maybe assigned in value to a given stressor for example, marital stress, and the problem can be linked to a possible unreliable test construction and the lack of effective time sequence for the test as well as any weighing standardization problems of the material.
Describe potential recommendations you might make for reducing the severity and psychological/physiological effects of the stress
For potential recommendations, it is important to have precise awareness of stress as a factor degrading human attitude and behavior of the old male and in order to reduce severity of stress of the male acceptance and open lines of communication to his wife and children which plays a crucial role to avoid stress and that in order certain effects of stress it can be that proper diet and exercise implies an essential value if the man will strictly adopt and follow several steps incurring healthy regimen and lifestyle then, he can truly be stressed free and will have harmonious and loving relationship with his family and friends. Furthermore, effective communication will be the core process as well as self-centered therapy and management assumes stress reduction and that the vitality of acceptance of life experiences in a daily encounter is a virtue for succeeding over stress reality.
Question # 2 Discuss the mechanisms through which personality might be related to health and illness. Then describe the research findings that demonstrate the strongest links between personality, stress, and health/illness. Consider concepts such as hardiness, resiliency, optimistic, and pessimistic explanatory styles.
Personality mechanisms are related to health and illness, as the individual can have poor health and maybe ill due to personality problems the individual might have as there some effect of personality characteristics on health condition and the presence of illness from within measures of personality as well as health motivated outcomes which can be physiologically plausible to the mechanisms linking personality and health. There risk factors for physical disease that involves hostility as well as optimism. The strengths of current personality and health research, recent developments in personality psychology are being combined to construct such useful account of personality’s effects on health and disease. The indicative assumption that personality is reliable predictor of health behavior patterns as the importance of personality has been underestimated in past research by the failure to consider appropriate health behavior criteria and the omission of important personality dimensions. According to research, models of mechanisms underlying associations have emphasized physiological effects of stress, exposure to stressors and health behavior. Preliminary evidence supports the viability of some mechanisms, but formal mediation tests are lacking. In effort formation, greater incorporation of concepts in structural and interpersonal perspectives in the field of personality is truly needed (Smith and MacKenzie, 2006). The associative research on the association between personality characteristics and subsequent physical health has produced several consistent findings and identified other tentative relationships. Aside, optimism, social dominance as well as other traits will appear to relate to stress and illness with perceived risk and influence assimilation as the mechanisms being identified are possibly underlying health, stress effects thus, only few of the process have been served properly as there recognizes concepts of recent personality related investigation and research manifestation (Smith and Spiro III, 2002).
There has been hardness of traits and attitude of optimism of the individual as there might be tendency to cope with stresses however, mentally healthy people are likely to try an alternative approach if their first response is ineffective, people with a personality disorder are rigid and tend to respond inappropriately to problems, to the point that relationships with family members, friends, and coworkers are affected. Most people having personality issues are distressed about their life and have problems with relationships in the work setting and several social situations. Resilience can not be fully noticed when people assume certain antisocial personality as they are prone to indulge in alcoholism, drug addiction and other serious matter and, are being likely to fail at their jobs and move from one place to another. Health, illness and stress combine together forming in a severe personality disorder as there often relate to family background from there is presence of antisocial behavior, as well as substance abuse and or physical violence. For example, in dealing with some children, few of them are being abandoned and neglected and further experience abuse which may have lead to mechanisms that link to health and illness and that stress are being found in the corners of the situation, as some lack of positive personality stature will outcome into short life span and that pressing concepts will intend to stabilize with age and adaptability to the environment.
Question #3 You are going to be working with a bereavement group: it can be about the bereaved children
What sources of distress should be looked for?
The sources of distress to look for can be centering towards child, family related distress, as there integrates certain death of a loved, for instance, death of a brother or a sister, as well as parents and other members of the family and some close relatives and friends if there is any. Psychological outcomes in children who have experienced the death of parent are heterogeneous, as the child can be likely to develop psychiatric disorder from the point of bereavement; children commonly display grief and distress reality. Thus, emotional and behavioral difficulties among children are often reported by surviving parents as well as the bereaved children themselves.
What type of actions and recommendations are likely to be helpful to members of the group?
Several actions and recommendations are likely to be helpful to members of the bereaved children can deal with the ways adults can help children cope with grief, and grief counseling for children, and certain number of support organizations to which bereaved children and their families can turn as needed. There are so many possible ways that children can display grief and bereavement that it can be confusing for the adults in their lives. Adults should always provide a safe environment for children and their emotions, but will likely want to encourage children to channel these emotions. The need to encourage children to draw, paint, write stories or talk about their feelings are all ways in which adults can help children open up, and it may be that the adults themselves will want to discuss certain memories or tell children that they are having similar emotions to help them discuss their own thoughts and feelings. Then, the presence of Cruse Bereavement Care, the Child Bereavement Trust, the Child Bereavement Network, and Winston’s Wish, schools and religious organizations will further support the bereaved children. Counseling provides an opportunity to talk, in confidence, to someone experienced in listening to children in distress, who will not be shocked by their emotions, counseling needs to be distinguished from the kind of talking therapy that lasts for long time and looks at the roots of present difficulties in past experiences. Grief is painful and exhausting. It is not always easy to decide at what point it would be helpful to receive some outside support.
What are the stages of grieving that you would expect to see in members of the group and how would you recognize each?
The stages of grieving in bereaved children can integrate four stages such as the following: (Morrow, 2008)
- Shock and Numbness, as this can be recognized when the child is coping with loss due to death, or the news of an impending separation, he or she can be functioning fairly well and the ability to think clearly and concentrate may be impaired in grieving process (Morrow, 2008)
- Yearning and Searching, as seen through a restless child and or certain known express feelings of guilt over the loss and that the child may act out towards other people withdrawal from social connection in the family (Morrow, 2008)
- Disorientation and Disorganization, as the child may experience extreme sadness or depression over the loss as well as continue to experience feelings of guilt or anger while the reality of loss continues to come in, as there is also loss in appetite and lack of enthusiasm (Morrow, 2008)
- Reorganization and Resolution, recognized when child begins to accept the loss and assimilate it into his life and noticing that the child have energy and thinks again in precise reality (Morrow, 2008)
What type of special factors such as culture, gender, or relationship to the deceased will you need to consider (explain how these will be important)?
The type of special factors that I need to consider of the deceased is fostered towards the deepness of his relationship, I need to consider if he had a good relationship with his family as recognizing good relationship with the family will be important in the sense that the family will have the opportunities to receive any form of bereavement support especially if the deceased have children of minor age, also relationship factor will be important for the support groups in order for them to realize and apply specific bereavement counseling or therapy there is in order for the family of the deceased cope with the death and to surpass grieving in less time.
Reference
Belmonte, J. (2008), in Help Guide: Understanding Stress Signs, Symptoms, Causes, and Effects Available at: <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm Morrow, A. (2008), The Needs of Grieving Children, updated: February 11, 2008 from, About.com
Smith, T. and MacKenzie, J. (2006), Personality and Risk of Physical Illness Annual Review of Clinical Psychology Vol. 2: 435-467 in April 2006
Smith, T, and Spiro, A. III (2002), Erratum to “Personality, health, and aging: Prolegomenon for the next generation.” Journal of Research in Personality, Volume 36, Issue 6, December 2002, Page 661
Credit:ivythesis.typepad.com
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