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Psychological stress and coping mechanism
- 1. PSYCHOLOGICAL STRESS AND COPING MECHANISM COURSE NAME: FUNDAMENTALS OF PSYCHOLOGY Presented by: SUDIP KUMAR GORAI M.Sc Student ICAR-IARI Division of Agricultural Extesion
- 2. What is Psychological Distress: Psychological distress is a general term used to describe unpleasant feelings or emotions that impact one’s level of functioning. In other words, it is psychological discomfort that interferes with your activities of daily living. Psychological distress can result in negative views of the environment, others, and the self. Sadness, anxiety, distraction, and symptoms of mental illness are manifestations of psychological distress.
- 3. Operational Definition of Psychological Distress: Decker (1997) and Burnette and Mui (1997), conceptualized psychological distress as lack of enthusiasm, problems with sleep (trouble falling asleep or staying asleep), feeling downhearted or blue, feeling hopeless about the future, feeling emotionally bored (for example, crying easily or feeling like crying) or losing interest in things and thoughts of suicide etc. Psychological distress is a subjective experience. That is, the severity of psychological distress is dependent upon the
- 4. Difference between Stress, Eustress, and Distress: Stress is a normal part of life and most people experience stress at one time or the other. It is an individual physical and mental reaction to environmental demands. A certain amount of stress is necessary for survival and a moderate/ optimal level of stress is normal and in many cases it is useful. And optimal level of stress is required for success in job, achievement higher productivity and effectiveness. These positive reactions to stress are called as eustress. Eustress can enhance longevity, productivity and life satisfaction. When stress level is extreme, and unchecked and unmanaged, can create
- 5. Psychological Theories of Stress 1.James-Lange: Theory of Emotion: Emotions do not immediately succeed the perception of the stressor or the stressful event; they become present after the body’s response to the stress. For instance, when you see a growling dog, your heart starts to race, your breath begins to go faster, then your eyes become wide open. According to James and Lange, the feeling of fear or any other emotion only begins after you experience these bodily changes.
- 6. 2. Cannon-Bard: The Emergency Theory Emotion in response to stress can actually occur even when the bodily changes are not present. Cannon said that the visceral or internal physiologic response of one’s body is more slowly recognized by the brain as compared with its function to release emotional response According to Bard, the emotional response is released first, and then sent as signals by the thalamus to the brain cortex for the interpretation alongside with the sending of signals to the sympathetic nervous system or SNS to begin the physiologic response to stress. Therefore, this theory argues that emotional response to stress
- 7. Causes of Psychological Distress: Traumatic experiences, such as the death of a loved one, are causes of psychological distress. Major life transitions, i.e. moving to a new state or graduating from college, can be a source of psychological stress if one is unable to cope with these transitions place or having difficulty adjusting to the new situation. Some other sources of psychological distress include: • Cancer and other medical illness • Divorce • Starting a new job • Being a victim of bullying • Adverse school experiences • Adverse work experiences • Infertility
- 8. Symptoms of Psychological Distress: As we previously stated, psychological distress is a subjective experience. Just as no two people experience events in the same way, no two people manifest psychological distress in exactly same way. Other symptoms of psychological distress include: • Weight gain • Anger management problems • Obsessive thoughts or compulsions • Physical symptoms not explained by a medical condition • Decreased pleasure in sexual activities • Social isolation • Relationship difficulties • Weaken immune system • Consuming tobacco
- 9. Stress and Coping Mechanism: Psychologists Richard Lazarus and Susan Folkman scientifically defined coping mechanism as the sum of cognitive and behavioural efforts, which are constantly changing, that aim to handle particular demands, whether internal or external, that are viewed as taxing or demanding. Simply put, coping is an activity we do to seek and apply solutions to stressful situations or problems that emerge because of our stressors.
- 10. Types of Coping Strategies: 1. the appraisal-focused strategies are those coping mechanisms which involve the change of mindset or a revision of thoughts. Denial is the most common coping mechanism under this category. 2. the problem-focused strategies are those that modify the behaviour of the person. 3. the emotion-focused strategies include the alteration of one's emotions to tolerate or eliminate the stress. Examples include distraction, meditation, and relaxation techniques.
- 11. General Classification of Coping Mechanism: • Defense - the unconscious ways of coping stress. Examples: reaction formation, regression • Adaptive -tolerates the stress. Examples: altruism, symbolization • Avoidance -keeps self away from the stress. Examples: denial, dissociation, fantasy, passive aggression, reaction formation. • Attack - diverts one's consciousness to a person or group of individuals other than the stressor or the stressful situation. Examples: displacement, emotionality, projection. • Behavioral - modifies the way we act in order to minimize or eradicate the stress. Examples: compensation, sublimation, undoing. • Cognitive - alters the way we think so that stress is reduced or removed. Examples: compartmentalization, intellectualization, rationalization, repression, suppression. • Self-harm - intends to harm self as a response to stress. Examples:
- 12. Example of some coping mechanism: Perform diaphragmatic or “deep breathing” exercises. Meditation Exercise regularly or take up yoga. Make time for music, art or other hobbies that help relax and distract you. Learn to identify and monitor stressors. Come up with an organized plan for handling stressful situations. Be careful not to overgeneralize negative reactions to things.
- 13. Set aside a time every day to work on relaxation. Avoid using caffeine, alcohol, nicotine, junk food, binge eating and other drugs as your primary means for coping with stress. Learn to just say, “No” occasionally. It won’t hurt other people’s feelings as much as you think and is simply a method to be more assertive in your own life, to better help you meet your own needs. Get the right amount of sleep. For most people, this is seven to nine hours a night. Cultivate a sense of humor; laugh. Research has shown that having a close, confiding relationship protects you from many stresses. Don’t run from your problems! This only makes them worse. Talk to your family and friends.
- 14. Conclusion: Stress is a factor in the life of every person on Earth. The foundation and processes connected to stress were not fully understood, which inhibits our knowledge of how and why stress affects human body as well as their thinking. Once the causes and effects of stress were fully understood, researcher would be able to more effectively manage and relieve it. In conclusion, stress and coping mechanisms goes together, but which method is the best to be used is depending on type of stress and individual needs. Based on the results of this study, a meditation-based stress reduction-counselling programme can help and guide the person to know which coping method suit needs.
- 15. References: 1. Coping strategies. Retrieved from http://www.humanstress.ca/stress/trick-your-stress/steps-to- instant-stress-management.html 2. Cramer, P. Understanding defense mechanisms. Psychodynamic Psychiatry 3. Dombeck, M. Coping strategies and defense mechanisms: Basic and intermediate defenses. Psychological self-help tools: Online self-help book. Retrieved from https://www.mentalhelp.net/articles/coping-strategies-and- defense-mechanisms-basic-and-intermediate-defenses 4. Galor, S. Defense mechanisms vs. coping. Retrieved from https://drsharongalor.wordpress.com/2012/02/26/defense- mechanisms-vs-coping