Social Support and Health and Well Being Essay Example for Free

Social Support and Health and Well Being Essay Social Support is a multidimensional construct which is not unilaterally beneficial i.e. maladaptive vicarious learning; Dependence; Provision of bad advice. It is generally thought that the more social support a person receives the more beneficial upon their health and well-being. Access to appropriate resources may protect the individual from the deleterious effects of stress Martin (1989). Lazarus and Folkman (1984) state all else being equal, morale, health and functional capabilities will be better if support is perceived to be adequate. Levels of social support a person receives have been associated with mental and physical health and well-being. In stressful times, social support helps people reduce psychological distress (e.g., anxiety or depression). Social support has been found to promote psychological adjustment in conditions with chronic high stress like HIV, rheumatoid arthritis, cancer, stroke, and coronary artery disease. People with low social support report more sub-clinical symptoms of depression and anxiety than do people with high social support. In addition, people with low social support have higher rates of major mental disorder than those with high support. These include post-traumatic stress disorder, panic disorder, social phobia, major depressive disorder, dysthymic disorder, and eating disorders. Social support has numerous ties to physical health, including mortality. People with low social support are at a much higher risk of death from a variety of diseases (e.g., cancer, cardiovascular disease). Numerous studies have shown that people with higher social support have an increased likelihood for survival. Individuals with lower levels of social support have: more cardiovascular disease, more inflammation and less effective immune system functioning, more complications during pregnancy, and more functional disability and pain associated with rheumatoid arthritis, among many other findings. Conversely, higher rates of social support have been associated with numerous positive outcomes, including faster recovery from coronary artery surgery less susceptibility to herpes attacks, a lowered likelihood to show age-related cognitive decline, and better diabetes control. People with higher social  support are also less likely to develop colds and are able to recover faster if they are ill from a cold. There are two main hypotheses that address the link between social support and health: the buffering hypothesis and the main effects hypothesis. The main difference between these two hypotheses is that the direct effects hypothesis predicts that social support is beneficial all the time, while the buffering hypothesis predicts that social support is mostly beneficial during stressful times. Evidence has been found for both hypotheses. In the buffering hypothesis, social support protects (or buffers) people from the bad effects of stressful life events (e.g., death of a spouse, job loss). Evidence for stress buffering is found when the correlation between stressful events and poor health is weaker for people with high social support than for people with low social support. The weak correlation between stress and health for people with high social support is often interpreted to mean that social support has protected people from stress. Stress buffering is more likely to be observed for perceived support than for social integration or received support. In the main effects hypothesis, people with high social support are in better health than people with low social support, regardless of stress. In addition to showing buffering effects, perceived support also shows consistent direct effects for mental health outcomes. Both perceived support and social integration show main effects for physical health outcomes. However, received (enacted) support rarely shows main effects. Several theories have been proposed to explain social support’s link to health. Stress and coping social support theory; dominates social support research and is designed to explain the buffering hypothesis described above. According to this theory, social support protects people from the bad health effects of stressful events (i.e., stress buffering) by influencing how people think about and cope with the events. According to stress and coping theory, events are stressful insofar as people have negative thoughts about the event (appraisal) and cope ineffectively. Coping consists of  deliberate, conscious actions such as problem solving or relaxation. As applied to social support, stress and coping theory suggests that social support promotes adaptive appraisal and coping. Evidence for stress and coping social support theory is found in studies that observe stress buffering effects for perceived social support. One problem with this theory is that, as described previously, stress buffering is not seen for social integration, and that received support is typically not linked to better health outcomes. Relational regulation theory (RRT) is another theory, which is designed to explain main effects (the main effects hypothesis) between perceived support and mental health. As mentioned previously, perceived support has been found to have both buffering and direct effects on mental health. RRT was proposed in order to explain perceived support’s main effects on mental health which cannot be explained by the stress and coping theory. RRT hypothesizes that the link between perceived support and mental health comes from people regulating their emotions through ordinary conversations and shared activities rather than through conversations on how to cope with stress. This regulation is relational in that the support providers, conversation topics and activities that help regulate emotion are primarily a matter of personal taste. This is supported by previous work showing that the largest part of perceived support is relational in nature. Life-span theory is another theory to explain the links of social support and health, which emphasizes the differences between perceived and received support. According to this theory, social support develops throughout the life span, but especially in childhood attachment with parents. Social support develops along with adaptive personality traits such as low hostility, low neuroticism, high optimism, as well as social and coping skills. Together, support and other aspects of personality influence health largely by promoting health practices (e.g., exercise and weight management) and by preventing health-related stressors (e.g., job loss, divorce). Evidence for life-span theory includes that a portion of perceived support is trait-like, and that perceived support is linked to adaptive personality characteristics and attachment experiences. Many studies have tried to identify biopsychosocial pathways for the link between social support and health. Social support has been found to positively impact the immune, neuroendocrine, and cardiovascular systems. In terms of the immune system, Social support is generally associated with better immune function. For example, being more socially integrated is correlated with lower levels of inflammation (as measured by C-reactive protein, a marker of inflammation), and people with more social support have a lower susceptibility to the common cold. In terms of the neuroendocrine system, Social support has been linked to lower cortisol (stress hormone) levels in response to stress. Neuroimaging work has found that social support decreases activation of regions in the brain associated with social distress, and that this diminished activity was also related to lowered cortisol levels. Finally, The Cardiovascular system and Social support have been linked as social support has been found to lower cardiovascular reactivity to stressors. It has been found to lower blood pressure and heart rates, which are known to benefit the cardiovascular system.

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Humans have and always will affect the environment in some way possible. Every day, the everyday actions taken by humans are affecting the world more that which we reside upon. For years and years humans have been taking Earth for granted and by ignoring the damage caused to it. Our ways of life are destroying the very thing we live on and if continued, there may not be, in the near future, the world in which we call home. Many environmental issues happening today are caused mainly by human activities/human intervention. Some examples of these human activities, which are growing out of hand, are growing populations, industries and their emissions, fires caused by those who are unaware and so many more. These growing factors have contributed greatly to negative effects on the environment as well the CO2 emissions that they bring along side with them. Growing populations today have had devastating impacts on the environment. Food industries and food production companies have been struggling to keep up with the popular demand and with rising populations; the situation is only getting worse. According to Howmany.org it is estimated that there are 1 billion people added to Earth every 12 years which equals to 220,000 people per day being born, with food and water becoming more and more limited and the amount of space needed to live decreasing, it can only have negative impacts on our environment, which is destruction. As human population grows, more space is needed to contain them and to get more space; land must be cleared out. In order to achieve this need for land, trees are destroyed or otherwise known as deforestation. Nicole Lindell, geologist, said â€Å"we are also losing wildlife habitats, our natural environment, and most signi... ... ice caps were melting to the increase in temperature, global warming should’ve been an issue which has been neglected for far too long. However, it still isn’t too late to improve the situation. There have been so many technological advancements which can help slow down the rate in which global warming can be slowed down, if not stopped completely. From electric cars to renewable energy to solar panels, these advancements in science have the ability to change the course of life, but are not taken advantage of. Our natural environment is of extreme and crucial importance to our social and economic life. It also provides a resource for food supply and energy sources. There is always a limit on things we can and cannot do, the same applies to Earth. Earth cannot provide resources for eternity and it surely cannot repair itself from the severe damages caused by humans.

Perceptions of Children who Present Challenging Behavior Essay

Challenging Behavior among children stems out from various intricate and interrelated factors. Often times, the family and the educators are not able to properly address the needs of these children due to the lack of information, education and support. Strain and Joseph (2004) revealed that 73% of educators perceived that challenging behaviors among children has been significantly increasing. But surprisingly, educators are facing problems and some are even not that willing to help and assist children with challenging behavior. Strain and Joseph (2004) 70% revealed that teachers who handle students with challenging behavior claimed that children with such make them feel stressed, while 60% said that it has a negative effect on their job satisfaction. The case of June (Laursen, 2005) reveals how educators perceive children with challenging behavior, and how a child who encounters behavior difficulties relates with her peers and her educators. Most of her teachers are not that positive in terms of doing an extra work in terms of helping her overcome her difficulties in school because of her attitude. As such, an education plan was set in order to help her. June was made to sign a behavioral contract that furthers the agreement that she should â€Å"stay awake in school, not yell at adults, not assault anyone and attend the group meeting all day (Laursen, 2005, para 2). According to Reichle and Wacker (1997), the most effective venue for the assessment of challenging behavior could be conducted in natural environments such as â€Å"home, school and local community† (para 2). also emphasized that Communications Based Interventions are the best approach in terms of dealing with challenging behavior (para 4). The Positive Behavior Support (PBS) is tailored to meet the specific needs of the child and also takes into careful consideration all of the contexts in which problems with regard to challenging behaviors emerge. The model devised by Dunlap and Fox (1999) as cited from Fox, Dunlap and Powell (2002) creates an Individualized Support Program (ISP) that seeks to help the family and the child’s care givers in order to change his or her difficult behavior.

Be Real What is REAL - Free Essay Example

Sample details Pages: 5 Words: 1535 Downloads: 2 Date added: 2017/09/22 Category Advertising Essay Type Argumentative essay Did you like this example? â€Å"What is REAL? † asked the Rabbit one day†¦ Does it mean having things that buzz inside you and stick out like a handle? † In the children’s book, The Velveteen Rabbit, by Margery Williams, two toys talk within a nursery about what it means to be Real. As I listened to the reading, I realized that I can apply the discussed qualifications for Real into my life, and as I did so I began to recognize just how Real I may be. After reading the book to the class my teacher issued an assignment, a five page essay on â€Å"What does it mean to be real? I immediately thought â€Å"With such a harsh case of senioritus? Impossible! Real? It means to walk around with air in your lungs, moveable joints and a ticking heart. † A few minutes later I woke up a bit more and evaluated the question further. It took me several weeks, many I-Pod searches, a time-consuming assessment of my life and intense movie watching, but I do believe that I have the key tha t will uncover Real’s meaning in every sense. What does it mean to be real? According to Webster’s Dictionary real is defined as â€Å"physically existing or not artificial†. As the great French philosopher Rene Descartes said â€Å"I think therefore I am†, I say â€Å"If I am then I exist and if I exist, then I am physically here†. Now establishing the fact that I am real in the physical sense, the question, â€Å"Am I artificial? † develops. This question is a tricky one with regard to the concept that teenagers do not act on our own sense of morals, but rather on the desire to satisfy those whose affection we crave, and I am no exception. Taking all this into account I am artificial, however, if this is the manner in which the rest of my contemporaries behave then I am only as real as my age. So far through my life I have operated with appendages in my eyes, with others steering my vision of reality, whether they are my parents, fri ends, peers or media and I realize that one element in being real is to seize control of what and how I see and understand the world. To do so, I must close my eyes after a view and ponder, for myself, what I saw and how it struck me because otherwise I would only be allowing others to cause a collision. Real isnt how you are made, said the Skin Horse. Its a thing that happens to you. When a child loves you for a long, long time, not just to play with, but REALLY loves you, then you become Real (Williams 5). After reading and reflecting on how this sentence might pertain to my life, I came to the conclusion that I am not yet Real. This sentence says that being Real is being truly loved by someone, not just â€Å"playing†, but truly being cared about; I don’t see myself as sincerely being loved by anyone except for my Dad and our relationship is fairly new, even though I know he has loved me since before I was born. Love must be combined with an extraordinary bond in order to make one Real, a bond that will release one from all insecurities and filter the world in a different and more positive light. As for the friends that I have accumulated over the years, I do not see myself as being of any immense significance to their lives, all we did was play and have fun. What I mean to say is, if I were to suddenly disappear, more likely than not my friends would mourn my dissolution for a brief while, but only the person who I truly mattered to will be the one whose life would need rearranging. Generally, by the time you are Real, most of your hair has been loved off, and your eyes drop out and you get loose in the joints and very shabby. But these things dont matter at all, because once you are Real you cant be ugly, except to people who dont understand (Williams 5). Does it hurt? asked the Rabbit. Sometimes, said the Skin Horse†¦ When you are Real you dont mind being hurt (Williams 5). To be within reach of becoming Real, a person must not shelter herself from life’s events, whether good or bad, because with all good and no bad, how is the good ever to be valued? When in the process of becoming real, a person is taken from the secure confinements of her cupboard and takes the risks and the experiences that go along with becoming Real. This may cause hurt and damage to one’s self, but it takes the simplicity away from her fur, tatters it a bit, but all the while it is what gives her appearance character, setting her aside from all the other velveteen rabbits that shared all the same aspects. I have never truly strayed from my cupboard and out of the nursery for fear of damaging my â€Å"fur†, I have taken risks and been hurt, but always within the custody of my shelf. It doesnt happen all at once, said the Skin Horse. You become. It takes a long time. Thats why it doesnt happen often to people who break easily, or have sharp edges, or who have to be carefully kept† (Williams 5). Becoming R eal is a long process that requires a life time of experiences that will subject me to Real pain, and Real love, not only from or for another person, but also from and for myself. The boy in the story did not make the rabbit Real, he only contributed by loving and showing him life’s beauties such as love and friendship. The rabbit in fact made himself Real by accepting himself. I was birthed by a fifteen year old girl who was totally unprepared to be a mother and was adopted by my grandmother and step-grandfather, whom I called mom and dad. But after middle school, when I was more able to recognize my surroundings along with other events that occurred with my family along with the quarrel within myself, I began to feel as if I do not belong and have no Real family, causing me to feel insignificant. It felt wrong to request for things from my grandparents since I am not truly their child, not to mention they already raised their own kids and still have to pay for my educ ation and cost of living; I could not ask from my mother because she has her own kid who also posses needs and seeing as how I have never played the role of her daughter, although she and I occasionally try, it is not my place. Due to these feelings of displacement I’ve always felt incapable of being loved by more than my daddy and therefore I try to find many little substitutions to fill the void, whether they be friends, crushes or even family. I began to develop the impression that I was a slip-up and not meant to be here or to be loved. I’ve analyzed myself and my personality, along with other people’s criticisms, and have found that I desperately crave attention, usually in heaps from one person at a time. I constantly want to feel as though someone cares and I desire that at least one person would want to be around me without growing tired. However, none of these quick fix relations ever last very long and something always happens to make me feel trivia l. Without the approval of others, I am never able to approve myself my question is always â€Å"How can I like myself if others don’t even like me? What is wrong with me? † I cannot predict when I will become Real. It may happen in a few years, or in the closing stages of my life if ever at all. Needless to say this paragraph knocks me out of the running to become Real. There are no magical nursery fairies or wise old rocking horses to transform a human being into Real. An individual must undergo selflessness, acceptance, experience and a clear perception of the world (all attributes of Christ). Perhaps Real is another form of perfection. With this in mind, I ask, has anyone ever been Real? With all the ingredients necessary to be Real it is practically impossible to achieve it until made divine, which must be achieved through Real actions. I cannot become Real simply from experiences and learning from them or even adding all the ingredients together, because ev en after being subject to all these phases, I will continually be subject to more until my final breath. The trials given here on earth are sent to test us on how well we handle our affairs, if we pass all the courses until deaths touch, we are proved worthy and made into Real. Works Cited Real. Merriam Webster’s Desk Dictionary. 1995. Williams, Margery. The Velveteen Rabbit. Random House Childrens Books: HCI, January 1958 Boyd, Brandon. Dig. Sony Music Entertainment: EPIC, November 2006 Hacikyan, Shaant. Teasing to Please. Fueled by Ramen: June 2006 Don’t waste time! Our writers will create an original "Be Real? What is REAL?" essay for you Create order