Psychology Assignment: Blog Posts based on Wellbeing & Resilience

Question

Task: Choose five topic areas of interests related to psychology and wellbeing and write a well researched psychology assignment. For this you are supposed to prepare a series of blog posts for the topics with evidence-based information pertaining to the area.

Answer

Positive Education
Some key research elements and well-being benefits
The first post mentioned in this psychology assignment talks about positive education which comprises the traditional educational principles along with the study of well-being and happiness. Positive education has increased rapidly in recent years with improved positive impact affecting the individual and the social life. This positive impact might be on the students and the teachers in the school setting as well as other individuals within the educational community. The pedagogy of positive education considers the holistic approach of educating the individual as the crucial objective (Shoshani& Slone, 2017). This can be considered to be beneficial both for academic mastery and well-being thereby becoming the goal of teaching and learning (Slemp et al., 2020). On the other hand, positive education also focuses on well-being as well as achievement in education. The education policy is increasingly prioritizing the well-being of the students in terms of the overarching educational goals in the promotion of the cognitive abilities of the student. The strength-based intervention in the educational system can be considered a powerful tool that is easier to be introduced in schools.

Several positive education interventional programs are found to be effective in the promotion of the student’s wellbeing. These positive educational interventions have been developed in different forms such as character strength development, mindfulness, and the approaches of the whole school. The mindfulness interventions enhance the well-being of individuals across the life span and these interventions increasingly support the well-being of the youths in a particular educational setting (Coulombe et al., 2020). This efficacy of the school mindfulness generally varies across the developmental periods suggesting the positive change in mental health and well-being. On the other hand, the character strength development interventions assist in fostering the social-emotional, and non-cognitive attributes that enhance the success of positive education (Slemp et al., 2020). It has been found that the effective utilization of the character strength developmental programs in the pre-schools are generally associated with the longitudinal aspects in adulthood. Several types of research have been carried out in the future to find out the longitudinal aspects of varied programs that are applied in the educational setting for the youth and the children (Halliday et al., 2019). Further, it can be said that in terms of the whole school's well-being, there are chances of development of the key competencies against the varied protective factors such as positive relationships and resilience that are generally practiced within the school (Coulombe et al., 2020).

Intervention/Practice
Taking the case of strength gym program that has been framed to assist the children in the cultivation and the development of the strength by conducting open discussion, homework activities as well as in-class activities. This can enhance in the development of positive education among children.

References
Coulombe, S., Hardy, K., & Goldfarb, R. (2020). Promoting wellbeing through positive education: A critical review and proposed social-ecological approach. Theory and Research in Education, 18(3), 295-321.

Halliday, A. J., Kern, M. L., Garrett, D. K., & Turnbull, D. A. (2019). The student voice in well-being: a case study of participatory action research in positive education. Educational Action Research, 27(2), 173-196. Shoshani, A., & Slone, M. (2017). Positive education for young children: effects of a positive psychology intervention for preschool children on subjective well-being and learning behaviors. Frontiers in psychology, 8, 1866.

Slemp, G. R., Chin, T. C., Kern, M. L., Siokou, C., Loton, D., Oades, L. G., ... & Waters, L. (2017). Positive education in Australia: Practice, measurement, and future directions. In Social and emotional learning in Australia and the Asia-Pacific (pp. 101-122). Springer, Singapore.

The benefits of social support
Some key research elements and well-being benefits
Social support indicates that there should be material or psychological resources provided by the social network to assists the individuals in coping with stress. It also states that there should be friends and other individuals including the family to support in terms of crisis thereby providing a broader focus as well as a positive self-image. This social support also assists in the enhancement of quality of life thereby providing a buffer against the varied life events (Soulakova et al., 2018). Further, social support can take the form of emotional support, informational support, and instrumental support. On the other hand, this social support can be in the form of the trusted group or the individuals that have lowered the psychological and the physiological effects of stress thereby enhancing the immunity level (Kelly et al., 2017). Further, it can be said that social support also involves the integration of varied social groups thereby assisting in the development of social relationships influencing mental and physical health. However, it can be said that the social group might also lay a negative effect when the influence leads and the peer pressure lead to a poorer level of dangerous health choices. Social support in terms of the crisis also assists in the reduction of trauma-induced disorders in the individuals.

Social support with the help of the valued individual or the trusted group has reduced the psychological as well as the physiological consequences of stress thereby reducing the immunity function. The social networks whether formal or informal assists in the development of security, belongingness and the community (Bender et al., 2019). It can be said that the individuals who are supported by social networks such as family members, friends, or support groups are more vulnerable to premature death and ill-health. Further, it can be said that there also exist strong ties between the varied measures of well-being and social support. Some individuals possess close personal association with other stressors such as the loss of a job, illness, and rape (Kelly et al., 2017). On the other hand, the participation in the social group also lays normative effect on the individuals influencing the exercise, diet, smoking, and drinking of the individuals. However, it can be said that the social groups sometimes lay negative influences in this case when it is associated with peer pressure and the influence leading to dangerous healthy choices (Kelly et al., 2017).Social support also assists individuals to cope up with stress thereby reducing the health consequences from the reduced level of immunity to an increased level of diseases. The social associations also improve motivation thereby achieving the goals. It is also the responsibility of the individuals to be more proactive in the provision of emotional support thereby assisting in the improvement of quality of life (Smith et al., 2017).

Intervention/Practice
Provide a review of the recent community problem and seek the opinion of the residents of the community related to the problem. This will help to arrive at a valid decision through social support finding out ways to mitigate the issue.

References
Bender, M., van Osch, Y., Sleegers, W., & Ye, M. (2019). Social support benefits psychological adjustment of international students: Evidence from a meta-analysis. Journal of Cross-Cultural Psychology, 50(7), 827-847.

Kelly, M. E., Duff, H., Kelly, S., Power, J. E. M., Brennan, S., Lawlor, B. A., &Loughrey, D. G. (2017). The impact of social activities, social networks, social support and social relationships on the cognitive functioning of healthy older adults: a systematic review. Systematic reviews, 6(1), 1-18.

Smith, G. L., Banting, L., Eime, R., O’Sullivan, G., & Van Uffelen, J. G. (2017). The association between social support and physical activity in older adults: a systematic review. International Journal of Behavioral Nutrition and Physical Activity, 14(1), 1-21.

Soulakova, J. N., Tang, C. Y., Leonardo, S. A., &Taliaferro, L. A. (2018). Motivational benefits of social support and behavioral interventions for smoking cessation. Journal of smoking cessation, 13(4), 216-226.

Meditation
Some key research elements and well-being benefits
Meditation can be regarded as the habitual process of training the mind to focus as well as redirect the thoughts. Meditation, as well as mindfulness, assist in the management of stress, higher blood pressure, feeling balanced as well as lower the risk of heart diseases (Choi et al., 2020). Various studies have highlighted that effect of meditation plays a crucial role in tackling blood pressure. There are also physical changes in the brain such as the support of the immune system, controlling the response of the brain to pain, reduction of inflammation, and improvement of sleep. Further, it has been found that the popularity of meditation can be considered to be increasing only when individuals discover the health benefits. It is also used to increase the awareness of oneself as well as one’s surroundings thereby assisting in the development of concentration (Choi et al., 2020). On the other hand, meditation also assists in regulating negative emotions such as fear and anger. According to the research, the meditation sessions assist in the development of creating a difference in the management of stress quickly thereby improving the process of critical thinking (Nair et al., 2018). The meditators also possess an improved ability to experience reduced pain sensation.

Meditation can be categorized under the area of mindfulness which is a much broader concept. The formal meditation techniques generally include the mindfulness of breathing with the kind and the focussed meditation process (Lynch et al., 2018). It is important to take care of the underlying meditation techniques that assist in the development of awareness of the present situation. It is the responsibility of the individuals to be aware of their minds, the varied patterns of thinking, and the spiral thoughts that generally arise in one’s minds. On the other hand, the practice of regular meditation over the long term shows changes in the concerned areas of the brain (Allen et al., 2017). This can be understood by analyzing the role of the prefrontal cortex, the hippocampus, and the cingulate cortex highlighting the increased activity whereas the amygdala highlighting the decreased activity associated with emotional regulation.

As the concept of meditation can be regarded as the broader concept with varied therapeutic usage including mental health, pain, and somatic conditions, it has been found that the research that is required to be carried out in this field is difficult(Lynch et al., 2018). Further, it has been found that the different forms of meditation that are being practiced in the west today possess their roots in Yoga or Buddhism. There should be careful attempts made in finding the proper foundation of meditation and thus connote the varied forms of meditation practices(Allen et al., 2017). Moreover, the diverse meditation practices are consistently and coherently grounded on the knowledge that utilizes the theories and the varied mechanism effect. Thus, it can be said that the intervention of meditation includes the combination of varied approaches that are considered to be complicated in the intervention process.

Intervention/Practice
When a couple faces heated arguments or is on the verge of divorce, meditation can be the only way to resolve the conflict as it assists to find out peace and harmony. With the help of meditation, both parties can arrive at a mutual compromisable agreement.

References
Allen, T. D., Henderson, T. G., Mancini, V. S., & French, K. A. (2017). Mindfulness and meditation practice as moderators of the relationship between age and subjective wellbeing among working adults. Mindfulness, 8(4), 1055-1063.

Choi, E. H., Chun, M. Y., Lee, I., Yoo, Y. G., & Kim, M. J. (2020). The Effect of Mind Subtraction Meditation Intervention on Smartphone Addiction and the Psychological Wellbeing among Adolescents. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(9), 3263.

Lynch, J., Prihodova, L., Dunne, P. J., Carroll, A., Walsh, C., McMahon, G., & White, B. (2018). Mantra meditation for mental health in the general population: A systematic review. European Journal of Integrative Medicine, 23, 101-108.

Nair, A. K., John, J. P., Mehrotra, S., &Kutty, B. M. (2018). What contributes to wellbeing gains–proficiency or duration of meditation-related practices?. International Journal of Wellbeing, 8(2).

Work and well-being
Some key research elements and well-being benefits
Work can be considered to play a crucial role in the existence of individuals. With the help of work, it will be easier to keep the individuals physically active and also acting as a crucial source of income to assist in the fulfillment of the needs. Research indicates that the flexibility in work or the work-life balance develops positive spillover mostly in terms of the well-being of the employees as well as their families (Warr et al., 2018). Different companies are trying their best to deliver on the wellbeing programs as well as the initiatives that are developed for the enhancement of employee’s health and well-being thereby enduring an improved workplace. Moreover, the organizations also believe that the workplace can be considered as the vital source for the development of positive change thereby assisting the employees to lead a healthy life and thus try to carry out things in an improved way (Singh & Chaudhary, 2019). This does not depend on the size or the stage of the business and thus the employees are always ready to support the clients who are in partnership with their company. The physical and mental health of the employees also assists in the development of improved well-being by taking into account job control and job rank (Kun et al., 2020). On the other hand, it has been found that some employees have experienced a higher level of chronic stress twice than their metabolic syndrome compared to those without the relevant work stress. It is necessary to develop an improved level of connection between the consequences and the actions of the individuals with no control at work.

There exists a wider connection between the organizational results and the employee’s well-being such as the performance of the employees, the turnover, the job satisfaction, and the organizational commitment. As it has been found that organizations are trying their best to retain talented employees in the workplace by investing in their well-being at work. This is possible only when the workforce managers believed that through the recognition of the employees there can be the development of a positive culture in the workplace through enhancement of the employee’s experience. This is likely to play a crucial role in improving the retention rate of the employees (Williams & Smith, 2018). On the other hand, there should be careful attempts taken to encourage the employees for the development of the professional association with their colleagues and thereby feeling motivated to work as a part of the team. Moreover, it can be said that the employees are also to be encouraged so that they can find out moments easily for themselves. This is likely to lay a positive effect on the success of the organization and the well-being of the employees (Kun et al., 2020).

Intervention/Practice
The practice of smoking cessation programs including lifestyle coaching and pharmacological assistance to the team members will assist in the development of a healthy workplace. This will also reduce the number of team members who smoke to lead an improved and healthy lifestyle.

References
Kun, A. L., Shaer, O., Sadun, R., Boyle, L. N., & Lee, J. D. (2020). The future of work and wellbeing: A preliminary report from a series of conversations. New Future of Work.

Singh, S., & Chaudhary, N. (2019). Quality of work-life and dynamics of work-related wellbeing: an exploratory study of textile employees. International Management Review, 15(2), 77-84.

Warr, P., & Nielsen, K. A. R. I. N. A. (2018). Wellbeing and work performance. Handbook of well-being. Salt Lake City, UT: DEF Publishers. Williams, G. M., & Smith, A. P. (2018). A practical method of predicting wellbeing at work: the Wellbeing Process Tool. Advances in Social Sciences Research Journal, 5(2), 86-92.

Exercise and well-being
Some key research elements and well-being benefits
Exercise and physical activity assist in the promotion of the bones and muscles improving cardiovascular, overall health, and respiratory health. Physical activity also assists in the maintenance of a healthy weight by lowering the risk of type 2 diabetes, risk cancer, and heart diseases (Connolly et al., 2020). Further, it has been found that the individuals who prefer to carry out regular exercise develop a sense of well-being among themselves. Such individuals also feel more energetic thereby developing sharper memories, feeling positive and relaxed in leading their lives (Zhou & Krishnan, 2019). On the other hand, with the help of improved exercise, individuals can also lead their life free from stress, anxiety, and depression. Exercise also assists in the promotion of varied types of changes in the brain including the reduced level of inflammation, neural growth, and activity patterns assisting in the development of well-being (Herbert et al., 2020). This exercise can be considered to be an effective and natural therapy for the treatment of anxiety and depression. With the help of physical activity, there exists continuous persistence to improve the norepinephrine, dopamine, and the serotonin level in the brain improving attention and focus.

Exercise is used for the enhancement of well-being among individuals who feel healthy mentally. With the help of an improved level of physical activity, it has been found that exercise enhances the energy level, mood, and the promotion of quality sleep. On the other hand, research indicates that exercise also plays an effective role in the lowering of the stress hormone(Clifford et al., 2018). Further, it has been found that exercise also distracts the negative emotions and thoughts of the individuals and thus it assists to get the activity done into a zen-like position. There is also promotion of confidence among the individuals with the help of exercise thereby assisting in the smile and the glow. It also boosts up the mood of the individuals thereby increasing the aura of strength among themselves (Zhou & Krishnan, 2019).

Exercise can also be considered a vital source of social support promoting the well-being of individuals. It does not depend whether the individuals join the exercise class or the gym as any form of exercise provides double stress and relief to the individuals. Further, it can be said that the improved level of physical exercise also assists in the development of mental health and the longevity of the individuals(Clifford et al., 2018). As it has been found that physical activity is associated with a lower level of physiological reactivity in managing stress, exercise is likely to improve the immunity for managing future stress accordingly.

Intervention/Practice
In every organization irrespective of its size, yoga and meditation classes must be made mandatory to be carried out twice a week. This can act as an effective stress reliever and thus it will assist the team members to work with tight deadlines.

References
Clifford, B. K., Mizrahi, D., Sandler, C. X., Barry, B. K., Simar, D., Wakefield, C. E., & Goldstein, D. (2018). Barriers and facilitators of exercise experienced by cancer survivors: a mixed-methods systematic review. Supportive Care in Cancer, 26(3), 685-700.

Connolly, L. J., Scott, S., Morencos, C. M., Fulford, J., Jones, A. M., Knapp, K., ... &Bowtell, J. L. (2020). Impact of a novel home-based exercise intervention on health indicators in inactive premenopausal women: A 12-week randomized controlled trial. European journal of applied physiology, 120(4), 771-782.

Herbert, C., Meixner, F., Wiebking, C., &Gilg, V. (2020). Regular physical activity, short-term exercise, mental health, and well-being among university students: the results of an online and a laboratory study. Frontiers in psychology, 11, 509.

Zhou, X., & Krishnan, A. (2019). What predicts exercise maintenance and well-being? Examining the influence of health-related psychographic factors and social media communication. Health communication, 34(6), 589-597.