Significant life events: Analyzing different instances
Question
Task:
1.a Describe the influence made by various life events on the personality of the individuals.
1.b Impact made by various significant live events on different groups and their members.
1.c The influence made on health and social care by the occurrence of significant life events.
2.a Give a brief of the organization's role and its support for the employees going through significant life events.
2.b Describe a reflection on the instance where you have given the proper level of guidance to the person going through significant life events.
2.c Provide valid recommendations on how to augment the level of support in the context of social and health care organization employees and the associated network going through significant life events.
Answer
1.a Different impact of significant life events on the individuals
The presence of certain significant life events could bring huge changes in the life of individuals. The potential of such events is very high and thus could bring abrupt changes to the life of an individual, which they would not be quite ready to handle (Fischhoff et al., 2000). Though the concept does not strictly imply that the significant life event is always negative and could make only a detrimental impact on the person's life. There is an equal probability that the particular significant life events are positive ones and have created a constructive effect on the life of others. Though, it depends on the personality and the approach of the individual towards life which decides whether the significant life events have created desirable or undesirable changes. Hence, it justifies that different life events create a different impact on different people, and hence there are numerous ways in which they could be described. It is by taking into account the magnitude of stress suffered by the individual during the event that different life events are classified. The approach was put forward in 1967 by renowned scholars Rahe and Holmes (Grob, 1995). As per the approach put forward by Rahe and Holmes, the significant life events could be classified into 40 different genres. One such event in this classification is the passing away of a loved one whose absence would make a very detrimental and deep impact on a person's life. The person would have to face a lot of tension and stress in the personal life, and hence it could be classified as a very negative life event. A similar instance would be getting fired from a regular job and suffering from a high level of mental and financial stress because of unemployment. Though there are also other significant life events, they are considered positive ones, like the child's birth, getting promoted in the job, getting married, etc. It truly depends on the individual’s perception towards the incident that the nature of significant life events is determined.
1.b The response of particular groups to the occurrence of significant life events
If we move on considering various groups and the way they behave to significant life events, their approach to it is quite different and diverse. Though there is a particular trend on which most of the responses would rely upon, and the members in the group would always try to mitigate the impact of the event if it is perceived to be negative. The presence of the group would bring balance in the life of the involved individual (Suedfeld & Bluck, 1993). The group's approach to mitigating the negative effect of significant life events should be well understood to conduct further studies in the future. Let us consider an instance where a person has lost his or her most loved one. It is quite probable that the person would try to seclude himself in a very quiet and alone place. The group members' cheerful company would help the affected individual tackle the situation of stress and agony. Such people should be brought back to their normal life as soon as possible; otherwise, they would drift into depression. The group member could distract the person from the negative significant life event by involving him or her in other activities. The group activities like singing together, watching movies together, taking part in public functions, etc., would significantly bring down the person's stress level. Music could create a very positive effect on the mind of people (de Bruin et al., 2007). There are many ways in which the groups could reduce the stress of the affected individuals. In the case of positive significant life events, the group has the only option to encourage and congratulate the person. It is the responsibility of the group to behave positively when the person is going through desirable significant life events. Such auspicious moments consist of events like the birth of a baby, marriages, etc.
1.c The influence created by it on the health and social care of others
It becomes entirely different for the medical and public workers when dealing with significant life events as compared to the normal individual going through the same instance. The workers in this field have to face this instance every day, and it should be dealt with in a professional manner (Stuckey, 2001). The professional performance could only be delivered in a flawless manner when the officials have the capability to handle different instances. They should have the capability to understand the mind of other individuals. The proper aid and treatment could only be provided to the individuals if they have proper understanding and empathy towards others.
2.a The response of the organizations when the individuals need support
Various organizations give different guidelines to individuals who are facing significant life events. Organizations should focus on this aspect and give appropriate support to individuals in such situations. The company should give proper training to its employees to generate a general awareness among them. The approach would generate a corporate culture that would give proper support to the person in grief. It is quite possible that the person affected by the negative significant life events would lose the normal balance in their life (Hastings et al., 2004). Hence, the colleagues should provide proper support to such person so that their devastating impact on their lives could be mitigated. The sooner the person would gain a normal balance in personal life, the sooner they would deliver a higher level of performance for the organization. Let us consider an instance where a person is going through negative significant life events which may be classified as an utterly undesirable experience. In such instances, the person probably would lack the mental strength to cope with extreme stress because of the undesirable experience (Kaup et al., 1994). The person would simultaneously witness the decline of the professional career and the sudden emotional breakdown. The natural flow of performing the work would fade away, and hence the person would turn out to be worthless for the organization. The same aspect concerns the organizations the most, and hence proper measures should be taken to avoid its occurrence at any cost. It should be understood by the organizations that proper support from the organization is required even if it is the instance of positive significant life events. Let us consider that one of the employees in the organization is pregnant. Though the instance could be considered a positive significant life event, it is the organization's obligation to give proper support to the employee by giving appropriate leaves. It would be hard for the employee to carry out the duties when they are going through such physical distractions and discomfort.
2.b Reflection on personal contribution
I have witnessed a lot of friends and relatives while they were suffering through their significant life events, and I have always tried to interact in the most appropriate manner with them in such instances. My best friend was dealing with a dark period of his life as his mother had expired in a tragic accident. It was one of the negative significant life events which tremendously shook my friend since he was very close to his mother. He gradually fell into a state of depression and often felt detached from his own life. He slowly started to develop a suicidal tendency (Billings & Moos, 1981). I understood the condition and decided to bring him back from the state of depression in any way possible. I tried various approaches and activities to cheer him up from the current state of depression. We decided to go out rather than staying indoors for a prolonged period. It was the spiritual seminars that we attended that possibly generated the sense of fluffiness and fulfilment within his mind. He liked music, and hence we attended a lot of music concerts and other related programs. I have realized that mental well-being could only be attained through physical fitness, and hence I encouraged him to go out trekking and engage in further outdoor activities. After a while, he managed to get out of the phase of depression and gradually regained normal balance in life. Though the grief of losing his beloved mother still stays in his mind, he figured out how to move on with it and remain emotionally strong. The whole instance turned out to be a learning experience for me. The instance had helped me to understand how to encourage the person dealing with negative significant life events and how to deal with myself at such instances.
2.c Recommendations
Every person should retain empathy for fellow people rather than just possessing technical knowledge and other academic excellence. Such an attitude would help the affected people to survive the impact of negative significant life events. However, the perspective would entirely change if the same approach has to be implied in a professional environment. The person should be given proper training so that different situations could be handled in an excellent manner. The experts and associated professionals should provide appropriate knowledge to the ordinary workers and the subordinates working in the social and health care organizations. It would help the staff members to counter the crisis they are facing due to negative significant life events. The practicality of the instructions should be taken care of while executing the training program since the workers have to implement them personally at some point in their life. Just delivering theoretical knowledge would not be helpful for them in any way. The training should be conducted with utmost seriousness since its professional performance, and mental health highly depend on it.
References
Billings, F. G., & Moos, R. H. (1981). Significance of coping responses and social resources in attenuating the stress of life events. Journal of behavioral medicine, 8(3), 139-157.
de Bruin, W. B., Parker, A. M., & Fischhoff, B. (2007). Can adolescents predict significant life events?. Journal of Adolescent Health, 41(2), 208-210.
Fischhoff, B., Parker, A. M., de Bruin, W. B., Downs, J., Palmgren, C., Dawes, R., & Manski, C. F. (2000). Teen expectations for significant life events. The Public Opinion Quarterly, 64(2), 189-205.
Grob, A. (1995). Subjective well-being and significant life-events across the life span. Swiss Journal of Psychology/Schweizerische Zeitschrift für Psychologie/Revue Suisse de Psychologie.
Hastings, K. R., Hatton, C., Taylor, J. L., & Maddison, C. (2004). Life events and physical symptoms in adults with intellectual disabilities. Journal of Intellectual Disability Research, 48(4), 40-46.
Kaup, B. A., Ruskin, P. E., & Nyman, G. (1994). Significant life events and PTSD in elderly World War II veterans. The American Journal of Geriatric Psychiatry, 2(3), 239-243.
Stuckey, J. C. (2001). Better assurance: The role of religion and spirituality in Alzheimer's disease caregiving and other significant life events. Journal of Aging Studies, 15(1), 69-84.
Suedfeld, P., & Bluck, S. (1993). Changes in integrative complexity accompanying significant life events: Historical evidence. The Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 30(1), 124.
