Stress Management
Stress Evaluation and Intervention Proposal
Stress Management in Public Safety Organizations
Public safety organizations are one of the most important components of any society as they are responsible to provide support and assistance to the community in times of crisis. The employees of such organization however are always exposed to stressful situations and they need to be mentally and emotionally strong to take the challenge, deal with it and help other dependents out of it. This is of great concern for public administration authorities as constant exposure to stressful situations leads to development of some kind of psychological disorder among the employees. This paper aims at evaluating how stressful conditions can be identified, evaluated and intervened so as to provide a coping strategy to deal with a stressor. The paper evaluates various literature pieces that are available in the relevant field of study and also analyzes stress management models that are…...
mlaReferences
Alexander, C.N., Schneider, R.H., Staggers, F., Sheppard, W., Clayborne, B.M., Rainforth, M. et al. (1996). Trial of stress reduction for hypertension in older African-Americans: II. Sex and risk subgroup analysis Hypertension, 28, 228-237.
Cheryl Tatano Beck, Jeanne Driscoll (2006), postpartum mood and anxiety disorders: a clinician's guide
Bazargan, M., Calderon, J.L., Heslin, K.C., Mentes, C., Shaheen, M.A., Ahdout, J,. (2005). A profile of chronic mental and physical conditions among African-American and Latino children in urban public housing. Ethnicity & Disease, 15(4 Suppl 5), S5-3-9.
Cohen, S., Kessler, R.C.; & Gordon, L.U. (1995). Measuring stress: A guide for health and social scientists. New York: Oxford University Press.
55). In other words, stress can create a life-long physiological change in and impairment of brain and body functioning. uch recent findings suggest that victims of stress may in fact suffer from a neurological disorder rather than just from a character flaw, mental weakness, or bad luck.
Chronic stress can impact individual perception and thinking in significant ways. Research in cognitive neuropsychology has been particularly helpful in identifying some of these patterns. Psychiatrists at the Dartmouth Medical chool have identified certain common styles of thinking present in those who as a result of traumatic stress suffer from chronic life stress (Mueser, Rosenberg, & Rosenberg, 2009, pp. 99-120). These thought patterns, or schemas, shape the individual's perception of the world and have a degree of negative control over their emotions (Mueser, Rosenberg, & Rosenberg, 2009). The problem is that they are inaccurate and destructive thoughts and beliefs. They exacerbate distress rather…...
mlaStress has been linked to more serious impairments such as PTSD, depression, somatic disorders, anxiety disorders, and substance abuse. Bremner (2002) argued that these disorders may be considered in relationship to a "common stress-induced neurological deficit" (p. 34). That is to say, stress actually changes the way the brain operates. In even more extreme cases, studies have shown clear connections between stress and the mental disorder of schizophrenia (Lewine, 2005). While most researchers understand that there are genetic predispositions in those who develop schizophrenia, they generally realize that environmental factors combine with this inherited vulnerability to produce the disorder (Lewine, 2005). In other words, stress contributes to the formation and perpetuation of schizophrenia. It effects the person's cognitive appraisal of the environment, which when fused with biological predispositions give rise to serious mental distress and distortions.
Lewine (2005) examined the kinds of stress that research has connected with the development of schizophrenic thought patterns. Such stressors include childhood trauma (e.g., parental loss) or confusing family relations involving hyper-criticism, emotional over-involvement, and hostility. Further, the manifestation of schizophrenia itself is a source of stress owing to the external and uncontrollable nature of hallucinations and the "direct distortions in information processing, affect, and interpersonal relationships" (Lewine, 2005, p. 291). Schizophrenics tend to find social life more threatening than the average person (Lewine, 2005). As a result of this, stress is increased and negatively impacts their rational capacities. Another contributing impact of stress on schizophrenic thinking is social stress and poverty, both of which contribute to demoralization, low self-esteem, alienation, and further life hardship since it creates such things as financial worry (Lewine, 2005). In sum, the extreme case of schizophrenia illustrates how stress can impact thinking and mental processes (even if associated with genetic predispositions) by contributing to distorted interpretations of the environment and cognitive impairment that is stress sensitive and threat-oriented.
Memory is another important area of the mind that stress affects. Neuroscientists have shown that the areas of the brain associated with memory play an important role in the stress response and are sensitive to stress. Bremner (2002) stated, "One important outcome is long-term dysregulation of the brain chemical systems that we need to survive the immediate threat to our lives" (p. 107). The result of stress can cause fragmented memory and dissociation because it affects the hippocampus where memory is controlled (Bremner, 2002). Other studies showed that cortisol released during stress impairs memory, producing the spaced out feeling an individual feels when under
It is important to note that the relationship between pain and anxiety is reciprocal. Painful experiences may lead to anxiety (e.g., "Something must be wrong... Increased anxiety will lead to accentuated perception of pain, which further increases the anxiety level. Obviously, potentially traumatic experiences may result unless there is some intervention in this pain-anxiety cycle. Narcotics may be helpful, but psychological interventions are quite appropriate in this regard. (King, 1991, p. 129)
5. Defining Criteria: Describe how you would know if the concept were present in a situation.
Listening to the patient and watching physical cues, such as increases pulse of BP, increased pallor, as well as listening to the patient when he or she has concerns about procedural or context questions.
6. Antecedents: Identify antecedents that you would expect to find in biological, psychological and/or social systems
Precious personal or secondary bad experiences with surgical procedures, recovery times or even fatal events are…...
mlaReferences
Ben-Zur, H., Rappaport, B., Ammar, R., & Uretzky, G. (2000). Coping Strategies, Life Style Changes and Pessimism after Open-Heart Surgery. Health and Social Work, 25(3), 201.
Bradley, E.L. (1994). A Patient's Guide to Surgery. Philadelphia: University of Pennsylvania Press.
Devito, P.L. (1994, July). The Immune System vs. Stress. USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), 123, 27.
Guided Imagery Speeds Surgical Recovery. (1996, October). USA Today (Society for the Advancement of Education), 125, 8.
This may be because the environment may be either polluted, or too noisy, or too crowded, or there may be too much crowding, or it may be too cold, or too warm. The weather too plays an important part in creating stress in an individual, especially when the individual happens to be already stressed due to some reason or the other.
Another main source of stress may be physiological, like for example, any type of illness that the student is or had suffered from, any sort of injuries in his person, insufficient sleep, and inadequate nutrition, and also in some cases, the hormonal fluctuations that are a natural occurrence for this particular age group of individuals. The very thought processes of the college student may also become a major stress inducer in him. For example, when he expects perfectionism in everything that he does, but finds that he is not…...
mlaReferences
Alternative Treatments for Depression, Anxiety and Stress: Dr. Podell's Perspective on Brain, Mind, and Mood. 2002. Retrieved at Accessed on 18 February, 2005http://www.drpodell.org/alternative_treatments_for_depression.shtml .
Archer, James; Carroll, Christina. Stress and College Students. University of Florida Counseling Center. Retrieved at Accessed on 18 February, 2005http://www.counsel.ufl.edu/self-Help/studentStress.asp.
Dedicated to Advancing Our Understanding of: The Role of Stress in Health and Illness
The Nature and Importance of Mind-Body Relationships Our Inherent. The American Institute of Stress. Retrieved at Accessed on 18 February, 2005http://www.stress.org/ .
A recent study by Duke University medical research center revealed that exercises not only relive depression and distress but also bring about positive changes in important physiological markers of cardiovascular disease. For this study 134 stable cardiac patients were recruited and assigned randomly into three different groups. The exercise group received 35 minutes of aerobic training 3 times a week for 16 weeks while the 'stress management group' received stress management therapy for 1.5 hours once a week for 16 weeks. The third group, which also served as the control group, received only regular pharmacological intervention. At the end of the study period, the researchers conducted ultrasound-imaging study of the brachial artery before and after the application of a tourniquet to record endothelial dialation. The results siuggested that the experimental subjects (both exercise group as well as behavioral therapy group) achieved a 25% improvement in 'flow mediated dialation' compared…...
mlaBibliography
1) AIS, 'Stress, Definition of Stress, Stressor, What is Stress?, Eustress?',
Accessed Apr 25th 2009, available at, stress.htm?AIS=2afb4b0a5c7ac99b4e4b063591d971d2http://www.stress.org/ topic-definition-
2) Gregory E. Miller, Ph.D., Washington University at St. Louis; Sheldon Cohen,
Ph.D., Carnegie Mellon University; A. Kim Ritchey, M.D., Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, (2002), '"Chronic Psychological Stress and the Regulation of Pro-Inflammatory Cytokines: A Glucocorticoid-Resistance Model,," Health Psychology, Vol 21, No. 6. Available Online at, http://www.apa.org/journals/releases/hea216531.pdf
Stress is an unavoidable fact of life, yet, what precisely is stress? It is essentially one of those things that we all have but that we all have difficulty defining and explaining. The one unarguable fact is that we all have it in our lives and, without it, our lives would be much different. If fact, the only way that one's life can be entirely stress free is upon death. Unfortunately, too much stress can be not only debilitating but fatal and it is incumbent on everyone to learn how to effectively handle stress in order to avoid adverse effects.
hat creates stress in one individual may not cause stress in another. Everyone differs as to how he or she reacts to life's events and this is one of the factors that cause the management of stress such a difficult problem. ith this difference in mind, there are a certain events…...
mlaWorks Cited
Boden-Albala, Bernadette. "Lifestyle factors and stroke risk: Exercise alcohol, diet, obesity, smoking, drug use and stress." Current Artherosclerosis Reports (2000): 160-166.
Cramer, Michelle W. "The Relationship between Household Composition and Retirement Stress." Guidance and Counseling (2005).
Elkins, D. "Waah! Why Children have a lot to cry about. ." Psychology Today (1992): 38-43.
Fairbrother, Kerry. "Workplace dimensions, stress and job satisfaction." Journal of Managerial Psychology (2003): 8-21.
Stress
Each of us has our own share of experiences where we find ourselves unable to cope with normal responses. Sometimes, due to circumstances that push both of our minds and bodies to precisely act on things or to meet expectations, we tend to feel that we almost want to give up. Such example in our daily experiences is what we call stress.
Stress is a psychological imbalance, which, if regularly experienced, can affect the bodily functions and can cause drawbacks to one's health. A number of medical research and studies have reached findings explaining the relationship of stress to one's health. A number of negative effects that stress causes to our health were found to be dangerous if the frequency of stressful experiences is not controlled and minimized.
One explanation to the relationship and effect of stress to one's health is indicated in a ody ulletin's article The Effects of Stress (2003).
The…...
mlaBibliography
Danielson, R.R. (2000). The Body's Response to Stress.
Retrieved on Jan 22, 2004, from Homepage of R.R. Danielson.
Web site: http://danielson.laurentian.ca/drdnotes/4516ch03.htm
Tebbe, M.H., et. al. (2001). Role of Stress in Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders. Evidence for Stress-Induced Alterations in Gastrointestinal Motility and Sensitivity.
Added stress can cause the already violent tendency of the child to harm someone accidently or can cause future emotional and psychological damage to the child. Some children can develop anti-social tendencies leading to criminal behavior and some just withdraw from society as a whole.
The genital stage is the final stage of development and the individual is involved in the creation and enhancement of their life. The attraction to the opposite sex becomes stronger and the welfare of others takes a priority in our lives. Stress during the early years of this stage can affect the person's self-esteem and cause them to fear rejection or lack self-confidence. This will affect relationships, jobs, and all aspects of the young adult life.
Stress has led many people to become addicted to alcohol or drugs as a means to cope with the ups and downs of teen and adult life. Stress in today's…...
mlaBibliography
Beck, E; Collins, a; Zoma, a; Bissonette, R; Brown, J; Gonzales, B; Lake, N; & Owen, a.
"Five-Minute Stress Management Techniques Any Nursing Student Can Teach." 2010.
Retrieved on May 30, 2010 from http://juns.nursing.arizona.edu/articles/Fall%202005/beck.htm
Hudiburg, R. "Assessing and Managing Technostress." July 8, 1996. Retrieved on May 30, 2010
Stress Management
Stress is an inevitable part of life, occurring as it does in all its aspects. Indeed, the almost omnipresent nature of stress is indicated in its very definition as "the nonspecific response of the body to any demands made upon it." (Crampton et. al., cited Selye, 1995) However, while stress may always be present, it is important to note that its negative effects usually manifest when a condition or feeling is experienced that the demands of a situation exceed the personal and social resources available to an individual (Mind Tools, cited Lazarus, 1995-2005). Since negative stress can adversely affect an individual's ability to function effectively in life, it is critical to identify the cause of such stress and manage it so that its effect is neutralized. Therefore, it is the objective of this paper to describe the nature of stress, its negative effects, and stress management techniques that help…...
mlaReferences
Crampton, S.M., Hodge, J.W., Mishra, J.M., & Price, S. (1995). Stress and Stress
Management. SAM Advanced Management Journal. Vol. 60:3, p. 10+.
Mind Tools. (1995-2005). Stress Management Techniques. Mind Tools Web site. Retrieved May 7, 2005: http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/newTCS_00.htm
Stress
Statement of Authorship: I assert that this material was written by me, and that any external sources consulted are properly cited and listed in the bibliography.
University students may be under high levels of stress due to their workloads and conflicting pressures from friends, family, and job. Research points to a set of proven stress reduction techniques that can be incorporated into any student's daily life. Techniques can be varied, depending on individual preferences, needs, and situations. For example, one solution for reducing stress is to cease associating with people who are negative or angry (University of Victoria Counselling Services, 2004). However, for some students this is not possible because bosses or family members could be the culprits and it would be difficult to extricate oneself from the social situation. In general, though, the techniques of stress reduction can be carried out with the result of better health and overall well…...
mlaWilliams, K.A., Kolar, M.M., Reger, B.E., & Pearson, J.C. (2001). Evaluation of a Wellness-based Mindfulness Stress Reduction Intervention: A Controlled Trial. American Journal of Health Promotion: July/August 2001, Vol. 15, No. 6, pp. 422-432.
Winefield, T., Boyd, C., Saebel, J. & Pignata, S., 2008. Update on national university stress study. In Australian Universities Review 50(1).
Woolfolk, R.L., Lehrer, P.M. & Allen, L.A., 2007. "Conceptual issues underlying stress management. Chapter 1 in Principles and Practices of Stress Management. Guilford.
Long periods of stress can increase or even create problems like depression, anxiety, and anger. A person who is exposed to stress may also be short-tempered and have a lack of interest in most aspects of their life, where, in the past, they have been more participatory. Levels of concentration decrease and anything that requires a decisive action becomes difficult. Memory recall can also be affected, and the individual may become more emotional and less objective in their observations and statements.
Post-traumatic stress syndrome is an extreme result of stress that affects an individual's judgment to such a level that he or she can have significant mood swings and perform acts of excessive violence or other atypical behaviors (aboutstressmanagement.com, 2009).
ibliography aboutstressmanagement.com. (2009). Physiological effects of stress. Retrieved December 17, 2009, from aboutstressmanagement.com: http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/stress-management/people-and-stress/physiological-effects-of-stress.htm
en-Shahar, A.R. (n.d.). Introduction to the physiology of stress. Retrieved December 17, 2009, from health-concern.com: http://www.health-concern.com/Articles/introduction_to_the_physiology_of_stress.htm
Lioe, L. (2009).…...
mlaBibliography aboutstressmanagement.com. (2009). Physiological effects of stress. Retrieved December 17, 2009, from aboutstressmanagement.com: http://www.aboutstressmanagement.com/stressrelief/stress-management/people-and-stress/physiological-effects-of-stress.htm
Ben-Shahar, A.R. (n.d.). Introduction to the physiology of stress. Retrieved December 17, 2009, from health-concern.com: http://www.health-concern.com/Articles/introduction_to_the_physiology_of_stress.htm
Lioe, L. (2009). Psychological and physical effects of stress. Retrieved December 17, 2009, from ezinearticles.com: http://ezinearticles.com/?Psychological-and-Physical-Effects-of-Stress&id=1555933
Coping strategies, however, are not effectively conveyed in survey studies (Harpold and Feemster, 2002). Similarly, the use of FGD may result to numerous information that does not fully delve into the objectives of the study, particularly the authenticity of information, since FGD is susceptible to group pressure and inability of the researcher's to probe deeper into the thoughts and feelings of the informant for fear or embarrassment of disclosing sensitive and confidential information (Sheehan, 2003).
Thus, in-depth interviewing, which is the research method of this study, will lead to the discovery and generation of information that is sensitive, confidential, and most of all, authentic. The in-depth interview will be initially conducted by constructing an interview schedule, which will include questions that are relevant and significant to the two general objectives of the study. The researcher, of course, has the freedom to probe deeper into a particular piece of information as…...
mlaBibliography
Harpold, J. And S. Feester. (2002). "Negative influences of police stress." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Vol. 71, Issue 9.
Sheehan, R. And V. Van Hasselt. (2003). "Identifying law enforcement stress reactions early." FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin, Vol. 72, Issue 9.
Many occupations, including white-collar positions, require some degree of manual labor. When assigned to a research team for an oil and gas company during a summer internship, my responsibilities included collecting hand-written reports and data from team members, recording it in an Excel spreadsheet, and creating status and progress charts for the team leader and members. Although this type of work is routine and can even be enjoyable since it affords some level of creativity in determining what types of graphic presentations are best suited for different types of data, the data entry process involved both coding the hand-written reports and entering this data into the spreadsheet, making it as especially tedious and time-consumer enterprise. After about 2 weeks of this type of work non-stop, I noticed a pain in my lower back and neck which was not alleviated with my conventional, cure-all “miracle drug” (aspirin). Since the research team’s work…...
Stress and burnout are possible in any position, but workers in helping professions including nurses and social workers experience undue amounts of stress due to the nature of their job and the demands placed upon them. Understaffing, high workloads, and case load intensity are common causes of burnout. Feeling systematically disempowered or frustrated with bureaucracy or policy can also contribute to the job-related stressors in the helping professions. Caregivers often overextend themselves, caring for others but neglecting to care for their own needs. Therefore, the best ways to mitigate the potential for burnout is to prevent emotional and physical depletion from occurring in the first place. Specific recommendations for reducing stress and burnout include learning how to say no to supervisors who may expect extended working hours, and resisting the desire to impress others by how hard one works or by perfectionism. “Building resilience” is a key to resisting burnout (Hughes,…...
mlaReferences
Hughes, M. (1995). Burnout and self care in the helping professions. IAHAP. Retrieved online:
http://iahip.org/inside-out/issue-20-spring-1995/burnout-and-self-care-in-the-helping-professions
Pathophysiology of Stress Reaction
Stress may be defined as the physiological reaction of the human body which acts as the mediation mechanism, connecting a particular stressor with its associated target- organ effect. In this paper, the physiological and anatomical bases of our body’s stress response will be described, within the bounds of historical bases and analyses, theories and latest research outcomes, through (1) tracing psychophysiological effector processes actually representing the above- defined stress response, and (2) dealing with fundamental neuroanatomical structures (Everly & Lating, 2012).
Neurological Foundations
A grasp of the concept of stress response necessitates a discussion of its bases, residing in the nervous system’s function and structure. The nervous system’s fundamental functional units are called neurons (see Fig.1).
Neurons, which conduct motor, regulatory and sensory signals all through the body, possess the following basic units: (1) dendrites and postsynaptic dendritic membranes; (2) axon presynaptic membranes (end points of the telodendria) and telodendria…...
mlaReferences
Everly Jr, G. S., & Lating, J. M. (2012). A clinical guide to the treatment of the human stress response. Springer Science & Business Media.Girdano, D., Dusek, D., & Everly, G. (2009). Controlling stress and tension. San Francisco, CA: Pearson Benjamin Cummings.Tort, L., & Teles, M. (2011). The endocrine response to stress-a comparative view. In Basic and Clinical Endocrinology Up-to-Date. InTech.
Negative Effects of Homework Essay Titles
In order to really understand resistance in Conrad’s Heart of Darkness, it is important to look at all of the characters and not just the highlighted European males, such as the protagonist Marlowe, that sit at the center of the story. That is because resistance is the undercurrent behind all of the action in the story. The main characters are always acting against the threat of resistance by the African people who are often portrayed as victims, but are consistently offering resistance to the colonizers, as evidenced by the arrow attack by the natives on the ship. ....
Here are some suggested titles for an essay on stress.
Helping you come up with titles on this would be a little easier if we knew which specific issue you want to focus on in your high school exit project because the title should specifically address the content of the paper. We wanted to give you that disclaimer, because some of these titles may be inappropriate for whatever paper you have written. We are going to provide a variety of different titles that will include a range of topics related to combat wounded veteran rehabilitation. They touch on some topics that are controversial among the wounded veteran....
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