Health Education - Case Study Example

Relationships provide people with a sense of belonging because they tend to feel loved and accepted (APA 16). Some of the aspects that define a relationship are care, love, trust, concern and commitment. Therefore, when any of these aspects is not fulfilled in a relationship, such a relationship becomes stressful. For example, Mary feels that her trust has been betrayed when she finds DeWayne strolling into a restaurant with another woman. Therefore, her devastation is an indication that she is hurt and depressed about this incident.

Therefore, relationships become stressful because they are dependent on trust, and when this is breached, issues of suspicion and insecurity start cropping up. 2. Why Do Some People Handle Relationships and Stress Differently? Stress affects all people, but different people handle stress differently. According to Scott, every individual perceives situations differently and thus each individual’s stress coping skills are different (1). As such, no two individuals respond in the exact same way to any given situation.

For example, some individuals are more naturally reactive and sensitive to stress. A study by researchers at Michigan Technological University found that men and women handle stress differently. One explanation can be derived from the differences in temperament. Temperament is a collection of inborn personal characteristics that are observable as early as in childhood (Klinic Community Health Center 12). These differences cause certain people to become naturally resilient in the face of stressful situations, while others tend to feel more threatened and are thus less able to cope.

Another reason why people handle stress differently is because of the meaning that is often associated with certain circumstances. For example, when a person has a sense of control in a certain situation, no matter how difficult, he or she will feel more empowered and less threatened. People also handle relationships differently. For example, in love relationships, women are described as more emotional and thus tend to give their all to the relationship. They believe that the relationship will materialize and culminate in a long-term commitment (Randall and Bodenmann 107).

For example, in this case, Mary’s whole world is said to center on DeWayne, and she thinks about him constantly. However, other people, especially men, view relationships as a matter of convenience and avenues of getting certain satisfactions such as emotional and physical in the form of sex. This explains the emergence of phrases such as “friends with benefits.” For example, while Mary is counting on a wedding, DeWayne is strolling into a restaurant with another woman. This shows that he lacks commitment.

In such a situation, when the relationship ends, Mary will be more stressed, while DeWayne might be less stressed. 3. Write a Brief Evaluation of the Situation above and Explain What's Happening to Mary As a Result In the situation above, Mary is deeply in love with DeWayne, but the same cannot be said of DeWayne. Since they have been dating for over two years, Mary feels that DeWayne is her partner for life, and they have even discussed plans about their eventual marriage. When DeWayne starts going slow on the relationship, Mary begins suspecting that something is wrong.

She realizes that he might be seeing someone else and on confronting him, DeWayne ends the relationship