Rethinking Health and Body Cultures: Ways in Which Some Bodies Are Problematised in Sport - Literature review Example

Rethinking health and body cultures Introduction Disability is one of the common health problems in the society since time immemorial. It describes deformities that take place in humans physical and mental selves. These in way or the other affects the persons in many different dimensions of their social lives (Yiannakis and Melnick: pg. 146). In rethinking health and body cultures disabled bodies are incapacitated in many different ways most especially in performing things the exact ways they are performed by those without disabilities (Rich et al, 2010: pg. 122). This however does not infer that they are incapable of doing the same things, only that they must do them in an enhanced way that boosts their abilities to achieve the same results that can be achieved by those without disabilities. How Disabled Bodies are problematized The contemporary sports although have been modified to suit the participation of disabled bodies, there are certain missing links that do not allow complete participation of the disabled persons. To some extent, the disabled who are capable of participating also have trouble in their bid to excel just as those without disabilities. The disabled bodies are therefore problematized within the contemporary sports that have been much advanced and improved (Markula and Kennedy, 2011: pg. 211). The best way to understand how disabled bodies are affected when it comes to the contemporary sports is to examine the level of emphasis that has been given to the issue of disability. It has become not only a medical concern, but a social and a political concern as well (Wellard, 2009: pg. 59). The last few decades have seen a growing interest in the understanding of the dimensions of disablements. The major issue on disability has been surrounded on the inclusion of the disabled persons in different categories of sensory, physical, or intellectual. The mainstream sports have in the past ignored the potentials that are exhibited by the disabled persons in participating in sports. Political main players and policy makers alike realized the need to include people with disability in the mainstream sports. There are profound changes in the attitudes and lifestyles brought about by disability at any age that it occurs whether it is inborn or occurs at growth and development. Accidents or illness may be the cause of disability that occurs to someone at the course of life. This may not affect only the disabled person but friends and families as well (Woodward, 1997: pg. 348). If someone was a sports personality, the dream fades immediately the disability is confirmed. This brings a lot of mental and psychological disturbance that may further worsen the degree of recovery to normalcy. An athlete for instance will find it hard to participate in steeplechase after sustaining a decapitated leg or pair of legs. It is even medically impossible to participate again after sustaining a serious injury on the spinal cord. A dividing line develops between after accident and before accident. Active sports personalities soon find it contrasting when the two phases of life are comparatively presented (Rich et al, 2010: pg. 122). Both physical and mental disabilities greatly affect the ability of persons to participate in sports activities. Physical disabilities may include aspects such as stiff joints or large-scale body trauma that inhibit the capacity of a person to perform. Despite the wider variance of physical disabilities, all of them have one common denominator (Frank, 1995: pg. 79). They introduce a limitation on somebody’s abilities. In that case, one cannot engage in sports either at professional levels or simply as a matter of recreation. This does not however write off their potentials in producing g almost the same results just like those who are not disabled. However, in most cases special aids must be applied in order to enhance their abilities to deliver the same results as those without deformities. Some studies have also found out that negative public attitude to disabled personalities is a mental factor that has disoriented the urge and interests of the disabled to participate. As a result, their inclusion in the mainstream community activities is very partial and not so much. When the disabled persons feel like the people around them often show overt prejudice they lose morale and enthusiasm to engage in many of the sports and social activities. Showing pity and condescension, indifference and hostility to the disabled affects them. The society in certain ways has created a particular way in which people with disabilities are looked at. The impairments put them at a disadvantage to resonate well with most of the structures and functions in the society (Oliver, Brande, and Flamez, 2011: pg. 29). Human body is active and performs optimally if the body conditions good. Deformities in any of the body parts reduce individuals’ abilities to perform. It also defects their enthusiasm due to the negative attitude they may think people have towards them (Miah, 2004: pg. 83). To some extent, it is important to subject some to counseling, most especially those who succumbed to disability after birth; either in their childhood or adulthood. Counseling theories may be observed to help these people achieve certain ends (Oliver, Brande, and Flamez, 2011: pg. 22). Behaviorism therefore can be applied in therapeutic interventions by helping individuals learn new skills. Counseling also benefits a lot from this theory. During the counseling session, the counselor should be able to observe the body language of the counselee in order to be able to understand the problem in order to provide effective solution (Markula and Kennedy, 2011: pg. 211). The counselor uses the knowledge of behaviorism in order to help the client work out certain issues and problems. It is possible to develop a whole range of skills through conditioning in order to solve some problems. It is therefore important that the counselor devices a coherent formula of achieving such desired end in order to make counseling theory more applicable and significant in solving human emotional distress (Monaghan, 2008: pg. 147). The behavioral theory emphasizes only on observable behaviors of organisms hence providing a chance to manipulate the behavior to achieve the desired ends. This has been successful as observed in sets of both operant conditioning and classical conditioning. It is also advantageous in that its focus is based on what happens at that particular time of observation without making a guess at the first events. This is meritorious since not many individuals can ascertain the past causes of their abnormality (Monaghan, 2008: pg. 47). On the other hand, if an abnormal behavior is to be permanently treated, then there is the need to understand the possible causes of such abnormality. The focus of Behavioral theory on the immediate overt behavior fails to offer permanent solutions (Yiannakis and Melnick: pg. 146). For instance, it is not possible to treat schizophrenia by using behavior treatments such as Token economies and Systematic Desensitization. These can only help treat phobias and obsessive-compulsive behaviors. It is also not appropriate for this theory to suggest that human-beings act as products of stimuli and that they lack the mental self that may influence their behaviors. It undermines the human’s complex thoughts and emotions (Caudwell, 2008: pg. 123). The contributors discuss how the behavior observation can help in undertaking solution-focused therapy and narrative therapy in as far as the Latino population and culture is concerned. They emphasize on the utilization of a given context in arriving at objective solution. The basic techniques and tenets in using solution-focused therapy must be understood in order to help individuals navigate through difficult challenges by adopting relevant skills. Therefore, culture can only be understood when it is placed into perspective and observed in order to realize how it affects individuals in psychological ways (Markula and Pringle, 2006: pg. 96). Crisis counseling presents that individuals may experience problems that do not have the usual ways or methods of solving such problems. Crisis therefore is observed as a threat to the stability of the internal body conditions or the environment. It deals with overwhelming problems that face individuals in a manner that they find it difficult to cope. This is a threat to one’s emotions presenting difficulties in adapting to the problems immediately and developing new ways and skills of handling the problems. According to crisis counseling theory, the concern is how one responds to the challenge at hand (Caudwell, 2008: pg. 123. This may require ones experience in handling the previous problems. It also considers the individual’s own perception of the problem and the extent of assistance or obstacles emanating from others (Markula and Pringle, 2006: pg. 38). To understand crisis counseling it is important to disintegrate crisis as a phenomenon that affects individuals. There are different phases of crisis that are important to understand. The first phase involves anxiety because of any traumatic occurrence and the individual fails to cope upg. In the second phase, there is the continuation of anxiety as it increases (Brown, 2012: pg. 75). In phase three, the anxiety levels rise and the individual considers it necessary to seek assistance. Phase 4 describes a serious and active crisis level in which an individual is void of adequate resources to help and support overcomes the effects of crisis. Two types of crisis have then been developed. Crisis that comes as a result of normal problems in the process of development known as a maturational crisis and that which is as a result of sudden event that is traumatic known as a situational crisis (Hargreaves and Vertinsky, 2007: pg. 221). Crisis counseling is geared to help the individual handle the distressful immediate event. It is important to assist such person acquire emotional equilibrium to prevent them from further trauma. The counselor’s role should be very active in helping the individual analyze the situation; help the individual to improve in expressing the feelings (Sharf, 2012: pg. 37). The counselor should encourage the individual to be strong and believe in their abilities to overcome the distressful situation. There should also be evaluation of the available response systems that can help the individual. It is the responsibility of the counselor to undertake this evaluation and organize the immediate helpg. The counselor should encourage the individual to adapt the possible coping methods to help solve the problem in order to make the counseling session successful (Hargreaves and Vertinsky, 2007: pg. 56). The theory helps individuals to understand the nature and extent of their problems. it helps in response to the immediate problem without focusing on history. It helps individuals to regain emotional equilibrium that is important in making them more settled. However, focus on immediate problem without establishing the long-term causes like in the case of a maturational crisis may not be sufficient in dealing with the problem (Coakley and Donnelly, 1999: pg. 68). It is therefore necessary to locate the causes of the development stress that leads into a maturational crisis. There must be continued counseling in order to mitigate a further proliferation of emotional disequilibrium that might affect individuals seriously hence a lot of time is needed in order to eradicate completely the traumatic effects. Critical incident Debriefing used in crisis intervention and counseling has been criticized for exposing individuals to further crisis in long-term assessment (Hargreaves and Vertinsky, 2007: pg. 57). Disability then could be understood better through counseling of the affected individuals who have lost self-esteem. It is also important to understand that the society has to play its role in ensuring that the d0isabled are not maligned (Howe, 2004: pg. 128). The society should walk hand in hand with them. Those with mental disabilities are the worst affected persons that other interventions would be most applicable to help them, participate. There are those who do not understand completely what they are expected. They are often perceived inferior t-o their environments including those around them. They lack the knowledge of participating in any sporting activity. They can also be subjected to certain levels of interventions like crisis counseling (Sandahl and Auslander, 2005: pg. 138). Crisis counseling and intervention is necessary to help individual regain their emotional equilibrium. The response should be timely to prevent the escalation of crisis that may lead to suicide. People may commit suicide due to distress emanating from development frustrations or sudden traumatic events (Mishara, 2007: pg. 62). It is therefore; important to help the persons first conceptualize the reasons for the disequilibrium and analyze the traumatic situations (Caudwell, 2008: pg. 123). Through counseling, the persons get to know the effects of continuing to live in isolation of reality that whether development stress of traumatic occurrences human life is prone to crises and they can only be handled not expecting to avoid them. Suicide has been caused majorly by those unable to contain the harsh reality of traumatic event. When crisis intervention and counseling is enhanced, the individuals undergoing such emotional trouble are made to understand that suicide should not be the last resort but there is a solution to the problems (Coakley and Donnelly, 1999: pg. 35). Conclusion Disabled bodies are faced with serious challenges of performing in sports activities. Their body activities are limited by the fact that they are not able to use certain parts of their bodies in achieving certain results expected of them. For instance, it is difficult for a person with deformed legs to participate in steeplechase, football of any kind and many other contemporary sports that require rigorous body movement. Rethinking health and body culture seeks to establish the extent to which these disadvantages affect the individuals’ ability to participate in the contemporary sports. It has identified that not only the physical aspects inhibit their participation but also psychological or mental concerns contribute in extending the disability limit. The negative attitude with which people view those with disability is in itself deterrent to the possibility of those with disability opening up to learn on how to use their disabilities to participate. A part from identifying the extent to which individuals are affected, rethinking health and body cultures also undertakes to emphasize on the possibility of encouraging and creating an enabling environment for those with disabilities. This is essential in that they can also exercise their potentials within disability to achieve same results as those with non-disabled bodies. References BROWN, S., (2012). Psychoanalytic Theory and Social Work Treatment. SOCW 674. CAUDWELL, J. (2008) Sport, sexualities and queer/theory. London: Routledge. COAKLEY, J. & DONNELLY, PG. (Eds.) (1999). Inside Sports. London: Routledge. FRANK, A. (1995). The wounded storyteller: Body, illness and ethics. Chicago: University of Chicago Press. HARGREAVES, J. and VERTINSKY, PG. (2007) Physical culture, power and the body. London: Routledge. HOWE, PG.D. (2004). Sport, professionalism and pain: ethnographies of injury and risk. London: Routledge MARKULA, PG. & PRINGLE, R. (2006). 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