The Psychological and Physical Health of a Person - Research Paper Example

Psychological trauma is one of the most challenging things in human being’s life. People who experience trauma can go into depths of psychological distress if no timely help or support is provided to them. Psychological trauma is defined as an experience which is “1) sudden, unexpected or non-formative, 2) exceeds the individual’s perceived ability to meet its demands and , 3) disrupts the individual’s frame of reference and other central psychological needs and related schemas” (McCann & Pearlman, 1990, p.10). This definition clarifies that trauma has a potential to shatter the person from deep inside and take him into depths of despair. There are different events in life which can cause trauma. For example, death of close ones, accidents, loss of social status, separation etc., can cause trauma in human life. It has been found that “people who experience major threats to psychological integrity can suffer as much as those traumatized by physical injury or life threat” (Briere & Scott, 2006, p. 4). One of the most traumatic experiences in life is divorce. Divorce causes pain not only to the individuals getting divorce, but also to people who are related to them. This multiplies the pain and makes it one of the most traumatic experiences in life. During recent decades, divorce has become more common in North America (Matlin, 2008, p. 266). It has been found that even in modern age of today, experience of divorce is still traumatic (Matlin, 2008, p. 266). Hence, if the experience of trauma is to be reduced in individuals undergoing divorce, then people related to them should make it their responsibility to provide them with complete emotional and psychological support so as to help them cope better with the trauma and come out stronger and healthier from it. Effects of Divorce Psychological Effects Divorce has various psychological effects on a person. According to Baca Zinn and Eitzen (2002), apart from separation from spouse, as divorce brings different kinds of transitions and separations, it is especially painful for a person (Matlin, 2008, p. 267). According to Etaugh and Hochn (1995), as people have a tendency to judge a woman who is divorced with negative attitude, it causes immense distress and stress to her (Matlin, 2008, p. 267). Moreover, as women are more likely to get separated from friends and relatives previously shared by the couple, and from the home and children with whom they are emotionally attached, there are more chances of them feeling hurt, lonely and helpless inside (Matlin, 2008, p. 267). Divorce brings dramatic shifts in lifestyle as couple related activities get decreased due to separation from the spouse (Clark-Stewart & Brentano, 2006, p. 68). Moreover, as distribution of the domestic functions of the family gets affected by divorce, it causes more stress in them (Berns, 2012, p. 82). Enright (2004) has found that “divorce is one of the most stressful changes a person can experience” (Matlin, 2008, p. 267). A study by Lewis et al. (2004) has revealed that most often, women react to the trauma of divorce by getting depressed and angry (Matlin, 2008, p. 267). Hence, the psychological effects are strong and painful Emotional Effects It has been found that divorce causes immense emotional hurt to a person (Papps, 2012, p. 59). One of the major reasons for emotional distress is that constant feeling of hope and desperation is attached to the process of divorce as individual feel that there is hope in avoiding it (Papps, 2012, p. 59). This uncertainty causes immense emotional turmoil in the mind of couple. It has been found that if one person does not want divorce and is forced to give it as the other partner wants it, then it leads to feeling of rejection and guilt (Papps, 2012, p. 59). These people end up humiliating themselves and most often, lose their pride and self-esteem in process of making the other person to accept them (Papps, 2012, p. 59). Some people get over divorce, but life becomes an emotional hell for those people who are not able to get over the divorce and do not try to find new relationships (Papps, 2012, p. 61). Hence, most of the times, divorce creates a great emotional misery and hurt. Sadly, this leads to various physical effects on a person. Physical Effects The process of divorce is known to cause many changes in physical health of a person undergoing it (Huddleston & Hawkings, 1991, p.193). Research study by Bloom, White and Asher (1978) has found that the probability for car accidents, psychiatric problems, suicide, homicide and mortality are found to be higher in individuals who are divorcing (Huddleston & Hawkings, 1991, p.194). Spanier and Thompson (1984) have found that during the time of separation, the physical health of a person is found to be poorer than general population (Huddleston & Hawkings, 1991, p.194). In a study of people undergoing divorce, it was found that 40% of the participants were in poor health due to emotional distress they were experiencing (Huddleston & Hawkings, 1991, p.194). Study by Trotter (2009) has revealed that compared to people who are currently married, people who are divorced suffer from higher incidences of physical and psychological maladies, and are less happy (Weiten, Dunn & Hammer, 2012, p. 322). Surprisingly, not only women but even men are found to be adversely affected on psychological and emotional level due to divorce (Kimmel, 2000, p.138). It is understood that the emotional misery and psychological problems cause them to feel hopeless, and this causes psychosomatic health problems in them. Hence, a timely intervention is the only hope for people experiencing trauma. Assessment One of the most important steps in handling trauma is to assess the situation. Crisis intervention becomes easy and focused through the strategy of assessment (James & Gilliland, 2012, p.49). Assessment helps the counselor or the social worker to determine various aspects of person’s situation and hence, is critically important step in planning and executing the treatment (James & Gilliland, 2012, p.49). For example, assessment helps in determining the severity of crisis, understanding the current emotional, behavioral and cognitive status of the client, the availability of coping mechanisms and support systems to the client, level of self-destructive tendency in client and in gauging the success of the counselor (James & Gilliland, 2012, p.49). Hence, assessment is one of the important tools of treating the people suffering from trauma. Treatment One of the spiritual approaches to treatment of trauma is by adopting Christian perspective in counseling. According to Christian perspective to counseling, relationships play a major role in helping people to cope with different crisis in life (Wright, 2011, p. 17). As divorce creates great trauma in people who are going through it, it is important to let them know that there are people who support them and to help them whenever they need. To help people cope with divorce and to show its acceptance by religious authorities, rituals are created by some Christian denominations to mark divorce as a turning point in the lives of believers (Rubio, 2003, p. 165). Christian perspective points to the fact that the foundation of Jesus’ approach in helping His disciples was His relationship with them (Wright, 2011, p. 17). Hence, it was not just techniques of coping, but the emotional support and encouragement that they got from Jesus that helped His followers to cope with their problems. The Christian perspective believes that similar strategy needs to be applied to counseling in today’s world. It says that when people are going through trauma of problem like divorce, then instead of focusing on their problems and despair, they should be helped to focus on their potential, positive sides and hopes (Wright, 2011, p. 17). On the basis of Jesus’ approach towards His disciples and followers, the Christian perspective offers some ways in which people can be helped to cope with trauma. Christian perspective believes that if spiritual ways, which Jesus adopted while healing His followers, are applied in treating the people suffering from trauma, then it will not only help in dealing with the problem on temporary basis but will help the people to transform themselves from deep within. For example, in case of divorce, the couple going through the process can be given strength and ability to cope with it without getting harmed in emotional or psychological way. According to the Christian perspective, the steps that can be taken to help people cope with divorce are as follows: 1. Accepting people: The New Testament shows that people who approached Jesus were accepted as they are (Wright, 2011, p. 18). That is, instead of dwelling on their present situation, He focused on their potential to change as He believed in them (Wright, 2011, p. 18). It is a well known fact that when people undergo divorce, they feel guilty inside thinking that they are in some way ‘not enough.’ This creates a misery in them and makes them feel unaccepted. The feeling of ‘not being enough’ generates a feeling of ‘not wanted’ by others which can result in isolation and depression. Hence, by adopting Jesus’ approach, people who are undergoing divorce should be made to feel ‘accepted’ by the counselor and other people around them (Wright, 2011, p. 18). This acceptance should be unconditional and without any condemnation (Wright, 2011, p. 18). Unconditional acceptance by the counselor and relatives will make coping with divorce easy for the couple as they will not harbor any guilt or misunderstanding that they are ‘not enough’ for others. They should be made to feel that they are ‘complete’ in themselves, and should be encouraged to become ‘whole’ again. 2. Giving people worth It is well known that Jesus made even those people to feel worthy of themselves who were considered by others as sinners (Wright, 2011, p. 19). It has been found that low self-concept and lack of self-worth is one of the major reasons for many of the problems that people face (Wright, 2011, p. 19). In case of traumatic experience of divorce, there are many chances for people to feel low and feel that they are getting separated as they are not capable of fulfilling the needs and desires of their partner. In such a scenario, it becomes important to help them discover their worth and make them feel good about themselves (Wright, 2011, p. 19). This brings psychological and emotional stability in person (Wright, 2011, p. 19). The psychological stability gives people the strength to face the environmental and social challenges that come with divorce. 3 Encourage to accept responsibility Jesus always asked people what they wanted Him to do for them (Wright, 2011, p. 21). This was His method of making people realize that the decision to change was in their hands (Wright, 2011, p. 21). This method made them become responsible for their decision (Wright, 2011, p. 21). Hence, one of the important aspects of spiritual counseling is to encourage people to take responsibility for their lives (Wright, 2011, p. 21). Making people accept and take responsibility of their decisions regarding lives is one of the main goals of crisis counseling (Wright, 2011, p. 21). The choice of remaining the same person, or changing and growing into a better person, lies with people who come for counseling (Wright, 2011, p. 21). When the choice is left to them, it also makes them realize that they are capable of taking decisions and handling their lives in right way. For example, in case of divorce, accepting responsibility not only helps the person to grow towards better being, but also increases her self-esteem by making her feel that she has the ability to become independent. Conclusion The discussion above shows that divorce can cause immense distress to both, the individuals who are getting divorced and their family members. The trauma of divorce can be extremely harmful to the psychological and physical health of a person. Hence, if the trauma caused by divorce is to be reduced, then a person undergoing divorce should be provided with timely help and support as only love and support from people around can help the individual in surviving the divorce and to come out of the experience with dignity and strength. References Berns, R.M. (2012). Child, family, school, community: Socialization and support (9th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Briere, J. & Scott, C. (2006). Principles of trauma therapy: A guide to symptoms, evaluation, and treatment. Thousand Oaks, CA: SAGE Publications, Inc. Clark-Stewart, A. & Brentano, C. (2006). Divorce: Causes and consequences. New Haven, CT: Yale UP. Huddleston, R. J. & Hawkings, L. (1991). Marital instability and divorce outcomes: Issues for therapists and educators. C.A. Everett (Ed.). Binghampton, NY: The Haworth Press, Inc. James, R.K. & Gilliland, B.E. (2012). Crisis Intervention Strategies (7th ed.). Belmont, CA: Brooks/ Cole Cengage Learning. Kimmel, M.S. (2000). The Gendered Society. Oxford, UK: Oxford UP. Matlin, M.W. (2008). The psychology of women (6th ed). Belmont, CA: Thomas Wadsworth. McCann, L. & Pearlman, L.A. (1990). Psychological trauma and the adult survivor: Theory, therapy and transformation. New York, NY: Brunner- Routledge. Papps, T.G. (2012). The ei8ght reasons to divorce: Why marriages fail and how to ensure that yours doesn’t. Wilkes-Barre, PA: Kallisti Publishing. Rubio, J,H, (2003). A Christian theology of marriage and family. Mahwah, NJ: Paulist Press. Weiten, W., Dunn, D.S. & Hammer, E.Y. (2012). Psychology applied to modern life: Adjustments in the 21st century (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Wadsworth Cengage Learning. Wright.H.N. (2011). The Complete Guide to Crisis & Trauma Counseling: What to do and say when it matters most! Ventura, CA: Regal, Zondervan Publishers. Read More