Applied Psychology Concepts in Relation to Stress - Essay Example

? PERSONAL PERSPECTIVES ON APPLIED PSYCHOLOGY CONCEPTS IN RELATION TO STRESS here] of [Due paper] In the present contemporary times when fierce competition is prevalent on every level in a society, the rate of psychological stress is also exceptionally high. This subject is picked to be discussed at length in this essay because first, it is highly common, it has a phenomenal depth to it, and finally nearly every person is found stressed today due to one reason or another. This subject is open to multiple interpretations due to its prevalence and depth. There is a wide variety of causes of stress. Men and women feel stressed due to different reasons and are expected to cope with their worries in different ways, so same psychological principles cannot be considered decisive for both sexes. General consensus is that the causes of stress vary from person to person. The purpose of the essay is to analyze potential causes of stress and then review relevant literature about those causes. It will also include my personal experience about stress to analyze the extent to which the modern literature supports or opposes it. Personal perspectives on applied psychology concepts in relation to stress: Regardless of gender, some commonest reasons of development of stress are unemployment, inferiority complex, disease, and violence. Though modern age has benefited the human population in a variety of ways, it has also added to the mental and physical issues encountered by people. Both men and women seek different approaches to address their stressful issues. It is really unfortunate how many times people do not have enough time to seek a counselor and explore their problems in the company of a good professional. This explains why it is important for everyone to have at least some basic knowledge about applied psychology concepts to be able to apply them to personal life when needed. Many causes of stress are such that hardly anything can be done to avoid them. Stress arising from heavy work load is one such example of stress. There is nothing people can do to avoid work stress in many cases because their livelihoods depend on their jobs and even the idea of unemployment in present times is enough to suck the life out of a person. In such circumstances, mechanisms for coping stress have become a fundamental necessity for all people ranging from children to old people. My personal opinion is that in order to remain healthy and enjoy a stress-free life, we should try our best not to worry ourselves sick over things which cannot be changed. This does not mean that we should go towards denial and stop agreeing to the presence of things which disturb us. Rather it means that we should develop attitudes of acceptance and attempt to live with things which may be upsetting but are meant to stay (Kolk, McFarlane, & Weisaeth, 1996). Such a noble objective can be achieved by strengthening ourselves. Stress is also created when a person believes in one thing but is forced or compelled to do something else which creates a state of dissonance or acute distress. People should try to reduce this acutely stressful dissonance by going for what they believe in, instead of being someone else to satisfy the world. I remember a time in my life which was singularly distressing for me. In fact, it churned my soul and kept me awake for many nights. It was related to the tragic demise of someone I used to know. Death of someone you dearly love is related to a markedly high rate of stress. I vividly remember how that event produced a preponderant effect on me, one that despite psychological counseling still comes alive for about 2 minutes of every day. The memory of that time has both a sinister effect on me and it also makes me appreciate life with more intensity reminding me to treasure every moment while I can. I consider myself constructive in this sense that I managed to get something positive even out of that sad experience. This is the reason I motivate all people to deal with certain hardships in their lives with relentless struggle and bravery. Before that ominous experience of witnessing death of a close friend, I remember staying much stressed and in search of answers to some fundamental questions of life like what is the purpose of my life. I used to feel like an aimless wanderer with no idea about the value of life. I was much stressed because I was engaged in an endless search for happiness and sense of purpose. However, I realized the importance of my life after that tragic incident. Feeling the burden of an irrecoverable loss inculcated an overpowering respect for life in my heart. Though some following days laden with stress were very hard to bear, but soon I acknowledged how that event changed me as a person forever for the better. Before that, I had minimal respect for life and now, I have a thriving passion for life. The psychological approach to deal with stress resulting from grief which I went through personally a few years ago lays huge stress on applying the cognitive behavior therapy which is also called the CBT model. It is suggested that the death of someone you are closely connected to is widely perceived as “the most powerful stressor in everyday life” (Morris, 2013). It is stressed by the CBT model that empathizing with people’s painful experiences and arousing their sense of control is critically important to enable them to deal with stress. I find this psychological model to be highly relevant for all people dealing with stress of grief because it encourages the therapists to get genuinely involve in the relationship with patients to acknowledge their tumultuous emotions and increase their sense of self-awareness. Usually, people are stressed because their ability to explore feelings and perceive things as they are is inhibited by stressful factors. They become paralyzed with grief because their will to accept loss and live with it is lost. They do not perceive things as they are and instead start living in little dark places built up in their minds. The CBT model, hence, lays stress not only on the death experience but also on cognitive and behavioral patterns of the one dealing with grief (Rubin, Malkinson, & Witztum, 2012) to scrutinize how far one has gone led by stress and where correction is needed. The basic purpose of this psychological principle is to help a person cope with stress by enabling or motivating him/her to go on with life without the presence of the deceased person in it. Rogerian theory or person-centered theory is another well-known psychological principle which can be used by people to deal with stress originating from any reason. The Rogerian approach conveys this message that humans are made powerful enough to overcome any emotion or experience in life. When the actualizing tendency is suppressed, people get depressed and anxious. It depends on people to act or behave in a certain way that would make them either happy or distressed. When I applied this theory on myself when I was terribly stressed, I realized that really it comes down to people themselves to either stay in depression or get out of it and build a better new life. This principle suggests that too much incongruence suppresses a person’s emotional well-being (Weiten, 2010, p. 509). The state of incongruence is especially has a central importance in this theory. This state is described as “the gap between self-concept and reality” (Weiten, 2010, p. 509). This means that a therapist should genuinely involve him/herself in relationship with the client who should be in a state of incongruence to be treated according to Rogerian psychotherapy. Then, the incongruent state of the client should be reversed by the therapist. I particularly like therapy done according to this principle to relieve stress because unlike many other therapies, it opposes the use of different techniques by the therapist suggesting that the use of many techniques is only meant to depersonalize the relationship between patient and therapist (Corey, 1986, p. 110). In conclusion, many people dealing with grief are not clinically diagnosed of some disorder, yet they should know how to adapt to their loss to live a normal life. It is generally speculated that stress is just another name for anxiety, depression or a consistent state of low self-esteem. People interpret this psychological phenomenon in a variety of different ways. Due to lack of awareness about good psychological principles as those discussed above, more and more people around the globe are falling prey to anxiety. People should attempt to get out of stress by realizing their full potential and developing the will to survive amidst much uncertainty. References: Corey, G. (1986). Theory and practice of counseling and psychotherapy. Brooks/Cole Pub. Co. Kolk, B.A., McFarlane, A.C., & Weisaeth, L. (1996). Traumatic Stress: The Effects of Overwhelming Experience on Mind, Body, and Society. Guilford Press. Morris, S. (2013). The psychology of grief – applying cognitive and behaviour therapy principles. Retrieved from http://www.psychology.org.au/Content.aspx?ID=4088 Rubin, S.S., Malkinson, R., & Witztum, E. (2012). A Clinician’s Guide to Working with the Bereaved. CRC Press. Weiten, W. (2010). Psychology: Themes and Variations. Cengage Learning. Read More