Personal Lives And Social Policy - Case Study Example

Personal Lives And Social Policy Interview and Research Reflection Research is important in establishing answers to various problems that affect people in various aspects of their lives. Research is a normal process in various disciplines with the same objective. This research activity also happened to have similar significance in that it sought to establish the effect of some of the experiences we go through on social policy. The concept of social policy is significant in establishing important guidelines that govern how people interact and work out solutions to various problems they encounter in the daily activities. Before this interview, I was aware of the fact that qualitative research depends on interviews in order to obtain first-hand information into issues that require close attention and critical analysis. This understanding made me to give the interview prime importance and the seriousness it required. Effective research requires respondents to fully co-operate and provide the necessary information which is essential in making important recommendations into how different aspects touching on social policy can be tackled. Social policy is important in drawing boundaries of how some interactions and activities within the society can be regarded by people. When people violate the policies the results are usually hurting for all the parties or those that seem to be highly vulnerable. Effective social policies safeguard the interests of all people in the society while enabling them to enjoy harmonious interactions with various activities and people of all ideologies. In order to have an effective research, the process has to be conducted with people who have a thorough understanding of the various issues affecting people in the society. There has to be research experts as well as professional respondents who can provide the vital information which is the essence of conducting the research process itself. In this case, the use of doctors as interviewers was a good assurance that the process was bound to have effective results and conclusions as well as recommendations for implementation. This prompted me to prepare fully and ensure that I was in a good position to provide the answers into the questions that were prepared. The process itself was successful; the interviewers were resourceful and understanding. They showed great intelligence in the manner in which they asked questions and probed for answers. This interview process was important for me as it was sort of an eye opener in the wider field of care and treat for people with depression issues. Before the actual interview process I had to make adequate preparations so that it would not find me unawares. Prior preparation is always the main ingredient for any process that people involve in. in my preparation I had to familiarize with the probable questions that were bound to be asked. I focused into some of the nitty gritties that came alongside care and treatment of people with different problems. However, I paid attention on depression since it is a condition that is costing the lives of many people, yet it is usually given little attention by people Thematic Analysis The interview process itself had the main objective of establishing the association between different practices and issues and how they reflected on social policies in the society. The interview process centered on a number of key areas and how they reflected on aspects of social policy. In the first place, there was emphasis on the effect of depression and how it affects people. The interview sought to establish the responsiveness of doctors to the particular issue and how the intervention mechanisms are essential in treating it. It was evident that doctors use different approaches in treating depression. Before administering any treatment process, doctors will always establish reasons that are responsible for the cause of depression. There are different circumstances that cause depression, the kind of cause has different approaches, there are those people who doctors will prefer a counseling process in order to help them deal with particular issues that are causing the depressing experiences in the patient. In other people, doctors may prescribe the use of special drugs which reduce depression levels, making the patient to experience normal lives without problems. The effect of drugs on patients depends on different factors, there are those patients who takes a short time to recover after the drugs have been administered while others may take long. For instance, patients who are above 65 years will always take long to recover after taking drugs. Patients who have suffered from depression before require taking anti-depressant drugs for a period of up to 1-2 years. Besides drugs, other methods that are used in treating depression include use of CBT (cognitive behavioral Therapy). This method is however employed alongside antidepressants for effective results. While anti-depressants work to reduce the symptoms in the patients, CBT is essential for dealing with causes of particular depression while at the same time helping the patient to effectively overcome it. In addition, different approaches to treating depression have advocated for active involvement in sporting activities and regular exercises. The NHS respondents promptly to all cases involving health care of people, they have always been helpful in helping people to handle different situations in their lives. In doing so, they have been effective in observing social policies that give people the right to acquire reliable health care and assistance in times when they want it most. The interview process was significant in underpinning the significance of NHS in critical times. When people suffering from particular health issues attend health care centres, they have to follow the stipulated procedures which have been laid down in order to get the necessary help. In addition, they have to be confident that the intervention mechanisms used will be effective and will help them. Another important thing to observe is for the patients to disclose all information that is need by the doctors so that they can make a successful diagnosis of the problem and make good recommendations into approaches that will be appropriate to treat the prevailing conditions which the patient is suffering from. Task three Qualitative research and how it helps to identify relationships between personal lives and social policy Introduction Human life is very dynamic; there very many aspects that still require an in-depth research into how they happen and the reasons why they happen. In order to understand, a set of answers need to be given to many questions of “why” “how” and “when.” Not only human life alone, nature itself is mysterious in so many ways, in an attempt t understand all this complexities, people conduct qualitative research into these phenomena and others. Qualitative research has been instrumental in trying to give meanings to some happenings that people encounter in their personal and social lives, Definitions Qualitative research has been given different definition by different scholars, each of who emphasizes on the way it is helpful in articulating specific natural events and processes. Generally, Qualitative research aims at giving solutions to different questions and challenges, in order to do this, it has to be carried out systematically, giving enough time and opportunity for gathering and collection of evidence to support the solutions arrived at. One thing that makes qualitative research unique and different from other kinds of research is that it produces answers which had not been predetermined earlier on and whose application is valid beyond the immediate boundaries of the particular study. Qualitative research is best suited for finding information which is particular with certain cultural aspects. For instance, it is effective in establishing certain values of a group of people, their actions and behavior as well as opinions of the specific population. The tern qualitative is very broad and encompasses various methods which are essential in explaining social phenomena. The scope of qualitative research First, qualitative research concerns with giving interpretations and meaning explanations to various kinds of phenomena in the naturality so as to bring some sense with respect to the meanings that people attach to them. In this case, the research involves gathering relevant information about experiences of people, introspection, stories of life, interviews, interaction and other kinds of visual texts which appear to hold important moments and memories in the lives of people (Denzin & Lincoln, 1994, p. 56). Patton (2002, p. 67), explained the process of qualitative research as an attempt to comprehend exceptional relations that are characteristic of specific situations. The main reason for such comprehension is not for purposes of making predictions about what is likely to happen but rather to have an in-depth understanding of the features of the situation and the meaning which is attached to its participants at that point in time. The motivation behind qualitative research is to straightforwardly present findings to other people who may hold special interests in whatever that is being done. According to Merriam (1999, p. 81), the understanding of qualitative research should focus on the connotations that people have established such that the researcher stands as the principal instrument used to collect and provide analysis for data. Here fieldwork exercise is largely employed as the basic strategy for the induction process. The strategy has to focus on the main process, meaning and comprehension which arise from the richly expressive product. The process of effective qualitative research begins by conceding to the fact that there are various ways of appreciating and making sense out of the various occurrences and events happening in this world. Here, the main aim is not trying to make predictions about future occurrences, but rather to understand the main participants in this processes. Matters of interest could be; what does their lives look like, the beliefs that drive them, their social behavior and conduct. In general, qualitative research is mainly concerned with the societal aspects the people of this world, giving answers to many questions which arise out of the processes and activities involved. Personal lives and social policy Work Qualitative research is important in helping people understand the association between personal lives and social policy. There are many things which people involve in an attempt to manage various aspects of their personal lives. Work is a social activity, which is also an important aspect of human life, work provides a medium where people meet and interact in an attempt to meet predetermined goals and objectives of the organizations which they are working for. Every one of us has a certain relationship with work; we are either employee or employers of businesses or special organisation. At the same time, we may only be working as volunteers or could be mere beneficiaries of certain business practices such as social responsibility initiatives. The work and other activities that we do on daily basis are either formal or informal; all in all, we are able to derive daily bread from these activities (Churchill, Fink, & Harris 2004, p, 16). The lives of human beings are made in such a way that they are structured around different varieties of work and that they have different and wide consequences for the other activities which we do. Nonetheless, it is imperative to know that job is an integral part of our day to day life. It gives people identity and defines the way in which other people look at us; it is easy to define a person from whatever activity that he does. Work makes people derive meaning and personal fulfillment, it is a tool which is used to actualize dreams and important goals in life. Work is an integral element of social policy, which is the guiding principle of how people harmoniously coexist to achieve their personal and societal goals, without creating harm or damage to either values. With regard to social policy, work that offers payment to its employees is an essential factor which determines social benefits which we can be entitled to. In this case, work is essential in determining how welfare policies are important in shaping our personal lives. It also explains the reasons as to why we may be entitled to some benefits and not others. Social policy is therefore important and essential in many areas of human life; it usually comes in as a regulator of our lives as well as personal involvements. At the same time, our personal life’s preferences are important in determining the experiences that we encounter at work. In this analysis, social policy relates with work in different ways, it is interested in understanding such as aspects as; how people use and maintain their income, employment policies across different organizations, the social care that people derive from their places of work, policies about the family as well as programs for urban regeneration. All this aspects are important in understanding the importance of work as a tool for establishment of social policies. Social policy is a wide concept which regulates how people manage their daily activities effectively, getting maximum positive utility from what they do. This field contains many assumptions and theories which try to explain how people interact with various systems in order to get utility out of them. Social policy tries to establish mechanisms about how personal lives should be organized and worked out. The governments plays an important role in setting some of the rules to manage social policies for instance, it establishes mechanisms by which people can save money to use them for future welfare purposes after they retire or are unable to actively involve in work (Bardasi, & Jenkins, 2002, p, 100). Care and sexuality Personal practices and engagements that are connected to social policies are many, however, the setting and establishment of social policies has to take care of all of them. There are practices which cut across the entire human race, this means that all people have to operate within those established policies and frameworks for instance, care is an important aspect of all human beings. Parents, the society, government and all other agencies have the mandate to care for all people; they should be willing to provide assistance in dire situations involving human lives. Currently, care has become a fundamental issue in terms of social policy creation. This area has been experiencing extensive research due to the effect of dynamic demographic factors and trends, economic and other cultural factors, a great number of an ageing population and the changing employment environment due to involvement of more women in different professions that were long considered as a preserve of men (Fink, 2004, p, 8-12). All these issues are said to have serious effects on demand and supply of care in future, raising the need of having clearly spelt out social policies to avoid inconveniences and conflicts of interests among the people involved. With such a focus, it is not a surprise that efforts to comprehend and regulate the meanings and practices of care can be the main theme of conflict, not just in the overall process of making social policies but also in daily lives It is only through qualitative research that complex issues relating to how people benefit from social policies can be established. It should be understood that social policies are different from one country to another. Therefore to effectively understand this issue, a productive sample has to be made and reliable research instruments used in order to draw meaningful solutions about this issue. The reason for this argument is that just like sexuality (Carabine, 2004, p, 103); care is assumed to be central to most cherished and personal aspects of personal lives. For this reason, the care which people tend to show on each other is a result of natural heterosexual practices and should be checked on with much concern. It is important the people should have genuine concerns for each other. The family is said to be the institution where people can practice real and genuine love and care. However, this is not left as a mere assumption how it should happen. There are special social policies which have been enacted to determine how the family should operate in the best interests of all the parties involved. The process of conducting effective qualitative research into how social policy should operate has to use tools which can effective collect data and provide for reliable analysis into the findings of research. Some of the methods that are employed in conducting qualitative research include use of observation (Churchill, Fink, & Harris, 2004, p, 6). Here the research makes a physical observation of how different systems interact in the society, after which they are able to establish any existing relationships in the variables. Alternatively, the method also uses interviewing as one of its reliable methods. While interviewing, the researcher identifies and selects a sample of people who become respondents, these people provide important information out of which analysis is done to establish the facts about questions and hypothesis that had been projected. The methods that are used may differ depending on the nature of concepts being investigated, in some instances; some quantitative research methods like surveys can sometimes be used where the population of study is large and widespread. Bibliography Bardasi, E. & Jenkins, S.P. 2002. Income in Later Life: Work History Matters, Policy Press; Bristol. Carabine, J. 2004. Sexualities: Personal Lives and Social Policy, Bristol. Denzin, N.K. & Lincoln, Y.S. 1984, Handbook of Qualitative Research, Sage publications: Newbury Park. Churchill, H, Fink, J & Harris F, 2004. Research, Analysis and Assessment Booklet Part 2 TJ International Ltd; UK . Fink, J, 2004. Care, Personal Lives and Social Policy. Open University. UK. Merriam, S. 1998. Qualitative research and case study: Applications in education. Jossey-Bass Publishers: San Francisco. Patton, J. 1996. Analysis of thinking and research about qualitative methods. Lawrence Erlbaum: New Jersey. Read More