Week 6 discussion Theories of Social Context

Week 6 discussion

Theories of Social Context

Think back to the first time you rode your bike without your parent’s steady hand to guide you along the path. Even if you never learned to ride a bike, you likely can imagine how it might feel to look behind you and discover the absence of that steady hand to keep you upright. At first you might wobble due to a sudden surge of uncertainty and fear in your chest. But as your confidence builds, your ride smoothes out, and a smile invades your face as you realize that you are riding your bike all by yourself.

Now imagine if you focused on that initial fear of riding the bike without help and as a result you fell and scraped your leg. Focusing on the fear rather than focusing on the fact that you were in the midst of successfully riding your bike might have caused you to fall. Being paralyzed by or focusing exclusively on the fear are examples of an ineffective response to stress that results in no reduction of the anxiety and no resolution to the situation.

With a scraped leg, your parent is now at your side comforting you and reminding you that your leg will heal and next time the outcome will be better. Social support like this is known to be an effective buffer against the impact of stress and enhances recovery from disease.

Humans develop and learn within a social context. Culture and social interactions are part of the environmental framework with which the organism continually interacts. Therefore, you might reactively know how to escape a dangerous encounter; however, coping with less harmful situations often is learned and influenced by those in your environment. There is strong evidence that context affects coping strategies. Consider how social context is fundamental to understanding stress and coping.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources including the “Coping in a Social Context” handout. Consider how social context affects the development and effectiveness of coping mechanisms to manage stress. Think about whether social context has an impact on coping mechanisms for the population you selected in Week 3.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 an explanation of the influence that social context might have in the development of coping mechanisms to manage stress. Then explain one theoretical framework of coping in a social context. Finally, explain whether social context influences the coping mechanisms of the population you selected in Week 3. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings with the theory you selected and support your responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

Respond by Day 6 to at least one of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Make a suggestion.
Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.

Week 7 discussion

The Effectiveness of Stress Management Skills

What helps you relieve stress and how effective is your method? There are a variety of reasons individuals select the stress management techniques they use. However, an effective stress management technique allows you lessen the physiological impact of the stress you are experiencing. In addition, it helps you to assess your situation, recognize your emotional response, and support your thought processes regarding a stressor. There are many stress management techniques and selecting ones that might be most effective depends on the individual, the stressor, and the stress response. If you enjoy the calm that comes from communing with nature, you might recognize its effectiveness in how the peaceful nature of the outdoors makes you feel less frantic. One stress management technique cannot serve everyone and all the stressors they face.Therefore, evaluating a variety of stress management techniques is important to reducing stress and its influence on the development of illness.Barriers to effective stress management include lack of adherence to the use of stress management techniques, inadequate or inappropriate support of family and friends, and an unwillingness to forgo unhealthy stress management practices.

For this Discussion, review this week’s Learning Resources. Select a stress management technique from your Week 5 Final Project assignment.Then consider how you might measure the effectiveness of the stress management technique. Reflect on the benefit stress sufferers might derive from using multiple stress management techniques. Finally, consider two barriers to effective stress management.

With these thoughts in mind:

Post by Day 4 a brief description of the stress management technique you selected. Then explain a measure to evaluate the effectiveness of the stress management technique. Next, explain benefits of providing multiple stress management techniques to stress sufferers. Finally, explain two barriers to effective stress management. Be specific.

Be sure to support your postings and responses with specific references to the Learning Resources.

Read a selection of your colleagues’ postings.

Respond by Day 6 to at least one of your colleagues’ postings in one or more of the following ways:

Ask a probing question.
Share an insight from having read your colleague’s posting.
Offer and support an opinion.
Validate an idea with your own experience.
Make a suggestion.
Expand on your colleague’s posting.

Return to this Discussion in a few days to read the responses to your initial posting. Note what you have learned and/or any insights you have gained as a result of the comments your colleagues made.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message.