Stress
One of the substantial psychological challenges people of all ages across the globe are facing is stress. Stress is part of life, but specific symptoms of mental tension affect people’s thoughts, behavior, sentiments, and mental health. Unfortunately, most people have a hard time dealing with their stress issues, which often affects people around them, such as close family members and friends. The main objective of this paper is analyzing past events and issues affecting the lives of two students and two grown-ups, which are making them struggle in their normal activities.
Charles, a father of two, seems not to be enjoying life anymore and claims he has made everybody around him miserable. It follows that Charles had hesitations of having kids but decided to have them to make his wife happy, and after the kids, Charles’s life changed drastically. On the other hand, Sabrina is having a hard time dealing with her recent divorce. Despite having fertility issues, she did not give up on having kids and is now stress following her divorce. From the two scenarios, having or not having children has a significant impact on a marriage (Chapman & Guven, 2016). The changes resulting from having kids can be profound as it means more responsibilities.
On the other hand, lack of kids could lead to another stressful, emotional experience in life called divorce. According to Woolston (2017), in a marriage setting stress is avoidable if both parties are conscious of stressful triggers. For instance, the wife of Charles should have known that her desire to have kids would affect her husband. In that case, seeking help from marriage counselors is a possible solution which can save a broken marriage and prevent divorce.
Additionally, stress affects children, and the effects include experiencing academic difficulties like Samuel and Dave and for Samuel, moving out from his original home after his father’s new job has been the cause of all his problems. On the other hand, Dave is facing poor grades and even considering dropping out of school as a result of the change in his family. After Dave’s mother died, his father remarried, which is precisely when Dave’s behavior considerably changed. It is important to note that change has severe impacts on people’s lives. Parents should analyze how change affects their kids, for instance, relocating (Schwartz et al., 2017). Schools should also ensure they have psychologists who evaluate trends in student’s behaviors such as poor performance and act accordingly. Most of the situations can be solved by merely discussing the matter while in complex cases, people may seek psychological help to deal with unavoidable circumstances.
An excellent illustration is a face-to-face interview with Sabrina, the 41-year-old lady going through stress after divorce. If Sabrina seeks assistance from a psychologist to deal with her current situation, there are critical issues that can make it successful. One, the psychologist should establish a close relationship with Sabrina that makes it easier for her to open up. Additionally, the psychologists should avoid unethical practices that would prevent Sabrina from recovering (American Psychological Association, 2016). The main strength of a face-to-face interview is that it allows both parties to bond, enabling clients to deal with stress quickly. Nonetheless, some people have a hard time opening up to strangers, and if Sabrina is such a person, it would be challenging for a psychologist to assist her.
The American Psychological Association (APA) provides a set of guidelines that allows psychologists to choose the best course of action. Although it varies with the context such as in person, via the internet or telephone, it applies in various roles (American Psychological Association, 2016). First and foremost, psychologists should be highly competent at work, providing quality services while taking appropriate precautions. Additionally, they should observe high levels of integrity in their line of duty, which includes respecting their clients. Finally, they should avoid unethical conduct, respect individual rights, and have a high concern for their client’s welfare.
Reflecting on Dave, the 17-year-old student in high school, it is possible to assess the issue using Beck’s depression inventory. According to Bringmann et al. (2015), the assessment tool is designed to measure the depression intensity in an individual by focusing on a specific symptom. For instance, Dave’s poor performance in school may be due to him having negative thoughts about life since he lost his mother, and his father seems not to care about him anymore. The tool requires one to fill out a questionnaire which describes their sentiments within the last two weeks. The BDI helps to determine if the depression is minimal, mild, moderate, or severe and whether treatment is necessary.
In conclusion, the key to avoiding stress is being strong enough to cope with ongoing life demands. It follows that people stress over things they have no control, which pushes them to the edge. People have different ways of dealing with stress, and most people either turn to substance abuse or bury their depression at work. However, it is crucial for individuals to manage their levels of pressure to enjoy living healthier lives. Identifying stress symptoms early helps in avoiding complicated health issues.