March 2017 – Page 4 – UWS BA ePDPs

Society and Lifestyles Week 1

In brief, what have I learned from the lecture, independent task and tutorial today? Please be specific. In todays Lecture I learned many definitions of religion, religion from the inside and outside being the believers approach and the scholarly approach which we should write from in the exam. I also learned the many works of scholars such as … Continue reading Society and Lifestyles Week 1 →

In brief, what have I learned from the lecture, independent task and tutorial today? Please be specific.

In todays Lecture I learned many definitions of religion, religion from the inside and outside being the believers approach and the scholarly approach which we should write from in the exam. I also learned the many works of scholars such as Ninian Smart, Browislaw Malinowski and Emile Durkheim, and the views that they have towards religion. I know have a better understanding of religious diversity and the challenges that are faced.

2. Do I understand the main concepts and issues of the topics and areas I have learnt today? Where possible, how can I evidence this knowledge?

I wouldn’t say that I fully understand the main concepts and issues of this topic but I feel I will be able to build upon this through studying doing past papers putting what I have learned into practice.

3. Are there concepts and issues that I am struggling to comprehend? What can I do about that?

The concepts and issues that I am struggling with is how to link the theorist into each answer but also linking them into each different section that religion separates into. In order to improve with this would be to put this into practice or ask lectures for help to make this clear.

4. How has my knowledge in this area developed/increased today? Are there specific areas that require particular improvement? How will I address that?

My knowledge in this area developed today as I did not know how important religion is and how diversity is a big part of society today and in order to prove this theorist have to back this up in order for any argument to make sense. I will address this by trying pass papers to help me better my arguments but also build upon a structure to make my work clear.

5. If at all, how does what I have learnt today relate to my general understanding of how, using religion as an example, society impacts on lifestyle and vice-versa? Any possible career opportunities/aspirations as a future primary teacher on the things I have learnt today?

What I learned today that religion does take a big part in many people’s lifestyles within different religions people need time to pray in different areas at different times and as future teachers we will need to be able to understand, accommodate and promote this for individuals.

Society and Lifestyles week 7

ITask 1- Holmes- Rahe Inventory In completing the Holmes- Rahe Inventory I scored 168 points thus implying that I have a 50% chance of a major health breakdown within the next two years. Some of the categories which I feel into was ones such as having a close family member die which was scored high … Continue reading Society and Lifestyles week 7 →

ITask 1- Holmes- Rahe Inventory

In completing the Holmes- Rahe Inventory I scored 168 points thus implying that I have a 50% chance of a major health breakdown within the next two years. Some of the categories which I feel into was ones such as having a close family member die which was scored high in the Holmes- Rahe Inventory stress calculator. Through having a close family member die this has impacted my life immensely as this was something that did effect all whole family in different ways, therefore everyone found it hard to be around each other but at the same time didn’t want to be alone.

I felt the category that I scored in seemed fair, however because I have support from both my family and my friend’s I don’t feel that in two years I will have a major health breakdown. Personally I would say the main cause of my stress is University, between both the work load and exams. Compared to how I felt within the first when I had first started university I am able to deal with the work and exams better. Although I do still find myself stressed because of everything university entails I am more prepared and organised to deal with the stress and don’t find myself getting worked up to the point of crying as often.

Ways I can combat stress would be to have a positive can do type of attitude before putting myself down wishing trying. Being prepared and organised has a big part as you have to be able to priorities things which are causing me the most stress and deal with this first. But I do feel that exercise does help work as a stress release for me personally as it is a way to forget about things for a while.

Task 2 Pengilly & Dowd Stress Hardiness

Understanding stress is important because this is something that is cause through major life events someone had to and has to face in their lives, such as, family members dying, divorces, losing jobs(non-normative), moving house and retirement (normative). But stress leads onto a number of very different mental health issues, for example, depression, anxiety etc.

Five methods to support a healthy lifestyle are participants, instrument’s, procedure, results, discussion. Participants these are students who have been asked to research from introductory psychology classes at public colleges and universities in Northeast Ohio USA. These participants were not selected basis on race and gender etc. Instruments includes 50-items revised hardiness which develops Kobasa called the Personal View Survey. Which looks into the quality of social support was measured due to the persons levels of stress. Procedure is when the participants were given research materials in a certain order being, demographic questions CSLES, PVS, SSQ6 and BDI. The reason for this order was because of the content of the questionnaires did not suggest a problem with order of effects. Results shows that stress is very important within depression thus showi

Stress Hardiness

Today’s lecture focused on aspects of stress, triggers, buffers and our own perception of stress. At the beginning of the lecture, I realised that I have never really thought about my own stress levels and the things that cause me to stress. I noted down some things in my life that I feel like cause me to stress out: my job, driving lessons, family problems, a heavy workload and exam time. However, after some discussion I realised that some of these aspects can be both good and bad stress. I think it is important as educators that we realise that everyone deals with stress differently and that everyone feels and copes with it differently.

Being stressed, can have serious impacts on our health, not just physically but also mentally. It can have impacts on our heart and breathing rate, five senses and many more. Our mental health can also be effected and it can have a big impact on people who already suffer from mental health problems. I feel like when I get stressed I get myself very worked up, I panick and get very emotional. However, I feel that when I have the support from my loved ones and I can speak to my family and friends I get through it. I do feel it is extremely important that we encourage children to speak about their emotions and feelings to others, and for the stigma around mental health to slowly disappear.

Our independent study involved us trying out “The Holmes-Rahe Stress Calculator”. At the end of the test I got a score of 157 which I was a little bit surprised at. My score came under the category where I have a 50% chance of a health breakdown in the next 2 years. On reflection, some of the questions in the test were a mix of positives and negatives and therefore I feel like my stress score is a reflection of good and bad things that have happened in my life over the past year. I have realised that I do stress a lot about a lot of things and I dont deal with stress very well and therefore I feel like I need to work at aspects of my life that affect my stress levels and I am going to start working on this.

There are stress buffers that can help support a healthy lifestyle such as:

Talking to people around us- it is important that if we have a problem or issue that we speak about it with our close ones or people around us, or even a helpline. This helps to release your stress levels and feel safe and find a solution to the problem. Exercise- it has been said that when we exercise it releases endorphins which give you energy and make you happier and more positive. It can be a good release for people to help them cope with their feelings or even get their anger out by taking part in some activities such as boxing. I have been personally taking part in exercise and I feel like it has really helped me with my stress levels. Seeking professional advice- nowadays we have more access to information and professional help that can reduce our stress levels as well as any mental and physical health issues such as NHS 24, Samaritans etc.

We also had to read the Pengilly and Dowd (2000) article on Stress Hardiness. This article basically explained a scale called the ‘hardiness scale’ which is the scale of challenge, commitment and control on the relationship between stress and depression which allows us to research reasons into combatting this. It stated 4 main factors which can negatively impact your health such as: lack of social support, loneliness, lack of human contact/touch, normative life transitions and non-normative life transitions. I found this article interesting as it gave me an insight into the types of things that can impact on my own health and stress levels.

Once we realise what it is that causes us to stress it becomes easier to help resolve these issues and start making a change to have a healthier lifestyle.

Stress Hardiness

After our lecture on stress and the effects of stress, we were asked to read the Pengilly & Dowd (2000) article on Stress Hardiness. This article explained such a thing called the hardiness scale of commitment, challenge, and control on the relationship between stress and depression which allows us to research reasons into combatting this. The article discusses 4 main factors which can negatively impact your health;
– Normative life transitions.
– Non-normative life transitions.
– Lack of human contact or touch.
– Loneliness
– Lack of social support.

The first factor which can negatively impact your health is normative life transitions. Normative life transitions are life events that can be predicted or that you have planned – an example of this could be moving house or changing job. These type of events can cause a great deal of stress because they are life changing events however they are predicted and do not cause as much long term damage as non normative life transitions.

Another factor which can negatively impact your health are non normative life transitions. These life events are more damaging and have a more serious effect on someones life. These events are unpredictable and could be being fired from a job or a break up. Because of these life events, illnesses can become more occurrent – for example coronary heart disease and cancer.

Another factor that could negatively impact your health is loneliness. In our lecture, we learned the difference between loneliness and being alone. Being alone is literally being yourself in a room whereas feeling lonely means you could be in a room full of people and still feel yourself – this means you feel you cant talk to anyone. Lonely individuals are 4 times more likely to become sick and deal badly with stress. This can lead to unhealthy behaviours such as drinking and could also greatly contribute to illnesses such as depression.

One more factor that can impact your health is a lack of social support. Social support is the advice of your family, friends or colleagues about your life and them being there for you. If you feel you have nobody to talk to, then you will add more pressure onto yourself because you cant share it with someone else or get advice. This can be detrimental to ones health and can cause negative feelings about themselves which will effect their confidence, increase their stress levels, decrease their life expectancy, increase need for medical attention.

The last factor that can negatively impact your health is human contact or touch. Human contact is a necessity to a humans wellbeing and greatly contributes to ones mental health. From just giving your friend a high 5 or a hug, they are exposed to human emotion and get a sense of someone caring for them. This can help reduce stress levels and contribute to a healthier, happier life.

However, in todays lecture, we learned about ways to combat stress and avoid all of these problems which I am going to start implementing. One being exercising. When you exercise, your body releases endorphins which give you energy and make you happier. I’ve noticed this and will often go to the gym before I start studying. But now, I need to start going a run or to the gym when i feel stressed and often do not want to see or do anything. Another stress buffer is talking to people. This helps release stress and makes you feel safe which in turn, releases your stress levels. Ive found that this has helped me the most and not bottling all of my stress up means that I can in fact be more productive. Another stress buffer is religion. Religion gives individuals a sense of inclusion and can make individuals stop participating in at risk behaviours which contribute to stress.
I am going to start implementing these factors more and from the lecture and being educated more on stress, I know that I am now aware on how to cope with it.

Society and Lifestyles Week 6

Mind, Body and Health Holmes Rahe Inventory It was really interesting looking at this Holmes Rahe Inventory as it gave me an insight into my stress levels within the last year. The score I received was 183 which puts me in the 150-300 point category, this implies that I have about a 50% chance of … Continue reading Society and Lifestyles Week 6 →

Mind, Body and Health

Holmes Rahe Inventory

It was really interesting looking at this Holmes Rahe Inventory as it gave me an insight into my stress levels within the last year. The score I received was 183 which puts me in the 150-300 point category, this implies that I have about a 50% chance of a major health breakdown within the next 2 years. I know that I have had a lot of change within the last year however I did not realise that it could have such a major impact on my life in the next 2 years.

The scale is a really useful tool as it shows the level of stress in a person’s life and can determine what effects the stress you have experienced in the last year can have on your health and how you will be effected by it.

In the past year, I have left secondary school, started university, got a job and my grandpa was diagnosed with cancer (only to name a few things). As these stresses happened, I became very quiet and easily angered, these are traits which I am not prone to and so I knew and my family and peers knew something was happening. It has been a really challenging year for me however I believe that it has made me a better and stronger person as I am facing new hurdles which I am trying to overcome.

Overcoming my stress has been a gradual process as one thing happened after another and just as one thing was over another one came along. However, coping with them included a lot of crying, time to myself, and most importantly the support of my family and my peers. Without this support, I could not have coped the way I have done, they were there for me to talk to and share my worries and stresses with, and in return I have and will continue to support them as they have done with me. It was also good to have the support of my peers as they were in a similar position to myself and so we could talk about our worries together and support each other through these times.

Stress Hardiness

The “Hardiness and Social Support as Moderators of Stress” (Pengilly and Dowd, 2000) study conducted an investigation into the moderating effect of social support, hardiness, and the pieces of the hardiness scale of commitment, challenge, and control on the relationship between stress and depression. Hardiness is a person’s ability to bounce back from a situation – often known as resilience.

Factors which can have a negative impact on your health include: stress, loneliness, lack of social support, normative life transitions and non- normative life transitions.

Normative life events are things which people are expected to happen in their lives such as moving house or retiring. These events although predicted, can negatively affect a person’s life and cause them to stress temporarily however not cause a long-lasting effect.

On the contrary, non- normative life events are things which are unpredictable such as losing a job or getting a divorce. These life events can cause great stress on an individual and lead them to health problems such as coronary heart disease, cancer and other disorders.

Loneliness is another factor which can have a negative impact on your health. Loneliness is the feeling of having no support or having no one to talk to. Loneliness is often confused with being alone which is more of a physical sense where someone is sitting alone or is alone in their room. If a person is alone, they are not necessarily lonely as they could have chosen to be alone and know that they have support around them. Loneliness is a personal feeling and a have major health effects on a person’s life, they are more susceptible of having major depression and becoming ill as they have a diminished immune function. It can increase a person’s risk of becoming ill by 4 times the normal.

Lack of social support is another factor which has effect on a person’s health. Having social support is when people have others around them who they can talk to and lean on when they are struggling. It allows people to talk about their problems and gain guidance on their issues to try and resolve them in a time of crisis. However, if a person lacks this social support, they are going to physically find it harder to cope with their crisis, and take longer to recover from it as they have no one to get better for, they are only doing it for themselves as they have no support around them.

From this input, I have learned that there are many different methods that are used to try and combat these issues and support your own physical lifestyle. These can include exercise, because exercise releases endorphins to make you happier and less stressed. Finding someone who you can talk to as you can lean on them for support and talk through your worries with them, making you less lonely and isolated. Having a support network who can support you and you can support them – whether it is family or friends. A sense of touch is also proven to be beneficial for a person to have as it can lower blood pressure, decrease stress levels and reduce tension. It can be anything from a hug to a simple pat on the back. Also, trying to be optimistic can be beneficial as if you are being optimistic you are believing in yourself and are more likely to feel happy and this means your stress levels should increase and have a better outlook on different situations.

Societies and Lifestyles – Week 4 – 6/2/2017

Inclusion and Equality (Disability) This week we continued to build upon the knowledge we had gained from last week’s session on Equality and Inclusion. However, this week had more of a slant towards Inclusion and Equality for disabled people in the workplace and in society. We began by working with others to begin a […]

Health Part 1 – Society & Lifestyles

A Review of The Glasgow Effect I recently took a look at a study by the Glasgow Centre for Population Health as part of the Health input in the Society and Lifestyles module. The Glasgow Effect is a research study that analyses the mortality rates of Glasgow compared to Liverpool and Manchester, two cities that …

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Mind, Body and Health

In this weeks lecture we focused on stress to start off with. We had to identify the things that made us stressed, if they were good or bad and how we could help prevent them. We discussed stress triggers such as job stress, daily hassles and age related stress (this being something I had never thought …

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