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What is a crisis?

A crisis is any event that upsets the smooth functioning of a person’s life.

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Review: 8 Characteristics of Strong Families

1. Commitment

2. Appreciation

3. Good communication skills

4. Desire to spend time together

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Review: 8 Characteristics of Strong Families

5. Strong value system6. Ability to deal with crises and stress in a positive

manner7. Resilience8. Self-efficacy

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Coping with Crisis

Depending on a family’s viewpoint and resources, many different kinds of events are apt to become crises.

Crisis-provoking events are called stressor events.

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Types of Stressor Events

• Internal - Events that arise from someone inside the family, such as alcoholism, suicide

• External - Events that arise outside the family, such as earthquakes, terrorism, the inflation rate

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Types of Stressor Events • Normative - Events that are expected over the

family life cycle, such as birth, launching a young adult, marriage, aging, or death.

• Nonnormative - Events that are unexpected, such as winning a lottery, getting a divorce, dying young or war.

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Types of Stressor Events

• Ambiguous - The facts are so unclear that you’re not even sure that the crisis is happening to you and your family.

• Nonambiguous - Clear facts are available about the event: what is happening, when, how long, and to whom.

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Types of Stressor Events

• Volitional - Events that are wanted and sought out, such as a freely chosen job change, a college entrance, or a wanted pregnancy.

• Nonvolitional - Events that just happen, such as being laid off or the sudden loss of someone loved.

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Types of Stressor Events

• Chronic - A situation that has long duration, such as diabetes, chemical addiction, or racial discrimination.

• Cumulative - Events that pile up, one right after the other, so there is no resolution before the next one occurs.

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Types of Stressor Events

Acute - An event that lasts a short time but is severe, such as breaking a limb, losing a job, or flunking a test.

Isolated - An event that occurs alone, at least with no other events apparent at that time. It can be pinpointed easily.

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Stress Leads to Success?

• Research has found that moderate stress, especially during childhood, may be related to later achievement.

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Stress Leads to Success?

• In a study of 400 famous individuals from the twentieth century, it was found that 3/4 were troubled as children and that 1/4 faced physical disability or difficulty.

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Responses to Stress

General-adaptation Syndrome:

1. Alarm

2. Resistance

3. Recovery or exhaustion

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Alarm Reaction• Physical and psychological changes are

experienced.

• These changes are controlled by the sympathetic or parasympathetic nervous systems.

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Resistance

• During this stage, various physical responses

appear to return to normal, because the body has

built up resistance to the stress.

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Exhaustion or Recovery

During this stage, exhaustion occurs if the original symptoms return. The person often becomes physically ill.

On the other hand, if the stress has been reduced to a tolerable level, the symptoms do not come back and recovery ensues.

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Physical Signs of Stress

• Pounding of the heart; rapid heart rate

• Rapid, shallow breathing

• Dryness of the throat and mouth

• Raised body temperature

• Decreased sexual appetite or activity

• Feelings of weakness, light-headedness, dizziness, or faintness

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Psychological Signs of Stress

• Irritability, tension, or depression

• Impulsive behavior and emotional instability

• Lowered self-esteem; thoughts related to

failure

• Excessive worry; insecurity; concern about

other people’s opinions; self-deprecation

• Reduced ability to communicate with others

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Crisis

Come the Greek verb krinein, meaning “to judge and “to choose”.

A crisis is a moment when you must choose from among various alternatives and opportunities that present themselves

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Steps in Crises Management

§ Describe the event in realistic terms and determine whether it is a crisis for you, your family, or your friend.

§ You cannot handle any problem from a state of denial

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Steps in Crises Management

§ Examine your emotions and reactions to the crisis situation. Uncontrolled emotions can disrupt the decision making

process Emotions tend to disrupt rational thinking unless they

are used in a positive manner

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Steps in Crises Management

§ Seek support and help from friends and family.

§ Consider all possibilities and take decisive action to resolve the crisis.

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Therapy

• Therapy is a broad term used to describe actions taken to cure or solve any problem.

• Taking an aspirin is therapy for a headache. • Counseling from a hospice after the death of a

loved one is therapy. • Many groups and organizations help individuals

cope with crises in their lives.

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Defending Against Harmful Stress

• Coping devices are ways of handling or dealing with stress, frustration, pain, fear, anxiety, and any other problems arising from stressful situations.

• Anxiety is a generalized fear, without a specific object or source.

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Progressive Relaxation

§ Assume a comfortable position, in a quiet environment and with eyes closed.

§ Breathe deeply.

§ Relax each muscle in the body, starting with the feet and working up to the neck and face.

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Progressive Relaxation

§ Maintain a quiet attitude, let thoughts come and go, allow relaxation to proceed at its own pace.

§ Remain relaxed for 15 to 20 minutes

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Positive Uses of Defense Mechanisms

§ Defense mechanisms can give time to adjust to a problem that might at first be overwhelming.

§ Rationalizing your reactions and anger

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Positive Uses of Defense Mechanisms

§ Defense mechanisms may lead to experimentation with new roles.

§ Enhancing your self esteem by joining new clubs or going back to school, doing something positive for yourself

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Commonly Used Defense Mechanisms

§ Repression is an unconscious blocking of whatever is causing stress and frustration.

§ Avoidance of the stress and frustration § Sometimes sexual abuse is repressed for years

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Commonly Used Defense Mechanisms

§ Displacement is a straightforward substitution of a less-threatening behavior for another.

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Commonly Used Defense Mechanisms

§ Rationalization involves finding an excuse for a behavior that is causing trouble.

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Commonly Used Defense Mechanisms

§ Projection is a defense mechanism whereby one’s own characteristics or impulses are imposed upon others. Making excuses

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Projection and scapegoating

• Projection is the major psychological mechanism used in scapegoating, whereby a person or group is blamed for the mistakes or crimes of another.

• Scapegoating may also be evident when a person or group is blamed for some misfortune that is due to another cause.

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Commonly Used Defense Mechanisms

§ Sublimation involves converting a socially unacceptable impulse into a socially acceptable activity. § Joining a gym, football team, martial arts etc, to act

aggressive behavior in an acceptable way

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Commonly Used Defense Mechanisms

§ Compensation allows a person to make up for a shortcoming in one area by becoming successful in another area.

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Death in the family

The sudden death of a loved one creates an immediate and extremely traumatic shock and crisis for the family

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Ambiguous Loss

Two kinds: 1. In the first, people are physically absent but

psychologically present, because it is unclear whether they are dead or alive.

• Missing soldiers and kidnapped persons illustrate this type of loss.

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Ambiguous Loss

2. The second type is when a person is physically present but psychologically absent, such as people with Alzheimer’s disease, addictions or who are in a coma.

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Common Questions About Suicide

1. Why do young people want to die?

2. If suicidal persons want to live, then why would they try to kill themselves?

3. If a person’s mind is set on suicide, can anyone or anything change it?

4. Is it hard to face life after attempting suicide?

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Common Questions About Suicide

5. Do people who talk about killing themselves just want attention? Is it best to just ignore their threats?

6. Are people who try to kill themselves emotionally ill?

7. What causes people to attempt suicide?

People attempt suicide

They may be trying to get attention Have an unrealistic or romantic view of death Under to much pressure to succeed Unbearable grief Maybe under the influence of drugs

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Common Questions About Suicide

8. How can you tell if someone is about to commit suicide?

9. What can you do to help if you suspect an oncoming suicide attempt?

10. What if you fail to prevent a suicide?

11. What if you sometimes feel like ending your own life?

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Reactions to Death

1. Denial and isolation

2. Anger

3. Bargaining

4. Depression

5. Acceptance

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Quick Quiz

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1. When a person or group is blamed for the mistakes or crimes of another it is called

a) projection

b) displacement

c) scapegoating

d) repression

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Answer: c

• Scapegoating is when a person or group is blamed for the mistakes or crimes of another.

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2. Repression, projection and displacement are all

a) Coping methods

b) Defense Mechanisms

c) Relaxation Techniques

d) Stressor Events

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Answer: b

• Repression, projection and displacement are common defense mechanisms.

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3. Crisis provoking events are called

a) Stressor events

b) Family events

c) Crisis Management

d) Therapy

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Answer: a

• Crisis provoking events are also called stressor events.