Impact Of Significant Life Events On Individuals, Group Responses, And Organizational Policies

Impact of Significant Life events on individuals

1.1 Explain the impact of significant life events on individuals?

1.2 Analyse possible group responses to significant life events that occur to one of its members?

1.3 Analyse the impact for others in health and social care when an individual experiences significant life event?

2.1 Evaluate the effectiveness of organisational policies and procedures in supporting indviduals and their social networks affected by significant life events?

2.2 Explain how others in social networks may provide support to individuals experienceing significant life events?

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2.3 Evaluate the suitability of external sources of support for those affected by significant life events?

3.1 Analyse possible organisational responses to the need to support individuals experiencing a significant life event?

3.2 Reflect on own personal contributions to the support of individuals experienceing significant life events?

3.3 Make recommendations for improving tge support available in a health and social care organisation for individuals and their social networks when affected by significant life events?

Life events can be considered as changes that occur in the life of an individual in a sudden and sometimes in an abrupt manner for which the individual may not have been ready and thus may take some time to deal with it(Cook, 2006). But it is not compulsory that a life event has to be bad and therefore have negative effects on a particular individual. A significant life event can be a positive one too where the individual in who’s life the particular event occurs may be positively influenced by the event altogether. Thus in this context some life events can be desirable while others may not be desirable. Therefore, different events can have different type of impact on the person and can be understood and explained in various ways. The classification of life events are done on the basis of judging exactly how much stressful they are to one. This method had been attempted by Holmes and Rahe in the year 1967. On the basis of this model or type of classification, the life events can be classified or categorized into 40 different classes. For example, the passing away of a loved one is very undesirable and can end up having a very bad impact in an individual’s life. This is a kind of negative life event and it has the potential of creating a lot of stress or tension in one’s life(Eldredge, 1998). Another example of this type can be getting fired from the professional field and thus becoming jobless which would result in a great amount of tension in one’s life. But, on the other hand, the life events like that of getting married, or being promoted, or having a baby is quite desirable and may have a very positive influence on one’s life. Thus the overall impact of a life event on a specific individual is very much dependent on the type of life event taken under consideration and thus may vary from one to the other (Burton, Forsyth and Obel, 1989).

In case of a group responding to a life event that has happened in the life of one of its members, there are different responses to different life events (Buto, 2004). But it is but a common part of the behavior and response of the group, that the group always tries to support its member and tries to make the situation as normal as possible for him or her. In case of the undesirable life events, the group tries to empathize with the member is directly affected by this life event and the ways in which different undesirable events are treated is to be noted. For example, the group may conduct many different sessions to improve the mental or psychological state of the concerned person who is affected by it(Redfield, 2013). For example, if in case a person has lost a loved one – that person may feel very lonely and vacant for the occurrence of such a life event and this vacancy is needed to be filled by the group. Moreover, they need to engage the affected person in different activities, so that he may be distracted for a while and with time therefore can return to the normal mode of life as soon as possible. Either one or more hobbies of the affected person is encouraged or the group in itself initiates some group activities which will help the affected person in one way or the other. One method or way that is adopted by the different groups is that of singing together. Since music already has a calming effect on the mind of a person, so this way is quite helpful for those who need to come out of a really stressful period in their life(Podany, 2003). But at the same time there are many other different ways which can be taken up by the group in order to aid or help one of its members who is being negatively affected by the life event to come out of it in a smooth and easy way. On the other hand, in case of the desirable life events, the group responds in a very positive way and encourages and congratulates its member for entering into this much desirable phase of his or her life.Getting married and having a baby are the life events which will fall in this particular category.

Analysis of Group Responses to Significant Life Events

The impact on the other people present in the Health and Social Care organization can be different from one another on the basis of the type of the life event that one is undergoing (Erratum: Can Adolescents Predict Significant Life Events?, 2008). But the workers being of responsible in nature tend to give importance to such factors and thus help out the other individual in each and every way that they can. In such an organization, the other members try to find ways in which they can help out an individual as the needs and requirements of one individual differs from the other(Coty, 2011). Thus the main factor actually lies in understanding an individual. Only if a person is able to understand the other person in a  proper way, he or she will be able to help and aid the other individual who is going through a significant life event.

Different organizations where a particular individual facing a significant life event need to be more concerned about supporting the individual under each and every situation (Golemon, 2006). A general awareness needs to be created regarding the need of having to support the individuals in an organization who are going through some life events in their life. Since an individual has the tendency of losing out on the normal balance in their lives, thus it is required for the people around him to support him in the way that is required by him. This will aid the person in getting back to his normal life and thus he can work in a better way too(Cranwell-Ward & Abbey, 2005). For example, if a person is suffering because of the occurrence of an utterly undesirable life experience, then he must be very stressed out and would not have the mental strength to cope up with his emotional breakdown and the pressure of his professional field at the same time(Norgaard, 2011). Thus as a result of it, the performance and the productivity of the individual will keep on detoriating and this will eventually be reflected in a recurrent way in his own work. The individual will not be able to work in a proper way as long as he is not back in his normal life where he can balance out everything. This is what the organization needs to understand and thereby support the individual in the needed manner (Tidd and Hull, 2003). In cases of desirable life events too, the individual is in need of the support of his organization. For example, if a lady is pregnant – this is a very desirable event – but the organization needs to support her by giving the required leaves so that she can do her work in a better way without any physical discomfort or other distractions (Kronenfeld, 2010).

In my case, I have always tried to be there in a proper way beside those who are experiencing any kind of significant life event in their life. One of my very close friends had gone through a very bad phase in his life after he lost his mother in a car accident (McIntosh, 2007). He was very close to his mother and thus her passing away in such a sudden and tragic manner had shaken him up in a very bad way. He had felt lost and there was a point of time when he did not even want to continue with his own life. This is the time when I knew that he had to be made to come out of this depression that he had gone into. So I tried to cheer him up and encourage him in looking at life from a different perspective altogether (Starr, 1982). I would take him out to a lot of seminars on spirituality and awakening of the soul so that he could feel a bit less attached to anything earthly and thus find a sense of fluffiness within himself(Ainsworth, 2000). Since he was a fan of music I would listen to various types of songs and keep him company as much as I could. This had a positive effect in his life but he was still a bit aloof from everybody and that is how he likes it. Then I took him to a trip of trekking as he had always wanted to go. All these eventually helped him to come out of his deep depression and thereby get on with his life eventually. The loss of his mother may never be fulfilled but he knew how to be strong and move on (McVea, Gow and Lowe, 2011). This has been a learning experience for me too and I have a better understanding of how to deal with myself as well as any other individual who is going through a significant event in his own life.

More than any technical training or other similar learning experience, what is really required is a sense of humanity and a fellow feeling for the people around. This will serve to help others in a much better way and thus aid and support them in the way that is actually required(Harper, 2007). But to apply this in a more professional way, one can be given the required training to understand the ways in which different situations are to be dealt with. Thus if professionals and experts on this field lend their knowledge to the common workers of the health and social care organization, then it would be a bit easy on their part to contribute to the life of other individuals in an effective manner who are facing some crisis in their life due to the occurrence of a significant life event (Moreno, Fuhriman and Hileman, 1995). The training program needs to be such so that the methods and techniques shown to the workers can be executed and applied in the practical field as well rather than just bordering and bounding itself in theoretical field. It is of utmost importance as the way in which the life of an individual functions depends on it (Sim and McKee, 2011).

References:

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Cook, R. (2006). Crisis. New York: G.P. Putnam’s Sons.

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Erratum: Can Adolescents Predict Significant Life Events?. (2008). Journal of Adolescent Health, 42(3), p.309.

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Starr, H. (1982). Thrilling events. College Station, Tex.: Creative Pub. Co.

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