Culture and Values Flashcards
Define Post-Traumatic-Stress Disorder
= a disorder that develops in some people who have experienced a shocking, scary or dangerous event.
- not everyone who experiences a traumatic event will go on to develop PTSD
- the symptoms can vary, but generally fall into one of 4 categories:
- intrusive memories
- avoidance
- negative changes in thinking and mood
- changes in physical and emotional reactions, or arousal symptoms
Describe the symptoms that fall under ‘intrusive memories’
- recurrent, unwanted and distressing memories of the traumatic event
- reliving the traumatic event as if it were happening again
- upsetting dreams or nightmares about the traumatic event
- severe emotional distress or physical reactions to something that reminds you of the traumatic event
Describe the symptoms that fall under ‘avoidance’
- trying to avoid thinking or talking about the traumatic event
- avoiding places, activities or people that remind you of the traumatic event
^ avoiding becomes a potential PTSD symptom when it interferes with your ability to function in your day-to-day life
Describe the symptoms that fall under ‘negative changes in thinking and mood’
- negative thoughts about yourself, other people or the world
- hopelessness about the future
- memory problems, including not remembering important aspects of the traumatic event
- difficulty maintaining close relationships
- feeling detached from family and friends
- lack of interest in activities you once enjoyed
- difficulty experiencing positive emotions
- feeling emotionally numb
Describe the symptoms that fall under ‘changes in physical and emotional reactions, or arousal symptoms’
- being easily distracted or frightened
- always being on guard for danger
- self-destructive behaviour - e.g. drinking too much, driving too fast
- trouble sleeping
- trouble concentrating
- overwhelming guilt or shame
- irritability, angry outbursts or aggressive behaviour
Outline the factors that make someone more susceptible to PTG
- Prati and Piotroni carried out a study to determine this. They carried out a meta-analysis of 103 studied to determine the contribution of SOCIAL SUPPORT, COPING STRATEGIES and PERSONALITY FACTORS to PTG
Findings:
- coping styles that involved religious beliefs or positive reappraisal of the situation had the greatest effect
- Religious values were more important to women and older people
- Social support had a moderate impact on PTG as did spirituality and optmism
What are some symptoms young children with PTSD may experience
- re-enacting the traumatic event or aspects of it through play
- frightening dreams that may or may not include aspects of the traumatic event
- wetting the bed after having learned to use the toilet
- forgetting how or being unable to talk
- being unusually clingy with a parent or other adult
Define Post Traumatic Growth (PTG)
= a popular idea that suggests survivors of traumatic events can not only heal from their trauma, but may actually grow into a stronger, more driven and more resilient person because of their trauma.
- a positive change resulting from an individual’s struggle with a major life crisis or traumatic event
- proposed by Tedeschi and Calhoun
- recognised as a psychological theory in the mid 1990s
Outline the 5 areas that positive change typically manifests from
- a sense of new opportunities or possibilities in life
- improved relationships with others, whether with loved ones or with others who have suffered
- increased mental and/or emotional strength
- greater appreciation for life in general
- spiritual or religious deepening, which may or may not involve significant changes in beliefs
Define ‘sense of community’
= a feeling that members have of belonging, a feeling that members matter to one another and to the group, and a shared faith that members needs will be met through their commitment to be together.
- theorised by McMillan and Chavis
- made up of 4 elements:
1. membership
2. influence
3. integration and fulfilment of needs
4. shared emotional connection
Describe the element ‘membership’
= a feeling of belonging or a shared sense of personal relatedness - individual’s sense of belonging to a particular group, the feeling that one has invested part of oneself to become a member and therefore has a right to belong.
Includes:
1. boundaries = the difference between in-group and out-group
2. emotional safety = protection of group intimacy, part of the broader motion of security
3. Sense of belonging and identification = feeling that one belongs to the community and is willing to make sacrifices for that community; role of identification; it is my group
4. personal investment = working for the community leads to feelings that they have earned membership which is valuable and meaningful
5. common symbol system = means of identifying who belongs to a community - e.g. uniform
Describe the element ‘influence’
= a sense of mattering, of making a difference to a group and of the group mattering to its members.
- a two way (bi-directional) relationship between the community and its members; a member’s influence on the community and the influence of a community on a member happens at the same time.
- Members are more attracted to a community in which they feel that they are influential.
- Consensual validation = the pressure for conformity comes from the needs of the individual and the group. There is an inherit need for the individual to know that the things that they experience are experienced in the same way by others, counterbalanced by the group’s need for the individual to validate the group’s world view.
- McMillan cited research indicating that communities are more cohesive when leaders influence members and members influence leaders concurrently.
- Therefore, people who acknowledge other’s opinions and needs are often more influential than those who try and dominate others and ignore their wishes.
Describe the element ‘Integration and fulfilment of needs’
= feelings that member’s needs will be met by the resources received through their membership in the group
- for any group to stay together, membership of that group must be REWARDING
- one rewarding aspect for any group is STATUS, and it has been shown that group success brings members closer together
- for a group to do its best work it needs to be ORGANISED - members need to know each other’ strengths and weaknesses, roles and tasks need to be assigned, crucial tasks cannot be left undone and that they are not competing for status or resources (intra-group competition)
- McMillan later also proposed that SHARED VALUES was another way that individuals can have their met - who think and feel similarly to themselves.
What did Aranson and Colleagues find about the integration and fulfilment of needs
= that students in cooperative classrooms who work together to achieve group roles and receive their marks on the basis of the class product actually learn better than students in competing or individualistic classrooms.
- Employees have adopted the same = provide bonuses to employees who reach group targets
Describe the element ‘shared emotional connection’
= the commitment and belief that members have shared and will share history, common places, time together and similar experiences
Has two components:
1. contact
2. high quality interaction
-It refers to the feeling that we might have being connected to another person through a common emotional response to a shared activity or event (a shared history)
- this history is forged not only from being together over a period of time, but also for the quality and importance of the interaction
- McMillan considered that a shared emotional connection experienced by a community if often represented in art - the stories, music and other symbolic expressions of a community that represent its values and traditions
