Major Life Events Essay

Improved Essays
Question 3: Discuss major life events and minor life events as sources of personal stress. There are many root causes and reasons that lead to stress for individuals. As indicated by George and Jones (2012), “Many of the things people encounter in their daily lives could be classified as opportunities or threats, but usually only the important ones result in stress” (p.245). Although there are many reasons contributing to stress for individuals, this essay discusses the major life events and minor life events that are root causes and sources of personal stress. A key point to remember is that sources of personal stress can be categorized into either major life events or minor life events. Regarding major life events, significant stressful occurrences such as getting married, buying a house, birth or adoption of a child, or relocation to another state are all examples of positive life occurrences or opportunities. Additionally, significant stressful occurrences such as the death of a loved one, divorce, serious illness of one’s self or family member, or being arrested are all examples of negative major life …show more content…
Another key point to understand are major life events encompass both opportunities and threats. Correspondingly, the experience of major and minor life events in accelerated, numerous, and simultaneous fashion can pose challenges for the individual. As indicated by George and Jones (2012), “Although each event may be only mildly stressful by itself, the fact that they are all happening together results in a high level of stress” (p.252). Whether significant personal life event such as the death of a loved one or marriage, to the minor life events such getting a speeding ticket or dealing with in-laws all are contributors to personal stress. Given these points, its’s important to recognize how these both types of life events and the frequency one experiences them affect stress

Related Documents

  • Improved Essays

    • What is the speaker’s topic; was it clearly defined? Kelly McGonigal’s topic was about stress and the recent studies that have revealed that stress can actually be helpful rather than harmful. The speaker clearly defined her topic and provided multiple statistics and research findings to help back up her claims. She introduced her topic at the very beginning of her speech by sharing her initial thoughts about stress and how she shared the common belief that all stress is destructive. Although it is true that stress can have some detrimental effects on the human body, new research has uncovered that its effects are completely contingent with our own perspectives of stress.…

    • 792 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In response to Fresia’s question, I do agree with Selye saying that stress occurs “regardless of whether the demand resulted in pleasant or unpleasant conditions” (pp 38). For instance, we may assume that winning the lottery, which is definitely not a threat to well-being, is all happiness in the future for the winner; however, the cognitive appraisal of this life changing event determines if one experiences eustress or distress. One winner may feel overwhelmed by the multiple financial demands imposed on them by their family and friends, which will result in physiological and psychological symptoms of stress, while the other feels more motivated and deploys the appropriate coping mechanisms.…

    • 109 Words
    • 1 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Reflecting on Chapter fifteen, burnout is “the condition of someone who has become very physically and emotionally tired after doing a difficult job for a long time” (Burnout, 2015). Professionals may become burned-out very quickly. In counseling it is very important to take care of yourself so you do not get burned-out. Our book states “signs and symptoms of burnout include turnovers, absenteeism, lower productivity and psychological problems” (James, 2008, p. 530).…

    • 566 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Since, I must reexamine my own past traumatic and crisis periods. For myself, in this class I had to reexperience a traumatic period of my own life. the crisis and traumatic time for me was during a period in my husband’s life. his attempts at multiple suicidal attempts, and the fact that he held a gun to my head twice because I refused to allow him to complete the act. Whereas, his last suicide attempt the gun he had pointed at me involved my young teenage daughter beside me.…

    • 839 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    With S drinking and smoking he is opening himself up to higher risk of heart disease, liver disease, cancer, and high blood pressure. Family Stress and Coping Currently the largest family stressor is S substance abuse. M is fearful S may lose his job one-day or become ill due to his addiction. J pregnancy has also put a strain on the family because they will need to support one more family member in a couple months because J does not have a job. M attends church to cope with her stressors and receive strategies to help cope from her pastor.…

    • 1219 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Stress Sources Assessment

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages

    The Stress Sources Assessment concluded that overall, my total score on the stress events assessed, percentile was 19.0. The potential for distress chart, in a variety of area of my life, averaged from moderate to low stress percentages. All stress types that were categorized as moderate, in terms for potential distress, were located on the low end of the scale; the moderate scale ranges from 30%-70%. Altogether, I did not score over 40.0% in potential distress. Majority of the high scored stress types, in terms of potential for distress, are areas of self-inflicted stress.…

    • 565 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In this paper I will discuss the effects of stress on overall health. The article, STRESS AND HEALTH: Psychological, Behavioral, and Biological Determinates, describes into detail about how wide a range of both short and long term effects the body can have when introduced to a stressor. While working on this study, the researchers questioned the effects stress has on people’s lives and how they react to it, taking into account age, childhood experiences, and other personal experiences that could have an effect on one’s response to stress. One alternative research question I believe they could have also addressed is the amount of stress that adolescence goes through due to their high school education. Has the stress levels of those in high…

    • 989 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Life Stages D1

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages

    For the purpose of this assessment task, the focus will be on the title ‘working with individuals through different life stages’ which involves infancy, childhood, early childhood, adolescence, adulthood and elder hood. For this assessment I will show how the title links with different topic and its relation to the health and social care setting. The type of topics include Equality and Diversity, Communication, Human Growth and Development, Safeguarding and other more. It will focus on how the individual develop through different life stages as well as explain each criteria in depth devoted to health and social care. For D1 Criteria, I have explained that different life stages is relevant to the service users within a health and social care…

    • 508 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Decent Essays

    Stress can be defined in 3part, which are stressor, stress and stress response. According to psychology glossary “A Stressor is anything (physical or psychological) that produces stress (negative or positive) is considered a stressor. For example, getting a promotion is a positive event, but may also produce a great deal of stress with all the new responsibilities, workload, etc.” (2015) By definition, stress is any uncomfortable "emotional experience accompanied by predictable biochemical, physiological and behavioral changes." (Baum, 1990)…

    • 279 Words
    • 2 Pages
    Decent Essays
  • Superior Essays

    Family stressors can come in many different forms. For example, there are the normal stressors that involve getting married, having a baby, experiencing a new living situation or unemployment. These hard times are experienced by most families throughout the lifespan. However, there are also the abnormal stressors such as, war, economic collapse, natural disasters, or murder. These tend to happen to family systems at random and make more of a longer and lasting impact.…

    • 1332 Words
    • 6 Pages
    Superior Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Emotional Intelligence is defined as “the ability to identify, use, understand and manage your emotions in positive and constructive way.” (Lewis, 2012). And is broken down into four key components. These components are self-awareness, self-management, social awareness, and relationship management, all playing separate but equal roles in what makes someone emotionally intelligent. For example, self-awareness is someone being aware of their own emotions in a given situation, while self-management in the control of emotions while being socially aware.…

    • 1576 Words
    • 7 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Great Essays

    I have never put much thought into stress, but as time went on I realized how stress genuinely decide our future. There were various points I was interested in, but there are three main points I personally found intriguing: stress can sometimes be manipulated to a greater extent, the amount of stress varies depending on what rank you are associated with in a society, and also how stress can extensively affect a person’s health. Stress can sometimes be manipulated to a greater extent.…

    • 1038 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Great Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Stress Speech Outline

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages

    Nothing bad will come of trying to rethink your thought process of stress, but not rethinking the effects of stress can cause negative effects to your life. Transition: Stress is an important part of our daily lives as individuals and stress can affect our health but we change the results of stress. CONCLUSION (action): Remind audience of the relevance: Stress effects each one of us and by deciding to change the thought process we have towards those effects can benefit us.…

    • 760 Words
    • 4 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    Everyone had their ups and downs during their lives until some of them became ripple effects within their lives. That was where deep, emotional, or painful moments had happened. Psychologists called those moments nonnormative life events. Normative life events “are unusual occurrences that have a major impact on the individual’s life” (Santrock, 2013, p. 5).…

    • 1067 Words
    • 5 Pages
    Improved Essays
  • Improved Essays

    In the year 2013, Kelly McGonigal, a Stanford health psychologist and a bestselling author, gave a speech on stress in Edinburgh, Scotland. The audience spans from teens in the early years of high school to middle aged adults living a simple life to grandparents having health problems. McGonigal’s goal in her presentation is to persuade the audience. She wants the audience to think of stress as your friend instead of your enemy. She wants to convince them that stress is only harmful if they think it’s harmful.…

    • 623 Words
    • 3 Pages
    Improved Essays