SOCIOL 3MH3 Post Midterm 2

Psychological resources

The internal or interpersonal assets or strengths that individuals can draw upon to cope with stress, navigate challenges, and maintain or enhance their mental health and well being

mediating/moderating resources in stress process model

integral to managing stress and achieving positive outcomes despite challenges

self and identity (Thiots, 2013): stress theory

defines mental disorders as arising from external challenges and threats

self and identity (Thiots, 2013): how is self conception closely linked to psychological state

stressors affecting self-concepts predict emotional problems

self and identity (Thiots, 2013): coping resources

High self esteem and perception of social support

How is self esteem a coping resource

gives confidence to problem solve and persistence

how does perception of social support function as coping resource

Helps sustain self worth and mattering to others

Self, Identity and Stress theory: 4 ways of influencing stress

Stress appraisal, stress mediation, stress moderation, socal support and coping resources

Self, Identity and Stress theory: stress appraisal

peoples emotional reactions to objective events are highly variable, it depends in the meaning to the individual

stress appraisal: what is more distressing perception of threat or actual threat

perception

stress mediation

direct harmful effects on peoples self conceptions

stress mediation: explain this- changes in self-conception are the mechanisims or conduits through which stressors result in psychological symptoms

chronic stressors can decrease self worth/identity, and can be assosciated with clinical mental health issues/addictions as well

stress moderation

buffers (aka coping resources) significantly reduce the harmful effects of stressors on peoples psyches

stress moderation: t or f- individual who have numerous stressors and high self esteem exhibit more symptoms of psychological distress

false, fewer symptoms

stress moderating effect of self esteem

influences the effectiveness of the coping strategies people use

social support and coping resources

supporters provide reassurance to the individual that he/she is esteemed and valued- self esteem boost

t or f: people change their views of themselves as a way to cope with difficult life circumstances

t

Alienation

psychological state/feeling separate from environment and sense of self; any form of social dissociation, detachment or separation

5 major types of alienation

powerlessness, self estrangement, isolation, meaninglessness, normlessness

People high in alienation score low in what areas (5)

control, commitment, support, meaning, normality

perceived control vs powerlessness: control

beleif in control over ones own life (psych resource, not objective)

perceived control vs powerlessness: how is powerlessness separated from outcomes

belief that ones own behaviour cannot determine the occurrence of the outcomes

Perceived powerlessness

cognitive awareness of the reality that ones behaviour cannot determine outcomes generated by objective conditions of powerlessness

in contrast to perceived powerlessness, ___ ___ leads to lower levels of ___

perceived control, distress

what are some strategies of perceived control (3)

mastery, personal efficacy, instrumentalism

What are the 2 components of locus of control

external, internal

external locus of control + examples

learned, generalized expectation that outcomes of situations are determined by forces external to oneself; ie. powerful others, luck, fate, chance

internal locus of control

learned, generalized expectation that outcomes are contingent on one's own choices and actions

compared to those with an ___ locus of control, those with an ___ locus of control attribute life outcomes to themselves

external, internal

Self efficacy + ex

beleif in ones own power or ability to produce a specific desired effect; ie. staying healthy, quitting smoking, doing well in school

What is the contrast between perceived control and self-efficacy

perceived control is a broad concept applying to many parts of life and self efficacy is more specific to the context and ability to perform certain actions successfully

learned helplessness

low rate of voluntary response and low ability to learn successful behaviours that results from exposure to inescapable, uncontrollable negative stimuli

how is learned helplessness adopted

through reinforcement and learned behaviours

sense of personal control

learned, generalized expectation that outcomes are contingent on one's own choices and actions

high sense of personal control

belief that performance is up to you, can master/control and effectively alter the environment

how are perceived control and powerlessness two ends of a continuum

perceived control believes outcomes are contingent on one's choices/actions and powerlessness is the belief that ones actions are determined by forces external to oneself

how is perceived control measured (Mirowsky-Ross Index)

2x2 design that is balanced across positive vs negative outcomes and control vs lack of control

a high score indicates a strong sense of control and a low score is feeling powerless

why is the perceived control measurement useful

captures a person general sense of control, not tied to one situation. Linked to mastery and self efficacy

Correlates of the sense of personal control

SES, race/ethnicity, age/cohort, gender/work and family

as ___ increases, sense of __ increases

education, control

Alienated labour (Karl Marx)

condition in which the worker does not decide what to produce, does not design the production process, and does not own the product

what does alienated labour result in

self estrangement

self estrangement

sense of being separate from that part of one's thoughts, actions and experiences given over to the control of others

alienated labour: gig economy worker example

work as a means to an end: related to low commitment and money making> intrinsically rewarding career apart of self concept

social isolation

individuals sense of detachment in the microsocial order of personal relationships

social isolation: not having anyone who is someone to you and not being __ ___ ___

someone to anyone

social support

sense of being cared for, loved, esteemed and valued as a person, and part of a network and community

Social integration

how strongly a person is connected to his or her social group

does perceived or actual support reduce depression and mediate the effects of integration on depression?

perception of support reduces depression

meaning

individuals require a sense of purpose for their lives (knowing where they want to go and believing they know how to get there), and an inherent significance and value of their existence

existential security (Thoits, 1983)

feeling your life has purpose, makes sense and you can manage what happens to you

meaning vs meaningless: roles and identities

the more identities the more existential security

roles and identities: is having more meaningful identity good or bad for mental health

research is mixed, neither good or bad

roles and identities: examples of how not all roles are equal

ie. prisoner vs disabled veteran

normality vs normlessness

degree of detachment from the rules and standards of social life (ie. a reliable set of expectations

Four main areas of investigation for normality vs normlessness

Normlessness, labelling, role stress, life cycle

Normlessness

the belief that socially unapproved behaviours are required to achieve one's goals; ie. deviance, rejection of social norms and standards

Labelling

grouping of phenomena treated as if they have an existence and essence that transcends the individual being considered; ie. psychotic, manic, alcoholic

role stress

when expectations are not met and there is role conflict, role ambiguity, role overload

life cycle

transitions that happen out of their usual sequences (life course theory)

emotional consequences of normlessness

mistrust, anxiety, low self esteem, distress

Use the hamilton example to emphasize the impact of disadvantages between neighbourhoods

there is a difference of 21 years in average age at death between people living up the mountain and those in the lower central core

neighbourhoods: where you live matters from __

birth

What constitutes neighbourhood stressors

Social and economic statuses

where does neighbourhood stressors fit into the stress process model

between SES and primary/secondary/mental health outcomes levels

what is the sequence of studying neighbourhood disadvantage

individual disadvantage -> neighbourhood disadvantage -> mental health

How is neighbourhood disadvantage on mental health studied

aggregae stats for how neighbourhoods reflect SES trends

What are some of the main aggregate stats about the residents and households in a vicinity that indicate advantage or disadvanage?

% of households with high school degree, % of adults over 24 with a uni degree, unemployment rate, % households headed by females, % of residents that are owner occupied, mean household income, % of households headed by females raising dependent children, % of visible minority, % of households with income below the official poverty line

According to M&R structural model, what 2 factors specifically don't just matter on their own but also reflect neighbourhood disadvantage

% of households headed by females, % of households with income below the official poverty line

Examples of perceived neighbourhood disorder?

graffiti, noise, vandalism, abandoned buildings, run-down property, crime, substance use, hanging out on streets, rubbish

What are the 2 main categories of measuring perceived neighbourhood disorder

physical (ie. graffiti, noise) and social (ie. crime, drug use)

What are the steps of neighbourhood disadvantage and distress (3)

neighbourhood disadvantage (Structural) -> perceived neighbourhood disorder -> mental health (outcome)

How does context impact our perceptions of neighbourhood disorder

Affects the psychological resources we have to combat stressors

What is the most important resource protecting our mental health

sense of personal control

How can sense of personal control worsen an individuals mental health

feeling like you aren't in control of stressors signals disadvantage across the life course

What is added to the neighbourhood disadvantage and distress model and where does it go?

resources, between perceived neighbourhood stressors and mental health outcomes

Explain the role of resources in understanding the impacts of neighbourhood disadvantage on mental health

you absorb the background stressors of your neighbourhood and this effects how you can "show up" in other areas of your life

neighbourhood disadvantage and resources: structural amplification

neighbourhood disorder directly leads to worsened mental health and indirectly impacts mental health by reducing psychological sense of control (ie. unsafe neighbourhoods-> feeling less in control -> worse MH outcomes)

neighbourhood disadvantage and resources: structural amplification- how does psychological sense of control impact mental health

mistrusting others leads to negative impact on social support

Ecological model addresses what...

why some people in adverse social contexts are harmed whereas others attain more successful mental health outcomes

work-family conflict is experienced in moderate levels by _ out of 10 families

8

t or f: work family conflict surpasses variants like underemplyment, high job demands, low organizational justice in contributing to poor mental health

true

What are the limits of work family conflict research (2)

1. Individual level antecedents- focusing on personal situations as the cause of conflict

2. generic/theoretical definitions- research defining work-family conflict in a basic/vague way without strong theory

What are the limits of work family conflict research: example: how is I work until 5, daycare closes at 3 → conflict being viewed as an an individual level antecetent a problem

it overlooks the bigger structural factors like workplace policies, childcare systems, income inequality, gender roles

Proposed alternative to studying work family conflict

conceptualize WFC as a "chronic stressor" within the stress process model

How is viewing work family conflict as a chronic stressor within the stress process model an acknowledgement of the shortcomings of current conceptualizations

Acknowledges that WFC is dependent on context and the objective AND subjective components

"whether or not there is an objective basis for the stressor, the ___ of it operates as a stressor" (Wheaton, 1997)

perception

When researching WFC we should focus on the __ __ of neighbourhood residents relative to the individual. Why?

social composition; because similarities among residents and demographic features may be beneficial (offering support/comfort)

Neighbourhood composition

Shared understanding of available psychological resources and shared assumptions about collective identity that continually define and redefine expectations of daily life

What is the main argument behind the importance of acknowledging neighbourhood composition when trying to understand the impact of WFC

Increased similarity in ethnicity, family structure, etc between individuals will impact norms of behaviour and implicitly available social support

___ in perceived social support leads to ___ in mental health problems

increase, decrease

twofold benefits of social similarities

1. Establishes definitive norms/shared expectations

2. Increased perceived support, even if support isn't actually used, knowing its there reduces stress

What is an important limitation of twofold benefits of social similarities

these benefits only happen after meeting a certain threshold: a little similarity is not enough to change the environment, but when enough people share the traits it creates a collective identity

Structural equivalence

the specificity of similarity of social and demographic features across individuals in a given context

Structural equivalence: the more ___ statuses/role sets, the more "____" the actors are

similar, equivalent

Structural equivalence: what does the homogeneity of values benefit the individual + ex

Individuals gravitate towards those who share their values and they can buffer stressors; ie. sense of comfort in the stress experienced by all students waiting to write an exam

Structural equivalence: norm expectations and collective social support

living around similar others leads to the assumption that others face the same configuration of demands and the very notion of sharing a common stressor lowers its potential threat

Structural equivalence setting the foundation of norm expectations reflects what social psych theories (2)

Social comparison and relative deprivation

Structural equivalence: the notion of sharing a common stressor leads to a presumed ___ ___ ___ among similar others

collective social support

Gender differences in work family conflict (3)

1. Different meanings attributed to work and family roles influence experiences

2. Women interact differently with neighbourhood social context by investing more into relationships, integrating in social fabric and participating more than men

3. self vs others salience- women are more concerned about connections with, and perceptions of others