Describe the influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of an individual.

BND Health and Social Care
Unit 4- Development through the life stages

P3- Describe the influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of an individual.
M2-Explain how major life events can influence the development of the individual

In this assignment I am going to be talking about 2 predictable and 2 unpredictable major life events in relation to an individual’s development.

Throughout everyone’s life, we come across a variety of factors that influence an individual’s development. These factors can come in the form of predictable and unpredictable events. By this I mean that some of our major changes in life can be predicted and some can be chosen. Others may be predictable. Everyone experiences life events differently to other people.
Some major life changes may influence your development, because you find positive ways of coping, which then may help in the future. Alternatively some people fail to adapt to a major factors in life, which can result in stress and a loss of self-confidence in ability to cope with change. Most changes in life involve a whole range of issues. Even predictable and welcome changes involve a great deal of new learning and coping with a range of loss.

The first predictable even that I am going to be talking about is starting school. Starting school is probably a child’s first change that occurs to them. For an individual, starting school is the stage which they start to become independent and build up their personality. The child would find themselves in a large building with a lot of unknown people who are around the same age, which could be potential new friends (which are always important in an individual’s life). It is a big step that children take when they move from the small social world of home to the much larger social world of school. They have to face all sorts of new situations, such as controlled learning, more about the real world (which is crucial when growing up as they need to learn of the danger that they may have to face, for example crime such as being attacked for your valuables) and a chance to build on social skills, without the support of their parents. They say that ‘’school days are the greatest days of your life’’, I think this is because school helps you to gain knowledge in different subjects which can lead you to getting a job or going on to further education (such as college or university), so you could say that it changes someone’s life. The disadvantage to this factor is that it may cause stress for children who are very attached and used to their parents being around, however in the long-run it is beneficial for a young person.

The second predictable event I am going to be talking about is retirement. Retirement is the point where a person stops employment completely, this normally takes place when the person reaches a certain age when physical conditions don’t allow the person to work any more, or in some cases it is by personal choice.

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Retirement can sometimes become somewhat flexible for people who still feel that they want to work. It can involve a major change for people who have worked in full time and then suddenly stop working. It can affect their self-esteem and self concept with the time. People may lose of income when they have to live on the state pension. They may also lose their work friends and routine when they retire. Some elderly people move to their children and help them with their life and children. They have more time to spend with family and close friends. Some that are tired may feel stressed and depressed because they have lost their place in society and they may feel lost without a routine. They may also start to forget the purpose of life as they start to focus on death. However on the positive side, retirement means that they have more time for their own hobby and interesting things like travel and enjoy themselves by doing things that they may not have had time to do while they were working. For some people it is a good time to have rest and spend more time for friends, family and relatives.

An unpredictable event that I am going to be talking about is bereavement. Bereavement is the term given to the process of grieving and mourning and it is associated with a deep sense of loss and sadness. It is a natural process but its effects can be devastating. Many people will go through bereavement, through the lost of a parent, sibling, grandparent or friend. The death of a person who is loved is a major change in a person’s life and they will need support if they are to get over their loss. There are many things that bereavement can do to an individual’s development; I am now going to explain these things further.

Bereavement is a monumentally stressful event, and something which can exert huge physical and mental pressure on the sufferer. The great emotional effects of this occurrence can manifest themselves in numerous physical ways, many of which can be unexpected. It is very likely for it to lead to temporary depression, which can then cause problems such as sleep disruption and anxiety attacks. In many cases, these psychological problems can gradually cause the person to start seeing things. All too often, particularly for older people, it is thought that bereavement has triggered the onset of dementia.

Also those who have suffered from bereavement often tend to feel lethargic and unable to motivate themselves, which can stop them from going about their day-to-day activities such as school, work or college. This is a physical response to the enormous stress being placed on the nervous system, but it also reflects the pressure being exerted on the individual's mechanisms for maintaining immunity. It is very common to suffer minor infections and general illness around the time of bereavement. Constant health problems frequently become tender as a result of the drop is activity levels of the cells which are normally used to fight infection.

The second unpredictable event that I am going to be talking about is abuse. Abuse takes place when people mistreat or misuse other people, showing no concern for their feelings or natural worth as individuals, and in a manner that degrades their well being. Abusers frequently are interested in controlling their victims. They use abusive behaviors to manipulate their victims into giving in to what they want to do to them. Abuse comes in different forms and those are, sexual, emotional, neglect, physical or verbal. It touches victims across the lifespan from children through elders. Abuse is a serious social and cultural problem affecting everyone whether as a victim of abuse, a friend or confidant of an abused person looking for ways to be helpful, or simply as someone who is angered by inequality and wants to work for positive change. It is damaging to an individual’s development because it can cause loss of self confidence, withdrawal symptoms, depression and anxiety. Abuse can also cause children to have difficulty forming relationships with people, which damages their social skills.

Describe the influences of two predictable and two unpredictable major life events on the development of an individual.

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