Describe and evaluate one method/approach of managing the negative effects of stress.

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Gemma Lee

Psychology

Describe and evaluate one method/approach of managing the negative effects of stress

There are two methods in which you can manage the negative effects of stress; these two methods are physiological and psychological. Under these methods are different categories can help with the management of stress.

I have chosen to look at the Physiological method:

Biofeedback – This is where someone is able to learn to control involuntary muscles or voluntary muscles, which are not usually controlled (e.g. blood pressure and heart rate). The aim of this method is to reduce the bodily sensations, which belong with stress (e.g. tension in the shoulders). This method will then calm down the effects of stress in terms of an illness.

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Anti – anxiety drugs – This is used to counter control the body’s hormones and Nero – transmitters (which are used to give information between the nerves and cells). Drugs such as Valium can be used to control the natural body processes, but however there are side – effects. These can be an addiction to drugs or feeling drowsy.

Lazarus and Folkman (1984) saw the differences between problem focused and emotion – focused strategies of stress management. Stress can be managed by tackling the problem (problem – focused) – Psychological methods; or by trying to reduce the stress ...

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The Quality of Written Communication here average. Some silly errors have been made as a result of the candidate not opting to conduct re-reading and spell-checks. In a question primarily consisting of short answers this is not a problem, but in long essay answer such as this Psychology question, a need for good English is absolutely imperative, so to not conduct these proof-reads and leave obvious typing errors like ""coping" with stress and "managing! stress" will lower the QWC mark.

The Level of Analysis is fair but each point is left unfinished, meaning that, were three marks offered for each evaluative point, candidates are required to list A) the strength/weakness, B) the reason it's a strength/weakness, and C) a study that exemplifies this. This candidate only ever does a two at a maximum for there evaluative points so they elicit only 7/12 for AO2 (critical evaluation). AO1 (knowledge and understanding) points are also below average, with the candidate only very briefly giving descriptions of the treatments; so little information is evident here that it becomes hard to understand the concept of some of these treatments if the readers do not have prior knowledge of studying them. This is bad because the examiners may 'play dumb' and expect a more fully-fledged explanation. To be sure you are directly answering the question satisfactorily, you should look to the command word. The explanation given here is more appropriate for an "Outline" command, but a lot more detail is required for a "Describe" question such as this one.

This essay is neither greatly cohesive nor a satisfactory response to the question. Candidate's must realise that Psychology essays are actually very prescriptive, and require a very pre-set structure in order to meet the requirements of the mark scheme in the time given. The candidate's description of the biological preventions of stress management is fair although the introductory paragraph appears to be lodged into the middle of the essay, disrupting the natural flow. As well as this, the candidate's argument is not balanced, as three limitations have been suggested (two for the anti-anxiety drugs and one for the biofeedback) and only one strength (for the biofeedback treatment), whereas the candidate really should be looking to have two strengths and weaknesses for each treatment.