Literature
Obesity is a major problem both in the US and worldwide. Using the biopsychosocial model, describe how the relationships between each of the concepts in the model contribute to making it more difficult for someone who is obese to lose weight. In your response, you must discuss all six possible directions in the model. [6%]
The biological concept. The approach states that there are pathogens, including the germs and the toxins that takes an active part in precipitating illness and thus prevents an individual from losing weight.
The psychological or behavioral concept. The component reviews the potential psychological causes of the health problems and states that lack of self-control, negative thinking or the emotional turmoil often prevents individuals from losing weight.
The social part illustrates that factors such as socioeconomic status, culture, religion and poverty influences the health and can prevent weight loss.
The model also includes the state of mind as one of the factors that can lead to the hindrance while an individual tries to lose weight. Some think that it is impossible, or they cannot lose their weight.
Also, the environment gets illustrated in the model as a factor that interacts with other factors to cause the disease and thus preventing weight loss.
The last concept is that the model presumes that the major deterrence to weight loss is a combination of the three primary factors, social, bio and psycho and they possess a challenge in managing them resulting in obesity.
Individuals with cancer and HIV/AIDS are especially susceptible to opportunistic infections. Describe TWO ways in which the threat of acquiring an opportunistic infection can impair someone’s social functioning for these people. [2%]
Inability to maintain sustained communication or the interactions with the other due to the fear of attracting the disease from these individuals due to their susceptibility to the conditions (Umaki et al. 422).
Losing touch with individuals at the workplaces and in most cases, they leave their jobs unattended to due to the fear of attracting the diseases and ends up isolating themselves. The diseases result in fatigue and depression, but to perform a task, an individual must be in a position to sustain concentration and peace and this why they lose touch with the workmates so as not to attract the diseases.
Identify THREE distinct factors that can make people more vulnerable to acquiring an STD and describe how they can do so based on their shaping of an illusion of vulnerability and an illogical representativeness heuristic. [3%]
Alcohol use. Individuals who use alcohol, mostly in the social situations may be less discriminating when selecting the individuals to have sex with as alcohol lowers their inhibitions.
Several partners. People with numerous partners are more likely to contract STDs since these partners may also have other multiple partners elsewhere putting one at risk.
Use of the illicit drugs. These drugs possess a challenge when making decisions and those having sex under the influence of drugs often engage in risky sexual behaviors such as unprotected sex.
Although most of the illnesses/conditions we discussed this week affect adults, they also affect children and adolescents too. Describe TWO ways in which being diagnosed with a chronic disease or condition at a young age can impact psychological factors that you probably would not see in someone being diagnosed in middle or late adulthood. [2%]
In children, they suffer more from depression and are at a risk of adjustment considering their conditions when compared to the adults who get diagnosed with the same chronic condition.
For the children, they suffer from low self-esteem. They disregard themselves and hates their lives, considering the life they still have ahead of them. Sometimes they do not even attend classes due to the psychological disturbance. For the adults, the case is different, and most people still see themselves as useful despite the conditions.
EC1. Dialysis is a common treatment for people with diabetes. Describe how you think that having to undergo dialysis can contribute to an individual’s locus of control shifting from an internal to an external one.
Having to undergo dialysis makes the locus control of a person shift from an internal to external because the behavior of the center of perceived responsibility of individual changes and these individuals start showing high anxiety.
Identify TWO specific ways you saw these athletes experience social stigmas by others as they lived their daily lives. [1% each]
The athletes suffered from the social stigmas where some individuals label them as being lazy and incompetent. Besides, the athletes suffered from discrimination in their daily lives.
The people in the film had various lifestyles and degrees of physical disability (i.e., some were “more” disabled than others). Describe a biological, psychological, and social reason for why you think that some of these people were better able to cope with their disability than others who were also disabled. [1% each]
One of the psychological reasons, some athletes were better than others was their high spirits that made them go against all the odds to ensure that they achieve victory. Some have the courage and the zeal to learn and live to the maximum. For instance, most of the athletes in the film have different reasons for their disabilities, but they have come together connected with the passion of sport and took part in the quad rugby team of the 2004 Paralympic games in the US to attempt victory. The biological effect is brought about by the adrenaline effect that pumps in them and gives them the courage in fulfilling their dreams. Also, socially, some get support from their families who see the worth in them while others get perceived as functionally retarded and this lowers their self-esteem, and most importantly they do not have a sense of shame like others.
http://www.dsq-sds.org/article/view/920/1095
Describe how ONE of the specific concepts discussed in the lecture (the bolded blue terms) applies to the article. [1%]
Behavioral enforcement. In the article, the athletes with the disabilities are seen as heroes for overcoming their disabilities and achieving something incredible. These individuals rise to the occasion and despite their disabilities takes part in athletic games something not expected of them. They change their sense of belonging to a different domain (Hargreaves and Hardin).
Choose ONE different specific concept discussed in the lecture that is not focused on in the news article. How would a discussion of that concept contribute to the understanding of the events described in the article (such as why something happened or how it can help the people/situation described in the article)? [1%]
The type of negative stigma the physically challenged individuals are going through is not included in the article. Most people hold negative stereotypes about the individuals who are chronically ill, and this makes most of them fear to disclose their conditions and hence leading to poor social support. If it were included, then people would understand what these individuals go through before they get crowned heroes and given more social support. Sometimes they become discriminated, but their spirits keep them going and stand against all these odds and achieve their dreams. If the discriminations get done away with and given more support, these individuals will move to greater heights.
Work cited
Umaki, Tracie M., et al. "Poorer neuropsychological performance increases the risk for social services among HIV-infected individuals." Hawai'i Journal of Medicine & Public Health 72.12 (2013): 422.
Hargreaves, Jean and Brent Hardin. "Women Wheelchair Athletes: Competing Against Media Stereotypes". Disability Studies Quarterly 29.2 (2009): n. pag. Web. 6 Aug. 2016.
