copyright 2008 Cheryl K. Hosken, BSN, MS Psych.
4. Dysfunctional Behavior
Dysfunctional behavior is caused by physical problems and emotional problems. These people need assistance with thinking and processing information, emotional, physical, and social areas of life. As you can imagine, their needs are great. The causes of cognitive problems are medications, brain traumas before and after birth, schizophrenia, and stroke.
Meditate Word By Word On These Verses:
James 2:14-17.
There are also genetic predispositions to some of these emotional disorders. The first category of disorders is cognitive. Cognition is the ability to think, understand and learn about the environment by use of the senses. If a person cannot learn, his ability to organize and process information is distorted and he cannot learn new skills. His thoughts may be distorted and he cannot think logically. In fact, trying to think logically may cause confusion especially in the meaning of words and instructions. This is very easy to see in the classroom setting. Memory can also be affected since thoughts are disordered. The ability to "generalize", that is, learn from one situation to another may also be affected.
Question 1: The ability to generalize means:
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
ability to think,
ability to make general observations,
ability to use knowledge from one situation to another.
Another area affected is independence. Disorientation to time and place causes these people to be lost. Their conversation is not logical. There may be an inability to plan. In some cases, they may make irrational decisions or completely lack the ability to make any decisions at all. Due to poor self-concept, this person can be very dependent on others. Interpretation of events can be distorted and therefore, this person may substitute delusional systems for reality.
Question 2: What is a cognitive disorder? What are the causes?
The second category is affective disorders that include subjective feelings. This person may have lack of emotion, inappropriate emotional expression, and perhaps one main feeling that consumes him/her. This feeling may be anger, shyness, or paranoia. Since thought processes are cut off from emotional expression, the show of feeling may be inappropriate. The person may laugh or cry at inappropriate times. Due to feelings of suspicion or paranoia, the person may express hostility although there is nothing in the environment to make him/her feel that way.
Question 3: What motivates the person with an affective disorder?
Finally, the person may have an all-consuming feeling state. This state is one that can strongly influence the person. One of these states is depression. There is sadness, boredom, and loneliness. There is loss of emotional involvement of other people. The feeling of this emotion may be mild sadness to severe feelings of hopelessness. Another all-consuming state is mania. This is a state from mild euphoria to extreme agitation so that the person becomes confused and disorganized. Though the person may seem very confident, there is a sensitivity to criticism and he is easily angered or frustrated. These people need to be treated with medications to even out their emotions.
Anxiety is another disabling emotion. It is a feeling of generalized fear and apprehension. It increases during periods of stress and potentially threatening situations. The range of behaviors can be from heightened nervousness to immobilization so that the person is not capable of doing anything.
Because of these emotional states, the person's body is also affected. With depression, the person moves more slowly than normal. In a state of extreme anxiety or paranoia, the person may not move at all. Reaction to other people and preparation of response in conversation is slow. The opposite, hyperactivity, may be the result of anxiety. There is a great deal of restlessness and agitation. The person may moan, pace the room, or fidget with items.
Sleeplessness is a characteristic of anxiety or depression. A depressed person may also sleep more than usual. Lack of appetite and gastrointestinal problems can occur.
Verbal interaction is lessened in social situations. Some people become mute. Excessive speech that includes irrelevant or fast speech may be related to mania. These persons have trouble communicating openly and frankly. They cannot tolerate criticism, have difficulty asking questions, and express ignorance or confusion.
The person who feels hostile or suspicious or depressed may have antisocial behaviors. These include physical aggression toward others, destruction of property, or self-destructive behavior such as an attempt at suicide.
The basic treatment for these people is hospitalization, evaluation, and drug therapy for a period of time or for a lifetime. The person who is helping in any small way can give support and trust. In this type of relationship, it is hoped that conversation will begin. Through communication, the helper can gently guide the person into speech that is acceptable in social areas.
Another way to help such people is through behavior therapy. By closely watching the person, a helper can identify behaviors that are troublesome. Then by practice and coaching the client learns a new way to behave in certain situations. There are also other coping mechanisms that include self-discipline, freedom to express feelings, different ways to release stress and tension appropriately, and modification of behavior.
Question 4: What is antisocial behavior?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
physical aggression, destruction of property,
anger and impatience,
lack of good appearance.
5. Atypical Appearance
Unusual appearance is associated with many disabilities that include dwarfism, facial disfigurement, and social or racial difference. Included are disabilities where the atypical appearance is not the primary limitation and these are cerebral palsy, amputation, mental retardation, spinal injuries. This limitation is most recognized in the social area where the person is affected in three ways:
a. the disabled person's own self image and reaction to his changed body,
b. other people's reactions to his/her appearance,
c. the interaction of the above.
Body image is the person's conception of one's own appearance to others. When a person is born with a disability, the physical condition is incorporated into his/her own body image. However, if the disability occurs later in life, changes must be made to the body image or what a person thinks he looks like to others. A negatively perceived body image is cause for a person to dislike him/herself. A person usually has an ideal body image - what he would like to look like to others. He also has an actual body image, which is the one he sees every day. The greater the difference between these two images, the less adjustment there is to disability.
Facial disfigurement is especially important to consider. Studies of those who are severely disfigured usually have a high incidence of difficulty in life. People with this disability usually have a poor estimation of themselves and do not expect others to accept them.
Question 5: The difference between a person's ideal image of himself and his actual body image can cause:
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
lack of self love,
poor adjustment to disability,
anger.
Prejudice toward disabled people is a negative pre-judgment. When seeing such people, the general population wants them to stay out of sight and employers do not want to hire them. There is the misinterpretation that the face mirrors the personality. If the culture in which this person lives values physical perfection, then he/she will be considered inferior.
The attitudes people form toward the disabled person are based on four factors:
a. First has to do with how the disability was obtained - through birth problems, natural illness, injury suffered through honor such as war, or from a criminal act or personal acts.
b. Second, people decide on the probability that the person will or will not recover from the disability. Perhaps surgery can correct the disability or maybe the person will have to live with it for the rest of his/her life.
c. The negative reaction toward such a person is related to a variety of emotional attitudes a normal looking person has. Perhaps a person has had a bad experience with someone who is disfigured and therefore is afraid of any other such people.
d. Attitudes are influenced by the viewer's feelings of personal involvement ranging from an obligation to assist or to a deep fear for one's personal well-being.
What often happens is that viewer looks at the disfigured person and thinks that the whole rest of that disfigured person is also disabled. This is called spread. The perception is that the disfigurement spreads to the other non-impaired characteristics of the person. For example a blind person may be perceived as being deaf as well.
Question 6: "Spread" is:
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
a decision that a disfigured body means a disabled person,
a feeling of heaviness,
cross-cultural attitudes toward a disfigured face.
6. Invisible Limitations
Conditions that cannot be seen may cause restrictions in behavior. For example, such persons are not able to perform various tasks as normal persons do because they seem normal to others. The disabled person may feel pressure from society to act as if the disability does not exist. Also, when the disability cannot be seen, there is ambiguity about what the individual can and should do.
Such persons are those who have suffered heart attacks, back injury or brain injury. Since the injury is not seen, there may be a tendency to deny it and to act as if were not present. If the condition is ignored, such as in a heart condition, there maybe consequences for not taking medication or working beyond the limitations set by the doctor. In other cases, the patient is constantly reminded by pain of a condition that others cannot see.
The characteristics of invisible limitations are:
a) they cannot be seen by the general public,
b) people with these limitations need self management because others do not extend help,
c) there may be a failure to accept the disability psychologically,
d) other members of society expect the person with the limitations to be normal.
At work, if the person tells his employer of his limitation, he may be terminated from his job. This employee may also be a hazard to others around him if he cannot do the expected work.
Question 7: What is necessary for a person with an invisible limitation to do in order to have a normal life?
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
act as if he/she does not have a disability,
carefully manage his/her physical and medical problems on a daily basis,
get psychological counseling.
Self-management includes maintaining good health since others may not know about the limitation. The person with asthma must take his medication. The person with diabetes must check his blood sugar levels and take insulin accordingly. A person with seizures must take his medication in order to be seizure free. The cardiac patient needs to monitor his diet, exercise, and stress levels.
The psychological acceptance by the person with the disability is important in order to live a stable life. There are three types of reaction that occur once a person has acquired this type of disability and they are fear, depression, and denial. The fear comes from realizing that the disease may be life threatening. Depression is the result of the profound changes that disability can bring to what was a normal life. Denial may also occur because the person may look normal, but in reality, there is something very wrong with his/her body.
Other members of society around this type of disabled person may think he is a hypochondriac if he complains about his disability. Also, these conditions may be frightening to others since they have to be monitored and require special equipment or medication for control.
The types of illnesses associated with this disability are: neurological diseases, cancer, dysfunctions of certain organs of the body (such as heart, kidneys, and glands), and mental problems.
Question 8: A person with a seizure disorder:
(Only one of the following answers is correct.)
causes fear in others,
is mentally ill,
needs careful medical management and proper medication.