Case studies
Laurie was sick again. Why was she running this low-grade fever? She was tired. She had no energy. Could it be mononucleosis? Laurie had heard that lots of teenagers felt this way from mononucleosis. Could that be the reason she was feeling ill?
After a series of blood tests revealed nothing definitive, the doctor mentioned the possibility of stress. Laurie was not able to identify anything that could be triggering it. And she knew that fevers are not caused by stress, or so she thought. Soon she started to feel better and forgot all about her symptoms and her fever until the next marking period when the symptoms reappeared. After four months of this recurring ailment, her parents and doctor began to note a predictable pattern It seemed that during her senior year of high school, Laurie became ill every time a paper was due in her advanced English class.
Could this be? Could written assignments trigger these symptoms? This deserved serious consideration, especially when her mom recounted the machinations she went through to complete the last assignment. Laurie was to write about Shakespeare, and after great difficulty deciding upon the right topic, she finally chose to write about the men who in Shakespeare's time played women and disguised themselves as men in the plot.
It was Laurie's pattern to choose the most difficult and obscure topic she could find or invent. To make matters even worse, Laurie lived in a university town and had access to the university library where she consulted highly advanced reference materials to support her thesis. Both these events-finding the topic and the resources-were rather challenging. Often she would procrastinate until the final moment came to sit down and write the paper. This repeated procedure was true for this paper as well.
With time almost running out and her stress levels increasing, Laurie felt fatigued and feverish. Laurie's grandmother had been an English teacher and an expert in classical literature. Her grandmother offered to help. Laurie accepted the invitation and arrived at her grandmother's house feeling so stressed by this time that a minor provocation initiated a screaming temper tantrum. As Laurie explained, "The screaming and crying, as I began to understand, was a way for me to relieve my stress. But my grandmother didn't know that and offered to drive me home." Her stress level lowered after the crying and screaming, Laurie felt greatly relieved. She calmed down and was able to talk through her ideas with her grandmother. Then she spent the rest of the night completing the paper. Completely drained the next day and still running a mild fever, she stayed home from school but managed to send the paper in.
Read the case study above and answer the following questions. Please type your answers and submit your assignment on Blackboard under Assignments (Blackboard assignments).
1. Using your understanding of Eudaimonic well-being, discuss three points from the case study that indicate Laurie’s lack of skills in this area?. (6)
2. Laurie’s mother approaches you as a Life Orientation teacher to assist her daughter to deal with her stress effectively. While you are not a psychologist, you take on the challenge from the Life orientation perspective and set out to assist Laurie.
a. You start by providing an understanding of the stress concept to Laurie. Draw on the content in the case study to explain stress as
i. Response
ii. Stimulus
iii. Transaction (9)
b. Read up on systems’ theory and indicate how you would use a systems theory approach to assist Laura in her stress predicament. In your essay, refer directly to the aspects that you would be targeting in the case study and the strategy you would use in this regard. You need to show your understanding of systems theory (5marks) and how you would apply it in this case study
1. Three points from the case study that indicate Laurie’s lack of skills in eudaimonic well-being are:
a. Difficulty in determining the right topic: Laurie had difficulty in narrowing down and choosing a topic for her paper. She chose the most difficult and obscure topic she could find, which suggests that she lacks self-awareness and may not have a clear sense of her strengths and weaknesses.
b. Procrastination: Laurie procrastinated until the last moment to start working on her paper. This suggests that she lacks self-discipline and time-management skills.
c. Inability to manage stress: Laurie’s symptoms reappeared every time a paper was due, indicating that she was not able to manage her stress levels effectively. She resorted to crying and screaming to relieve her stress, which suggests that she lacks coping skills and emotional regulation.
2. a. Stress can be understood as:
i. Response: Stress can be understood as a response to an external or internal stimulus that disrupts the homeostasis of an individual. In Laurie’s case, stress was triggered by the looming deadline of her paper, and her inability to manage this stress resulted in physical symptoms.
ii. Stimulus: Stress can also be understood as a stimulus that poses a threat or challenge to an individual’s resources. In Laurie’s case, the task of writing a paper was a stimulus that posed a challenge to her time, energy, and cognitive resources.
iii. Transaction: Stress can also be understood as a transaction between an individual and the environment. This transaction involves the appraisal of the stressor and the individual’s perceived ability to cope with it. In Laurie’s case, the task of writing a paper was perceived as a threat to her well-being, and her perceived inability to cope with it resulted in stress.
b. A systems theory approach can be used to assist Laurie in her stress predicament by focusing on the interconnectedness of her various systems (e.g., family, school, social) and how they affect her well-being. The strategy would involve:
i. Identifying and addressing systemic factors: The approach would involve identifying systemic factors that contribute to Laurie’s stress, such as academic pressures, unrealistic expectations, and lack of support from family and teachers. Addressing these systemic factors would involve working collaboratively with the school, family, and other support systems to reduce stressors and enhance protective factors.
ii. Building resilience: The approach would involve building Laurie’s resilience through enhancing her coping skills, emotional regulation, and positive coping strategies. This would involve providing her with practical tools and techniques to manage stress, such as mindfulness meditation, time-management strategies, and assertiveness training.
iii. Encouraging positive relationships: The approach would involve encouraging positive relationships within Laurie’s various systems, such as improving family communication, building supportive peer networks, and enhancing teacher-student relationships. Positive relationships can serve as protective factors against stress and promote overall well-being.
Overall, the systems theory approach would focus on addressing the interrelated factors that contribute to Laurie’s stress and building her resilience and positive relationships to enhance her well-being.
1. Three points from the case study that indicate Laurie's lack of skills in Eudaimonic well-being are:
a. Procrastination and difficulty in decision-making: Laurie consistently chooses challenging and obscure topics for her papers, which adds unnecessary stress and pressure. Her tendency to procrastinate until the last moment suggests a lack of time management skills and self-discipline.
b. Inability to manage stress: Laurie's symptoms of fatigue, fever, and feeling overwhelmed during the paper submission periods indicate that she is unable to effectively manage stress. Her screaming temper tantrum is another sign of her poor stress management abilities.
c. Seeking external validation: Laurie accepts her grandmother's offer to help with her paper, indicating a reliance on others to alleviate her stress and avoid taking responsibility for managing her own workload. This suggests a lack of self-confidence and self-reliance in handling academic pressures.
2. a. Understanding stress in the case study:
i. Response: Laurie's physical symptoms, such as fatigue, fever, and temper tantrums, are her psychological and physiological response to stress. These responses serve as warning signs that her body is experiencing heightened stress levels.
ii. Stimulus: The stimulus for Laurie's stress is the pressure she feels to complete challenging writing assignments on time. The deadlines and expectations placed on her by her advanced English class serve as the primary stressors triggering her symptoms.
iii. Transaction: Transaction refers to the interaction between an individual and their environment. In Laurie's case, the transactional aspect of stress can be seen in how she perceives and responds to the stressful situations. She becomes overwhelmed and experiences physical symptoms when facing upcoming writing assignments.
b. Applying systems theory in assisting Laurie:
Systems theory suggests that individuals are part of larger interconnected systems, and these systems influence and are influenced by the individual's behavior. In Laurie's case, a systems theory approach would involve considering the various aspects of her environment and how they contribute to her stress.
One aspect to target would be the academic system itself, including the expectations and demands placed on students. The strategy could involve working alongside Laurie's advanced English teacher to better understand the factors contributing to her stress and finding ways to reduce the pressure.
Another aspect to consider is Laurie's support system, such as her grandmother and other helpful resources. Strengthening her support network and teaching her effective coping strategies could help her manage stress more effectively.
Additionally, addressing Laurie's lack of time management and decision-making skills would involve providing her with practical tools and techniques for planning, organizing, and prioritizing tasks. This could help her avoid procrastination and make better choices when it comes to selecting paper topics.
Overall, utilizing a systems theory approach in this case study would involve analyzing the various components of Laurie's environment, identifying stressors, and implementing strategies to support her in navigating and managing her stress more effectively.