General Psychology-PSY 1010- Psychology in My Life

General Psychology-PSY 1010- Psychology in My Life

Psychology is a multifaceted discipline that studies how human thought processes affect behavior. Psychological principles enable a better understanding of human interactions, behaviors, intentions, motives, and emotions. Similarly, the nursing profession is characterized by multiple human interactions. These interactions range from nurse to patient and from other healthcare team members. Therefore, a better understanding of various psychological principles that define human interactions is necessary for the nursing profession. Accordingly, I will detail how I will use psychology knowledge in my nursing career, emphasizing psychological concepts adopted from a psychology textbook and a research article.

Psychology and Nursing

Nursing is my career choice. The decision to pursue a career in nursing was informed by my passion for providing care to people who need it most safely and effectively. Nursing maintains a central role in healthcare provision processes. Their (nurses) position in the care provision process makes them the key determinants to the attainment of optimal care and the general well-being of their patients. Subsequently, psychology enables nurses to navigate the complexities presented by the care processes. Various concepts, including consciousness and human development in psychology, are valuable to my nursing career progression.

An altered state of consciousness refers to the change in individual mentation. Significant alterations in mental processes can be due to trauma, medications, and pathological conditions. However, less significant changes often occur amongst individuals across the day. This state occurs naturally and often manifests as hypnosis, meditation, and immersion. Hypnosis is a state of consciousness in which an individual loses voluntary action and maintains high responsiveness toward a suggestion or direction. Hypnosis often produces changes in memory and perception. This state is often attained with the aid of a hypnotist. This state of consciousness has been exploited for its therapeutic advantages in some conditions. Meditation is another state of consciousness that has been utilized for its therapeutic effect. Knowledge of the altered states of consciousness is necessary for nursing as it forms an invaluable tool for adjunctive treatment of certain conditions (Grison et al., 2022). Meditation and hypnosis are increasingly finding utility as alternative treatment modalities for chronic conditions such as depression, stress, and chronic pain. Understanding their mechanism is, therefore, necessary for a nursing career.

Drugs and consciousness are other important aspects of psychology. Psychoactive drugs alter human consciousness. These drugs have been used across cultures for recreational and medicinal purposes. Psychoactive drugs are classified as stimulants, depressants, opiates, and hallucinogens. These drugs are mostly controlled due to their psychoactive effects and propensity for abuse. Also, these drugs have been implicated in several societal and community problems, such as crimes and disease spread. Understanding these drugs and their effects on human mentation is necessary for nursing practice (Grison et al., 2022). Drug abuse has increasingly become a common presentation in the healthcare system. Therefore, knowledge of these drugs is important as it enables the selection of accurate and safe modalities of therapeutic interventions.

Development psychology is a key psychological concept employed in nursing practices. Prenatal development defines the development of a child from conception to birth. This developmental stage is divided into the germinal period, embryonic period, and fetal period. Various substances affect prenatal development. These substances have been implicated in fetal abnormalities and fetal death. For instance, teratogens are drugs that affect the intrauterine growth of a child. Examples of teratogens include drugs such as warfarin and substances of abuse such as alcohol, infections, and environmental substances (Grison et al., 2022). Knowledge of prenatal development is important for a nursing career. Understanding various factors affecting fetal development is necessary as it enables nurses to safeguard maternal and fetal health.

Adolescent development is another psychological concept important to nursing practice. The adolescent stage is a developmental stage characterized by physical, social, and emotional growth in individuals. Adolescents tend to develop a unique identity, often focusing on themselves rather than their families and communities. They also develop a characteristic curiosity to try new things and are culpable to peer influence. Adolescents also exhibit aggressive behavior and are often rebellious (Grison et al., 2022). Understanding adolescent development is crucial to nurses as it informs how they handle these patient groups. Nurses must also understand that this developmental stage is unique and requires special handling. With recent increases in the incidence of mental disorders among this group, nurses have to tailor their care approach to ensure that they properly preserve the lives of these individuals.

Various research publications have been made documenting how psychology affects nursing practice. However, psychological concepts such as mental disorders and pharmacotherapy create research fields to understand these disorders better. Tang (2018) documents the utility of cognitive-behavioral therapy in pain management and the management of psychological disorders. This research article is a quantitative research that reports on the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral therapy in these conditions.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a therapeutic modality that exploits human thought processes and behavior to treat chronic pain and mental disorders. This form of treatment is targeted at symptomatic relief. Its use has increased utility in chronic pain relief and depressive disorders. Various techniques are employed in this modality of treatment. These techniques include cognitive restructuring, guided discovery, relaxation, and exposure therapy. This therapeutic modality has also enhanced effectiveness when used as an adjunct to conventional therapies with drugs. Understanding the mechanism of this therapeutic modality is important to nursing practice as it enables greater appreciation of its use within the healthcare systems. As documented in the article, this treatment method is highly effective and requires wider appreciation among caregivers. Therefore, nurses should be knowledgeable about this modality of treatment to expedite its rollout to patients.

The article by Toussaint et al. (2018) documents the effects of chronic stress exposure on young adults’ mental and physical health. This research article is quantitative research that is targeted at examining how stress exposure, dispositional forgiveness levels, and resilience factors affect young adults’ mental and physical health. The study drew a sample size of 148 individuals in their early adulthood. Data elucidated from this study indicated that stress and disposable forgiveness affect the mental and physical health of individuals.

Statistically, there was a direct correlation between stress severity and mental and physical health deterioration. As a result, developing a more forgiving culture and assuming a stress-free culture minimizes stress-related mental disorders. Knowledge of the interactive effect between stress and mental disorders is necessary as it guides the development of treatment plans among these individuals. Nurses, being part of the care provision process, should inculcate this knowledge in their practice. In turn, this will equip them with the knowledge and expertise required to preserve the lives of individuals predisposed to stress.

Psychology remains a crucial component in nursing training. Psychological principles form valuable assets to nursing practice. Consequently, this is because it equips them with the necessary skills required to navigate various complexities presented in practice. It is, therefore, necessary that these principles be incorporated in nursing practice.

 References

Grison, S., Heatherton, T., & Gazzaniga, M. (2022). Psychology in Your Life-W. W. Norton & Company (2016).pdf. Google Docs. Retrieved 10 March 2022, from https://drive.google.com/file/d/1QBzT_ht78jczLp-TomiVkiNlSFMShvGv/view?usp=sharing.

Tang, N. (2018). Cognitive behavioral therapy in pain and psychological disorders: Towards a hybrid future. Progress in Neuro-Psychopharmacology and Biological Psychiatry, 87, 281-289. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pnpbp.2017.02.023

Toussaint, L., Shields, G., Dorn, G., & Slavich, G. (2018). Effects of lifetime stress exposure on mental and physical health in young adulthood: How stress degrades and forgiveness protects health. Journal of Health Psychology, 21(6), 1004-1014. https://doi.org/10.1177/1359105314544132

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General Psychology (PSY 1010): “Psychology in My Life” Writing Assignment
Purpose of assignment: To measure students’ ability to:
1) Explain major psychological concepts, theories, and perspectives.

General Psychology-PSY 1010- Psychology in My Life

2) Read and describe research methods used in a peer-reviewed journal to explain behavior.
3) Apply psychological concepts to personal, social, and organizational problems.
4) Use information literacy skills to locate appropriate research and other relevant community resources and materials to create an informative essay.

Product: Students will write an essay of 750-1000 words (not including title and reference pages) in which they analyze and synthesize psychological concepts and apply them to their speculations concerning their career and their future lives. In the essay, you will need to clearly identify your career and why you have chosen it and then explain how what you have learned in psychology will enhance your career and life.