Running head: MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 1

Mental, Social, and Emotional Health Part One

Abigail Woodall
Wellness
September 12, 2014
Coach Taylor
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 2


Mental, Social, and Emotional Health Part One
Self-Esteem Self-esteem is the way a person looks at
themselves. A poor or low self-esteem is
where a person relies on how they are doing in
that specific moment to determine how they
feel about themselves ( University of Texas at
Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center).
A good or positive self-esteem, on the other
hand, is where a person accurately accepts who
they truly are. There are many negative issues
with low self-esteem, such as stress and
anxiety, problematic relationships, and
increased risks for exposure to drugs and
alcohol overuse ( University of Texas at Austin
Counseling and Mental Health Center).
Self-Concept Self-concept is the reflection of ones own
being or identity that is detached from the
setting (William Huitt). This also is related to
self-esteem. A self-concept is how a person
views themselves, and a person can see
themselves positively or negatively. A person
gains their self-concept by reviewing past
actions and comparing them to others
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 3


expectations. (William Huitt).
Personality Personality is based on individual differences
in characteristic patterns of the thought
processes, emotions, and behavior
(Encyclopedia of Psychology). An
individuals personality can be influenced by
many different aspects of life. Their
personality also comes from the numerous
sections of an individual mixing as a complete
part of the system.
Defense Mechanism A defense mechanism is where a person
creates a barrier between themselves and a
particular situation. There are primitive and
mature versions of defense mechanisms. Both
are used to distance themselves from a thought
or specific event. For instance, a person may
have previously had an argument with their
friend, and want to forget that event. A
primitive defense mechanism would be acting
out, where a person would have a severe
decrease in managing anger, such as screaming
and stamping their feet. A more mature
version of a defense mechanism, using the
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 4


same example, would be undoing. This
undoing method is where a person counteracts
all negative aspects of the argument, and
switches them for positive ones. It is important
to cope with stress, so that a person does not
have to revert to these methods. People who
have trouble dealing with stress will often
resort to such primitive defense mechanisms
(Grohol).
Stress Stress is a response to situations that make a
person feel endangered. One of the symptoms
of stress is the fight or flight response. Stress
can actually be good for a person, because it
helps them to function better and be more alert.
However, after a precise point, stress can
create harm on a person. The way a person
responds to stress is a major factor as to
whether it is good stress. Another factor is the
amount of stress a person is exposed to. There
are also different types of symptoms of stress,
such as physical, cognitive, emotional, and
behavioral symptoms. A person must be aware
of their surroundings and future problems, and
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 5


how to deal with these issues. Because of the
widespread damage stress can cause, it's
important to know your own limit (Smith).
Mental Health Mental health is what a person thinks, feels,
and acts (U.S Department of Health and
Human Services). There are many
contributing factors that can affect an
individuals mental health, such as a traumatic
event, childhood memories, biological factors,
and family history. Mental health problems
are common (U.S Department of Health and
Human Services). There are many symptoms
and warning signs of a mental disease. One
example is eating or sleeping in excess.
Another example that is more serious is
abusing smoking, drinking, or drugs. A
persons mental health is also affected by their
social and emotional health (U.S Department
of Health and Human Services).
Social Health A persons social health has to do with their
ability to support and maintain healthy
relationships with others. A healthy
relationship is described as trustworthiness and
respect (Health and Wellness For Families).
Social health is impacted by not just a persons
mentality, but other things such as poverty. It
is important to have good social health,
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 6


because it helps individuals work better
personally, and with others. Poor social
health can be just as bad for your physical
health as not exercising, or poor nutrition
(Health and Wellness For Families).

Emotional Health People who are emotionally healthy are in
control of their emotions and their behavior
(Smith). A persons emotional health is very
important because it impacts the way you act
around others. A person that portrays a stable
emotional health is excellent at handling stress
and strengthening relationships (Smith).
Emotions An emotion is an instance or state where there
are three parts; the subjective, physiological,
and behavioral response (Cherry). An emotion
is also characterized by the way a person feels
about a situation. There are certain emotions
that are mixed, or not felt as strongly. The
amount and way an emotion is felt depends on
the person. For instance, an event can take
place with two different people, however they
both can have a completely different emotion
when that even occurs. Additionally, an
emotion is only temporary. A person might
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 7


feel happy during a scene of the movie, but
then fell angry or sad during the very next
scene. An emotion is normally quite short-
lived, but intense (Cherry).
Warning Signs of Suicide The warning signs of suicide are acting
anxious, sleeping too much or not enough, a
rage or speaking about revenge, a feeling of
hopelessness, extreme mood swings, and an
increasing amount of alcohol use or drugs
(SAVE). Suicide is caused mostly by extreme,
painful events.
Suicide Prevention There is a large range of contributions that are
linked with suicide; however, one main way to
prevent suicide is to help talk with people ot
improve their social, mental, and emotional
health. There are many interventions a person
can go to for receiving help for thoughts of
suicide. There are also a few mental disorders
that are linked to suicide; some people work
with the disorders first to eliminate the
possibility of suicide (American Foundation
for Suicide Prevention).
Maslows Hierarchy of Needs (Explain) Maslow was interested in what peoples
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 8


motivations were. During his lifetime, he
explained that people want to achieve a goal,
and that a persons motivation was that goal.
The hierarchy of needs was described as
having five motivational needs in the form of a
pyramid, going from lowest needs to the
highest ones. Maslows five basic needs in
order from least to highest importance was the
physiological, safety, social, self esteem, and
self actualization (McLeod).
Fight or Flight Response The fight or flight response is associated with
both stress and fear. This mechanism is to aid
in preparing the body and mind for immediate
and extremely vital tasks, such as running
away from a bulleting car, or fighting for your
life when youre stranded. This occurs when
the hypothalamus activates the adrenal and
sympathetic nervous system. Once that is
complete, it starts a chain reaction where the
two start activating other parts of the body. In
the end, it creates the fight or flight response.
When the fight or flight response is activated,
there are a lot of physical components that take
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 9


place. For instance, nonessential systems, such
as the immune and digestive, shut down to
conserve energy. A persons pupils might also
dilate to take in more light. All of these
physical responses are intended to help you
survive a dangerous situation by preparing you
to either run for your life or fight for your life
(Layton).
Stages of Grief The stages of grief reflect a variety of
reactions that may surface as an individual tries
to make sense of how a loss affects him or her
(Goldberg). There are five stages to grief; they
are denial, bargaining, depression, anger, and
acceptance. When a person is exposed to loss,
they go through these stages as a way to cope
with what is happening. For some people, it
may be completed within a few days; for others
it may take as long as years. Others may even
repeat the process. here is no time limit to the
grieving process (Goldberg).
Depression (Signs, Symptoms, Treatment) Major depression is a mood state that goes
well beyond temporarily feeling sad or blue
(National Alliance on Mental Illness).
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 10


Depression is serious, and can lead to mental
disorders, such as bipolar disease, and suicidal
thoughts. There are warning signs for
depression, such as a sudden drastic change in
mood, the literal slowing down of a person,
and traumatic events can be warning signs of
depression. For others, people can get
depression from drug abuse, while others can
get it spontaneously (National Alliance on
Mental Illnesses). Treatment for depression can
range from a medical drug or talk therapy.
Because the specific cause and type of
depression varies from person to person, the
treatments do as well.
Mental Health Assistance (What Is It) Mental Health services are administered
through county Mental Health and
Developmental Services (MH/DS) program
offices (Pennsylvania Department of Public
Welfare). There are many mental health
services, such as psychiatrists. There are also
positive practice teams, such as the PPRT that
help individuals that need support not known
or accessible to them. (Pennsylvania
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 11


Department of Public Welfare).


Citations:
University of Texas at Austin Counseling and Mental Health Center,. What is Self-Esteem?
Self-Esteem, My CMHC. <http://cmhc.utexas.edu/selfesteem.html\
Huitt, W., Self and Self-Views, Becoming a Brilliant Star, Educational Psychology Interactive.
<http://www.edpsycinteractive.org/topics/self/self.html 2011
National Alliance on Mental Illness., Symptoms Symptoms, Causes and Diagnosis,
Depression.
<http://www.nami.org/Template.cfm?Section=Depression&Template=/ContentManagem
ent/ContentDisplay.cfm&ContentID=89096 3 2014
Encyclopedia of Psychology., Personality Psychology Topics, American Psychological
Association. <http://apa.org/topics/personality/
Grohol, J., 15 Common Defense Mechanisms Conditions, PsychCentral.
<http://psychcentral.com/lib/15-common-defense-mechanisms/0001251 2014
Cherry, K., What Are Emotions? Psychology, About Education.
<http://psychology.about.com/od/emotion/f/what-are-emotions.htm 2014
Smith, M., et al., The Effects of Stress Overload and What You Can Do About It Stress
Symptoms, Signs, & Causes, HelpGuide.
<http://www.helpguide.org/mental/stress_signs.htm July 2014
Smith, M., et al., Strategies and Tips for Good Mental Health Improving Emotional Health,
HelpGuide. <http://www.helpguide.org/mental/mental_emotional_health.htm
MENTAL, SOCIAL, AND EMOTIONAL HEALTH PART ONE 12


Layton, J., Fight or Flight How Fear Works, How Stuff Works.
<http://science.howstuffworks.com/life/inside-the-mind/emotions/fear2.htm 2014
U.S Department of Health and Human Services., What is Mental Health? Basics,
Mental Health. < http://www.mentalhealth.gov/basics/what-is-mental-health/ 2014
Health and Wellness For Families., Social Health, Health and Wellness, The Complete
Health & Wellness Resource for Your Busy Life.
<http://www.healthandwellnessforfamilies.com/health-wellness/social-health/ 2014
Suicide Awareness Voices of Education., Warning Signs of Suicide, Symptoms and
Danger Signs, SAVE. <https://www.save.org/index.cfm?page_id=705F4071-99A7-F3F5-
E2A64A5A8BEAADD8&r=1&CFID=14054877&CFTOKEN=60280c99a9596b30-EDA6F518-
C29E-8C0B-0B0765204EBA30DE 2014
American Foundation for Suicide Prevention., Preventing Suicide Warning Signs and
Risk Factors, Preventing Suicide. <http://www.afsp.org/preventing-suicide 2014
McLeod, S., Maslows Hierarchy of Needs Perspectives, Simply Psychology. <
http://www.simplypsychology.org/maslow.html 2014
Goldberg, J., Coping With Greif Mental Health Center, WebMD.
<http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/mental-health-coping-with-grief 2014
Pennsylvania Department of Public Welfare., Mental Health Services, Mental Health
Services, DPW. < http://www.dpw.state.pa.us/foradults/mentalhealthservices/ 24 March 2014