This week in one of my other classes I watched a ted talk called "how to make stress your friend". The woman presenting described a study that had just been published that proved that if you believe that stress is bad for you, then you are greatly affected by the downsides of stress. However, if you believe that your stress responses (sweating, racing heart, etc.) are a good thing, then you are largely unaffected by its negative affects. This is so interesting to me - I have always been so interested by the way just thinking of something can give you a very real physical reaction, and this just reaffirmed my interests in cognitive behavioral therapy.
This week I have also gotten in to the meat of one of my psychology elective classes - it is really very interesting to me how differently the psych department approaches treatment, patient care, and diagnosis than social work does. I also am realizing more and more how much I prefer the systems approach that social work so often takes when working with clients one on one. While I feel like I'm learning a lot about specific disorders and the DSM, I was disappointed in a few things in the psych department. I was most disappointed in the opinions that my psychology major classmates had of social workers. There were a few jokes made about how social workers want to "just make everything better", how we strive for unrealistic "rainbows and butterflies" type goals for out clients, and generally that social work counseling is less effective than a psychological approach. This class discussion made me appreciate more than ever the accepting nature of my classmates in the social work department, though I know that even the most enlightened person will bring their own hang ups and prejudices to the table.
Comment #2 (Blog 5): I really liked the stress Ted Talk!! I swear ever since then, I've tried to look at my stress positively and it really works! It's all mental after all. As for the psychology class, it's really frustrating how Psychology majors think that they're somehow a level above Social Work and Sociology. Honestly, those three majors are probably so related I could easily change my major and not have too many credit problems. I'm currently reading a book on psychiatrists and psychologists' need in "diagnosing" a person. This approach leads to trying to fix the person rather than fixing the problem, which is a big difference in psychology and social work. In my opinion, psychologists are the ones that are unrealistic because no one is perfect, and you shouldn't strive to fix the person.
ReplyDeleteThat was a really cool TED talk! I was actually going to show it to the students I mentor the week we talk about stress! It was a very enlightening talk. But now every time I stress I'm stressed about stressing over the stress! haha What a mind boggling way to think about things!
ReplyDeleteIt is disappointing to learn of those very negative opinions which the psychology majors hold concerning what I know (and know you know) to be the great potential of the social work profession to aid in transforming difficult situations into positive ones. Psychology has that potential, too, of course. Our goals and outcomes would only benefit from working together. It seems when people remain too concerned with the difference in approach then the objective of a stable, collective (etc.) society get very lost in the mess. Thank you for the great insight, Meredith!
ReplyDeleteI have not seen that TED talk, but I will totally look it up. After a week of abnormal amounts of stress, it would be interesting to see how changing my perspective on stress could positively impact my life. Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteI hear you about the different approaches used in the differing fields. I too am taking a psych class and see that the terms may be similar and interchangeable, but the approach is holistically different. I look at it like social work builds collaborative therapeutic alliances, psychology pathologizes and tries to "fix". I know that may be a huge generalization and slightly reductionist, but I feel that there is a noticeable different, not only in the approach, but the attitudes.
ReplyDeleteGreat post, I can't tell you how many times I've had to try and explain myself when I tell others that I'm a social work major, especially when they know I'm pre-med. The general consensus seems to be that social workers; A) Have unrealistic expectations of the world and the people in it, or B) Are simply baby snatchers. Regardless of what other people believe, I'm happy that I'm in this major because of the compassionate and empathetic mindset that it tries to instill in its students.
ReplyDeleteOooh! I really appreciate that perspective on stress. I find myself constantly worrying about my stress which proves to only stress me out more. I think it's especially relevant in light of the upcoming race in February ;)
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