Sunday, April 15, 2001		Stressbusters

OUR master system responds with any (and sometimes all) of three major types of reactions:

Mobilisation: Preparing us for active defence.

Inhibition: Curtailing risky behaviour, buying time.

Demobilisation: Deactivating the motor system, becoming helpless.

• We all live in both a public and a private world. Within these two worlds we attempt a balance between our social self and individual self.

Public world (social self)

• Public world includes our colleagues at work, clubs and organisation in which we serve/work.

• Our social self depends on interactions with other people for achieving goals, solving problems and survival.

• Our social self can be threatened in public world by possible loss of things that are socially gratifying.

• These include being isolated from the group, not being accepted by the group.

• Threats to our identity, success, recognition, esteem and achievement all represent dangers.

• We feel devalued by depreciation, defeat or domination.
  

Private world (individual self)

• Private world includes people in our family and our close friends.

• Our individual self needs others for: intimacy, sharing, understanding, approval and affection.

• In the private world our individual self can be threatened by loss or negative interactions with people.

• The worst possible threats are disapproval, rejection and desertion.

• The possibility of disability, dysfunction, disease is the worst possible threat.

• These possibilities are triggered by loss of control and loss of self mastery.

Reaching your potential independence, creativity and self-expression.

Responsibility, self-respect recognition and sense of accomplishment.

Companionship, acceptance, love and affection and group membership.

Security for self and possessions, avoidance of risks, avoidance of harm and avoidance of pain.

Food, clothing, housing, comfort and self-preservation.

Involvement in planning your work, freedom to make decisions affecting your work and opportunities for growth and development.

Merit awards, challenging work, sharing in decisions and opportunity for advancement.

Opportunities for interaction with others, acceptance, love and affection and group membership.

Safe working conditions, maintaining seniority, fringe benefits, sound organisational policies and programmes and practices.

Pleasant working conditions, adequate salary and rewards, holidays, efficient working devices, and efficient work methods.