Chapter 12 Stress and Crisis in Relationships

Chapter Sections 12-1 Personal Stress and Crisis Events 12-2 Positive Stress-Management Strategies 12-3 Harmful Stress-Management Strategies 12-4 Family Crisis Examples

Stress and Crisis Events a reaction of the body to substantial or unusual demands Process rather than single event Affects health, relationships, and sex life

Stress and Crisis Events Situation that requires changes in normal patterns of behavior Requires a new set of responses Often called stressors—create stress Examples of crises: losing one’s job, diagnosis of illness, death in the family

Stress and Crisis Events Resiliency: the ability to respond to a crisis in a positive way Family resilience: the successful coping of family members under adversity that enables them to flourish Discussion: What factors lead to resilience? What are the characteristics of resilient families?

Positive Stress-Management Strategies Changing basic values and perspective: finding positive meaning Exercise Network of relationships: friends and relatives Love Religion and Spirituality Sanctification: viewing marriage as having divine character Discussion: How does religion lead to marital quality and successful stress management?

Positive Strategies Biofeedback: process in which information that is relayed back to the brain enables people to change their biological function Humor Sleep Deep muscle relaxation Education Pets Discussion: How do pets help us cope?

Harmful Stress Management Strategies Keeping feelings inside Blaming others Denying or avoiding Men are more likely than women to use potentially harmful strategies.

Family Crisis Examples Physical illness and disability Includes cancer, heart disease, accidents Palliative care: health care focused on the relief of pain and suffering and support for loved ones Increasing obesity of children requires family change. Discussion: How is childhood obesity a source of stress for families?

Family Crisis Mental illness Middle-age crazy Includes depression, anxiety disorder, impulse control Economic cost Relationship costs Middle-age crazy Midlife crisis experienced by less than 25% Usually related to other stressor

Family Crisis Extramarital affair A spouse’s sexual involvement with someone outside the marriage Include brief encounters, paid sex, instrumental affairs, coping mechanisms, paraphiliac affairs, and new love. Extradyadic involvement: emotional or sexual involvement between a member of a pair and someone other than the partner Discussion: Is emotional involvement just as damaging as sexual involvement? Why?

Family Crisis Extramarital affair Reasons for an affair: variety or excitement, workplace friendships, relationship dissatisfaction, revenge, homosexual relationships, absence from partner Affairs have negative effects on health, relationship, and children. Successful recovery involves forgiveness and new commitment to relationship.

Family Crisis Unemployment Substance abuse Often related to other stressors Effects may be more severe for men Substance abuse Adds to individual’s marital and family problems Al-anon: an organization that provides support for family members and friends of alcohol abusers

Family Crisis Death of a family member Deaths that are not expected are more stressful: death of a child, suicide.

Chapter Summary Stress involves a process of responding to demands of the environment. A crisis is a situation that requires changes in the normal patterns of behavior. Resilient families use successful coping strategies. Positive stress-management strategies include: changing perspective, exercise, and having a network of friends and relatives.

Chapter Summary Family crises include: physical illness and disability, mental illness, extradyadic affairs, unemployment, substance abuse, and death of a family member.

Chapter Review What is stress? What is crisis? What is family resilience? What are the positive stress-management strategies? What are the harmful stress-management strategies? What are some examples of family crisis?