Positivism

IOBC Module 2 Lesson 2.6

“Spreading the Good Vibes”

Let us all perform a short
stretching exercise.
Part 1: Life Coping Mechanism
IOBC Module 2 Lesson 2.6

How do you cope in your life’s problems,

challenges, issues and stresses?
Exercise: Individual Writing

Major Work-Related Stress RANK How do you cope?

Intimidating “Boss” 2 I tell stories about my friends

outside of my work
Work-mate’s professional 1 Try to win sympathy from other
jealousy work-mates
… and so on … … and so on …
Definition of Terms
Term Definition
Appraisal The act or an instance of appraising (assessment of the
worth, value or quality)
Primary Appraisal It is about the choice we make to frame and alter our
perception
Secondary Appraisal Developing the ability to reassess and ask oneself if
there is anything that can be done about a life event
that have been appraised as “stressful”
Stress The emotional and physical strain caused by a person’s
response to pressure from the outside world.
Coping Skills The ability of a person to handle life’s challenges in the
most effective ways, maximizing chances of success or
survival, and minimizing the damages and other
negative consequences.
Definition of Terms
Term Definition
Chronic Stress Mentally or emotionally disruptive or upsetting
condition in response to adverse pressure being
suffered for a prolonged period over which an
individual perceives he or she has no control. If this
continues for a longer time, it can cause damage to
both physical and mental health
Trauma Describes the experiences or situations that are
emotionally painful and distressing, and that
overwhelm people’s ability to cope, leaving them
powerless. It also sometimes been defined in reference
to circumstances that are outside the realm of normal
human experience.
Performance Objectives

1. Identify personal stressors that can affect work and

may create long term effects.
2. Evaluate which life coping mechanism can work best
for an individual.
Murphy’s Law

"If anything can go wrong, it will”

General Classification of Stressors

Internal

Stressors
Inherent

External
Alternative Appraisal

Secondary
Appraisal
 Altering
 Re-assess situation Perception
Primary  Choosing the
 Alter behavior to Appraisal
adapt to a situation appropriate frame
of mind

Life Coping Skills

Coping Mechanisms

Emotion
Actions
s

Coping
Skills

Actions + Emotions = Coping Skills => Self-Efficacy

What is Self Efficacy?
 This is a confident belief that the responses a
person makes to challenges have a meaningful
effect. People with strong self-efficacy face
problems with energy and enthusiasm and a
“try and try again spirit.”

This quality can be developed and built over the

years by responding to challenges with action,
flexibility and persistence.
Developing Self-Efficacy

 Responding to challenges It is a quality that

can be developed
 Flexibility and built through
the years by
 Persistence accumulating
positive experiences.
How can we build / continually
increase our self-efficacy and
cope with our personal and
work-related problems?
Building/Increasing Self-Efficacy
 Living a life of goals
 What do I want to achieve upon retirement?
 What do I want to leave as a legacy to my family, friends and
even to the society at large, if any?
 Setting reasonable goals
 How do I see my life a year from now? 3 years? 5 years?
 Finding good role models
 Who to I consider role models?
 Who influences my thinking, feeling and action?
 Talking to one’s self positively
 In moments of silence, what are my thoughts?
 Remembering that it all takes energy and effort to succeed
 What can I do to increase energy and give better efforts?
Exercise: Reflection

Listen to the short story, “The Rider and His Shadow.”

You may take down notes, if you wish. Reflect upon it.
Exercise: Reflection
Reflections
Past Experiences that may have
caused unpleasant memories…
Present Challenges bothering me
today…
Image of a Future that I wish not to
happen…
Emotional Observations
I feel angry…
Anxious that it may not be finished
today and this will get the ire of the
boss…
I fear that for the future of my
family…
The Three Pathways

These are the pathways to suffering, but these also serve as

channels to a life of peace – with oneself and with others. These
pathways can help detect deep-lying causes of chronic stress.

 Past => Memories

 Present => Perception

 Future => Imagination

These 3 pathways have corresponding emotional disturbances

that are psychosomatically expressed as forms of stress.
Emotional Intelligence

 Emotions are essentially messages from the inner brain to

the consciousness. These messages use a different language
than the thoughts, the language of physical sensations in the
body.

 Emotions can carry valuable clues for finding solutions and

navigating through the most difficult problems that an
individual may face, if a person learns to read them properly.

 Emotions can turn highly destructive if mishandled.

Four Categories that Causes Stress in
Police Work
1. Stresses inherent in police work.
2. Stresses arising internally from police department
practices and policies.
3. External stresses stemming from the criminal justice
system and the society at large.
4. Internal stresses confronting individual officers
Other Source of Stress in Police Work

 Threats to officer’s health and safety

 Boredom, alternating with the need for sudden alertness and
mobilized energy
 Responsibility for protecting the life of others
 Continual exposure to people in pain or distress
 The need to control emotions even when provoked
 The presence of gun, even during off-duty hours
 The fragmented nature of police work (occurs on rare
opportunities to follow cases to conclusion or even obtain
feedback or follow-up information)
 Administrative policies and procedures
Other Source of Stress in Police Work
(cont’n.)
 Internal investigation practices creates the feeling of being
watched and not trusted
 Criminal justice system where the obligation to appear in
court interferes with work assignments, personal time and
even sleeping schedules
 Lack of rewards for good job performance, insufficient
training, and excessive paperwork
 Distorted and or unfavorable news accounts of incidents
involving police
Stresses on Women in the Police Force

 Facing disapproval from fellow officers and from family and

friends for entering police work

 Supervisors, peers and the public questions women officers’

ability to handle the emotional and physical rigors of the job

 The need to “prove themselves” to male officers and to the

public
Exercise: Plenary Discussion

Low Level Stressor Medium Level Stressor High Level Stressor

Paper Works “rush” jobs Boss

Early reporting time New promotional policy Intimidating prosecutor

… and so on … … and so on … … and so on …

In summary

 Constant exposure to traumatic events causes indirect or direct

stress to an individual. The need to identify and recognize
stressors early on can prevent or minimize negative impact to a
person.

 Emotions can turn highly destructive if mishandled. The need

to understand negative feelings and control these emotions
during times of distress is crucial to police work. Reflecting on
the three pathways can help in this detection.

 People with strong self-efficacy face problems with energy and

enthusiasm and a “try and try again spirit”.
Part 2: Managing Stress
IOBC Module 2 Lesson 2.6

How do you manage your stress?

Exercise

Identify realistic plan without disrupting work / routine

Major Work-Related Stress Short Term Medium Long Term

Plan Term Plan Plan
Intimidating “Boss” evade Overcome Paradigm shift
weaknesses
told by Boss

Work-mate’s professional ignore Appraise job Establish

jealousy performance friendship
once in a
while
… and so on …
Performance Objectives

1. Develop a practical stress management plan that will

help you cope with the stressors related to your work.
2. Prepare self-improvement strategies that will improve
the quality of your mental, physical and emotional
state.
Stress Management

The ability to manage stress is when an individual is able to

maintain and retain control when people and events make
excessive demands and during distressful period .

The operative word is the “ability to maintain control.”

One important key to managing stress is the early detection of

the causes of stress.
General Symptoms of Stress

 Inability to sleep at night or oversleeping

 Seeking comfort food or lack of appetite
 Escape through alcohol, drugs or other destructive substances
 Erratic or compulsive behavior
 Exhaustion
 Headaches
 Feelings of alarm, frustration or apathy
Vicious Cycle of Negative Coping for
Stress

Uncontrolled Self-inflicted
emotions abuse

Exhibiting
negative Apathy
behavior

How do you get out of this vicious cycle?

 Things to Remember When Managing
Stress
Primary Appraisal Secondary Appraisal
Look around Set realistic goals for yourself
   
See if there really is something you canReduce the number of events going on
change or control in the situation in your life and you may reduce the
circuit overload
Remove yourself from the stressful Do not overwhelm yourself
situation  
  Handle each task as it comes, or
Give yourself a break if only for a few selectively deal with matters in some
moments daily priority
Things to Remember When
Managing Stress (cont’n.)
Primary Appraisal
Don't sweat the small stuff
Try to prioritize a few truly
important things and let the
rest slide
Secondary Appraisal
Learn how to best relax yourself
Meditation and breathing exercises have
been proven to be very effective in
controlling stress. Practice clearing your
mind of disturbing thoughts.
 Things to Remember When
Managing Stress (cont’n.)
Primary Appraisal
Selectively change the way
you react, but not too much at
one time.
 
Focus on one troublesome thing
and manage your reactions to
it/him/her
Secondary Appraisal
Change the way you see your situation by
seeking alternative viewpoints
 
Stress is a reaction to events and problems,
and you can lock yourself in to one way of
viewing your situation. Seek an outside
perspective of the situation, compare it with
yours and perhaps lessen your reaction to
these conditions.
 Things to Remember When
Managing Stress (cont’n.)
Primary Appraisal Secondary Appraisal
Avoid extreme reactions Do something for others to help get your
  mind off your self
   
Why hate when a little dislike Redirect your energy and focus on something
will do? Why generate anxiety else
when you can be nervous? Why
rage when anger will do the
job? Why be depressed when
you can just be sad?
 
 Things to Remember When
Managing Stress (cont’n.)
Primary Appraisal
Get enough sleep
Lack of rest just aggravates
stress
Avoid self-medication or
escape through alcohol or
drugs
 
Alcohol and drugs can mask
stress. They do not help deal
with the problems
Secondary Appraisal
Work off stress with physical activity
Use physical activity that will use excess
energy or something that can ease tension
Begin to manage the effects of stress
 
 
This is a long range strategy of adapting to
your situation, and the effects of stress in
your life. Try to isolate and work with one
"effect" at a time. Don't overwhelm yourself.
For example, if you are not sleeping well, seek
help on this one problem.
 Things to Remember When
Managing Stress (cont’n.)
Primary Appraisal
Try to "use" stress
If you cannot remedy, nor
escape from what is bothering
you, flow with it and try to use it
in a productive way.
Secondary Appraisal
Try to be positive
Give yourself messages as to how well you
can cope rather than how horrible everything
is going to be. "Stress can actually help
memory, provided it is short-term and not too
severe.
Exercise: Role Playing

Divide into four (4) groups.

Think of a stressful situation related to your work.

Convert that situation into an entertaining skit.

Limit skit presentation to 10 minutes.

Before presenting, briefly explain the situation and the

roles of the actors.
In summary

 Stress management is a methodical process where an

individual’s ability to sift through priorities can be crucial.

 One of the key elements in being able to cope and manage

stress is also having a higher emotional quotient.

 An important key to managing stress is its early detection.

 Accepting that there are many stressful life events and seeking
alternative solutions will help develop the ability to have
stronger coping skills. Sometimes, a paradigm shift is
necessary.
Bonus: Relaxation Techniques

1. External Relaxation

2. Internal Relaxation

3. Mental Relaxation

4. Experience of Peace
Published 2011
Published 2011
Published 2011
Published 2011
 “Namer of thousand names, maker of meanings,
transformer of the world, your parents and the
parents of your parents continue in you.
You are not a fallen star but a brilliant arrow flying
toward the heavens. You are the meaning of the
world, and when you clarify your meaning, you
illuminate the earth. When you lose your meaning,
the earth becomes darkened and the abyss opens.

I cannot ask you to go further, but neither should it

offend if I declare, “Love the reality you build and
not even death will halt your flight!”

- Silo