Psychological adjustment is a common disorder facing individuals faced with life stressors such as imprisonment, death or the loss of employment among others. The emotional and behavioral reactions to such stressors define the adjustment made or that need to be made in the circumstances (Psychology Today, 2017). By reviewing the story of 15-year-old Marcus who despite his age was tried in adult court, this paper explores the stressors faced by the individuals in the story and discusses ways to help adjust to the stressors for each person.
Marcus Bullock was charged at an adult court at the age of 15 for carjacking with his friend. Growing up in a single parent family, Marcus saw his mother struggle to provide for him and his sibling. He decided to take charge and went ahead to commit a carjacking with a friend. In court, he was prosecuted for the crime as an adult and sentenced to eight years imprisonment. His mother who was a minister retreated to self-blame wondering what she would have done and why she did not foresee the incidence. She became lonely and drew strength to survive the time apart by writing a long letter to his son in prison and sending them to him as well as checking up on him through calls to the wardens at the jail. Marcus served his term and was released from prison and made an app that made it easier for the prisoner to keep in touch with their families while in prison (Hillman and Caballero, 2017). The story demonstrates various stressors that lead to psychological adjustment and require ways to help adjust.
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Adjustment issues evident in the story include facing adult charges while still a child, adjusting to the prison setting more so an adult facility while still a teenager, surviving eight years in prison at a young age as well as readjusting to the world upon release. Initially, Marcus had to adjust to the distress he went through watching his mother work so hard to provide for them that led him to make a decision to join crime. Marcus’s mother also faced various adjustment issues such as adjusting to the separation from her son, the thought of her son in prison with adult criminals and the fact that Marcus was charged as an adult despite his age.
Marcus's mother had to adjust to living without her son and the thought of him in prison. She also had to adjust to becoming a more sensitive and concerned mother from her formerly authoritative self to connect with his son in prison through her letters. On the other hand, Marcus had to adjust to the prison environment away from the care and concern of his mother (Hillman and Caballero, 2017). From the story, the major stressors identified are such as imprisonment, loss of contact with loved ones, exposure to new adverse environments and feelings of failure.
In order to adjust to the adjustment issues as in the case, various evidence based strategies would help enhance adjustments such as counseling, cognitive therapy to tackle thoughts about misattribution in relation to the stressor, exercise, and meditation. Cognitive therapy or strategies focus on tackling the negative thoughts associated with a situation that leads to stress. It involves identifying the stressor and the how much it is affecting the individual to cause stress. After that, the individual the faces the negative thoughts and learns what to accept and what to let go in order to overcome the negative thoughts and ease the stress (Turner and Raphael). Marcus's mother would benefit from cognitive therapy to help her get past the idea that she should have foreseen Marcus distress in watching her struggle to provide and prevented him from getting into crime.
Counseling is another evidence based strategy that would help both Marcus and his mother. Counseling involves talking to a professional about issues that affect an individual who in turn contributes to overcoming the underlying problems. Counseling is based on evidence that one is distressed by situations in their life and is well researched and proven to be an effective strategy in adjustment skills (Life Psychologists, 2016). Marcus underwent a period of stress watching his mother struggle along with raising them. Counseling would have been useful in ensuring that he talked about his feelings and he would have gotten help and talked to his mother about other legal ways he could help. Marcus mother through counseling would have expressed her feelings on her loneliness and help ease the distress of his son serving a prison term.
Meditation and exercise are tested and proven strategies used in dealing with adjustment. Stress leads to tension build up which affects the health of an individual. Exercising and meditating have been proven effective in helping release the tension and frees the mind from intensive thinking. This also helps release negative energy brought by stress as well as a change in environment. Meditation helps one release the mind of negative thoughts and focus on positivity. With the change in environment to a restricted and programmed home set up, Marcus would have benefited from meditation an exercise.
The most efficient strategy under such circumstances would be cognitive therapy to help handle the underlying issues. With the application of cognitive therapy from the beginning, the whole incident would be managed and probably prevent. If Marcus had approached a therapist initially and talked about his issues, he would have dealt with the situation. Cognitive therapy would have aided throughout the sentence to cope with the adjustments for both the mother and Marcus.
In conclusion, management of adjustment issues is critical to preventing the adverse effects of stressors. Strategies such as therapy, counseling, exercising, and meditation has been researched and proven to be effective in helping manage adjustment issues. With the use of evidence of stress and expression of the underlying issues coupled with a willingness to share it is possible to counter the effects of stressful situations and to help cope with major adjustments.
References
Hillman, K. & Caballero, A. (2017). As A Boy In An Adult Prison, His Mother's Letters 'Were Everything. Story Corps . Retrieved on 14 August 2017 from http://www.npr.org/2017/08/11/542648319/as-a-boy-in-an-adult-prison-his-mothers-letters-were-everything.
Life Psychologists. (2016). Adjustment counseling. Life Psychologists Pty. Ltd . Retrieved on 14 August 2017 from http://lifepsych.com.au/adjustment-counselling/.
Psychology Today. (2017). Adjustments Disorder. Sussex Publishers, LLC/ HealthProfs.com . Retrieved on 14 August 2017 from https://www.psychologytoday.com/conditions/adjustment-disorder.
Turner, J. & Raphael, B. Stress Management, and counseling in primary care. MJA practice essentials . Retrieved on 14 August 2017 from http://www.werryworkforce.org/sites/default/files/Stress_Mangement_%28eAMJ%29.pdf.
