Psychological Issues in the Society

Is it appropriate for the Trump administration to lock out immigrants and build border walls to prevent their entry into the U.S? 

President Trump’s administration has devised immigration policies that observe economic nationalism. His “America First” program focuses on protecting American industries and employees from invasion by foreigners. Trump is trying to create a more balanced U.S. immigration policy around six main areas. First, he is trying to complete America’s border wall with Mexico. Second, his strategy is to deport immigrants who arrived in the U,S as children and who are currently protected under the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program (Wilson & Kirshbaum,2011). Third, Trump’s administration is restricting travel and work visas from eight countries. Fourth, the U.S. president is increasing the screening of refugees. Fifth, he is reviewing the H-1B visa program and curbing legal immigration. 

Why I Disagree with Trump’s Immigration Policies 

Trumps immigration policy is cruel and inhumane because it has separated families at the border and treated children in a bad way. According to Bordere (2017), the Mexican government was at the forefront of rebuking these heinous acts by Trump’s administration, which has zero tolerance to immigrants. The Mexican government further asserted that even though it does not support illegal immigration, it could not engage in acts that violate human rights. A Mexican government official further condemned the U.S agencies handling detained children for poor coordination as they failed to link the children to their parents therefore making the reunification process quite difficult. Apart from that, there are disheartening images of people separating migrant children from their parents demonstrating how migration is separating family members from each other for long periods (Bulmer, 2008). Not only does this cause psychological torture for the immigrants, but it also makes them loose their families. 

Many immigrants are facing difficult situations in their quest to look for a better life. Grabtree et al., 2018 states that people kidnap immigrants; others loose the little resources they have including money while others die because of lack of medical care. Because of such events, many people in the world have aired their views on social media platforms like Face book, twitter and whatsapp, rebuking strongly president Trump’s policies and demanding further action. For instance, one Andres Manuel Lopez, a Mexican left wing presidential candidate termed Trump’s immigrant policies as racist, inhumane and repressive (Davis, 2016). He stated that after the win of his movement, he will defend all migrants who have left their homes in search of greener pastures in the U.S. Andres asserted that Trumps administration was going overboard with the rights of children and this should be a concern not only for Mexico but also for the international community. 

President Trump’s immigration policies have attracted international condemnation from allies and religious leaders including the pope who termed family separations as immoral and contrary to Catholic values. Devine, Meyers & Houssemand (2013) assert that Trump signed an executive order to keep families together in federal custody while awaiting prosecution for illegal border crossings. Several leaders claimed that Trump had overstepped his mandate as they described his actions as cruel and unjust. Some British leaders condemned Trump for locking up children in cages and refusing to unlock them unless he built a wall. 

Trump’s policy of building a wall on the Mexican border to the U.S. threatens the property rights of hundreds of Americans, therefore, has created debate. This is because Trump cannot acquire the land he needs without displacing large numbers of property owners forcibly. Native American tribes and state governments own part of the land. Besides, most of them are unlikely to sell their land. When the U.S government resorts to eminent domain, the result would be the largest condemnations in the modern U.S history (Kteily & Bruneau, 2017). This is because from a number of studies, owners do not get the compensation required by law especially the poor who lack legal sophistication. Similarly, government officials usually play foul by shortchanging such people through employing pressure tactics to make them sell their land below market prices. 

How does the loss of a loved one cause stress? 

Losing a loved one can cause a person physical, psychological and emotional stress. This can be quite a traumatizing part of a person’s life like losing a spouse. Coping with a loss is a deeply personal experience. It is appropriate for a grieving person to allow himself or herself to be overwhelmed with feelings. This is because the loss of a loved one brings unimaginable emotions. Apparently, there are moments when one emotion overpowers other feelings of an individual that they feel like they are losing it. It is vital to remind oneself during the bereaving time that their feelings are important and well within the norm. In addition, Linde et al., 2017 asserts that bereaved people should gather support since their emotions could overwhelm them to a point of depression, a dangerous situation. There are times when a person wants to be t alone, but family, friends, religious leaders and therapists should be present to give them emotional support as well as provide them with physical needs. The death of a loved one leaves a vacuum in the life of a survivor, which a support team should fill temporarily. Furthermore, a bereaved person should allow herself0r himself to undergo the grieving process, as it is part of the healing process. 

People should not set a limit to their grief. Each grieving stage is not only unique but also experienced in order. First, is the denial stage where people find it difficult accepting the loss of their family member (Schunk & Pajares, 2005). At times, they become numb from the experience. Second, is the anger stage where a bereaved individual becomes enraged and furious for the happening event. Such an individual could direct his anger to the physician for not healing the dead family member, he could direct it to the deceased for leaving abruptly or he could blame himself for not being in a position to control the situation from occurring. For Christians, they could question God for allowing death to come to their homes. Third, is the bargaining stage, where the bereaved try negotiating with higher powers, in this case, God, who is in position to give and take life. People tend to make a deal with Him. Fourth, is the depression stage where the bereaved individual mourns his loss and thinks about how life will never be the same again. Fifth, is acceptance, the final bereavement stage (Schunk &Pajares, 2005). In this period, a person faces the reality of life as it is and makes a decision to forge ahead with her life. Loss becomes manageable and people slowly accept God’s will. 

Bereaved people should embrace life after losing their loved ones. According to Linde et al., 2017, while the pain of loss is real and it must be felt, there comes a time when people have to begin living their life once again. It is vital to work through overcoming the death of a loved one. Some people resort to counseling sessions, others participate in extracurricular activities like sports, and others concentrate on their businesses, while others spend time with their families in order to make the healing process simpler. By engaging in such activities, people will find it easy to move forward and embrace life without their loved ones by their side. 

Personal Experience of Loss of a Parent through Death 

I remember vividly the day I lost my father to arthritis. On the day before his death, we went out shopping and to my surprise, he permitted me to pick so many items that I had desired to have unlike before when he used to complain that he did not have enough money. After shopping, we went to a restaurant to have lunch. We had a long chat and he promised to give my siblings and I a better life from what we were living. Thereafter, we went home and I left for school early in the morning. While at school, I received a phone call from my aunt stating that my father was no more as he had succumbed to arthritis. The news brought goose bumps on my body although I did not quite believe it. 

After school arrangement, my tutor accompanied me to the morgue to see my father’s cold and lifeless body. To me, he was just sleeping. Some of my siblings found this situation difficult since some of them fainted just from the sight of looking at our father in the morgue. My mother lost it completely as her blood pressure shot up to the extended that doctors had to admit her at the same hospital. In this case, I had two stresses to manage. Besides, as the first-born child in our family, I had to be strong for my siblings. It was difficult managing the situation that I prayed to God to give me strength. After a day or two when the funeral committee, family members, religious leaders and friends began trickling at home, that is when it began sinking in that my father’s funeral was in preparation. I was at the lowest point of my life that I asked very much alive. I made a deal with Him that if he removed this burden away from me, then I would serve Him for the rest of my life. On the material day when the body arrived from the morgue, I thought that I would die from my overwhelming grief. I thank God that my friends extended family members and therapists were present to offer emotional and physical support. Days later after burial, I took up swimming lessons to keep my mind away from my misery. In addition, I attended guiding and counseling sessions every Monday, Wednesday and Fridays to help me manage my grief. With time, I accepted reality and forged ahead with my life. 

What tactics could a student use in order to improve his or her performance at school? 

Every parent dreams of their children succeeding in their studies in order to have a good future. In this case, parents invest in their children’s education by paying them school fees, purchasing school uniforms for them, picking and dropping them at school every day, purchasing them books to gain more knowledge and engaging in their academic lives by ensuring that they do not miss attending any matters academic of their children (Bulmer, 2008). In this case, children ought to realize that their parents sacrifice a lot on their behalf, therefore ought to devise ways of improving their performance at school. Students can opt to observe the below tactics in order to improve their academic performance. 

Attending School Early Enough 

The early bird catches the worm. The same case applies to a student who prioritizes school matters by showing up early in class in order to read and prepare for the day’s lessons. Such a student has enough time to read previous notes and even read ahead of the teacher so that when the teacher begins lessons on particular topics, she obtains a better understanding of the lessons (Davis, 2016). Besides, the student is able to remember the topics that teachers teach for a long time because of good preparations. 

Asking questions where not understood 

A student who asks questions in a topic where he or she did not understand, attains better knowledge of the lessons. Moreover, the teacher is in a better position to provide explanations so the student gets hold of the difficult part. 

Exercising Keenness at School 

For a student to have better performance at school, she or he should develop the will to listen to the teacher, read regularly and listen to what other students discuss in the classroom. Besides, he should be observant with his class performance in that once he notices his performance has gone down, he can purpose to identify his weak points and work on them for better performance. Similarly, in case of good performance, the student can note his strengths and use them or add up more tactics next time to perform even better. In addition, Grabtree et al., 2018 states that the student can get notes from older students who have already passed through his educational system in order to get an insight as to what is required for his future studies. Thereafter, he can read and compare the notes to obtain more knowledge. 

Observing School Rules 

A good student observes class and school rules. This is essential as it assists them to stick to the right path of the law therefore avoiding confrontations with their teachers. Besides, following class and school rules gives students peace of mind adding concentration in their class work (Schunk & Pajares, 2005). Observation of school rules is a strategy to improve academic performance for students because they create a conducive learning atmosphere for themselves. 

Maintaining Self Discipline 

Self-discipline is the key to any form of success. When a student has discipline, it reflects in their academic performance. Self-discipline entails respecting teachers, other school workers and fellow students. Moreover, it comprises completing all assignments on time, observing classroom and general school rules. It is observing body cleanliness that reflects in books and other class related activities (Wilson & Kirshbaum, 2011). Not only should a student exercise discipline at school, but also at home with parents and other family members. For a student to better his academic work, he must demonstrate high levels of discipline. 

Sacrificing 

Nothing beats success like working more and having little time for relaxation. A student who arrives early at school and leaves late for home can attest to this fact. In order for students to improve their class performance, they must be prepared to put in more effort in their studies. They can consult other teachers for more clarification of their teachings as well as other students who are in a better position to provide them with explanations. Furthermore, Davis (2016) states that the students should sacrifice bad company and stick to good company comprising of students with similar ideas of bettering their performance. 

References  

Bordere, T. (2017). Disenfranchisement and ambiguity in the face of loss: The suffocated grief of sexual assault survivors.  Family relations , 66(1), 29-45. 

Bulmer, S. (2008). New Labour, new European policy? Blair, Brown and utilitarian supranationalism.  Parliamentary Affairs , 61(4), 597-620. 

Crabtree, C., Davenport, C., Chenoweth, E., Moss, D. M., Earl, J., Ritter, E. H., & Sullivan, C. (2018). Contentious Politics in the Trump Era. PS: Political Science & Politics , 51(1), 17-25. 

Davis, S. J. (2016).  An index of global economic policy uncertainty  (No. w22740). National Bureau of Economic Research. 

Devine, M., Meyers, R., & Houssemand, C. (2013). How can coaching make a positive impact within educational settings?.  Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences , 93, 1382-1389. 

Kteily, N., & Bruneau, E. (2017). Backlash: The politics and real-world consequences of minority group dehumanization.  Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin , 43(1), 87-104. 

Linde, K., Treml, J., Steinig, J., Nagl, M., & Kersting, A. (2017). Grief interventions for people bereaved by suicide: A systematic review.  PloS one , 12(6), e0179496. 

Schunk, D. H., & Pajares, F. (2005). Competence perceptions and academic functioning.  Handbook of competence and motivation,  85, 104. 

Wilson, J., & Kirshbaum, M. (2011). Effects of patient death on nursing staff: a literature review.  British journal of nursing,  20(9), 559-563.