How Stress Management Affects the Work and Relationship of Less-Fortunate Families

The word “stress” is derived from the Latin strictus and the Old French etrace. In the past, the word has been used to designate both a stimulus (a force or pressure that causes distress) and a response to that stimulus (adversity, affliction). Currently, it is used to describe a situation wherein a person suffers an adversity that still persists even after mustering up all the necessary resrouces, threatening their well-being (Auerbach, 1998). Despite this, the so called “eustress” (or “good” or “pleasant” stress), a word coined by Hans Selye during the 1950’s is described as the state wherein a person incorporates the feelings of stress in his work, using the stress as a driving force to ultimately complete a task that is initially daunting.
Stressors are the sources or causes of stress. These include physical, emotional, intellectual, social, economic and spiritual factors (Girdano, et al., 1997). Stress Management is the ability to reduce stress arousal or to cope competently with stressors.
The paper aims to identify the different stessors within the household and explain, in depth, how these factors affect the family dynamics. By the end of the research, the proponents aim to provide several coping methods appropriate for the types of stress families are experiencing.
We have identified verious stressors of parents and children among less-fortunate families. Stressors of parents include financial metters which may involve basic necessities and their children’s school expenses. Those parents who are employed and with multiple jobs might also have stress problems. Children may also be contributors of stress to parents especially when they exhibit rebellion, tantrums, sibling rivalries and failure to help in household chores. Children themselves also have stressors, which may include peer pressure, academic work, extra curricular activities and their parents’ parenting style.

PROPOSITIONS We identified several propositions about the effects of stress. One effect is the conflict between the husband and the wife. A news published online by the Philippine Daily Inquirer last October 16, 2011, reported that a man in Talisay, Cebu, named Emmanuel Ponce killed his own wife, three children, house helper, and even himself. He spared his youngest daughter because it was said that “he loved her so much.” According to the report, the suspect was a former seaman who suffered a head injury and was relieved from work. Ponce was said to have a mental illness. He also had marital problems with his wife, due to her late arrival from work (Napallacan, 2011). We, the researchers, believe that unemployment drove him to insanity and eventually led to this incident.
Another effect of stress is the parent-child conflict. In a report from ABS-CBS online, dated July 4, 2012, a couple, Jessie and Villa Yao was accused of murdering their son John in Leyte. The report said that the parents and the child had a conflict which ended up in a physical confrontation, where the mother threw a padlock at John’s head, while the father mortally stabbed him (Poferrada, 2012). We believe that the incident might rooted from stress over monetary issues.
The next identified positive effect of stress is the resourcefulness of parents. Based on the television commercials such as Western Union, and the observation of the group members, people of lower socio-economic class tend to work more than one job to sustain the needs of the family. For example, a government employee who has a small income with schoolchildren, would look for other sources of income such as selling cured meat products, cellphone credits, gift items, educational and insurance plans. Our group believes that this is an application of eustress because it augment the income of the family. On the other hand, the quality of the main source of the employee in question may be affected due to multitasking.
In Tyrone Solee’s article in Millionaire Acts, he featured an interview with Henry Sy’s daughter, Teresita Sy-Coson. Coson said, “My father’s perseverance during the different crises our country has gone through has made our active business pursuits possible for a half century. True, he was disappointed with the economy many times, but he never saw the reason to quit and instead pursued his goals relentlessly. He had many obstacles – both external and internal – in his business, and there were times he could not understand why things had to be so complicated for him to pursue his business objectives.” The external factor in Mr. Sy’s life was the economic crisis during his time. He used that stress to work hard and pursue his plans in life. Instead of letting stress pull him down, he then used the pressure to work harder and to make sure he achieved his goals. During the 20th Ad Congress of the Universal Robina Corporationt, Mr. John Gokongwei gave a speech about his success story, which started when he lost his dad and had to take the role as the bread winner. “After each day, I would make about 20 pesos in profit! There was enough to feed my siblings and still enough to pour back into the business. The pesos I made in the palengke were the pesos that went into building the business I have today. After this experience, I told myself, “If I can compete with people so much older than me, if I can support my whole family at 15, I can do anything!” Mr. Gokongwei’s perception on stress is similar to Henry Sy’s. However, the stressor in Mt. Gokongwei’s life was internal—a loss of a family member. As mentioned in his speech, when his fatehr died and left them with almost nothing, that was when he felt the need to step up and take care of the family by working hard in order to provide their basic needs. He also mentioned that recently after his father’s death, the parent-child dyad was challenged. Distress and eustress always exist. It’s a matter of choosing how you are going to deal with certain situations caused by stress. According to Mr. Gokongwei, “The important thing to know is that life will always deal us a few bad cards. But we have to play those cards the best we can.”

Bibliography
Auerbach, S. &. (Stress Management). 1998. New Jersey: Prentice-Hall, Inc.
Girdano, A. (1997). Controlling Stress and Tension. Massachussetts: Allyn and Bacon.
Grant, G. (1995). Occupational Stress Among Canadian College Educator: A Review of the Literature. College Quarterly .
Napallacan, J. (2011, October 16). Ex-seaman kills wife, 3 children, maid in Talisay City. Retrieved December 14, 2012, from Philippine Daily Inquirer: http://newsinfo.inquirer.net/77179/ex-seaman-kills-wife-3-children-maid-in-talisay-city
Poferrada, G. (2012, July 4). Parents accused of killing own son in Leyte. Retrieved December 12, 2012, from ABS-CBS News: http://www.abs-cbn news.com/nation/07/04/12/parents-accused-killing-son-leyte
Solee, T. (2009, February 7). Gokongwei Success Story. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from Millionaire Acts: http://www.millionaireacts.com/772/gokongwei-success-story.html
Solee, T. (2009, January 20). Henry Sy Success Story. Retrieved January 9, 2013, from Millionaire Acts: http://www.millionaireacts.com/676/henry-sy-success-story.html