LIFE FACTORS AND LIFE EVENTS PASS 2

For this assignment I will be explaining the potential effects of five different life factors on the development of an individual. I will also be looking at unpredictable and predictable life events and how they could have an effect on the development of that person. Potential life factors, unpredictable and predictable life events could include:

Employment Income Housing Environment Education Culture Gender Relationships Marriage Parenthood Birth of a child Starting work Retirement Divorce Serious illness or injury Redundancy and unemployment Bereavement Abuse

HOUSING

Having good housing will have a positive affect on growth and development. Your home is a place where you should feel safe a secure so by having good housing conditions and if you live in a nice peaceful area this will make you feel safe and allow you to decorate and stamp your own personality on your home. You will want people to come around to your house because you will have a sense of pride about home which will enable you to keep in contact with your friends and family. Where you live is also important, for younger people living in a urban area will give them access to more social activities and facilities which is important for their own self-esteem and growth and will allow them to make more friends and feel wanted by society. Rural life is often quieter which will suit families with younger children and if you live in a nice rural area then you would be able to do more physical activities, such as walking, playing football, picnics and nice afternoons out and about. Good housing gives you peace of mind, less chance of becoming ill due to poor conditions and a feel good factor which will enable you and your family to live a more enjoyable, stress free life.

A cold and damp home will affect people causing conditions such as bronchitis, asthma and chest complaints which will have a negative affect on their physical health. A lot of people crowded together in one house can lead to accidents, spread of infections, increased stress levels and arguments amongst family members. If you are unhappy where you live then you may become PAGE 2 depressed, feel unsafe , helpless and unwanted by society itself. Although housing conditions have improved over the years many people still live in unsuitable homes which will leave people less inclined to invite friends in as you would be embarrassed about your home. This can lead to isolation with you having little or no support to help you have a better standard of life. This tends to make your life less enjoyable and can have a huge impact on all aspects of your life in general. Stress levels will increase, depression may follow and you will feel like you have no one to turn to for help and support. This can lead to arguments with other residents and anti social behaviour amongst different families which can sometimes escalate to violence which sometimes results in criminal convictions.

EDUCATION

A good education can be very beneficial for a person because it affects job opportunities you have. Higher educational achievement usually give an individual more choice of what type of career or employment they want to have. If you do well at school, college or university, then this can raise your self-esteem and have a good sense of achievement. It also allows you to socialize with your peers which will make you feel wanted and allows you to make new friends and start new relationships. This will have a positive impact on your health and well being and it helps develop independence amongst younger adults.

Good education should be an enjoyable experience in your life leading to increased knowledge, better social, listening, and learning skills which should help you in your search for a good job after you've finished at university, college or school. Lack of education can negatively impact a person growth and development. You will have less chance of getting a higher paid job without further qualifications which will lead to a lower financial prospects in later life.

People who are in further education can suffer from stress because of workload, deadlines, etc, and some students may even be bullied, which can lead to depression, isolation and have a negative impact on their self-esteem. People who have little or no education at all can be very vulnerable and may need further support. This tends to leave people struggling to find a decent job which will make themselves feel unhappy, have no sense of achievement and not feel wanted by society, which can lead to depression, anxiety and a feeling of worthlessness. They will also have less money if they do manage to find a job which often leads them to be unable to put any money away for a pension for later life. Socially they may also find it difficult to communicate with others and they may become isolated and not wanting to mix with others which will leave them feeling unhappy.

EMPLOYMENT

Having a good job you enjoy and that may also be well paid can have positive affects on a persons life. A well paid job can lead to better housing, good lifestyle, better diet and you will feel like a valued member of staff if you have good employers. If your happy at work then you are often more capable to cope with difficult situations in your personal life or home time. Good employment gives you the opportunity to live a more stable life and a healthier lifestyle which helps reduce stress, makes you feel wanted, better self-esteem and self-confidence and a much better standard of living. This allows you to express your feeling more and usually leads to a happier family surrounding. You will be more capable of doing more activities with family and friends like going on day trips out and holidays together which will allow you to have a much more fulfilling social life. This should make your life more enjoyable, fun, gives you a sense of achievement and you have better access to further education for either yourself or your children as they grow up.

The negative affects of poor employment are that single parents may find it hard to find suitable PAGE 3 work that fits around their children's school hours. Part time work is usually low paid and under valued which can have an impact on your self-confidence and self-esteem. Childcare is also expensive at the moment which leaves parents financially worse off than if they was out of work altogether. People who work for the emergency services or have dangerous jobs are often dealing with difficult situations on a regular basis which can lead to stress and depression or even anxiety. Other professions such as teachers, nurses and doctors can be subjected to violent attacks which will make them feel vulnerable, either physically or emotionally.

Office and factory workers can suffer from repetitive strain injuries in their backs, necks, eyes and this could lead to further illnesses in later life. Workers who have work overload, deadlines and added pressures can be subject to depression and anxiety will can be debilitating both physically and emotionally. All these negative affects can lead to ill health and sometimes even death. Having poor employment leaves a person feeling unwanted, less valued member of society and increases stress levels, leading to a general unhappy life which will only get worse if the person doesn't address the issue, such as finding a different job, re training to start a new career or seeking help from their doctor, family/friends or other medical professionals who may be able to give them the help and support they need at this difficult time.

INCOME

Income is the money a person has to pay for what they need to live their life. If a family or person has a good income then they can afford to do things that they want to do. This will allow them to have a healthy lifestyle by doing things like going to the gym, plenty of holidays, beauty treatments and eating a healthy diet. This lifestyle should help a person to feel less stressed, have a better education, have piece of mind and enables them to enjoy themselves a lot more. This will give them a sense of achievement, they will feel good and live a more enjoyable life because they will have a much better social life with family and friends. Having a good income gives you more opportunities to do the thing you want to do with your life.

Having a poor income will have a negative affect on a family or persons life. You could find yourself getting into debt and struggle to pay your bills on time, you are more likely to have a poor diet with eating fast food more often which will possibly lead you to gaining more weight. You wouldn't be able too afford to do the things you wanted to do like going to the gym, socializing with friends and family and your more likely to have a poorer education because you wouldn't be able to afford tuition fee's for further education if you had a low paid job. All these negative affects will have a knock on affect which could lead to boredom, depression, mood swings, being unhappy, suicidal and general poor self-esteem. You may also become envious of others, you wouldn't have any spare money to have a healthy social life with other friends and family which could lead you to becoming reclusive.

CULTURE

Culture involves the pattern of behaviour and thinking shared by people living in a group. Families and groups can also be influenced by the culture that surrounds them. This could be either a persons beliefs, language, religion, the way they dress or the rules that a certain group lives by. People can be labelled or categorised in different ways such as, social class, race, ethnicity or their religion. Each group can have different values about what in life seems important to them but all cultures have norms, which are the expectations of how people behave in society and if these norms are not followed then you could be ignored by your peer group which could affect your self-esteem and make you feel isolated, even amongst your own culture.

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Other sanctions imposed by society for not following the norms expected by everyone include fines, warning from the police or even being sent to prison if you've done something particularly bad. Rituals are carried out by all societies and can be different depending on what beliefs and culture you belong too. This can be simple things like good manners but others are things such as wedding ceremonies, funerals or attending church, mosques or monastery's. Cultures amongst society can be a very positive thing and helps people grow and gives them a guideline of what they and their families should aspire too. It can make you feel wanted by your own culture which gives you a feeling on being accepted within your group and you can get plenty of support from other family members or friends who follow the same culture.

In the U.K we have a multicultural society which I think is a great thing to have but it can sometimes cause problems. People don't always understand the ways of other societies because of their different cultures which can create a culture clash. It can cause problems between generations within the same culture as parents may have different expectations from their children on how to conduct their lives. Different cultures can also clash, sometimes because they don't understand each others different beliefs on how they want to live their lives. This may lead to civil unrest, fighting and an increased tension, particularly in certain overcrowded urban areas.

UNPREDICTABLE LIFE EVENTS PASS 3

Unpredictable life events can happen at anytime of your life and most of them are negative. You might become ill or sustain a serious injury due to an accident. Some of these illnesses may be genetic, developmental or environmental and will have a big impact on your own independence. You may also develop a mental disability such as depression, anxiety or other serious mental illnesses which are often ignored by people who don't understand your own situation or illness. There are some positives however and there are many support groups out there to help you with these illnesses which people find very helpful during this distressing time of their life's.

REDUNDANCY

Redundancy and unemployment can happen at anytime and this can have a huge impact on how you live your life. Suddenly you may find yourself short of money, can't pay any bills and you might even become bankrupt. There are many adjustments that need to be made at this time and this can cause added pressure amongst other family members. You might also loss your sense of identity, have low self-confidence, self-esteem and feel very vulnerable at this stage but it also gives you a chance to retrain or find a new job that you really like, so its not all bad.

DIVORCE

Divorce is another unpredictable life event which will generally have a negative effect on your life and your family. Once you and your partner have split up then you often find that you are both financially worse off and adjustments need to be made to help you cope with divorce. Arrangements for children are made so that they are able to spend time with both parents, with many children find this to be a very upsetting and stressful time in their life's. This can be a time for you to find a new partner which can be a positive thing but may also require many readjustments for you and your family.

PREDICTABLE LIFE EVENTS

Predictable life events, such as starting school, going through puberty and retiring from work, often mark a transition from one stage of life to another, acting as milestones in our personal PAGE 5 development. Predictable life events have both a positive and negative effect on your life. This can be different for each person or family depending on your own circumstances.

LEAVING HOME AND MARRIAGE

When a person reaches adulthood(18 years +), this could be the time when they start to leave the family home. This gives them a feeling of independence and more control over their own life's. This could also be the time when they start a new relationship or even consider getting married which gives them a chance to share life with someone who cares and loves them. The negative side of leaving home and getting married is that you may start to have financial concerns such as paying rent, council tax and other bills to keep on top of, which can cause a lot of stress and might leave you in debt. When your married you have to make compromises with your partner and work together to keep your relationship positive. This could mean that you might not have as much spare social time to spend with your other close friends, which can cause arguments and disagreements between you and your partner.

BEREAVEMENT

Bereavement can happen at anytime but is mostly a predictable life event and can have a big impact on how you see yourself. A family member or close friend may pass away which can leave you feeling very sad and you go through a grieving process to help you cope with these situations. There will be sadness, anger or guilt at this time depending on the circumstances and adjustments might need to be made in your life to help you get through such a distressing time. This can also make you appreciate what you have in your life and you may feel that you have to get on with things and make the most of what you have in your life. Death is often a distressing time in your life but can also bring families closer together and new bonds can be made.