Significant Life Events and Coping

SIGNIFICANT LIFE
EVENTS AND
COPING

Table of Contents
QUESTION 1...................................................................................................................................1
Social Network Theory...........................................................................................................1
QUESTION 2...................................................................................................................................4
Gaining Expert Support..........................................................................................................4
Exercise..................................................................................................................................4
Venting...................................................................................................................................5
REFERENCES................................................................................................................................6

QUESTION 1
According to the case study, Maria is an individual who has a husband, John and two
sons. However, the woman has recently been diagnosed with advanced lung cancer which might
not be responses to any treatment given to the individual. Furthermore, her consultant advised
her to be referred to palliative care team, which means that there is an absolute certainty that her
life would end quite sooner than expected.
When such a case happens where an individual experience untimely death, there are
various individuals who might be related or even don’t, get affected. Furthermore, it is highly
necessary to appropriately and effectively analyse the impact of this diagnosis upon the
individual, her husband, as well as her wider social network (Otto, and et. al., 2015). The reason
for the same is to evaluate and assess the likelihood of changes in human behaviour and extent of
care which individuals within wider social networks have for a person such as Maria. However,
it is also an absolute certainty that a theoretical framework is used to analyse the impact which
would be allowing to assess the intensity and likelihood of this phenomena based on the
principles that have been tried, tested and proven in the past.
Social Network Theory
This theory is an active study which is based on how individuals, as well as groups interact
with one another within a formal or informal network. This is a very crucial and effective
framework as it allows individuals to understand the relationships and individuals and impact
which these relationships have on one another (Mousa Thabet and Vostanis, 2017).
To achieve this however, the theory is formulated by dividing the relationships into
elements, where the largest elements are networks and smallest ones are the actors.
Examination of Nodes:
One of the most appropriate ways through which relationships amongst individuals could
be understood are in relation is to think of networks as part of neighbourhoods in which the
individual resides. Moreover, the actors, or the individuals are the nodes of this network and are
interconnected in variety of ways.
Types of Social Network
Social networks could be of different types, depending on the person and the kind of
lifestyle they choose to live. Moreover, in context of Maria, these social networks are important
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