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Unit 3 Assignment

Anja Higashibaba

Purdue University Global

HW410 Stress: Critical Issues in Management and Prevention

Type Instructor’s Name

May 11, 2021

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Introduction

Stress plays as a an obstacle for many on the path of human spirituality. Identifying and

understanding these challenges within the self, can assist in managing and eliminating them. This

paper discusses stress as perceived in Tibetan culture primarily through Buddhist practice and

compares similarities of other theorists’ explanations of perceived stress to Buddhist teachings

including Jung and Freud. Lastly, knowing that stress is a product of fear, this paper explores

ways to manage or cope with fear as well as touches upon a more effective communication style

to reduce and resolve stress.

Tibetan Teachings of the Mind and Human Suffering (stress)

Thousands of years before any coined theories of the “ego” and “id”, Tibetan culture

explored the idea of human existence and human suffering. One man now known as Buddha

(the enlightened one) develop the idea that human suffering (or stress) is the result of strong

attachments to negative desires. (Seaward, 2018). When we allow expectations, conditions and

judgements to take over our mindsets, we create human suffering. To eliminate suffering and

stress, meditation is advocated and “domesticating the ego” and detaching from our negative

desires to connect with our higher selves can offer ultimate happiness and eliminate suffering.

According to Buddhist practice, coming into one’s higher self is shedding oneself of ownership

and stepping into collective existence (p. 120).

Comparing Theorists: Freud, Jung and Buddha

Sigmund Freud and Carl Jung, both famous theorists of modern psychology, contain some

similarities to Buddhist teachings of the mind and human suffering (stress). Freud who

conceptualized the purpose of the ego as “to seek pleasure and to avoid pain with regard to our
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biological impulses” and the id is our innate impulses to seek and fulfill our desires. The id could

be compared in Buddhist practice as the strong attachments to negative desires while the ego is

our attempt to detach from these desires and seek our higher selves. Jung’s theory of the second

layer of the unconscious mind that is a collective thought and archetypes can somewhat be

compared to Buddha’s concept of collective, universal “oneness”.

Coping, Managing and Resolving Fear

In all the explanations of these theorists, fear plays the role of initiating stress. There are

six categories of fear: Fear of failure, fear of rejection, fear of the unknown, fear of death, fear of

isolation, and loss of self-dominance (p. 135). Psychologists over the years have developed

strategies to assist individuals to learn to cope, manage and perhaps eliminate fears. Freud’s

approach to combating fear is uncover childhood traumas. Behavioral psychologist, John B.

Watson, suggested coping and relaxation techniques to desensitize oneself to from fear. Another

psychologist, Richard Schwartz approaches fear through as a “part” of a greater web of parts.

Like all parts, fear needs to identified, acknowledged and understood (Good Therapy, 2018).

Joseph Wolpe, another psychologist, developed a technique to desensitize fear through small

increments of exposure until the individual is prepared for full confrontation, systematic, names

“exposure desensitization”. “Systematic desensitization” also developed by Wolpe, was a similar

concept but involves “the process of learning to destress from something by brief, yet safe,

encounters with the stressor” (Seaward, 2018).

Reducing Stress through Improved Communication Style

Improving communication skills can be an effective way to reduce stress individually and

within relationships. This section illustrates five (of many) ways to enhance communication to

reduce stress developed by John Seaward (2018), author of Managing Stress: Principles and
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Strategies for Health and Well-being. The first is to “resolve communication problems when

they arise” (p. 312). Avoidance is a common method to deal with conflict but face-to-face

communication in a timely manner is recommended by Seaward to resolve conflict. The second

is to “Attack issues not people”. During conflict, many people tend to make the entire issue the

identity of the person they are in conflict with. For example, using the phrase, “you lie!” as

opposed to saying, “I can see there as an issue of honesty here. Can we talk about it?” (p. 312). A

third of Seawards’ ways to improve communication skills (to reduce stress) is not putting others

on the defensive. Seaward describes this as taking things personally when they are in conflict.

This is putting words through a lens of their own insecurities which exacerbates

miscommunication. Avoid putting people on the defense and work to not be defensive. Fourthly,

“Establish health boundaries”: You are not obligated to be available to people 24 hours a day, 7

days a week. Create times you do not look at or respond to people on social media or on your

phone. Lastly, learn multilingual communication styles. Everyone has a preference on how they

communicate- learn to adapt to other’s preference in communicating with you (p. 312).

Summary

As illustrated above, identifying stress can be the first steps to coping and managing it.

Different theorists including Tibetan culture and various psychologist have developed concepts

of what stress is and affective strategies to eliminate it. Additionally, we know that fear is often

at the center of stress. Through Seaward’s explanations for healthy communication, we can

identify that good communication can manage or even resolve stress.

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References

Good Therapy. (2018, December 2). Internal Family Systems (IFS). Internal Family Systems

Therapy. https://www.goodtherapy.org/learn-about-therapy/types/internal-family-systems-

therapy.

Seaward, B. (2018). Managing stress: Principles and strategies for health and well-being (9th

ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning.