Intervention Theories in Sociological Context Essay

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Introduction

The goal of interventionist theories is to improve or fix the situation of an individual or group. These concepts have been used to lessen distress and improve the lives of social workers. Ideas for interventions tend to boost output in a wide range of contexts. Individuals might benefit greatly from the regular application of these ideas to emotion regulation. Those ideas teach individuals to become self-aware, recognize their strengths and limitations, likes and dislikes, and make choices that improve their lives (Costanza et al., 2021). Self-awareness helps one cope with difficult circumstances without harming others. Theories such as psychodynamics, interpersonal relationships, and attachment studies are all good examples. This research examines Intervention theorizing, which has helped alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, bolstering self-assurance, teaching anger management skills, and preventing acts of self-harm.

Social Learning Theory

This theory is used as an intervention method because it helps people recognize the origin of their issues and help to break habits that negatively affect or even harm them. This theory enables people to observe other people’s behavior in social contexts (Wolstein, 1975). This theory involves using imitation to help a person achieve her goals. This method can positively impact a person’s life depending on whom they want to imitate (Yalom, 2020). If a person imitates, a person who has been successful in his specialty career-wise may obtain traits needed to achieve specific goals (Korfmacher, 2022). People learn through observation; new behavior is adopted by observing how people behave. This theory enables people to learn how to behave in the workplace and thus practice intervention theories that positively impact a client’s behavior.

Interpersonal Theory

The interpersonal theory treats depression and other disorders by emphasizing the importance of healthy relationships and social interactions. The ability to comprehend one’s own and other people’s emotional experiences is a key benefit of this theoretical framework. As a bonus, treating mood disorders may help individuals learn to regulate their emotions, enhancing their relationships and reducing their overall anxiety and depression (Constanza et al., 2021). With these interventions, clients may get relief from their emotional suffering, which provides them with tools for dealing with interpersonal difficulties, including social isolation and unproductive relationship formation (Ganzer, 2007). It also significantly aids clients in learning how to manage unresolved grief, especially if the source of depression has been linked to the death of a loved one, whether it happened recently or in the past.

This approach may help those struggling due to life changes like retirement, divorce, or job loss learn effective coping mechanisms (Constanza et al., 2021). In the wake of a job loss, many find themselves in a gloomy state of mind because they fear they will no longer be able to maintain the comfortable lifestyle they formerly did. The loss of a job profoundly affects a person’s standard of living, even if they are barely scraping by (Ganzer, 2007). Divorce may lead to depression because one partner may have been hurt and forced to get a divorce, resulting in distress and even causing mental disorders (Miyagawa & Kanemasa, 2022). The interpersonal theory helps these people to be able to accept the situation and teaches them how to handle their feelings and control their moods.

People face distress due to retirement mainly because they might not have been financially prepared. They are primarily afraid of the mysterious lifestyle and will be forced to live without any income source. Others may be too attached to their jobs and the environment such that they may not withstand to leave their jobs (Applegate, 1993). These people can be taught how to manage their emotions and be able to lead an everyday life after they learn how to manage their feelings correctly. They also learn how to manage their social relationships, avoid social isolation, and reduce the severity of distress and anxiety (Miyagawa & Kanemasa, 2022). Social workers use this interventionist framework to deduce a client’s characteristics and background. As professionals, they also educate their clients on how to improve their lives via better self-awareness, behavior, and decision-making.

Attachment Theory

This theory is a psychosocial explanation for human bonding, mainly focusing on emotional engagement. Attachments mostly occur in families, romantic relationships, long-term partnerships, and even relationships with a stranger. According to Freud, children are dependent and acquire positive associations with caregivers during feeding (Costanza et al., 2021). The ability of a caregiver to identify their child’s needs and learn and interpret their moods during a stressful situation provides and teaches non-innate self-regulation to the infant (Korfmacher, 2022). Attachment styles are divided into three categories: avoidance, security, and anxiety.

Anxiety attachment style

Anxiety style is composed of insecurity and fear regarding love, care, and intimacy. People who suffer from this are those that experienced stress from their caregivers when they were young and growing up (Miyagawa & Kanemasa, 2022). In most cases, this is due to the feeling that no one understands or cares about what you have accomplished or will be there for you when you need someone to open up to and let them see your weak spots. A person’s feelings of worthlessness, confidence, security, and misunderstanding all suffer due to this (Ganzer, 2007). This individual spends much time thinking negatively rather than working to better themselves and the world around them (Wolstein, 1975). This is because traumatic experiences dominate their recollection, associating all their past recollections with anguish. People who spend their time contemplating their feelings rather than working on mastering them are destined to remain emotionally stunted.

Avoidance attachment style

Avoidance attachment style is characterized by ignorance of painful and negative emotions. People entitled to this attachment style practiced this when they were infants because their caregivers did not act as a reliable source when they were in distress as children. As a result, they avoided their caregivers and practiced detachment (Ganzer, 2007). The kind of people who exhibit this attachment style cannot deal with their distress and always avoid their sources of distress (Applegate, 1993). They are also unable to access their pain and associated pain and sadness. They always feel suspicious and are very likely too distant from others and unlikely to have friends due to their inability to trust people (Ganzer, 2007). People with this behavior unexpectedly burst out in anger and hostility, displaying a conscience and unconscienced responses. These people may end up depressed when they fail to deal with their emotional distress due to piling up their emotions.

Security attachment style

The security attachment style is for people who can deal with painful situations and emotions healthily. This attachment style is possessed by people raised by caregivers who act as a secure and allow them to be vulnerable in times of distress (Goldstein, 2001). They identified their emotions, learned the infant’s feelings, emotions, and needs, and acted competently (Ganzer, 2007). Through this, an infant gains a base of security from their caregiver, and as a result, one can feel likeable, good-natured, and friendly. People with a secure attachment style are more likely to perceive stress as less threatening than people with a negative attachment style (Goldstein, 2001). This is mainly because they can trust people with their emotions and are thus likely to seek help from the relevant people or professionals. These people may significantly assist them in dealing with their distress and reduce the severity of their stress levels. People with this attachment style are more able to resolve conflicts because they have empathy and can express their anger with control and without being hostile.

Caregivers should be encouraged to use this type of intervention theory because they significantly impact how the infants they raise can become reliable citizens of the country. Furthermore, be able to relate well with people without causing conflict, be confident, and learn how to interact with others peacefully from their early childhood stages (Goldstein, 2001). People who experience a negative attachment style should also learn how to deal with emotions. Social workers use the attachment theory to understand a client challenge they might have faced while growing up that makes them behave in a certain way and thus be able to assist them.

Ego Psychology Theory

This theory can be used in intervention to a group of people to enhance, mobilize and also modify inner capabilities (Wolstein, 1975). When one learns to control their ego, they can make decisions they benefit from. Ego psychology can help one to be more self-aware, and as a result, one can control their feelings, thoughts, and emotions (Korfmacher, 2022). It also enables one to recognize their defense mechanisms and how to deal with their issues in a healthy way to avoid them (Goldstein, 2001). Reaction creation, in which an individual acts on impulses even when they are inappropriate, is one example of a defensive mechanism; others include projection, sublimation, displacement, and dissociation.

The ego is crucial to maintaining sound mental health. The ego plays several important functions, including the capacity to check one’s assumptions against actual events. The ego makes it possible for a person to know which of these they are, allowing them to form an identity and an outlook on the world (Costanza et al., 2021). The ego controls both conscious and subconscious mental processes since it has insight into circumstances and can make decisions about appropriate action.

Egoism also facilitates emotional regulation and the mastery of one’s defenses. The goal of ego psychology is to help people learn more about themselves, their ideas, and the potential outcomes of their actions in terms of their mental health (Applegate, 1993). Perhaps she needs professional help if her ego is making poor decisions about her life. Mastering the art of dealing with one’s emotions during stress may help one gain a sense of personal mastery and better guard their ego from the damaging effects of emotions (Ganzer, 2007). Teaching one how to alter their behavior, this form of intervention may enhance one’s psychological health. It may help you reach your goals by helping you overcome negative tendencies and building up your self-assurance. Social workers use this intervention method because they enable clients to learn which traits they possess and why (Korfmacher, 2022). Clients acquire insight into who they are and how they operate, and as a result, they can better trust themselves and their judgment when making important choices.

Object Relation Theory

This internal relation is between a person and other people. The relationship one has with their mothers significantly affects how one will behave in the future because our relationship skills are rooted in our relationships as children with our parents, especially mothers (Applegate, 1993). If a child is exposed to neglect and inattention by their caregivers, they may be stagnated to such traits even when they grow up. Furthermore, they may act the same way as their spouses and friends and be isolated due to such behavior. According to Goldstein (1995), caregivers should be more competent in caring for infants and children. As a result, they may learn how to behave and interact with people and learn how to resolve issues in times of conflict to avoid losing friends and having unsuccessful relationships.

This theory mainly depends on the therapeutic relationship between the patient and the therapist. The relationship should be based on trust, security, and openness as they examine the patient’s inner world (Goldstein, 1995). Modern object relation theory suggests that in case of any conflict around sexual or aggressive impulses, the object may be embedded in an internalized object relation which may bring a sense of hatred (Wolstein, 1975). Object relation therapy can help a person to improve their relationships with others.

Social workers use object relation therapy because it focuses on enabling one to be more self-aware by internalizing their past images. The therapy also teaches how to address their traumatic childhoods and learn how to live and relate with people without neglecting them and being inattentive due to lack of being taken proper care of or being abandoned (Watkins, 2022). Addressing those issues enables one to learn the importance of being in relationships and how to maintain them. Social workers can identify why a person may not be able to maintain healthy relationships by learning if they have any traumatic experiences as children.

Psychodynamic Theory

The psychodynamic approach deals with the traumatic issues that people face as children, which may be covered in the unconscious part of the ego (Noonan,1998). This approach or therapy enables one to uncover the traumatic experiences they had as children that may affect how they behave as adults. Many assume they may forget those memories, although they are not forgotten. Instead, they are typically stored in the subconscious part of the brain that therapists aim to uncover (Wolstein, 1975). Short-term psychodynamic therapy can also be used to treat substance abuse disorders. Many people may abuse alcohol or substances to forget their problems and also wish that people may accept them the way they are. This is mainly because they might have been abandoned as children and did not receive proper care, leading to feeling unwanted and unconfident.

This therapy teaches people that therapy is essential and that they may act in a certain way that is not right mainly because of the painful memories they experienced as children (Noonan,1998). Facing traumatic experiences as a child significantly impacts how people behave in the future, and thus caregivers should be attentive to their children and show them they are important and wanted. In return, they can be vulnerable in distress to someone they trust (Berzoff et al., 2021). When people learn how to deal with traumatic experiences, they become self-aware. As a result, they can manage themselves, make decisions not based on their traumatic experiences, and lead healthy lifestyles. Psychosocial theory enables a social worker to understand what psychosocial stages make the client behave in a certain way due to challenges they may be undergoing while in different stages.

Self-Psychology Theory

The self-psychology theory focuses on enabling people to develop empathy which is a fundamental component of healthy development. Most therapists use the self-psychology theory to determine if the patient might have faced traumatic experiences which significantly determine a person’s personality (Constanza et al., 2021). Self is defined as the center of an individual’s universe and thus plays a vital role in determining a person’s traits and capability to control emotions in different situations (Singer, 2016). People who exhibit a healthy self-psychology are more likely to be consistent and learn how to self-regulate themselves.

Caregivers play a vital role in how children may turn out to show their empathetic skills. Caregivers who show empathy to their children enable them to grow up with a sense of worth and confidence. Caregivers who neglect their children make them have low self-esteem due to a lack of being exposed to empathetic care (Levenson, 1996). As a result, children may become reliable to others as they seek to find out if they will feel wanted by others. People who are narcissist behavior lack empathy, and thus therapists focus on learning a person’s experiences to learn the result of such behavior (Davies, 2004). When people lack empathy, they are less likely to have friends because they lack understanding of maintaining relationships and showing love to people.

The self-psychology theory is relevant because it enables therapists to understand the origin of negative traits. Therapists help people understand their inner selves, thoughts, and feelings (Bromberg 2010). As a result, people learn how to regulate their emotions in terms of distress to avoid ending up depressed (Greenberg et al., 2018). The self-psychology theory is an excellent method that cannot assist people in learning how to control their feelings and emotions, and one can then make better decisions and achieve their goals. Social workers use this theory to enable people to become more aware of themselves and how to control their emotions and also help people to identify their capabilities. Social workers often use this theory because people can recognize who they are internally and understand the origin of their behavior.

Conclusion

Intervention theories positively impact people on how they should behave correctly without being hostile to others. Those theories enable one to understand how to control their feelings and emotions and take proper care of others. This will then enable the caregivers to give a valuable guide to children on how to deal with distress and how to control their emotions. Educating them that they are not supposed to hide their feelings and pile them up, which will lead to depression, is essential People who face trauma also have a chance of adopting healthy habits in how they relate to people and control their emotions. The therapy I advisable to all people so that a person can learn the origin of their unhealthy habits, which leads to isolation, depression, and also alcohol and substance abuse. Many people do not know how to maintain relationships because they do not have a sense of security. They do not trust anyone and think no one deserves their attention since they were also neglected as children. This trait makes people feel lonely and isolated due to their queer behavior and lack of empathy.

References

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Bromberg, P. M. (2010) Minding the Dissociative Gap. Contemporary Psychoanalysis 46:19-31

Costanza, A., Amerio, A., Aguglia, A., Serafini, G., Amore, M., Macchiarulo, E.,… & Merli, R. (2021). From “The Interpersonal Theory of Suicide” to “The Interpersonal Trust”: an unexpected and effective resource to mitigate economic crisis-related suicide risk in times of Covid-19? Acta Bio Medica: Atenei Parmensis, 92(Suppl 6).

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Korfmacher, J. (2022). Theory and Practice in Early Childhood Parent Support. Soziale Arbeit und Professionalität: Reflexionen zwischen Theorie, Lehre und Praxis, 63.

Miyagawa, Y., & Kanemasa, Y. (2022). Insecure attachment and psychological intimate partner violence perpetration: low self-compassion and compassionate goals as mediators. Journal of family violence, 1-13.

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Yalom, I.D. (2020). Theory and practice of group psychotherapy. 6th Edition. New York: Basic Book

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IvyPanda. 2024. "Intervention Theories in Sociological Context." June 25, 2024. https://ivypanda.com/essays/intervention-theories-in-sociological-context/.

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