Manic-depressive disorder or bipolar disorder is a mental illness characterized by radical and unprecedented emotional changes. These mood changes swing from depressive lows to manic highs.
People inflicted by this disorder generally encounter alternating episodes of depression and mania (Collingwood, 2010, Para. 2). National institute of mental health reported in 1991 that, in just the US alone, two million persons suffer from manic-depressive disorder causing the US to incur an expense of about $45 billion annually in diagnosis and subsequent treatment process.
Unfortunately, the disorder’s diagnosis proves difficult due to the sophisticated nature of the disorder. Consequently, More often than not, the diagnosis experiences a delay of several years (Steger & Kashdan, 2009, p.299). In the light of the quantification of repercussions of the disorder in monetary terms, its effects on individual or personal development and socialization remain worth noting.
Socialization and Some Normal Socialization Processes
Socialization entangles an active participation and being part of other people. Socialization is a process associated with some ardent steps that one must take to ensure that other people develop substantial trust in him/her so that they can confide in him/her. The other way round should also hold true for any group of people considered socially right. Some of the normal social behaviors include hanging out with friends, calling them up, joining similar or same clubs with friends among others (Elgie & Morselli, 2007, p.145).
This way, individuals can work actively towards some common goals and objectives, as spelt out by the membership groups to which they belong. The desire to socialize originates from an individual intrinsically. Therefore, for the socialization process to take place, one must make personal decisions to identify oneself with a certain group. This can come through starting interactions with family members or even friends.
Initiation of interactions is achievable for instance through inviting other people for chats, party or any other way of spending time together. One can also create personal profiles in social networks or join other hobby social networks. Participating in civic, religious, service and all sorts of community forums or even making personal introductions as much as possible to new neighbors and new people in general are all crucial catalysts of fostering socialization processes.
Human development
The word development is employed to describe some aspects of biological, physical, social and cognitive capacities growth throughout the entire human life. The scientific approach in human development attempts to unveil the reasons as to why people change throughout their life (Martin, 2010, Para. 11).
The topic is important to many subjects such as anthropology, biology, history, education, psychology and more importantly, for this case health among others. Understanding emotional, social, personality, physical, Intellectual and perpetual human development processes from a health dimension is crucial since it provides a mechanism of identifying the causes and where possible the remedies of health problems can be determined. In relation to mental health problems, personality development is a crucial process.
It encompasses complex mental traits, which direct individuals to act uniquely compared to all other people. During the developmental process, some of these factors may cause anxiety for instance by inculcating a feeling the desires of being more or less like one’s social group members despite different personal affiliations. Such a behavior is perceived as normal until it becomes excessive to the extent that it can cause mental disorders such as bipolar disorder.
Relationship between human development and socialization
Factors such as cultural beliefs, emotions, and expectations among others play key roles in shaping an individual’s normal personality development. Majority of the influences of this growth in human beings are believed to be either genotypic or phenotypic.
According to scholastic psychological studies, factors contributing to basic personality development such as emotional tone are attributable to heredity. On the other hand, beliefs, values and expectations are directly relatable to socialization particularly during childhood (Steger & Kashdan, 2009, p.291). Some of the hereditary personality development factors greatly interact with the social environment to determine how one perceives himself or herself.
For example, how a person perceives himself/herself is amicably dependent on how others see him/her, which again depends on the mental, and physical capabilities that have been genetically inherited (Collingwood, 2010, Para. 8). Evidently, the characteristics of human beings are rigidly tied together by the existing inseparable relationship between socialization and factors that foster human development.
Effects of bipolar disorder on human development and socialization
All strategies for initiating the socialization process demand an individual to have enthusiastic urge characterized by enormous desire to achieve results. Unfortunately, people with manic-depressive disorder have ‘nothing’ or ‘all’ behavior.
During times of highs, those afflicted by the disorder, are more likely to socialize more and poorly during the times of lows. Since temporally relations are deemed to cause less benefits as opposed to deeper and caring relationships (Elgie & Morselli, 2007, p.149), bipolar disorder impairs one’s capability to establish long lasting social relationships. On the other hand, bipolar disorder can affect the way one perceives herself or himself especially during periods of low self-esteem (‘nothing’ behavior period).
As Collingwood (2010) notes, bipolar disorder has the capacity to cause negative effects on the patients family, social life and work particularly during acute phases (Para.12). Having negative perceptions to the key spheres indentified above poses a mega challenge to personality development since the workmates, family members and social life members incredibly dictate this form of human development.
References
Collingwood, J. (2010). Working and Socializing Through Acute Health Episodes. Web.
Elgie, R., & Morselli, P. (2007). Social Functioning In Bipolar Patients: The Perception and Perspective Of Patients, Relatives and Advocacy Organizations- A Review. Bipolar Disorders, 9 (2), pp. 144-157.
Martin, H. (2010). The Processes of Human Development. Web.
Steger, M., & Kashdan, T. (2009). Depression and Everyday Social Activity, Belonging, and Well-Being. The Journal of Counseling Psychology, 56(1), pp. 289-300.