Introduction The Promise of Adolescence Assignment

Assignment Task

Introduction

The transition to young adulthood is crucial but sometimes it is often misunderstood. Young adulthood is a late teenage developmental stage, in which individuals between adolescence and middle age are considered young adults. Young adulthood is an essential stage in an individual’s personal growth and development takes place, according to developmental psychology. In fact, each individual goes through different stages in his or her cognitive development, while the young adult accomplishes the formation of the personality, when an individual’s perspectives and opinions, as well as moral values and standards, are formed. The young adulthood stage is one of the talked about stages in Erik Erikson’s Theory Of Psychosocial Development, Intimacy VS Isolation. According to Erickson, this stage focuses on forming close, caring relationship with others. Success at this stage leads to satisfying relationships and struggling through this stage might lead to emotions of loneliness or isolation which can further aggravate mental health problems.

During this phase, individual’s face numerous drastic changes which can have a serious effect on their mental health. According to the National Institute Of Mental Health, that college years are a time when many people experience the onset the depressive symptoms. (2012). According to research, young adults are more likely to develop serious mental health problems (like depression) because of negative cognitive styles (rumination) and studies show that rumination is one of the risk factors for developing depression in young adults. Research has also shown that identifying modifiable risk factors on youth that may impact depression onset in early adulthood could aid in the development of depression preventive measures (self compassion). According to numerous studies, self compassion is considered as a protective factor for depression and rumination.

Abstract

Depression, the silent killer, is one of the most disabling mental health disorder which can have adverse effects on an individual’s psychological well being. Rumination, which refers to obssessing on the causes and effects of distress symptoms, it is a potential vulnerable factor of depression. Self compassion, is a mindfulness based skill which is developed to reduce the symptoms of depression and rumination and it serves as a protective factor for both depression and rumination. Studies have shown that practicing self compassion can help in alleviating depression and rumination. The present study aimed to investigate the relationship between rumination, self compassion and depression and also to examine the role of gender on this relationship/the gender differences on levels of rumination, depression and self compassion in the population of young adults. Methods : A sample of 50 students (25 male, 25 females) aged 18-22 years from various colleges from the tricity (Chandigarh, Mohali, Panchkula) completed a series of valid and reliable questionnaires which were measures of depression (BDI 2), rumination (Rumination Response Scale) and self compassion (Self compassion Scale). Results : For examining the association between rumination, depression and self comapassion, a correlational design was used. The findings revealed that, 1. Self compassion and Depression were significantly negatively correlated, which meant that high levels of self compassion will lead to lower levels of depression this shows that self compassion has a tendency to lower the depressive symptoms 2. Self compassion and Rumination were significantly negatively correlated 3. Depression and Rumination had no association with each other. Role of gender on the relationship between rumination, self compassion was also examined through correlation technique. For studying the gender differences on levels of rumination, depression and self compassion, T test was employed.

Operational Definitions

Depression 

The term appears to denote a feeling of heaviness, that is also referred to as ‘sad,’ ‘blue,’ or simply ‘down’ (Kanter, Busch, Weeks & Landes, 2008).

Seligman (1975) described depression as the ‘common cold of psychiatry, at once familiar and mysterious’ Marcus et al (2012) defined depression as a common mental disorder that presents with depressed mood, loss of interest or pleasure, decreased energy, feelings of guilt or low self-worth, disturbed sleep or appetite, and poor concentration “I am depression.

Cold-like arctic mist, I dampen your spirit and your soul. I fill your thoughts with gloom. When I am with you, you are but a withered leaf beneath wet snow with nowhere to go. Still, I can do much more.

I can fill your mind with graveyard thoughts and make you teary – Knaus, 2006 The Oxford English Dictionary defines depression as “a mental condition characterized by severe feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy, typically accompanied by a lack of energy and interest in life.” (“Depression” The Oxford English Dictionary, 2008). Depression is described by National Institute of Mental Health (2002) as persistent, sad or anxious mood, characterized by the feelings of hopelessness or pessimism, guilt, worthlessness, helplessness, poor concentration, fatigue and loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed.

Depression is an emotional state marked by great despondency and apprehension, decreased motivation, withdrawal from others, loss of sleep, appetite, and loss of pleasure in usual activities (Kring et al., 2010; Atkinson et al., 2000).

Depression, which is an exaggeration of a normal negative mood, is often defined as a prolonged state of unhappiness or feeling down accompanied by somatic and cognitive alterations including the incidences of temper outbursts, nervousness and fear, in addition to changes in appetite, body weight, sleep, self-worth and motor efficiency leading to recurrent thoughts of death (American Psychiatric Association, 2013, 2000, 1994) (Prusoff et al.; 1980) A defining feature of depression as a clinical disorder is the presence of a dysphoric mood, consisting of feeling sad, blue, “down-in-the-dumps,” or depressed.

Self-Compassion

Neff (2003a, p. 224) describes self-compassion as “being open to and moved by one’s own suffering, experiencing feelings of caring and kindness toward oneself, taking an understanding, nonjudgmental attitude toward one’s inadequacies and failures, and recognizing that one’s experience is part of the common human experience”.

Self-compassion can be distinguished from self-esteem in that it provides a safe and caring context whereby one can connect with the negative aspects of self (Breines & Chen, 2012) without engaging in suppression or exaggeration of these feelings (Neff, Kirkpatrick, & Rude2007) Self-compassion can be regarded as the recognition of suffering and the desire to alleviate it (Jazaieri et al. 2013) According to Neff (2003a), self-compassion encompasses treating oneself with kindness and understanding when facing suffering, seeing one’s failures as part of the human condition rather than feeling isolated, and having a balanced awareness of painful thoughts and emotions.

According to Neff, 2003a Self-compassion refers to a form of friendly, open, forgiving, and non-avoidant coping of the self when individuals experience negative emotions. Self-compassion represents a warm and accepting stance towards those aspects of oneself and one’s life that are disliked, and entails three main components (Neff, 2003b). Gilbert (2005) suggests that self-compassion enhances well-being because it helps individuals to feel cared for, connected, and emotionally calm. Gilbert (1989) proposes that self-compassion deactivates the threat system (associated with feelings of insecurity, defensiveness and the limbic system) and activates the self-soothing system (associated with feelings of secure attachment, safeness, and the oxytocin-opiate system.

Symptoms Of Depression 

  • Sleep disturbances such as insomnia, oversleeping, waking up early
  • Changes in appetite or eating much more or much less
  • Decreased energy, fatigue
  • Headaches, stomachaches, digestive problems unexplained
  • Loss of interest or pleasure in activities that were once enjoyed which is also known as Anhedonia, such as going out with friends for a movie, hobbies, sports, sex, etc.
  • Difficulty concentrating, remembering, or making decisions
  • Neglecting responsibilities or personal appearance
  • Persistent sad or “empty” mood, lasting two or more weeks
  • Crying “for no reason”
  • Feeling hopeless, helpless, guilty or worthless
  • Feeling irritable, agitated or anxious
  • Thoughts of death or suicide
  • Excessive worry about physical health
  • Low self-esteem
  • Feeling that nothing is worth the effort
  • Missed school, poor school performance and/or a sudden decline in grades
  • Increase in drug and alcohol use Behaviour problems and delinquency

Increase in purposeless physical activity (e.g., inability to sit still, pacing, hand wringing) or slowed movements or speech (these actions must be severe enough to be observable by others.