When the word crisis is mentioned we usually imagine an event or a situation such as an accident or emergency with feelings of panic and being out of control. Actually, crisis is a normal part of life. There are three types of crises:
- A developmental crisis is- a natural part of life where as we grow older we change from infancy to adulthood. The psychosocial theory of Erik Erikson identifies the specific psychosocial crises we go through during each stage of our life span. Each crisis demands a resolution. Failure to resolve the crisis has significant impact on the continued development of personality.
- An evolutional crisis is a crisis that happens as we enter into a new role or relationship. The forming of new systems of behavior and interaction that govern the new relationship or role is very stressful and can lead to a crisis
- A situational crisis is caused by an event or unexpected circumstance that impairs a person’s level of functioning.
When does stress become a crisis?
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A normal stress can become a crisis due to how the person
perceives the situation or event and how he views himself in relationship to
his stressors. Negative perceptions
start one on the road to crisis. The
negative perceptions can be due to cognitive distortions or just very difficult
circumstances.
If the perception is negative, it results in a negative
self-evaluation, which leads to negative emotions (subjective emotional
distress increases). In turn, negative
emotions can make the person more ineffective in problem-solving. This negatively impacts their ability to use adequate
coping strategies. Coping methods fail to work and the
level of functioning is lowered in all
areas: psychologically,
emotionally, spiritually, socially and occupationally. Normal function is impaired and can be
recognized as lower than before the precipitating event occurred. Other psychological dysfunctions may occur. The stressful situation has become a crisis.
Later when the person is already in a lower functioning
level and another crisis-triggering event happens or even a minor stress, the person can
become overly reactive and sensitive. A whole
slew of negative perceptions and negative emotions accumulated from previous
stressors come back overwhelming the person.
This is how a minor stress can turn into a crisis. The minor stress is “the straw that breaks
the camel’s back.” When a person has
been carrying a heavy load for a long time, any additional load can cause the
person to break down.
Therefore a crisis is an acute emotional reaction to a powerful event or
situation (called a precipitating event) that disrupts the person’s equilibrium
and exceeds the person’s coping mechanisms and problem-solving techniques.
Precipitating event:
An actual event in a person’s life that triggers a crisis state. It can be situational or developmental. We usually think of the precipitating event
as the crisis itself, but psychologically speaking, the crisis is in the
person’s response to the event. For a
highly stressed person, a minor stress can be a precipitating event.
Kristi Kanel suggests an ABC Model of Crisis Intervention
- A - The counselor must develop and maintain rapport with the individual in crisis. This is done by attending to the person and listening empathetically, paraphrasing and reflecting feelings.
- B - The counselor helps the person in crisis identify the nature of the crisis and alter their thinking patterns and perceptions of the situation by giving support and validation.
- C - The counselor helps the person identify effective ways of coping with the crisis, which includes resolution and finding support.
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Changing the perception of the situation (the determining
factor that turns stress, disappointment or loss into a crisis) requires one to
pay attention to the person, listen, and empathize with person. Do not judge the person for overreacting or
tell him that he is not acting in faith just needs to trust God more. Instead, allow the person to talk about the
situation, to describe how he thinks about it, how he feels about himself and
God for allowing this situation to happen.
Allow him to grieve over his loss.
Explore the different emotions that this person feels, examine the
degree of the intensity of this emotion, and what thoughts produce these
emotions. Examine how he perceived
himself during the situation and how he perceives himself now. Reframe these negative evaluations of the
event by normalizing the situation and his reaction and helping the person to
gain new insight into the situation.
While problem-solving and exploring alternatives,
consider the person’s resources and network of support. Guide and empower the person to tap into
those resources. Teach the person
adequate skills to be able to find some sense of control and courage to face
his problem. Here are some of the
aspects where you will assess present resources that can help this person:
- Material resources: Tangible things such as money, transportation, clothes and food. How can these things help the person to cope with their crisis?
- Personal resources: Intangible things such as intelligence, ego strength and physical health. How are these things impacting the person’s handling of their stresses?
- Social resources: A person’s friends, family and co-workers. The more resources one has, the better the person will weather a crisis. Who are people in the person’s life that he can count on in hard times that are willing to help?
- Spiritual resources: The faith and beliefs of a person, including faith in God, the “theology” of their struggle and suffering, their spiritual disciplines and their spiritual community
