Case Study: Student Learning Styles
This reflective analysis examines the case study of John, who is new to an organisation and finds it difficult to adjust to a new environment. John’s interactions with his supervisor reveal that he feels reluctant to take the initiative and accept additional responsibilities. In psychology, this situation is termed social anxiety disorder or social withdrawal disorder, which applies to individuals who feel excluded or alone in an organisational or social environment (Pritchard & Woollard, 2010). To critically analyse and provide solutions to this problem, this study uses strategies of learning and constructivism, which help to develop solutions for real-life problems and provide knowledge about ways to cope with social anxiety. A constructivism strategy provides an understanding of previous research and knowledge (Khanal, 2014).
Critical evaluation of previous research provides new information and solutions for a given problem. To create a detailed study of the situation described above, I used reports and field studies associated with social anxiety disorder and its treatment. A critical evaluation of different information sources helped me determine a better solution to John’s social anxiety. An individual adapts to an environment using his or her knowledge and cognitive skills, which provide an understanding of the surrounding environment or situation to determine appropriate responses. According to Goldin et al. (2014), patients of social disorder have high emotional reactivity. Such increased reactivity is detrimental to attention of an individual. Consequently, patients are not able to adapt to changes easily and interact with others due to their isolation, courtesy of the low rate of attention. Cognitive skills help a person to develop his or her own ways to execute work and solve problems (Forneris, 2009). In improving cognitive skills, Cognitive-Behavioural Therapy (CBT) is used to improve cognitive, attention and linguistic aspects of patients. As a clinical teacher, it would be prudent to address the issue of awareness. Other team members need to be informed on the importance of involving John in their activities. Such involvement will help alleviate the social anxiety that currently exists among John and other members (Goldin et al., 2014). John’s involvement would also be an essential aspect of CBT program.
Key Problem
John worries about his inability to work as a team member and his slow response to emergencies.
Identification of the Problem
People suffering from social anxiety disorder lack the confidence to be a part of a social or working group because of various fears, such as difficulty addressing groups of people and fear of making a mistake or being the centre of attention. Medical science research reveals that social anxiety disorder is the result of a combination of factors, such as environmental stress and chemical changes in the nervous system. This disorder has a negative effect on the social, personal and professional life of an individual and destroys their ability to be a part of a community or society, to accept changes and to interact appropriately with new individuals. Social anxiety disorder is different from other mental disorders because it does not heal over time without intervention. Muzina and El-Sayegh (2001) explain that lack of treatment for this disorder forces individuals like John to spend their entire lives believing in misconceptions about themselves and society.
Social anxiety disorder creates a fear of rejection in the mind of an individual and stops the process of cognitive learning. Social interaction plays a significant role in the development of cognitive learning (Sternberg & Zhang, 2014). Incompetent social behaviours, such as a lack of team spirit, reluctance to work with others and avoiding opportunities to initiate, can be caused by social cognitive immaturity. This immaturity sometimes results in inappropriate or aggressive behaviours when an individual finds it difficult to understand the views, feelings and actions of other people. Persistent nervousness or feeling uncomfortable when interacting with people reduces the quality of ongoing professional relationships for people with social anxiety disorder. Such people prefer to work alone and often do not participate in team activities. According to Goldin et al. (2014), permanent treatment of social anxiety disorder is possible using prescriptive learning programmes and cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT).
Peer Discussion
Because of a reluctance to work with people, a significant challenge during this case study was the lack of involvement and interaction among my peers during the discussion stage, although, I tried to cover as much as possible. There was a lack of interaction because most of my peers chose to participate in other discussions groups when given the choice. A solution to this limitation would be to include more participants, which would add additional perspectives to the discussion. During the case study, I did not formulate diverse questions regarding the case. This failure was a drawback since more questions could have improved the analysis of the case. More of the questions would have encouraged more discussion that could have been a source of attraction for other members. Moreover, I believe that if I created a platform for think-pair-share discussion with other group members and my group could have encouraged more students to join us (Eison, 2010). Use of inclusive leadership during the discussion would be pivotal in creating a friendly and fair platform of discussion that would encourage more participants. Failure to encourage other students from joining us could have been the result for the small number of group members. However, Laura Bratby, who was a part of the discussion group, offered excellent suggestions that were well researched and presented.
Learning programmes can help to minimise the effects of social anxiety disorders and enhance basic cognitive skills to improve confidence levels among people suffering from anxiety disorders. In such situations, learning advisers have a role in improving the confidence, problems with work and skills (Stevenson, 2010). These learning programmes also encourage people to interact with their peers and help patients develop positive thinking about other people and the surrounding environment. However, prescribed learning programmes are not a complete solution for social anxiety disorder because these only encourage people to become accustomed to such situations. In work environments, suitable adult learning strategies can help employees suffering from social anxiety disorder reduce their level of anxiety and become a member of social and professional groups (Lakey, 2010). Therapists use various learning techniques and strategies to encourage social anxiety disorder patients to initiate and contribute to teamwork. These learning strategies help increase interactions between employees to develop better working environments in organisations.
As a clinical therapist, I think that psychotherapy can help diagnose this disorder. I would specifically recommend CBT as the most suitable treatment for social anxiety disorder, because CBT focuses on stimulating patients cognitive skills related to social situations (Willson & Branch, 2006). In my opinion, counselling sessions with a psychiatrist or psychologist will help John understand the cause of this mental disorder and find ways to deal with the problems he faces while interacting with people.
A study by National Institute of Mental Health (2015) considers CBT to be an effective therapy for treating social anxiety disorder patients because it prompts people to change their thinking about society and social group interactions. CBT eliminates the causes of fear from the minds of patients, helping them to live normal and happy lives. It uses a systematic approach to identify fears and initiates discussions to identify factors affecting social, personal and professional interactions to help patients overcome these fears (Willson & Branch, 2006). Thus, CBT provides a permanent solution to anxiety-related problems and helps individuals learn to participate actively in their social and professional lives.
References
Eison, J. (2010). Using active learning instructional strategies to create excitement and enhance learning. Jurnal Pendidikantentang Strategi Pembelajaran Aktif (Active Learning) Books, 2.
Forneris, S. G., & Peden‐McAlpine, C. (2009). Creating context for critical thinking in practice: the role of the preceptor. Journal of advanced nursing,65(8), 1715-1724..
Goldin, P. R., Ziv, M., Jazaieri, H., Weeks, J., Heimberg, R. G., & Gross, J. J. (2014). Impact of cognitive-behavioral therapy for social anxiety disorder on the neural bases of emotional reactivity to and regulation of social evaluation.Behaviour research and therapy, 62, 97-106.
Jones, C. A. (2007). Assessment for learning. Retrieved from: http://dera.ioe.ac.uk/7800/1/AssessmentforLearning.pdf
Khanal, P. (2013). Making virtual learning interactive and meaningful: Implications of constructivism for adult students. International Journal of Research Studies in Education, 3(1)91-102.
Lakey, G. (2010) Facilitating group learning: Strategies for success with adult learners. San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons.
Muzina, D. J., & El-Sayegh, S. A. M. A. R. (2001). Recognizing and treating social anxiety disorder. Cleveland clinic journal of medicine, 68(7), 649-658.
National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) (2015). Anxiety disorders. Retrieved from http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/topics/anxiety-disorders/index.shtml
Pritchard, A. & Woollard, J. (2010) Psychology for the classroom: Constructivism and social learning. London: Taylor & Francis.
Sternberg, R. J. & Zhang, L. (2014) Perspectives on thinking, learning, and cognitive styles. New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.
Stevenson, M. (2010). ‘If they Can’t Stand the Heat…’: Supporting the Academic Development of Higher Education Students with Anxiety and Depression Disorders. Open Rehabilitation Journal, 3, 41-46.
Willson, R. & Branch, R. (2006) Cognitive Behavioural Therapy for Dummies. New York: John Wiley & Sons.
