301: STRESS AND MENTAL HEALTH –ANALYTIC PAPER 2ASSIGNMENT
Texts: Jean Twenge, “An Army of One: Me”
Robert Thurman, “Wisdom”
Ming-hui Li and Yan Yang, “A Cross-Cultural Study on a Resilience-Stress Path Model for College
Students”
In the previous paper, you reflected on the relationship between self-esteem and stress, keeping in mind the debate initiated by Twenge’s “An Army of One: Me” and Thurman’s “Wisdom.” This paper continues the same train of thought but refines the question in order to incorporate a new source, “A Cross-Cultural Study on a Resilience-Stress Path Model for College Students” by Ming-hui Li and Yan Yang. The article proposes an effective approach to alleviating stress by activating individuals’ resilience rather than their vulnerability. The goal is to increase self-efficacy and other resilience factors through the use of active coping strategies, which“require individuals’ efforts to single out the causes of stress and uncover promising ways to eliminate them” (Li and Yang 321). Thus, active coping counters the tendency to avoid or ignore problems, emphasizing instead the importance of seeking solutions, maintaining a positive outlook, and asking for help when needed. As you will see, the new article has the most clearly defined theoretical framework, but the concepts previously introduced – the self, self-esteem, self-discipline, selflessness, mindfulness –are still useful to the extent that they help you conceive an argument and draw connections among sources.
Using quotations, concepts, and examples from all three readings, develop an original argument of your own in response to the following question: How might college students reduce stress while still producing high-quality work?
Although the question marked in bold is the one you need to answer, I am providing some additional questions to get you thinking about the topic. These are meant to open up avenues for thought, but please do not try to answer all of them in this order. In fact, making a consistent claim requires you to be selective about the line of argument you decide to pursue and the ideas that logically connect with it:
- What are the sources of stress in academics? How does stress work to either discourage or motivate students?
- How do students perceive and react to stress, andwhat role does self-esteem play in changing perception?
- How might students’ resilience be activated instead of their vulnerability?
- What would a stress-free educational environment look like? Is it desirable?
- What are some effective coping strategies and how do they work?
All of the formatting guidelines (Word document, double-spaced, Times New Roman, 12 pt. throughout, 1” margins) apply to this (and every) paper. Cite in MLA format available at:
https://owl.english.purdue.edu/owl/resource/747/01/
You must submit both the rough and revised draft of your paper on Sakai through Assignments, which leads straight to Turnitin.
DUE DATES:
Rough draft (4-5 pages) to be submitted on Sakai by 10:00 am and brought to class for peer review –
Mon, 2/25
Final draft (5pages) to be submitted on Sakai by midnight– Mon, 3/4
