The "hot button" topic I chose is mind-body connection. I'm not sure if this is actually a
universal controversial topic or not, but it is certainly one that is important to me. Mind-body
connection matters to me because I have personally experienced it. A few years ago, when I
first started doing yoga on a regular basis, I had no idea about emotions being stored in the
body. Only a few days in, I was coming out of lizard pose, and started crying for seemingly no
reason. Even though my hips were tight and sore, the tears were actually from a release of
emotions stored up from previous years. As it turns out, the hip area is closely associated with
the sacral chakra (I know, I know, hippie dippy stuff) which processes emotions like fear and
sadness.
This topic affects individuals as well as society, I'd assume because mainstream culture is
unaware of how much the mind and body are connected. Think of how your body begins to
ache, your head hurts, you begin to have stomach issues when you're feeling stressed out or
anxious. c
Perhaps the nature vs. Nurture concept could help with some understanding of mind-body
connection. The human body is obviously a naturally occurring entity but without proper love,
nuture and emotional education, the body is likely to fail the connection with the mind. c
Mind-body connection can apply (as with everything else I choose) to self-care and emotional
intelligence. These both apply because when you practice self-care, you are more in tune with
your mind, preventing the body from holding onto unprocessed emotions.
Sustainability. It is a hot button topic because it is something that is rapidly changing and
affecting us each day as we continue to destroy the environment with fossil fuels and different
chemicals. It matters to me because it is the air I breathe and the world that I live in and I
would like for that to be a clean place to live in. It effects individuals in the same way that it
effects myself, it is also the world they live in and the air that they breathe and most people
would not like that air to be filled with toxins and chemicals. This hot button topic effects
society because we are taking actions and making choices that will either better or worsen the
environment for future generations to come. Climate change has been a problem for years on
end now, if we do not start making huge sacrifices and better choices then climate change will
soon become everyone reality. I would use some of the phycological concepts from this course
to help better understand the issue by breaking down this concept in ways that make sense to
everyone so everyone can play a role in bettering the environment. This hot button topic
applies to social justice because to help make these changes happen, we all need to work
together and put all our ideas together to make the best plan to help the environment.
“Access to higher education for all” as my hot button topic. This is a hot button topic because
of the simple fact that it should be accessible to all and not just those that are privileged
enough or with high resources. It matters to me because not everyone in my family has had the
chance to have a high education. My mother was able to finally get hers when she was in her
forties! But mostly because she was persistent and intent on getting a degree. Not everyone is
like that. This affects individuals because it influences a big part of life. Granted, not everyone
wants to study to a higher level, but there are many that want to and just cannot. And for many,
having a degree opens the doors for jobs. Not only does this affect individuals though, it also
affects societies. Societies grow as people grow. As more people are learning, discovering,
and working, the more the society as a whole advance. As for psychological concepts, I
believe social justice is right at the forefront. It is literally in its name. Justice for the people.
Everyone deserves to have the opportunity of higher education.
to discuss is the power of positive self-talk. With the beginning of social media and its
evolution, people are posting more positive quotes for others to read and see. I have always
been a person to tell myself positive things to get me motivated for situations that are
challenging or times when I get nervous about something. I talk to myself like a coach talks to
his team before a big game, and I highlight the positives and negatives of the situation and
hype myself up to face it. Although we like to hear others say positive things about us, many
people underestimate the power we have by talking to ourselves positively. A person can gain
confidence and courage by saying positive things throughout their day. Society nowadays tries
to break each other down, and we rarely see people trying to lift each other up. Society has
become very selfish by everyone only caring about themselves and not caring what happens to
others in the process. For these reasons, positive self-talk can be an excellent motivator for us.
Positive self-talk directly relates to motivation and self-care. How much better would you feel
if you could find the positive in everything you see throughout your day? Positive self-talk is
also something I will teach my kids to do. They will need to know that it does not matter what
anyone thinks of them; just be yourself and be happy and positive.
For this discussion I have chosen the hot button topic of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
among veterans. I believe this to be a hot button topic because it is usually correlated with war
and combat. Both of which are very big hot button topics. This topic matters to me because I
am a veteran and I know many veterans to include myself that suffer from PTSD.
This topic affects individuals who suffer from PTSD because they feel and must deal with the
actual effects of the disorder. The symptoms of PTSD differ from person to person and the
cause is different from person to person. With military personnel and veterans, it is most often
connected to combat related experiences but can also be caused by training accidents, hazing
incidents, loss of friends through combat or suicide and military sexual trauma. PTSD
manifests different for everyone but there are some basic symptoms. These include “Re-
experiencing:
Flashbacks: You may find yourself reliving a traumatic event. This could include physical
symptoms such as a racing heart or sweating. Bad dreams: These might include dreams related
to the event. Frightening thoughts. Avoidance: avoiding thoughts, feelings, places, activities,
or objects that remind you of the traumatic event. Arousal and reactivity: being easily startled,
feeling tense, having trouble sleeping. Cognition and mood: experiencing negative thoughts,
feelings of guilt or blame, or loss of interest in hobbies” (PTSD Support & Resources for
Veterans | WWP, n.d.).
PTSD in veterans affects society in a couple different ways. First it affects families. The
individual is often not the only one affected by their PTSD. This hurts families, relationships,
and friendships a like. It can also affect the veteran’s ability to reintegrate back into society.
Transitioning back into the civilian world is hard for most veterans without PTSD and having
the disorder only makes it harder. “Veterans with trauma exposure and PTSD are more
susceptible to sleep disorders, mood changes, reckless behaviour, substance use and isolation
which may impede a successful transition from military to civilian life” (Kintzle et al., 2018).
Looking at this issue from a cognitive behaviour standpoint would help one understand the
topic well and understand how to treat it.
The topic PTSD in veterans applies to self-care and emotional intelligence. Self-care goes
along ways in helping many mental health problems and PTSD is included. Emotional
Intelligence is very useful and can be used as a tool by those with PTSD to help them know
how their coping, if their coping is healthy or not, and know how to better deal with their
symptoms and triggers.
Why is this a hot-button topic?
Non-pharmacological approach to reducing stress is a hot-button topic because we as humans
forget to take a break and breath and find ways to improve our self-wealth. Taking time to just
relax and breathe take a walk, exercise, do yoga do something with a friend to release that
stress can help you instead of taking medication.
Why does it matter to you?
It matters to me medication is not the only way to treat or solve something there are other
healthier ways to deal with stress and pain.
How does this hot-button topic affect individuals?
It can affect individuals by thinking of better ways to reduce the stress that can help them go
on with their daily life without adding any more stress. The non-pharmacological approach is
a healthier way to release stress like exercising, yoga, aromatherapy, walking, swimming even
deep breathing eating healthier can help reduce any stress.
How does this hot-button topic affect society?
It can affect society in a good way where you can see people thinking and taking better of their
health and wellness so they can control any stress that will come their way. An improve their
time management by taking control of their life by being prepared for any obstacles that will
come their way. You will see fewer people getting addicted to medication or relying on it.
How would you use some of the psychological concepts from this course to understand these
issues?
I will use some of the psychological concepts I learn in this course for non-pharmacological
approaches to reduce stress by understanding self-care, emotional intelligence, and empathy.
How does this hot-button topic apply to any of the following programmatic course themes?
The hot-button topic applies to self-care, emotional intelligence, and career connections by
taking care of yourself and controlling your emotions I say career connections because you
can start a group exercise or teach some non-pharmacological to your staff.
Why is this a hot button topic?
My hot button topic is the lack of gainful employment opportunities and other resources for
autistic adults. It is a hot button issue because of the public attitudes towards autistic (and
other neurodiverse) adults as employees and co-workers. According to Sparrow only 35% of
young adults with Asperger’s ever attend a higher education program. Out of those that
complete a bachelors or higher, only 15% ever obtain gainful employment within their field.
Why does it matter to you?
It matters to me because I have Asperger’s and I would really like to be able to be a financially
stable individual with all of the rights to buy a house, save for retirement, have a family and so
on. I do not want government assistance or caseworkers.
How does this hot button topic affect individuals? c
If you are an Aspie like me, you find most of your employment experiences to be completely
discouraging. For whatever reason, its completely acceptable for an employer to humiliate,
demoralize and even fire you because of thing like fidgeting, not making eye contact, or
needing instructions repeated. That last one is a doozy. Try working customer service as an
Aspie. People behave as though proper and acceptable social behaviour is not needed when
addressing you. Therefore, we get a sort of PTSD from job experiences, causing autistic adults
to be extremely reluctant to make efforts to even try working.
How does this hot button topic affect society?
85% of adults with Asperger’s are unemployed. This means that these adults are surviving at
the expense of family or tax payers’ dollars. Of course, this is ridiculous when you realize
what Aspies bring to the table for any company. What we lack in certain areas we make up for
in intense focus and stamina, amazing analyzation skills. We can be extremely creative and
have a unique perspective on things. Allowing us to earn an honest and decent pay check for
our skills talents and contributions is far better than keeping us on welfare or putting us in silly
“workshops” where it is perfectly legal to pay us $25-$50 a week.
How would you use some of the psychological concepts from this course to understand
Empathy and a little social awareness from employers would be great. It is not acceptable for
employers to treat employees who are deaf or in a wheelchair like 3rd class citizens. Autism
should be no less. People always tell me employers are in the business of making money and
that if I cannot do it the way everyone else does it, it’s not their problem but nobody says that
to the guy in the wheelchair. c They make accommodations. People need to be socially aware of
their behaviour towards people with special needs and have empathy for those that differ.
How does this hot button topic apply to any of the following programmatic course themes:
Self-care: when society deems you less, you often find ways to internally validate their
judgment. Doing so can be extremely detrimental to one’s wellbeing and cause a chain
reaction of negative behaviours that lead to reclusiveness, anxiety, depression, and paranoia.
Career connections: By not becoming more inclusive and accommodating employees with
special needs, companies turn what would be a fantastic employee into just another tax
burden. We end up with an overabundance of great workers not contributing to our own
society.
Why is this a hot button topic?
Childhood Obesity is a Hot Topic for the mere fact that we are raising our children in an
unhealthy manner, and leading down a path of lifelong illnesses.
Why does it matter to you?
This Hot Topic of Childhood Obesity concerns me because I see what parents put into their
shopping carts. And I see how children cannot run and some have a hard time walking or
doing simple activities.
How does this hot button topic affect individuals? c
This topic affects children and their families, it can cause psychological problems such as
anxiety and depression. Low self-esteem and lower self-reported quality of life. Social
problems such as bullying and stigma.
How does this hot button topic affect society?
As children age and reach adulthood, discrimination can follow with the stigma of not being
able to perform their job duties for underlying health concerns. Having a lower quality of life,
possible shorten life span.
How would you use some of the psychological concepts from this course to understand these
issues?
Understanding the family structure, understanding neighbourhood surroundings, social
connections. Educational level, teaching how to improve self-esteem, “Knowledge through
Education,” “Role Models,” “Fat is Bad,” and “Mixed Messages.” The implications of these
findings and considerations of the methodology are discussed in full (Amyl. Fielden,
Elizabeth Silence & Linda Little 2011).
How does this hot button topic apply to any of the following programmatic course themes:
Self-care
Childhood Obesity is self-care, children depend on their parents and how they are raised.
Parents are the beginning of teaching children "self-care", after all parents are role models and
children mimic what they see in observation this is how humans start the learning process.
Reference:
Amyl. Fielden, Elizabeth Silence & Linda Little (2011) Children's understandings’ of obesity,
a thematic analysis, International Journal of Qualitative Studies on Health and Well-being,
6:3, DOI: 10.3402/qhw.v6i3.7170
Kintzle, S., Barr, N., Corletto, G., & Castro, Carl. A. (2018, August 22). PTSD in U.S.
Veterans: The Role of Social Connectedness, Combat Experience and Discharge. NIH
National Library of Medicine. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6164108/
PTSD Support & Resources for Veterans | WWP. (n.d.). Wounded Warrior Project. Retrieved
October 13, 2022, from https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org/programs/mental-
wellness/veteran-ptsd-treatment-support-
resources?gclid=CjwKCAjw7p6aBhBiEiwA83fGut1ycxCOe7RS27fFWr9kJ2s3Q-
APJwmtJ3IZx7CNMJEX2a44hUefZhoC8vwQAvD_BwE
