Crisis Model

This past week in class we talked about crisis. We pointed out that every family experiences crisis and hard times differently but at the same time, they all have some control over how these situations are handled. We can see how this is true by taking a look at the ABCX model. A represents the actual event, for example a car crash, a death in the family, a family member moving out. B represents the resources the family has to use to deal with those problems, like money, family, or friends. C is the way the family defines the problem at hand, or how positively or negatively they view the problem. All of these things combined together give us X. X is the overall experience. Although the family can't always control what kind of crisis they face, they can control how they choose to view it and feel about it, which can drastically change the overall experience.

My family had personal experience with this a few years ago when my grandpa and grandma passed away within a few months of each other. Even though it was a very difficult time for my family and the crisis was out of our hands, we had a lot of support from members of our ward. We were brought meals almost every night for two weeks to take the stress off my parents shoulders as both of them had just lost one of their parents, and what to make for dinner was not on the top of their minds. Besides this our overall experience was changed by our cognitive view of the problem. We all knew we would see our loved ones again and remembering that truth got us through.