This document discusses various types of individuals who face challenges - physical, mental, social, and emotional. It outlines characteristics and psychological needs of each group. Those with physical challenges may feel inferior, dependent on others, and develop depressive behaviors. The mentally challenged have impaired cognitive functioning and may withdraw or act hostile. The socially challenged face maladjustment and feelings of inferiority. The emotionally challenged have difficulties regulating their moods and interacting with others. The document emphasizes the importance of nurses being aware of each group's needs in order to provide proper care, guidance, and counseling.

1. Dr. sumity Arora

2.  • The Psychology of physically or mentally challenged persons or those with
special needs is an area which is gaining in importance.
 Challenged:
 • Physical
 Mental •
 Social
 • Emotional

3.  (i)Physical Challenged:
 It includes those People who are deaf, dumb, blind, suffering from the loss of limbs like
hands or legs and chronic patients.
 These people will have an following typical features in the way of behaviour, personality and
adjustment.
 Social interaction and social interests are narrow.

4.  psychological needs
They are Bound to become dependent on others for their day to day activities and survival
And also suffer the feelings of inferiority, insecurity, unsafe. This may give birth to
depressive or hostile behaviour on their part. The frustrating reactions are manifested as
anger, sadness and irritative, because of their incapability, inactivity and dependence.
Self- centred- to be cared and protected by others with the least concern for others.

5.  (ii)Mentally Challenged:
 These are the Person who is suffering from mental disabilities, ailments and
disease. • Suffers with intellectual impairment, defective reasoning and thinking,
dysfunction and abnormalities in the cognitive functioning and psychological
maladjustment.
 they have Defective intelligence and defective cognitive functioning, so they will
have poor in understanding and the following of instructions or demonstrated
behaviour.

6.  Psychological needs
 they are Socially isolated, inferior, worthless and problematic and poor in mental
functioning, thus it may leads to withdrawal behaviour or develop hostile tendencies,
suffer with chronic anxiety, depression, fear and phobias, withdrawal and attacking
behaviour, damage to the safety and security of self and others.
 Over- dependency in their behaviour and thus their caring and adjustment may pose a
great challenge to their relatives in their day- day care, adjustment and development
and nurses and other medical staff at the time of their medical care and treatment

7.  (iii) Socially challenged: • In this category of socially challenged, we may include
the individual’s suffering from acute social adjustment, problems like delinquents,
criminals, drug addicts, alcoholics, socially and culturally deprived etc. These
individuals may be found to differ significantly from the normal people with
respect to their behaviour characteristics and adjustment patterns in the manner
given below: • Mal adjustment behaviour with their social surroundings and
environment. • Inflicted with the feelings of inferiority, low achievement
motivation, isolation from society, hesitation, fear in mixing with strangers,
difficulty in adjusting to the changed environment. • War with their self and
society • The delinquents and criminals open fronts with the society as a coverage
or compensation of their failures.

8.  (Iv) Emotionly Challenged:
 These are People who suffers with emotional adjustment or deviant and defective
expression of their emotional behaviour, causing problems to their self and others.
 Behavioural Characteristics:
 They are Hyperactive, restlessness and uneasy.
 They show Greater tendency towards fighting and aggressive behaviour.
 Shows greater resentment and antagonism towards the authority and rules, regulations. •
Feel problems in concentrating or paying attention to the required things as their thoughts
and feelings remain always at the wandering stage. • Unexpected swings in their moods from
utter depression or withdrawn behaviour to extreme elevation and excitement.


9.  Psychological needs
 they ahave lot of difficulty in their expression or may express in an undesirable
way. • Difficulty in interpersonal relationship.
 Thus, in hospital, this people may create problems to other patients, staffs and
doctors. It may bring serious psychotic and neurotic tendencies in the way of
thinking, feeling and behaving turning to them into serious maladjusted
personality, a bigger challenge for friends, employees and care givers.

10.  IMPLICATIONS OF NURSES: •
 Should aware of the nature of their vulnerability, behavioural characteristics,
personality traits, interest. So that nurses can prepare herself to meet the
challenges.
 Nurse should Show tolerance and patience towards these patients
 It is important for the nurse to Learn the skilled way of dealing with vulnerable
and for Providing needed guidance and counselling.

11.  In this age of the equality of sexes, women’s rights, freedom and empowerment, it
becomes a bit difficult to say that women are the weaker sex or vulnerable in any
way in comparison to their male counterparts, Even though our women stands
vulnerable in so many ways. • In our society and culture, women have been
treated for a long time as a commodity, selling or purchasable thing. It is
happening with them till now. • Abducting, trafficking, purchasing or hiring for
marriage, sex etc.
 It is the women who have to bear the consequences in terms of willing or
unwilling pregnancies, they have to keep the babies for a long period in their
wombs, bear the pains and negative outcomes of the child delivery, nourish, feed
and give needed care to the developing babies.

12.  In case of unwanted pregnancies, through rape and other coerced measures, they
have to suffer from the indignity, humiliation, defence etc.
 During the entire course of life, girl suffers with discrimination, negligence and
oppression at the hands of male and ale dominated society.
 Even the elder members of her own sex pays a leading part in suppressing and
oppressing her in the way possible,
 In male dominated society, women are considered as a symbol of aesthetic
pleasure and thing of sensual satisfaction.
 A girl or woman is appreciated, accepted or rejected on the basis of her charming
behaviour and attraction.

13.  •From very beginning, thus a girl may be seen to be engaged in a self-decoration
and getting figure conscious in order to be judged as beautiful and attractive in
the eyes of her male counterparts.
 Certain biological processes carried out only in women from the onset of puberty
like work towards making them vulnerable in one or the other sense. • Nature
has made women more soft, tender and emotional in their behaviour in
comparison to their male counterparts on account of designating them with the
motherly affection, love, sacrifice, sympathy and care for offspring and the family.

14.  General features:
 Anxious and worried and fearful about their safety and security.
 Unusual feelings of inferiority, incapacity, inability and dependability on others. •
 More expressive, talkative, sociable and enjoying outing, purchasing and marketing.
 Experiences depression, unhappy, irritable and emotional and social upset for feeling the loss of
not becoming a “real woman” and mother of her children” because of husband’s infertility.
 Engulfed with the guilty feelings, depression, over reaction as victims of rape and sexual assault.
• Unusual craving and distorted feelings with respect to the body image.
 Suitable for service providing and caring on account of their soft spoken affectionate, tolerant
and helpful native.
 Assertiveness, Body image, depression, teen pregnancy, infertility, domestic violence and rape
are the common problem. •

15.  • Illness and disease, if sustained and get aggravated may bring significant
changes in one’s life and affect adversely, not only one’s health, but also cast
serious impact over his ways of thinking, feeling and doing. • As a result of the
illness, he may find quite inactive or incapable of performing even the routine
work of his own care. • Loss in Interpersonal relationship. • Feeling small and
humiliated on account of their dependency on others. • Anxious and fearful about
their ailing states. • Developing suspicious about everything • Complaining
nature.
 • Loss of self image and confidence • Showing signs of irritability, anger or violent
reactions • Pessimistic attitude towards their health and well being • Narrowing
of the areas of social interest. • Self- centered and too much concerned about their
ailments. • Become too childish in their behaviour with respect to cleanliness,
taking of medicines and nagging. Five stages of grief: Kubler- Ross • Denial •
Anger • Bargaining • Depression • Acceptance

16.  Nurse’s role: • Lessen the feeling of insecurity by straight forward explanations. •
Should provide proper care and communication • Educate patients regarding
disease conditions • Teach active and passive exercises according to their abilities.

17.  Group: • Two or more individual’s who are connected to one another by social
relationships- Dohelson -2006. • Two or more people who influences one another
through social interactions - Baron-1993.
 Characteristics of a group: • Interaction should takes place. • Should perceive
themselves as a part of the group. • Members are interdependent • Sense of
solidarity among group members • Common interests and objectives • Goals,
rules or norms should be written or unwritten. • Size of the group has its own
impact.

18.  Types of Groups: • Primary and Secondary group (Primary – families and
secondary- Political Party) • Planned and Emergent (daily – Spontaneous) • In
and Out group ( In Group- People belonging to the same caste or religion or
nationality and Out Group- discriminated People)
 GROUP DYNAMICS: • It is a study of inter-relationship with in a group in
context to the relative force being exerted by the individual on the group and by
the group on the individual. Formation of Groups: • Physical Proximity or
closeness • Interaction among individuals • Similarity in attitudes • Similarity in
interests • Similarities of purposes • Group attraction • Serving specific purposes
• Similarity in occupation • Distress or stressful situations • Security

19.  Group mind: • The mind-set of an individual as a member of the group directing
him to behave as others in the group behaves. Group Behaviour: • The behaviour
of a person in a group is different from his individual behaviour. Group
interaction: • It is a two –way process of stimulating and modifying the behaviour
of the members of the group on mutual basis. Factors affecting Group behaviour: •
Sympathy • Suggestion • Imitation

20.  Relevance of group Psychology for Nurses:
 • While most nurses care for one patient at a time, public health nurses care for
entire populations. • Public health education can be given to improve group
behaviour.
 • Nurses have to create sense of belongingness
 • Teamwork is much important in case of hospitalised patients.
 Nurses can suggest the availability of support groups to patients and also
motivate caregivers in the family to join such groups.
 Successful nurse leaders are role models for their junior nurses.
 Good nursing leadership will definitely influence the quality of patient care in
hospital.