Policy making and theory

A theory and its importance

A theory is a collection of proven ideas and precepts that aid in the explanation or prediction of an event (McCabe & Lieber, 2017). Research is crucial because it creates a conceptual framework for the organization of concepts and facts. A theory has the power to spark new research and set the stage for potential predictions (Zillmann & Bryant, 2014). It serves as a model for observations and comprehension as well. To make a relationship between abstract and concrete, or theoretical and empirical, data, a researcher may make use of theory. According to O’Keefe (2016), a theory clarifies what and how a researcher views something.

The Relative Deprivation Theory and its implications in mental health

According to the article by Wickham, Shryane, Lyons, Dickins, and Bentall (2014), mental health is directly linked to relative deprivation with an active role of trust, justice, paranoia, and the social ranking on psychological well-being. The Relative Deprivation Theory is a mid-range theory mentioned in the paper. It is considered as a mid-range because it focuses on behavior and personality disorders and can be used to understand why people conduct in a certain way in specific circumstances (O’Keefe, 2016). It is drawn from the discipline of psychology. The article cites that ill health in humans can be caused by their poor well-being especially due to beliefs, trust, and justice mechanisms acquired during childhood. All these lower the individual’s social rank (Wickham et al., 2014).

The article’s authors go on to identify that people feel injustices associated with discrimination or preferential selection. It also identifies self-comparison process leading to the creeping of depression among individuals. This is because in most cases the other person is always better despite having access to equal opportunities. The individual comparison is one of the main tenets of the theory as well as expectations. Humans tend to have certain anticipations which they compare themselves to (Zillmann & Bryant, 2014).

Supporting research on the Relative Deprivation Theory

The research supports the theory. According to Wickham et al. (2014), a study involved 683 undergraduate students to measure their childhood public relative deprivation through multiple medication analysis. It was concerned with their proneness to hallucinations, paranoia, and general well-being in relation to their trust, beliefs, and social rank. The research outcome showed that paranoia found in students was fully justified by perceptions of an unjust world for those who rank low in the society. Other deprivations were also accounted for by a poor well-being.

Public Policy

Discussion Topic 10

Public policy is a compilation of laws, regulations, and mandates of a government to its citizens to maintain stability as well as addressing all the people’s needs. Public policy’s actions should be guided by the provisions of the country’s constitution (Hupe & Hill, 2012).

Social Policy and its role in addressing challenges

Social policy, on the other hand, is concerned with the ways and manners the global challenges such as social, demographic, economic change, globalization, and migration are handled by the state. It involves providing for the citizens; security, quality education, and good health (Bochel & Daly, 2014).

Factors influencing policymaking

Policymaking is a delicate process. Its success is influenced by a number of factors. The knowledge and innovation, for instance, support new debates and awareness. The social, economic and political contexts are also major factors that dictate the participants and the available funds for the process. Also, the country’s legal framework factor which outlines the laws serves as a guide for the process. Another element encompasses the external and institutional influences. These entail the stability of institutions such as government agencies, local government, non-governmental organizations, the private sector, religious institutions, international treaties, and the media (Hupe & Hill, 2012).

Evidence-based research in healthcare and its significance

Evidence-based research is the integration of expertise with the best-researched evidence and findings including history and tests before making any decisions (Kim & Mallory, 2017). It is of paramount importance in medical fields. With the sensitivity in health care treatments, evidence-based research enables compatibility with the patient’s problems as well as reliability as opposed to traditional knowledge. It is important for the societal well-being because it creates interventions that are consistent with the welfare and uniqueness of an individual (Kim & Mallory, 2017). This technique has enabled a policy change in the training of nurses and other medical practitioners where learning and practice are focused on continuous research (Kim & Mallory, 2017).

The link between theory, research, and practice

Linking theory, research, and practice by scientists should entail the assessment of the need for change from the prediction of a theory, deriving a question from the existing problem, acquiring data through intensive research, appraising it for validity, applying the results, and evaluating the usefulness of the new practice. This puts the three elements into a symbiotic and useful relationship (O’Keefe, 2016).

References

Bochel, H., & Daly, G. (2014). Social Policy. Hoboken, NJ: Tayor and Francis.

Hupe, P.L., & Hill, M.J. (2012). Public Policy. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

Kim, M., & Mallory, C. (2017). Statistics for Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing. Burlington, NJ: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

McCabe, P.M., & Lieber, P.S. (2017). Special Operations Theory. Jacksonville, FL: The JSOU Press.

O’Keefe, D.J. (2016). Persuasion: Theory and Research. Los Angeles, CA: SAGE.

Wickham, S., Shryane, N., Lyons, M., Dickins, T., & Bentall, R. (2014). Why does relative

deprivation affect mental health? The role of justice, trust and social rank in psychological wellbeing and paranoid ideation. Journal of Public Mental Health, 13(2), 114-126. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/jpmh-06-2013-0049

Zillmann, D., & Bryant, J. (2014). Media Effects: Advances in Theory and Research. Hoboken, NJ: Taylor and Francis.