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"Social scientists agree that loneliness stems from the subjective experience of deficiencies in social relationships and that these deficiencies are unpleasant, aversive, and exceptionally common."

"Attempts to change one's social relationships are active coping strategies wherein feelings of loneliness motivate people to form new relationship ties... Attempts to reduce the importance of social relationships or engage in diversionary activities are passive coping strategies that often do little to alleviate loneliness"

This article discusses isolation, the causes of isolation, the effects of isolation, and how one copes with social isolation. In Frankenstein, the monster feels inferior to humans when they scream and beat him. This isolation influences the monsters mental state and his outlook on the world around him. As a result, he fixates on Victor in order to cope. This essay would support an essay on isolation or the connection between Victor and his creature.

This NYTimes article discusses how people cope with death through various means of art and communication--specifically writing. The authors interviewed in this article explained how this form of communication was the only way they could understand what happened, thus saving them from the insanity of being lost. The Bundren family copes with Addie's death in no communicative way. As this important outlet does not exist within the household, it may well explain the strewed psychological states of many of the characters. 

"Defense mechanisms include denial, repression, suppression, projection, displacement, reaction formation, regression, fixation, identification, introjection, rationalization, isolation, sublimation, compensation, and humor"

This article discusses the several ways a person can cope with traumatic or undesired feelings or events. Victor and the creature, throughout Frankenstein, use multiple defense mechanisms in order to cope with either the horridness of creation or isolation. Frankenstein several times attempts to forget about the monster by retreating into nature or ignoring the situation completely. The monster tries to attract Victor's through regressive negative stimuli. This article connects with how the monster tries to cope with isolation and Victor uses isolation as a defense mechanism.

"A mental illness is a disease that causes mild to severe disturbances in thought and/or behavior, resulting in an inability to cope with life's ordinary demands and routines."

"Your family member's behavior may be as dismaying to them as it is to you. Ask questions, listen with an open mind and be there to support them."

This article discusses mental disorders within the family unit and how to respond to mental disorders of family members. The first tactic the article stresses is the communication one must maintain with the effected family member. Contrary to this approach, in As I Lay Dying, the Bundrens refuse to discuss the corrupted mental function of Darl. They try to find the root of the issue or even support their struggling family member.

"When coping with a death, you may go through all kinds of emotions. You may be sad, worried, or scared. You might be shocked, unprepared, or confused. You might be feeling angry, cheated, relieved, guilty, exhausted, or just plain empty."

Grief is an emotional, physical, or spiritual ramifications experienced after the loss of something precious. This website focuses of humans' reactions to grief and how to cope with sudden loss. This website is catered to the teenage audience and perspective. The website gives a general overview of the ways grief can manifest in daily life and ways to cope with it. The website emphasizes the importance of confronting and dealing with grief. This relates to the different ways grief appears in each character of As I Lay Dying and the inability of them to deal with the death of Addie.

This article discusses the importance of outward expression after the loss of a family member, despite how close they were. This display of emotion helps one to deal with the loss, lessening the probability that it will later turn into a mental illness. Following Addie's death, with the exception of a few silent tears shed by Vardaman, and Jewel's anger outbursts, very little display of emotion is held, thus explaining the family's worsening state.

"The fact is, many mental disorders have their beginnings in childhood or adolescence, yet may go undiagnosed and untreated for years."

"Mental illnesses are not the result of personal weakness, lack of character, or poor upbringing. Mental illnesses are treatable. Most people diagnosed with a serious mental illness can experience relief from their symptoms by actively participating in an individual treatment plan"

This article discusses mental illness, its causes, its effects, and its treatment. Mental illness often results in a person's inability to cope with normal situations like Darl who is not able to cope with Addie's death in an acceptable way. Darl inability is most likely caused by a poor upbringing from parents like Addie, who hates children, and Anse, who views children as a labor force. Also, Darl's situation is treatable, however no one in the Bundren family bothers to try and help him opting instead to send him to a mental institution, against Darl's will.

"These babies died from a completely different kind of deprivation: lack of touch" "The results are clear: the way an infant is touched, even in its first few hours of life, influences whether it survives, and how it copes in the world as an adult." The monster in Frankenstein suffers bad beginnings, as his first experience is being abandoned by Victor, which later affects his behavior and the way he hopes with his problems.

This site talks primarily about younger children s understanding of death, and what parents should do to help their young ones cope with the phenomenon. The thought processes spoken of on this site reflect those thought by Vardaman

"Adding to a child's shock and confusion at the death of a brother, sister, or parent is the unavailability of other family members, who may be so shaken by grief that they are not able to cope with the normal responsibility of childcare."

"Parents should be aware of normal childhood responses to a death in the family, as well as signs when a child is having difficulty coping with grief. It is normal during the weeks following the death for some children to feel immediate grief or persist in the belief that the family member is still alive. However, long-term denial of the death or avoidance of grief can be emotionally unhealthy and can later lead to more severe problems."

This article explains how children react and deal with grief over the loss of a loved one. This article relates to the confusion and angst Vardaman experiences after the death of Addie. Vardaman experiences shock and confusion over the substantial matter of death and how it applies to his newly deceased mother. No one in the family bothers to explain to him the finality and irreversibility of death. Without guidance, the Bundren family leaves Vardaman to stumble around and form false conclusion such as the belief Peabody killed Addie.

This site is a huge article, filled with multiple examples and studies designed to shed light on the causes of serial killers. As discussed in class, childhood traumas and disconnect from families serves as a massive motivation in the creation of serial killers.

This article talks about how while children are suppose to feel bonded to their parents, they are not suppose to feel in bondage to them. This switch results in a change of position of parent in child within a family unit, resulting in stress and abnormal feelings. This is seen in the Bundren household, especially with Anse, as he sees his children as objects to take care of him.

This man read Nickel and Dimed and decided to more ambitiously test the situation of the poor by living the experience for a full year, with no money or car. He further sacrificed his lifestyle for the sake of journalism, and accomplished much more than Ehrenreich

It is interesting because Ehrenreich admits herself that the way she is conducting her experiment is somewhat inaccurate due to her possession of a car and emergency funds. This man is more dedicated and his findings are less biased.

I hope that this guy didn't whine about trivial bullshit (pardon my French) the whole time. Reading "Nickel and Dimed" was unbearable because of Ehrenreich's inability to cope with even the slightest change of plans. There was seriously a few paragraphs committed to how she can't handle caffeine and flips out when she has it, followed by her profound distress over having to call Menard's to ask about her possible wage.