Summary Of Adaptive Help Seeking With Peer Harassment

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Summary and Purpose
The purpose of Newman’s, Adaptive and Non-adaptive Help Seeking with Peer Harassment: An integrative Perspective on Coping and Self-Regulation, was to compile research that supported evidence for students seeking different types of help (adaptive or non-adaptive) in times of peer harassment. It also was to examine the dilemma students often face if harassed at school (Newman 2008). Newman states that the dilemma is whether or not to ask an educator for assistance or what he calls ‘adaptive help seeking’. The research focuses on the ability of the child to recognize when it is or is not appropriate to ask for help in a situation. Information was organized into theories on adaptive help seeking, Newman’s review of the
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Middle school is a vital time riddled with tribulation in every child’s life. This is the time where children began to search for their places in the world. It is very important for children to have the supports they need in order to succeed and have a better sense of self-efficacy. As a parent and future educator, the data, compiled by Newman (2008), is pertinent because I can use it to support my students in time of need. I hope that I will be able to recognize when my students need me but there are often times when adults discount children’s issues. As an educator, I need to show my students that I am concerned for their well-being and that I will support them throughout their time in my class. I also need to help my students and other children find a balance with help seeking. Newman presents that there are two types of help seeking: adaptive and non-adaptive. Adaptive help seeking is a strategy that consists of coping and self-regulation and is necessary (Newman 2008). Non-adaptive help seeking is either unnecessary or the student fails to recognize the need to actually ask for help (Newman 2008). When a student fails to seek help when it is needed, the harassment can progress and cause many physical and mental issues. Some issues can be detrimental for a person such as, having a low self-esteem, anxiety, experiencing extreme anger …show more content…
The most obvious way for an educator to utilize the information, is for understanding some of the barriers that children face when asking for help. Children think that the harassment will not end or maybe they will be harassed or teased for even asking for help. Society teaches children, especially boys, that if you ask for help, you are weak. In response to the non-adaptive help seeking behaviors mentioned, seeking too much help when it is not necessary, some children can become overly reliant on others to help them get through life because they enjoy or need some sort of attention. Educators can use this information to aid in determining when a child is just seeking attention instead of actually needing help. Information from Newman (2008) can also be formed into a teaching opportunity on how to ask for help, when is help seeking necessary or not and why seeking out an adult might be useful. Teaching students what is acceptable in your classroom will set the example and clear up any misconceptions there might be regarding the educator’s stance on assisting his or her