Date post: | 12-Jan-2016 |
Category: |
Documents |
Upload: | gerald-horn |
View: | 214 times |
Download: | 0 times |
Judicial Stress & Quality of Life
Isaiah M. Zimmerman, PhD
Stress!! The word is
Over-used Over-extended Over-generalized
It can be cited as A Cause An Effect A Specific Stressor
Levels of Stress Normal:
Positive, Motivating, Challenging with full recovery
Borderline Harmful: Partial and uneven recovery
Harmful: Little recovery Signs of depression
BASIC CONCEPT INSTRESS RESEARCH
BloodPressure
Time
Research on Decision Making Under Heavy Time Pressure
Under continual time pressure of highvolume production, decision makers… Lump issues and types of cases into
fewer categories Skip research Skim documents and numbers Isolate themselves
Research on Decision Making Under Heavy Time Pressure
cont’d
Increase blaming and excuses Lose feeling for others Tend to give more weight to the source,
less to evidence Have high inclination to agree
Progressive Signs of Danger
Fatigue not relieved by rest Irritability and impatience Blaming others Denial of any problem Emotional distance Excess in food, drink, medication
Progressive Signs of Dangercont’d
Social withdrawal Loss of priorities Drop in hygiene & self-care Clinical depression Paralysis and inability to function
Basic, Irreducible, DailyLifelong Self-Care
Exercise of: Large Muscle Small Muscle Heart and Lung Agility and Stretch
Nutrition Balance, Reduce intake of saturated fats, salt and sugar
Adequate sleep and emotional discharge
A Daily Balance Between
INNER and OUTER
Judge RequiresProfessional Talk
to get work done
Private and Family Talk
to promote home life
Personal Reaction Talk
to promote collegiality
Common Signs of Job Stress
32% work and eat lunch at same time 32% never leave building all day 19% feel tired, low energy 19% come to work when sick 18% delay vacation due to work 17% chronically sleep deprived
Common Signs of Job Stresscont’d
14% work late & weekends 8% fear falling behind if sick
Sleep Sleep provides:
Emotional rebalance Energy restoration Metabolic rebalance Preps waste removal Resets hormone cycles Allots memory storage
Sleep cont’d Sleep deficiency leads to:
Memory impairment Rise in stress hormones Reduced concentration Shorter attention span Lowered vigilance Reduced muscle mass Weight gain
Biology of Timing Learn your sleep cycle Stay on schedule Stabilize workplace Alcohol disrupts sleep Learn your best times for
Thinking Alertness
Biology of Timing cont’d
Light meal at night Weekend naps Best workout time Best sex arousal cycle
Anger
Anger is a hard-wired, built-in reaction to a perceived threat to control and dignity
Train yourself to work to restore control and dignity in the situation for yourself and other parties
The Anger Process is Set Off By…
Any perception of loss of control
Any perception of loss of dignity
Research on Family and Social Support
Widows & Widowers who have an active family and social circle live longer
Breast cancer patients who attend a support group live longer
Coronary patients who regularly attend a support group and keep regular contact with a health worker live longer
Hospital patients who have a close family member or advocate get better care and aftercare
Person to Person Help & Counseling
Listen, keep good eye contact & don’t interrupt Prove accurate listening by feedback Encourage further thoughts Guide to alternative solutions Prioritize alternative solutions If pressed for advice, give it respectfully, sensitively and
briefly - don’t lecture Follow up by showing interest in how things worked out
Stress on the Judge in High Profile Trials
Enough knowledge/experience? Extensive pretrial preparation Opinion/regard of colleagues Jury selection & media attention Preparation of staff
Stresses on the Judge in High-Profile Trials
cont’d Media coverage demands Security requirements Regular workload continues Care/Management of Jury Protecting Family/Private Life Conclusion/Post-Trial
Juror Stress Mixed emotions about summons Demand on job & family Sizing up other jurors Stress of decision process Dependency on judge Closure on decision Delivery of decision Post-trial emotions and attention
Stress on Court Staff Regular workload continues Overtime demands and compensation? Comments from family and friends Extra requests from lawyers/press/security How to be most helpful to judge? Tensions between staff members Wind up and closure of trial
Judicial Quality of Life
Judge-to-Judge support Three Breaks a Day Wellness Maintenance Hobby/Recreation/Sports Daily decompression I and Decompression II
Judicial Quality of Life cont’d
Religious/Spiritual Orientation Personal Talk Time with
Family/Friends/Colleagues Insight about anger process Separate public from private life space
Terrorism & the Courts
Denial & Discounting Planning & Coordination Survival through Dispersal & Cross-Training Stages of Response to Attack Recovery of People & Records Resiliency of the Court Team Pride in Keeping Courts Open