Tough situations. Social instability in times of changes hardly can be seen turned into opportunities. The role of the psychologist can be more present than ever

Social unrest can be understood as a political situation in which people go on strike or behaving violently. Social unrest begins when citizens are dissatisfied with the rules, procedures and policies. There are many triggers for social unrest, including the economic downturn, which now permeates our society and brings situations of unemployment and financial crises. In this context a decrease sense of self-esteem in the population can be easily observed, which is linked to increased psychological and physical diseases.
One way or another, either more or less directly, each has suffered this social unrest: unemployed people who cannot find a job, employed persons living in the uncertainty of not knowing whether they will be fired, significantly increased workload , businesses that close or retirees who lose purchasing power. It is not unusual in this context that have arisen claim movements. In Spain the most important movement associated with social unrest is the 15-M. Bursting two years ago, the massive support from the society gave evidence of the discomfort present in millions of families and in the society. Being the protagonist of the social movement, it brought the proliferation of initiatives strengthen that the support in the cause. Certainly the movement is losing visibility, however those who participate in it increase their indignation and disappointed with the society in which they live.
In this atmosphere of recession, the unemployment rate is growing exorbitantly. Since 2007, between 30 and 35 million jobs have been lost (ILO, 2010). Many unemployed people have been out of work for over a year and have already lost hope of finding work. This leads many people to give up registrations in public employment offices, which explains the difference between the number of unemployed targeted by the State Public Service Employment and Labour Force Survey. These people have risk high and significant probability of demoralization, loss of self-esteem and mental health problems. Furthermore, young people are disproportionately affected by unemployment. The UN agency mentioned a large number of countries (more than 25) in which there is evidence of youthful discontent because of unemployment, even in countries with emerging economies. On the other hand, certain sectors of the population have internalized a sense of guilt for having lived beyond their possibilities. This sentiment is linked to the fear and lack of alternatives generated by the crisis, which ultimately leads to resignation.
We wanted to hear about the experiences of some of those directly affected by these dramatic changes. So, we decided to contact a small group of welfare recipients. We thought it was amazing how many have begun to internalize and tacitly accept a situation in which social benefits are their only means to survive. We could see in their speeches comments about the shame they feel to be dependent on social assistance, and regard themselves as "beggars". Among respondents "Addis" reflected on her experience: "The government does not seem to realize that this is not a lifestyle for me ... So I feel a little finishing, sponge of society. Although for years I paid and worked, contributing to society. "
The end result of this may be the appearance of factors such as psychogenic pain, internal conflicts and tension that prevents a person feel self-realized. It is therefore essential that psychologists and other professionals work together to alleviate this problem. The role of the psychologist provides support in many cases; this is also a reason of the significant increase in the number of visits to these specialists. These experts, beyond providing support, aim to help people grow individually and change the view of social problems, seeing them as something individual rather than as a phenomenon that concerns all of us.