Introduction
McClusky’s Power/Load/Margin is one of the unique psychological models having practical importance for improving the quality of people’s lives. According to this model, the life balance is achieved when there is a positive margin. An adult can efficiently overcome the overload related to life and find resources for education and development. The current paper is devoted to analyzing my personal power/load/margin case highlighting the margin necessary for overcoming the life load in order to successfully complete the bachelor’s degree.
The Problem of Adults’ Education
The major obstacle in adult education that often becomes significant is the lack of time. Education is time-consuming, which for many is an even more valuable resource than money. Moreover, the problem of lack of time is quite acute for almost every adult who needs to combine many aspects of his life. However, this problem can be solved with more effective time management and comfortable scheduling. Despite the difficulties that arise in the process, the mistakes that make you want to quit everything halfway, demotivating adults on their educational path, learning at any age is worth it. Mastering new skills instill self-confidence, allows you to change your career vector, improve your professional qualities, and become part of a new community.
McClusky’s Power/Load/Margin Principle
The first step in achieving efficient results in any sphere is understanding a problem and finding practical solutions. The psychologist McClusky conducted the research aimed at designing the formula of margin, which can help adults overcome educational difficulties (Baumgartner et al., 2007). According to the researcher, the live load, represented by the people’s demands, can be overcome by improving the indicator of power, which are the resources people have (Baumgartner et al., 2007). The load ratio to the power represents the margin formula. The factors consisting the load are divided into external and internal. External ones are correlated with family, career, and socioeconomic status. At the same time, internal factors include personal expectations, aims, goals, development, and self-perception. The power consists of the group of physical, mental, social, and economic inquiries including developed by the adult skills (Baumgartner et al., 2007). Therefore, the adults’ education is directly estimated by the proportion of the abovementioned factors.
Personal Estimation of the Margin
Discussing my personal case, it is vital to mention that I strive to gain a bachelor’s degree. At the same time, I have work and family needs, which significantly increase the load level. The factor of external load is my family and work. I have two children, and the workload is approximately forty hours per week. Considering the internal factors affecting me is the skills to adapt quickly to changing life conditions. My expectations are to complete the bachelor’s degree and develop as a professional. Moreover, it is worth mentioning that I strive to support my children and husband, which requires particular efforts to increase the internal load. Considering the factors of power, financial stability, and my husband’s support can be mentioned. Moreover, I rapidly adapt the social conditions and have a flexible personality, allowing me to build efficient communication and learn quickly.
In general, precise calculations cannot be held because the formula is part of the conceptual model. Considering the proportion of factors, it can be stated that there is no surplus of power in my case. It is distributed proportionally due to all spheres of my life to ensure my organism’s normal mental and physical functioning. The surplus of power is associated with a high level of motivation for education. However, the current load is high, and, as a result, not many resources can be left for education. It can be supposed that I may experience difficulties in studying. Based on the compared factors, the personal workload takes up much of my everyday efforts leaving no space for learning. However, the motivating factor which stimulates me so far is becoming a more diversified specialist with a unique set of skills and abilities. In other words, the estimated proportion for my case is zero as far as there is neither deficiency nor surplus in the motivation. As a result, it can be stated that based on McClusky’s formula, I have the potential to gain the degree successfully. Currently, the margin cannot be decreased because there is a direct correlation between the internal and external factors and my life demands.
Conclusion
Therefore, the finding margin of power can be achieved by comparing the load’s internal and external factors to the power. In my case, the desires and resources match with each other. As a result, there is no surplus or efficiency in the margin of power. Despite the high life load, my personality traits and living conditions allow minimizing the negative effect of such pressure. I manage to effectively manage the time spent studying without harming the other spheres of life. However, any other disturbing factors, such as illness, will lead the proportion to a negative deficiency. It can potentially damage the balance existing for now. In order to avoid such a situation, I should probably consider decreasing the load associated with some of the areas to ensure the reserve of power for cases when educational motivation may diminish.
Reference
Baumgartner, L. M., Caffarella, R. S., & Merriam, S. B. (2007). Learning in adulthood: A comprehensive guide (3rd ed.). John Wiley & Sons.