3: Managing Stress and Coping with Life's Challenges

Question 1

a series of mental and physiological responses and adaptations to a real or perceived threat to one’s well-being

Answer 1

stress

Question 2

a physical, social, or psychological event or condition that upsets homeostasis and produces a stress response

Answer 2

stressor

Question 3

stress that presents opportunities for personal growth - positive stress

Answer 3

eustress

Question 4

stress that can have a detrimental effect on health - negative stress

Answer 4

distress

Question 5

short-term physiological response to an immediate perceived threat

Answer 5

acute stress

Question 6

state of regularly reacting with wild, acute stress about one thing or another

Answer 6

episodic acute stress

Question 7

an ongoing state of physiological arousal in response to ongoing or numerous perceived threats

Answer 7

chronic stress

Question 8

physiological and mental response that occurs for a prolonged period of time after experiencing violence, disaster, assault, etc.

Answer 8

traumatic stress

Question 9

balanced physiological state in which all the body’s systems function smoothly

Answer 9

homeostasis

Question 10

physiological adjustments the body makes in an attempt to restore homeostasis

Answer 10

adaptive response

Question 11

pattern followed in the physiological response to stress (alarm, resistance, exhaustion)

Answer 11

general adaptation syndrome (GAS)

Question 12

physiological arousal response in which the body prepares to combat or escape a real or perceived threat (alarm phase)

Answer 12

fight-or-flight response

Question 13

portion of peripheral nervous system that regulates body functions that a person does not normally consciously control

Answer 13

autonomic nervous system (ANS)

Question 14

branch of autonomic nervous system responsible for stress arousal

Answer 14

sympathetic nervous system

Question 15

branch of autonomic nervous system responsible for slowing systems stimulated by the stress response

Answer 15

parasympathetic nervous system

Question 16

structure in the brain that controls the sympathetic nervous system and directs the stress response

Answer 16

hypothalamus

Question 17

AKA adrenaline - hormone that stimulates body systems in response to stress

Answer 17

epinephrine

Question 18

hormone released by the adrenal glands that makes stored nutrients more readily available to meet energy demands - the “stress hormone”

Answer 18

cortisol

Question 19

wear and tear on the body caused by prolonged or excessive stress responses

Answer 19

allostatic load

Question 20

ability of the immune system to respond to attack

Answer 20

immunocompetence

Question 21

theory proposed by psychologist Richard Lazarus, saying that our reaction to stress is about the interaction between perception, coping ability, and environment - appraisal, secondary appraisal, coping, postassessment

Answer 21

transactional model of stress and coping

Question 22

theory positing that minority groups’ stress may be partially explained by disparities and the chronic stress inherent in populations for which rejection, alienation, and hostility persist

Answer 22

minority stress perspective

Question 23

theory suggesting that when arousal or stress increases, performance goes up to a point, after which it declines

Answer 23

Yerkes-Dodson law of arousal

Question 24

total of one’s stressor exposure, including complex trauma

Answer 24

cumulative adversity

Question 25

study of the interrelationship between mind and body on immune system functioning

Answer 25

psychoneuroimmunology

Question 26

inability of lower-income groups to sustain the same lifestyle as higher-income groups in the same community, often resulting in feelings of anxiety and inferiority

Answer 26

relative deprivation

Question 27

condition in which a person feels overly pressured by demands

Answer 27

overload

Question 28

state of physical and mental exhaustion resulting from unrelenting stress

Answer 28

burnout

Question 29

environmental stressors of which people are often unaware (noise/air pollution, tobacco smoke, pollen)

Answer 29

background distressors

Question 30

interpretation and evaluation of information provided to the brain by the senses

Answer 30

appraisal

Question 31

Susan Kobasa’s term for a personality trait characterized by control, commitment, and the embrace of challenge

Answer 31

psychological hardiness

Question 32

capacity to maintain or regain psychological well-being in the face of adversity, trauma, tragedy, threats, or significant sources of stress

Answer 32

psychological resilience

Question 33

cognitive, affective, and behavioral tendencies toward anger, distrust, and cynicism

Answer 33

hostility

Question 34

personality type defined as hard-driving, competitive, time-driven and perfectionist

Answer 34

Type A personality

Question 35

personality type defined as relaxed, noncompetitive, more tolerant of others

Answer 35

Type B personality

Question 36

personality type defined as stoic, stuffing feelings down and comforting to wishes of others

Answer 36

Type C personality

Question 37

personality type defined by tendency toward excessive negative worry, irritability, gloom, and social inhibition

Answer 37

Type D personality

Question 38

strategy of reframing appraisals of current stressors and focusing on a meaningful future that protects a person from the negative effects of too much stress

Answer 38

shift and persist

Question 39

managing events or conditions to lessen the physical or psychological effects of excess stress

Answer 39

coping

Question 40

an acute tuning in and awareness of your thoughts, feelings, and reactions, focused on finding nonjudgmental views of situations

Answer 40

dispositional mindfulness

Question 41

stress management technique in which a person consciously anticipates and prepares for potential stressors

Answer 41

stress inoculation

Question 42

the modification of thoughts, ideas, and beliefs that contribute to stress

Answer 42

cognitive restructuring

Question 43

food substances that can produce stress-like physiological responses (ex. caffeine)

Answer 43

sympathomimetics

Question 44

to intentionally put off doing something

Answer 44

procrastinate

Question 45

a series of goals to accomplish toward a specific end

Answer 45

implementation intentions

Question 46

AKA voluntary simplicity - taking a step back and simplifying a lifestyle that is hectic and stressful

Answer 46

downshifting

Question 47

technique in which a machine is used to self-monitor physical responses to stress

Answer 47

biofeedback