5.1 Introduction to Health Psychology Flashcards
Health Psychology
The focus on how biological, social, and psychological factors influence health and illness.
Stress
The physiological response of the body to physical and psychological demands.
2 types: Eustress and Distress
Eustress
Positive stress
ex) Feeling motivated by the stress of giving a presentation or going to a job interview.
Distress
Negative Stress
ex) A relationship breaks up or losing a loved one.
What are the health impacts of stress?
Hypertension, immune suppression, and trauma.
Hypertension
A circulatory disorder characterized by persistent arterial blood pressure that exceeds the standard.
Immune Suppression
The body’s immune system weakens making it more vulnerable to infection or viruses.
Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs)
A tally of different types of abuse, neglect, and other hallmarks of a rough childhood.
General Adaptation Syndrome
The process the body goes through when exposed to any kind of stress, positive or negative.
Stages: Alarm, resistance, Exhaustion
Alarm
The emergency stage of GAS — the initial phase of the body’s response to stress
Resistance
Defenses maximized in GAS where the body tries to repair itself after the initial shock of stress
Fight, Flight, or Freeze
Exhaustion
Systems fail in GAS where prolonged exposure to a stressor depletes the body’s energy reserves, leading to an inability to cope
Fight-Flight-Freeze Response
An initial response of the boy where it either responds with the urge to fight, an urge to run, or an inability to move or act.
(Alarm stage)
Tend-and-Befriend Theory
A behavioral stress response to seek out support and support others.
Coping
how individuals manage and deal with stressful or challenging situations
Problem-Focused Coping
The attempt to directly deal with the demands of the situation so that it is no longer stressful.
ex) Studying to make the test not a stressful.
Emotion-Focused Coping
The attempt to manage the emotional responses that result from the stressful situation.
ex) Avoiding stress by going to a party, or dealing with stress by going on a run.
Coping Methods
Behaviors aimed at avoiding stress or unpleasant emotions
Coping Strategies
Behavioral/cognitive tactics used to manage crises, conditions, and demands that are stressful.
Meditation
A coping strategy that involves focusing or clearing your mind using a combination of mental and physical techniques.
