Biological - Stress Management

Question 1

What does behaviour depend on?

Answer 1

The pattern of electrical activity (nerve impulses)

Question 2

What effect does a neurotransmitter that makes positive ions rush in have?

Answer 2

An excitatory effect

Question 3

What effect does a neurotransmitter that makes negative ions rush in have?

Answer 3

An inhibitory effect

Question 4

Give 2 examples of BZs

Answer 4

Librium

Valium

Question 5

What subjective effect do BZs have on someone who is stressed?

Answer 5

Calms people down

Question 6

In which part of the nervous system do BZs operate

Answer 6

Central Nervous System

Question 7

Which receptor sites do BZs bind to?

Answer 7

Gaba receptors

Question 8

What does the effect of BZs binding to gaba receptors have?

Answer 8

It opens them: allows negatively charged chloride ions to pass inside the neuron

Question 9

Why does the passing of negatively charged chloride ions into neurons help with stress?

Answer 9

It makes the nueron less responsive to other neurotransmitters that would normally excite it

Question 10

Name a beta blocker

Answer 10

Inderal

Question 11

In which part of the nervous system do beta blockers operate?

Answer 11

Sympathetic branch of the autonomic nervous system

Question 12

Which neurotransmitters/hormones are beta adrenergic receptors responsive to?

Answer 12

Adrenaline, Norandrenaline

Question 13

What do beta blockers do?

Answer 13

Bind to beta-adrenergic receptors to stop adrenaline binding to them, which slows the heart beat, meaning less stress

Question 14

What are the two approaches to managing stress?

Answer 14

Biologica (drugs)

Psychological

Question 15

What are the side effects of BZs?

Answer 15

Increased aggression
Depression
Drowsiness
Memory loss

Question 16

State 3 problems with using drugs to manage stress

Answer 16

• They only target symptoms (don’t target the root cause)
• Risk of dependency with BZs (withdrawal)
• Tolerance (need an increasingly higher dosage)

Question 17

What is good about using drugs to treat stress?

Answer 17

• Speed and effectiveness

- Availability (can be prescribed immediately)

Question 18

What did a meta analysis into drugs as a way of treating stress conclude?

Answer 18

BZs were more effective than other drugs (e.g antidepressants)

Question 19

Who came up with stress inoculation therapy?

Answer 19

Meichenbaun

Question 20

What assumption is SIT based upon?

Answer 20

that people sometimes find situations stressful because they think about them in catastrophising ways.

Question 21

What are the 3 stages to SIT?

Answer 21

1. Conceptualisation
2. Skills and training practice
3. Real life application

Question 22

What is Conceptualisation in SIT?

Answer 22

Identifying the link between irrational thoughts and feelings of stress

Question 23

What is Skills training and practice in SIT?

Answer 23

Development of cognitive strategies to work as coping strategies which counteract the negative self statements.
They practice behavioural skills (relaxation techniques)

Question 24

What is real life application in SIT?

Answer 24

Client encouraged to apply the training to the real world, gradually increasing the intensity of stress

Question 25

What are the 3 aspects to Hardiness training?

Answer 25

• Focussing (clients taught to recognise the symptoms of stress)
• Reliving stressful encounters (thinking of better ways to have dealt with them)
• Self-improvement (that challenges can be coped with)

Question 26

What are 2 positive points about using SIT?

Answer 26

• It targets symptoms and causes (reduces the gap between demands and coping resources)
• Effectiveness: (combination of cognitive therapy and behavioural therapy makes it a powerful method of stress management)

Question 27

What are 2 negative points about using SIT?

Answer 27

• Practicality: (Requires time, money, motivation and commitment)
• Difficulties: (stress could be inherent, making cognitive and behaviour hard to change)

Question 28

What are 3 evaluative points on hardiness training?

Answer 28

• Theoretical issues (concept of hardiness is criticised)
• Generalising (Kobasa’s studies usually only involve white middle class business men, so has low population validity)
• Effectiveness and practicality (time, commitment and motivation)

Question 29

Name a study into the evaluation of SIT

Answer 29

Meichenbaum

Question 30

State the procedure of Meichenbaum’s study

Answer 30

Studied anxious pre-exam college students with 3 conditions:

1) 8 weeks of SIT
2) 8 weeks of systematic desensitisation (behavioural)
3) no therapy

Efficiency was evaluated through exam performance and self-reports

Question 31

What were the findings from Meichenbaum’s study?

Answer 31

That the SIT group gave the most positive self reports and outperformed the other students in their exams.

Question 32

What were the conclusions from Meichenbaum’s study?

Answer 32

That SIT as a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) helps to reduce anxiety in stressful situations

Question 33

What are 2 evaluative points of Meichenbaum’s study?

Answer 33

• Used self report (not always reliable)
• does not look at the ‘optimum treatment period’ (can’t be sure which of the methods is the best, only that SIT works better after just 8 weeks)