CH 5 Stress, Coping, and Health (Terms) Flashcards
Stress
The tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation called a stressor – a type of stimulus – strains our ability to cope effectively
Stress as Stimuli (3)
Stimuli causes stress and negative experiences
Problem: not all people respond to stressors in the same way
- Complexity in responses: (not always negative) e.g., unity after a natural disaster
Stress as Transaction (4)
Stress is subjective
Interaction between individual and environment
Primary and Secondary Appraisal
Problem-focused coping versus emotion-focused coping
Primary Appraisal
Interpreting information; anticipating something as a threat
Secondary Appraisal
Ability to cope: determines how we react in the stressful situation
Stress as a Response
Physiological and psychological responses to stressful events or experiences
Acute stressors
Happens quickly and fades once the situation or circumstances has passed
Chronic Stressors
Persistent, slowly drains a person’s psychological resources and damages their brains and bodies
Hassle
Minor annoyances or nuisances that strains our ability to cope
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) (3)
Proposed by Hans Selye
Stress response pattern that consists of three stages: Alarm Reaction, Resistance, and Exhaustion
Problem: Response based model, focuses on physical reactions but overlooks the psychological experiences like thoughts and emotions.
Alarm Reaction
Fight-or-Flight Response: physical and psychological reaction
Resistance
Adapt to stressor; physiological responses are lessened (but continue to be higher than baseline)
Exhaustion (3)
No longer able to adapt to stressor
Body becomes depleted: illness, disease, damage to body, death
Negative psychological effects: fatigue, depression, anxiety
Eustress
Positive stress that motivates us
Distress
Stress that affects us negatively
HPA Axis (5)
- Chain reaction of hormonal response lead to to release of cortisol:
Hypothalamus
Pituitary Gland
Adrenal Glands
- HPA Axis functions to keep us alert and motivated to deal with or avoid danger (chronic levels can leave negative effects on the body)
Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) (4)
- Mental health condition caused by highly stressful or frightening event
- Symptoms: vivid memories, images, emotions pertaining to traumatic experience
Problem-focused coping
Actively address the stressor by trying to solve the issue at hand
Emotion-focused coping
This involves regulating our emotions that come with stress, rather than trying to change the stressor (may involve avoidance coping)
Control
Belief that a situation or stressor can be controlled
Behavioural control
Control behaviours (e.g., coping strategies)
Cognitive control
Controlling our thoughts; “cognitive restructuring”
Informational control (2)
Seek out information to manage a stressful event
- Can lead to proactive coping
Decisional control
Can choose among alternative courses of action
Emotional control
Can choose to suppress and express emotions (and the manner of doing so
Catharsis
Expressing anger or other intense negative emotions
Hardiness
- Trait of resilient people
Set of attitudes marked by a sense of control over events, commitment to life and work, and courage and motivation to confront stressful circumstances
Optimism
A tendency to view life’s events more positively
Rumination
Excessive, repetitive thoughts that interfere with other forms of mental activity
Health psychology (3)
Examines the relationship between psychology and physical health
- Interdisciplinary
- Utilizes the biopsychosocial model
Immune System
Our body’s defence against bacteria, viruses, and other potentially illness-producing organisms and substances.
Antibodies
Proteins that bind to foreign substances
Psychoneuroimmunology
The study of the relationship between the immune system and the central nervous system
