Ch.12 Flashcards
Distinction between stress and trauma
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
traumatic event:
is a stressor that’s so severe it can produce long-term psychological or health consequences.
Trauma:
refers to an experience that is so severe that it can produce long-term problems
where the term ‘stress’ came from
Before the 1940s, scientists rarely used the term stress outside of the engineering profession.
— where it referred to stresses on materials and building structures. A building was said to withstand stress if it didn’t collapse under intense pressure.
- came into psyc in 1944
- situations are only stressful when we believe we lack the necessary resources to cope with a given situation.
studying stress as stimuli (stressor)
approach focuses on identifying different types of stressful events, ranging from job loss to combat. This approach has pinpointed categories of events that most of us find dangerous and unpredictable.
• things that happen to us
- include daily hassles and frustrations
studying stress as transaction (including primary and secondary appraisal)
- Stress is a subjective experience.
- Researchers who study stress as a transaction examine how people interpret and cope with stressful events.
—critical factor influencing whether we
experience an event as stressful is our appraisal-that is, evaluation-of the event.
• primary appraisal:
initial decision regarding whether an event is harmful.
— is about whether you think of something as stressful.
• secondary appraisal:
perceptions regarding our ability to cope with an event that follows primary
appraisal.
— affects how much stress you then experience based on your perceived ability to deal with the situation.
studying stress as a response
• researchers assess people’s psychological and physical reactions to stressful circumstances.
• regardless of what triggers them, the various physical and psychological stress responses we have
• not as interested in what happens to us, but rather in how we react, in our bodies and our minds
• useful when we look for individual differences in stress experiences, or in resilience to stress.
- measure a host of outcome variables: stress-related feelings such as
- depression, hopelessness, and hostility
-physiological responses such as - increases in heart rate - the release of stress hormones called corticosteroids.
• corticosteroid:
stress hormone that activates the body and prepares us to respond to stressful circumstances
why it can be difficult to measure stress
Measuring stress is a tricky business, largely because what’s exceedingly stressful for one person, may be a mere annoyance for another.
how to measure stress as a stimulus (including the SRRS and Hassles Scale – benefits and drawbacks)
• SRRS scale is for major life events
—
• Hassles Scale for all of the small daily annoyances.
— research suggests that daily hassles are better predictors of overall wellbeing.
— hassles are a much better predictor of how those two people will feel, compared to the life event.
— Hassles are all about your immediate experience and enjoyment of the world,
- if you’re experiencing a series of hassles, then you might not be able to reflect on how good your life is for the big things, because you’re simply too busy dealing with all of the annoying little things.
- if you are going through something major, then you will be even more sensitive to the effect of hassles.
Cons:
— doesn’t consider other crucial factors, including people’s interpretation of events, coping behaviours and resources, and difficulty recalling events accurately.
— neglects to consider some of the more “chronic” ongoing stressors that many individuals experience.
— > subtle forms of discrimination or differential treatment based on race, gender, sexual orientation, or religion.
— neglects the fact that some stressful life events, like divorce or troubles at work, can be consequences rather than causes of people’s psychological problems
— difficulty relaxing and insomnia, may reflect symptoms of psychological disorders, rather than hassles.
Evolutionary reasons why we have a stress response
• females generally have more to lose especially when they’re pregnant, nursing, or caring for children if they’re injured or killed when fighting or fleeing.
• Therefore, over the course of evolutionary history, they’ve developed a tend-and-befriend response to threat which, along with the fight-or-flight response, boosts the odds of their and their offspring survival.
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (including the 3 stages)
• useful to describe what happens in cases of a prolonged stress response.
• Alarm reaction: involves excitation of the autonomic nervous system, the discharge of the stress hormone adrenalin, and physical symptoms of anxiety.
- characterized by physiological arousal and the perception of threat or risk.
• resistance:
- start dealing with the situation.
- will involve some of the secondary appraisal
- fight-or-flight options, other strategies to help you cope or avoid the problem, tend-and-befriend, might solve the problem intellectually or emotionally.
- body is still reacting but it is doing so in a way that allows you to keep going.
- might feel energized, and you might have a boost to your strength or ability to concentrate, and these are very adaptive responses
• Exhaustion:
- however, you will use up all of your available energy and resources. If you haven’t dealt with or managed to escape the problem before that happens, then you will reach the exhaustion phase.
- might be physical, where you just can’t keep moving or you get very ill because your immune system has become suppressed.
- emotional, and you could develop depression or other serious symptoms of mental disorder.
sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems
• Parasympathetic division is the one that is most in charge when things are peaceful (p is for both parasympathetic and peace).
• The sympathetic division is most in charge when things are stressful (s is for sympathetic and stress).
- something is or perceived as dangerous
—> amygdala likely to be active.
—> channelling resources away from things that aren’t immediately necessary, = ability to respond to the threat.
—> basic digestion shut down, while circulation ramps up.
—> release adrenaline and corticosteroids like cortisol from your adrenal gland.
—> increasing your heart rate and blood pressure, to reducing your production of insulin and sometimes making you pee yourself.
- generally feel the emotions of fear or anger (or the milder versions; nervousness and irritation), and you will be generally physiologically aroused.
fight or flight
fight-or-flight response:
physical and psychological reaction that mobilizes people and animals to either defend themselves (fight) or escape (flee) a threatening situation
tend and befriend
• tend and befriend reaction that mobilizes people to nurture (tend) or seek social support (befriend) under stress
— Oxytocin “love and bonding hormone,
further counters stress and promotes the tend-and-befriend response.
— oxytocin promotes trust consistent with a tend-and-befriend response.
eustress
• eustress: based on the Greek word eu meaning “good,” to distinguish it from distress, or “bad” stress. Events that are challenging, yet not overwhelming,
— stress could sometimes be advantageous.
— can create “positive stress” and provide opportunities for personal growth.
— Short-term stress that lasts minutes to hours can also trigger a healthy immune response to help us fend off physical ailments
Benefits of social support
• social support relationships with people and groups that can provide us with emotional comfort and personal and financial resources.
• four kinds of social ties: marriage, contact with friends, church membership, and formal and informal group associations.
Benefits:
— positive influence of social support isn’t limited to health outcomes.
— Supportive and caring relationships can help us cope with short-term crises and life transitions.
— A happy marriage, is protective
against depression, even when people encounter major stressors
— social support is also enhanced through spirituality.
control strategies to reduce stress (behavioural, cognitive, decisional, information, emotional)
• Behavioural
- ability to step up and do something to reduce the impact of a stressful situation or prevent its recurrence.
— type of active coping is called problem-focused coping and is generally more effective in relieving stress than avoidance-oriented coping avoiding action to solve our problems or giving up hope
• Cognitive
- ability to cognitively restructure or think differently about negative emotions that arise in response to stress-provoking events.
— includes emotion-focused coping, a strategy that comes in handy when adjusting to uncertain situations or aversive events we can’t control or change.
— collective self-esteem refers to an evaluation of one’s social identity
—> tied to better health for those with little perceived control.
—> may actually protect those older adults who believe they have little control over important events in their lives.
• Decisional
- ability to choose among alternative courses of action.
— consult with trusted friends about decisions.
• Informational
- ability to acquire information about a stressful event.
— Knowing what types of questions are on standardized tests can help us prepare for them.
— engage in proactive coping when we anticipate stressful situations and take steps to prevent or minimize difficulties before they arise.
• People who engage in proactive coping tend to perceive stressful circumstances as opportunities for growth.
•Emotional
- ability to suppress and express emotions.
— showed signs of improved immune functioning
— writing about traumatic events can influence a variety of academic, social, and cognitive variables, and improve the health and well-being of people.
= emotional upset often generates a vicious cycle: We can become distressed about the fact that we’re distressed.
