CH13: STRESS AND HEALTH

Question 1

what is stress?

Answer 1

o A psychological or physical response of the
body
o Adapt to changing conditions
oAdapt to any event or circumstance that strains or exceed an individual’s ability to cope

Question 2

what are the sources of stress?

Answer 2

life events= Psychologically important events that occur in a person’s life
Ø Negative life events (violence, war, sexual assault, loss of a family member, natural disasters, daily hassles etc.)
ØPositive live events (birth of a child, college graduation, living on your own etc.)

Question 3

are life evens the only stressors and why?

Answer 3

no, there is also effects of Daily Stressors:

Question 4

what is frustration?

Answer 4

the result of being unable to satisfy a motive (e.g., Low-wage workers denied raises, girls not allowed to go to school)

Question 5

what is the Approach-approach conflict?

Answer 5

choose between two positive goals of almost equal value

ex= (Going to a movie x theatre)

Question 6

what is the Avoidance-avoidance conflict?

Answer 6

choose between two negative goals of approximately equal value
ex= (Getting an injection x toothache)

Question 7

what is the Approach-avoidance conflict?

Answer 7

achieving a positive goal will produce a negative outcome as well
ex= (Going to summer school x separation from your home)

Question 8

what is the Multiple approach-avoidance conflict?

Answer 8

choose between two alternatives, each contain positive and negative consequences

ex= (Alternative 1: 5 star, good location, not clean/Alternative 2: 5 star, located at the periphery, very clean)

Question 9

what is pressure stress?

Answer 9

Stress that occurs from the threat of negative

events

Question 10

what is Environmental conditions stress?

Answer 10

Physical environment–temperature, air pollution, crowd etc.

Question 11

how do people react to stress?

Answer 11

We react to stress as a whole
o Both psychological and physiological aspects
o A general reaction to all types of stress occurs- regardless of its source

Question 12

what are the Psychological reactions to stress?

Answer 12

ØAffective: anxiety, depressed mood,
irritability, interest in food and sex, anger
ØCognitive: difficulty in concentrating, difficulty in thinking clearly, repetitive thoughts

Question 13

what are the physiological reactions to stress?

Answer 13

GAS (general adaptation
syndrome)
ØThe body reacts to stress as it reacts to injury/infection
ØMobilization of the body to word off threats
-Regulate stress responses
1. Alarm reaction
2. Resistance stage 
3. Exhaustion stage

Question 14

what happens in the alarm reaction stage of stress?

Answer 14

o Mobilize its stored resources
o Sympathetic division of the nervous system
Ø Controls the fight or flight response o Increase heartbeat and blood pressure o Increase perspiration
o Divert blood into muscles

Question 15

what happens in the resistance stage of stress?

Answer 15

o The body resources’ are used
o Resistance to stress is high
o In the case of new stress, the body is less able to deal with stress

Question 16

what happens in the exhaustion stage of stress?

Answer 16

o Prolonged exposure

o Resistance to stress and infection is lowered

Question 17

what is the GAS?

Answer 17

General Adaptation Syndrome
oThe body’s protective response to dangers
ØWork best if emergencies oProblematic if prolonged
ØStress reduces the effectiveness of the immune system (the body’s disease- fighting system)
ØStressful life eventsàsuppression of the immune system

Question 18

what are the individual differences when it comes to stress?

Answer 18

-prio experience, age, cognitive factors in stress reactions (less exposure to stress= less reactive to stress), interpretation of stress events, neuroticism (personality characteristics), predictability and control, social support, expressive writing, ethnicity (minorities have less advantages to shield from stress)

Question 19

what are the 3 ways of effective coping with stress?

Answer 19

• Remove the source of stress
• Change the way one thinks
• Change stress reactions

Question 20

what is cognitive coping?

Answer 20

cognitive strategies to

reduce the amount of stress

Question 21

what is Reappraisal?

Answer 21

changing how one thinks about a potentially stressful event

Question 22

what can one do to change stress reactions?

Answer 22

oManage psychological and physiological

reactions to stress ØRelaxing, hobbies

Question 23

what are the ineffective ways to deal with stress?

Answer 23

• Provide temporary relief from stress
• No long-term solution 
o Withdrawal
o Aggression
o Self-medication