Chapter 10: Stress And Health Flashcards
Health psychology
An interdisciplinary field that investigates the links among behaviour, cognition, and physical health
Biopsychosocial model
A way of understanding what makes people healthy by recognizing that biology, psychology, and social context all combine to shape health outcomes
Stress
A physiological response to an environmental event that is perceived as taxing or even exceeding one’s ability to adapt
Primary appraisal
A person’s perception of the demands or challenges of a given situation
Secondary appraisal
A person’s perception of his or her ability to deal with the demands of a given situation
General adaptation syndrome
A broad-based physiological response to a physical threat that unfolds in three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion
Sympathetic-adreno-medullary (SAM) axis
A physiological system that governs the body’s immediate response to a stressful event, enabling the ability to flight or flee.
Hypothalamic- pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
A physiological system that governs the body’s prolonged response to a stressful event, enabling the conservation of energy
Challenge reactivity
A cardiovascular pattern of responding to a situation whereby the heart pumps out more blood and the vasculature dilates, allowing efficient circulation through the body
Threat reactivity
A cardiovascular pattern of responding to a situation whereby the heart pumps out more blood but the vascular constricts, preventing efficient circulation through the body
Cortisol
A hormone produced by the adrenal cortex that is often elevated in response to stressful events
Allostatic load
The sustained activation of many physiological systems in response to frequent or chronic stressors
Cytokines
Molecules, released as part of the body’s natural immune response, that respond to injury or infection by causing fever and inflammation
Alcohol myopia
A phenomenon whereby alcohol intoxication leads to a narrowing of attention and impairment of the ability to exert top-down control over impulses
Type A personality
A label used to describe a collection of traits that include being highly competitive and driven, hot-tempered and hostile, and urgently focused on time and time management
Type B personality
A label used to describe a collection of traits that include being reflective, creative, and less competitive
Resilience
One’s ability to effectively cope with stressful events and return to baseline levels quickly
Gene x environment interactions
The interaction between environmental factors and a person’s genetic predispositions that determine the unique phenotypes expressed in personality
Diathesis-stress model
A conception of psychopathology that distinguishes the factors that create a risk of illness (the diathesis) from the factors that turn the risk into a problem (the stress)
Differential sensitivities hypothesis
The idea that some people have a genetic predisposition to be more strongly affected by variation in their environment, especially during early childhood
Epigenetics
The study of how life events can change how genes are expressed
Broaden-and-build function
The idea that positive emotions evolved as a signal of safety, allowing for exploration and creativity
Social support
The degree to which people believe they can turn to other people for information, help, advice, or comfort
Flow
A subjective experience of having one’s attention so focused on an activity or task that any sense of self-awareness disappears
Implementation intentions
Specific “if-then” thoughts that cognitively connect a desired action to some triggering event or stimulus.
Sleep hygiene
A regimented routine at bedtime that allows one’s body to learn cues for sleep
