chapter 11, 12 Flashcards
stress as a stimulus
This puts the focus on stressful events themselves and on the
external environment. This perspective specifically proposes that life events have
cumulative effects. In addition to life events, daily hassles can also have a very stressful
nature
Stress as a psychological transaction
between the stimulus event and the
cognitive/emotional characteristics of the individual. According to this theory, stress is a
subjective experience/an internal state of being. According to Lazarus, a key figure in this
domain, stress is a result of an interaction between an individual’s characteristics and
appraisals, the environment, and the resources the person has available to them. There has
been a divide between different types of appraisals. On the one hand, there is the
primary appraisal process, in which the person coincides the quality and nature of the
stimulus event. In secondary appraisal, one assesses one’s resources and abilities to cope with the stressors. Stress would occur when there is a mismatch between perceived
demands and resources. Stress is thus seen as a dynamic process.§
Hobfoll proposed a ‘conservation of resources’ model of stress
whereby stress occurs
when there is a threat to one’s resources (e.g time, money, skills). Acute stress is the rapid and
extensive depletion of valued resources. This can follow from cataclysmic events such as natural
disasters or even from exam periods.
One can also experience chronic stress from their occupation.
goodness-of-fit approach by Lazarus
A possible explanation of
why one’s job can come across as stressful is offered by the goodness-of-fit approach by
Lazarus. Such approaches suggest that stress arises because of a mismatch between
environmental variables and personal variables. The ‘fit’ is considered as dynamic.
Selye: general adaptation syndrome
- The alarm process. We now know that circulating glucocorticoids provide energy for the
alarm phase. - The stage of resistance
- The stage of exhaustion
hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenocortical system (HPA)
that enables our bodily
organs to alter their usual function to facilitate a longer-lasting adaptive response to stress.
Physiological responses to stress, e.f the release of cortisol, can have negative effects in the long
term such as the suppression of the immune system.
Aging can also cause your immune function
to decline. why?
This is partly because natural killer cells become less efficient
‘reactivity hypothesis’
Genetic and environmental factors can combine to influence a person’s
vulnerability to physiological responses
Although acute stress has been found
to be implanted in coronary heart disease (from the activation of the sympathetic nervous
system)…
there is no clear link between the formation of cancer and stress.
problem-focused approach or attentional
coping is more likely to be adaptive..
when
there is control over the stressor.
However, both problem and
emotion-focused coping are interdependent
and work together to create an overall coping response.
extraversion and coping
uses active coping
dispositional optimism
People with this type of optimism
are less likely to make internal, stable, and global attributions for negative events; they perceive
stress as changeable. Optimism is therefore associated with active coping and a reduced negative
mood.
difference between hope, optimism and self-efficacy
Hope
is about the motivation and route to achieving goals, whereas optimism reflects a general
positive outcome expectancy that is not founded solely on agency and pathway thinking.
Furthermore, self-efficacy is more of a situational and goal-specific belief that depends on
various contingencies
e C personality
There is mixed evidence of the benefits of this personality type
A type D personality,
is best described as a distressed personality with a high negative affectivity and
social inhibition.
Instrumental support
is more helpful if aspects of the event are controllable, like financial assistance.
emotional support
is more helpful when things are uncontrollable. Furthermore, evidence of a
relationship between life stress and health status has pointed to social support as a moderator.
The direct effects
hypothesis s
suggests that social support is beneficial regardless of the amount of stress people
experience
The buffering hypothesis
however, suggests that social support acts as a buffer by
either influencing cognitive appraisals or modifying the person’s coping response. There are
consistent findings that cultural differences exist in the norms of support-seeking behavior.
the HPA-axis
uses hormones
as the main communication system, and causes more long-term stress
The sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems use neurotransmitters as the
main communication system and cause
fast, acute stress
How does stress affect the brain? →
Remodeling of dendrites and synaptic corrections
Why is it hard to stop long-term stress? →
The brain areas that are affected are also the
off button of stress
transactional model of stress
cognitive appraisal is central. It distinguishes
between primary appraisal (what do you think about the situation) and secondary appraisal (the
resources at hand to cope with demand).
