Chapter 11: Health Psychology - Module 35: Stress and Coping

Question 1

What is stress?

Answer 1

Peoples’ response to what threatens or challenges them. (p. 413)
For people to consider an event as stressful, they have to perceive it as threatening and lack the necessary resources to deal with it effectively.

Question 2

What events are strong stressors that occur suddenly, and typically affect many people simultaneously?

Answer 2

Cataclysmic events

p. 414

Question 3

True or false: With personal stressors, there is typically a strong response immediately that tapers off with time.

Answer 3

True

Question 4

True or false: The closer people lived to the cite of the World Trade Centre terrorist attack, the greater the rate of PTSD.

Answer 4

True

Question 5

Re-experiencing events in flashbacks or dreams, emotional numbing, sleep difficulties, problems relating to other people, and alcohol and drug abuse are common in people who suffer from what?

Answer 5

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder

Question 6

What are 3 major categories of stressors?

Answer 6

1. Cataclysmic events
2. Personal stressors
3. Background stressors (“daily hassles”)

(p. 414, 416)

Question 7

What fact about background stressors is related to psychological and health problems such as flu, sore throat, and backaches?

Answer 7

Number of stressors

p. 416

Question 8

What are “uplifts”?

Answer 8

The opposite of background stressors; little positive events that make us feel good. (More uplifts = fewer reported negative psychological symptoms)

(p. 416)

Question 9

What are psychophysiological disorders?

Answer 9

An entire class of physical problems often the result of or worsened by stress. (p. 418)

Question 10

GAS stands for what?

Answer 10

General Adaption Syndrome (p. 418)

Question 11

What are the three stages of general adaptation syndrome? (p. 418)

Answer 11

1. alarm and mobilization
2. resistance
3. exhaustion

Question 12

True of false: stress can alter the production of lymphocytes

Answer 12

True

Question 13

What are three major types of consequences from stress? (p. 421)

Answer 13

1. direct physiological
2. harmful behaviours
3. indirect health-related behaviours

Question 14

What is “coping”?

Answer 14

Efforts to reduce, control, or learn to tolerate threats that lead to stress. (p. 421)

Question 15

What are two main categories of healthy coping?

Answer 15

1. emotion-focused: manage emotions in the face of stress, changing the way the feel about or perceive a problem.
2. problem-focused coping: modify the problem or source of stress, head-on. (p. 421, 422)

Question 16

What is an unhealthy category of coping?

Answer 16

Avoidant, using wishful thinking or direct escape routs like drugs. (p. 422)

Question 17

What are defense mechanisms?

Answer 17

Unconscious strategy of concealing the source of the stress from themselves and others; acting like the stress isn’t there. (p. 422)

Question 18

What is emotional insulation?

Answer 18

A defense mechanism where a person stops experiencing any emotions at all. (p. 422)

Question 19

What are the three components of the “hardiness” personality characteristic?

Answer 19

1. Commitment - throwing ourselves in with the sense that what we’re doing are important and meaningful.
2. Challenge - Embracing and seeking out change
3. Control - Perceiving that people can influence the events in their lives. (p. 423)

Question 20

What do you call the ability to withstand, overcome, and actually thrive after profound adversity?

Answer 20

Resilience

p. 423

Question 21

True or false: resiliency is associated with optimism.

Answer 21

True

p. 423

Question 22

What is “The knowledge that we are part of a mutual network of caring, interested others.” (p. 425)

Answer 22

Social support

Question 23

What field of psychology has the objective of optimizing individuals’ psychological and life experience? (ie. prevention of psychological problems)

Answer 23

Positive psychology. (p. 425)