Chapter 11 Stress, Health and Disease: Theory Flashcards
name three ways to examine the concept ‘stress’
stimulus or event external to the individual
psychological event between stimulus event and the cognitive and emotional characteristics of individual
biological or physical reaction
what does the external stimulus or event for stress have to be, in case you want to examine it as such
objectively definable and measurable
- like catastrophic events
- or major life events
What did Holmes and Rahe state about life events
they don’t have unitary consequences but cumulative effects
they can be weighed against each other
what is this called: the duration and intensity of time that is needed to regulate yourself back to a normal state after a life event
social readjustment
this goes for both desirabe and undesirable events
limitations of life event measurement
many studies rely on retrospective assessment
items on scales not globally appropriate
events sometimes vague
items sometimes interrelated
assumes that people rank events in the same way
what are life hassles
frustrating, irritating, distressing demands that characterize every day life
cognitive transactional model of stress
stress is the result of an interaction between individual’s characteristics and appraisals, their internal and external resources and the external and internal (stressor) environment
3 kinds of stressors
those that pose harm
those that threaten
those that set a challenge
what did smith propose about primary appraisals
motivational relevance
motivaitonal congruence
stress likely in situation where relevance high and congruence low
ego involvement
appraisal of threat to one’s sense of self of social esteem would elicit anger
events violating one’s moral code elicit guilt
existential threat creates anxiety
secondary appraisal
internal/ external accountabiltiy
problem focused coping potential
emotion focused coping potential
future expectancy concernign situational change
criticism of LAzarus’ framework
unclear whether both primary and secondary appraisals are necessary - research has not found out
what factors influence appraisal?
imminent
unexpected time
unpredictable
ambiguous
no control
life change
Distinction between
acute physical stressors
chronic physical stressors
long-term physiological demands
psychological stressors
describe Hobfoll - conservation of resources model of stress
stress results if
-actual or threatened loss of resources
- resources are thought to be quanitfiable and mean the same to all people if they’re lost
- the more resources are lost the harder it becomes to replace them
-rapid and extensive depletion of resources
name two examples of a cataclysmic event
hurricane
financial crisis (bubble bursting on housing market in states)
what does the Yerkes-Dodson law state about how to best prepare for an exam
it considers the optimal amount of arousal for congitive performance
too much or too little arousal lead to deficiency in optimal cog performance
exam stress is associated with increased smoking, alcohol consumption, poor eating, less physical activity
what is the reason for this most likely?
breakdown in self-control/ inhibition
stress reactivity
increased arousal such as heart rate or blood pressure following a stressful event
job demand-control model: what job features are leading to stress
demand
predictabiltiy
controllability
ambiguity
what do person-environment fit theories suggest for the origin of stress
stress arises because person doesn’t fit into their environment
early physiological steps leading to stress
catecholamines released by the sympathetic NS (heighten arousal for fight/flight)
what consequnces had the unpleasant injection procedures (female rats)
adrenal glands enlarged
thymus shrinks
ulcers in digestive tract
general adaptation syndrome Selye
sequence of physiological responses to stress
sympathetic adrenomedullary system
release catecholamines like adrenaline and noradrenaline
HPA
enables ogans to change function to make sustained response for stressor possible
CRF
ACTH
increases release of growth hormones
prolactinbeta endirphins
encephalin
how do glucocorticoids like cortisol act
they supply energy by regulating the levels of glucose in blood
consequence of increased or dysregulated allostasis
can indirectly lead to disease by virtue of behavioral or physiological reaction to this state
immunocells: 2 groups
lymphocytes - specified response (cell-mediated and humoral-mediated)
phagocytes - unspecific resposne
t helper cells function
can produce chemical messengers like pro-inflammatory and anti-infammatory cytokines
what is the immune system affected by …
sympathetic NS
endocrine response
kind of communication between endocrine and immune system
both ways –> brain provides immune regulatory role
age and immune function
higher age related to
- declined immune function
- higher pro-inflammatory cytokines in blood
- natural killer cells less effective
- higher likelihood for severe infection
- stress exaggerates effects of ageing
cancer development
cancer cells mutate and multiply, develop slowly and spread into undetectable neoplasms, finally develop into spreadable tumors
