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psych 105 #2 > Chapter 12: Stress > Flashcards

Chapter 12: Stress Flashcards

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1
Q

Stress as Stimulus

A

Things that happen to us (life events & daily hassles)

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2
Q

Stress as Response

A

Includes fight or flight, cognitive & emotional responses (corticosteroids)

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3
Q

Stress as Transaction

A

How people evaluate, interpret and cope with stressful events

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4
Q

Stress as Transaction: First appraisal

A

Deciding if it’s stressful or not; is this a problem?

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5
Q

Stress as Transaction: Second appraisal

A

If it is a problem, can we handle it?

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6
Q

Problem-Focused Coping

A

Acting directly and changing the situation

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7
Q

Emotion-Focused Coping

A

When we can’t change the situation, we change our perception

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8
Q

Holmes’ Social Readjustment Rating Scale

A

Measures life transitions which suggests the scale measures how we adapt to changing circumstances (which prevents most from coping effectively)
# of events is associated with more physical and mental disorders

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9
Q

Daily Hassles VS Life Events

A

Daily hassles are a good predictor for illness but life events are too because life events create more daily hassles

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10
Q

Why does Diaphragmatic Breathing calm us?

A

Exhaling activates the parasympathetic system via the vagus nerve

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11
Q

Hans Selye

A

“The Stress of Life”

Compared stress responses in animals to physically ill patients and found a consistent pattern of stress related responses

Animal responses were big adrenal glands and stomach ulcers

Argued that were equipped with a sensitive physiology that responds to stress by kicking us into high gear

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12
Q

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome

A

Exposure to prolonged stress leads to body strain

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13
Q

Selye: Alarm Reaction

A

Limbic system (emotional brain) releases hormones & autonomic system activates.

Released chemicals are cortisol and adrenaline

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14
Q

Selye: Resistance

A

Accepting the threat and coping.

The basal ganglia calms us to reason (thinking brain)

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15
Q

Selye: Exhaustion

A

Prolonged stress and chronic stress leads to the depletion of coping strategies

Resistance dwindles, immune system weakens, organ damage

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16
Q

Long-Lasting Stress Reactions

A

Emotional trauma, PTSD, resilience in children

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17
Q

Tend and Befriend

A

Women are more likely to use this as a natural response to stress, probably from taking care of children

Oxytocin is released when feeling bonds which allows us to feel comfortable

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18
Q

Traumatic Events with the Highest % of People who Develop PTSD

A

Bombings: 34%
Plane crash into hotel: 29%
Mass shootings: 28%

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19
Q

Traumatic Events with the Highest % of People who Develop Acute Stress Disorder

A

Mass shooting: 33%
Violent assault: 19%
Vehicle accidents
Assault & severe burns

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20
Q

Benefits of Stress

A

Helps us moderate ourselves and our self awareness in dating conversation

May help fight acute illnesses

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21
Q

Benefits of Social Support (4)

A

Emotional confirmation, financial assistance, aid in problem solving and stress

22
Q

Behavioural Control

A

Taking action to reduce the impact of stress (problem-focused)

23
Q

Cognitive Control

A

Changing the way we think about the problem (emotion-focused)

24
Q

Decisional Control

A

Making a choice between alternative choices of action

25
Q

Informational Control

A

Learning about the event, proactive thinking

26
Q

Emotional Control

A

Managing emotions by suppressing or expressing them

27
Q

Debates in Coping: Catharsis

A

Expressing negative emotions as a way to get rid of them.

It can only be helpful if it brings change or better coping strategies

28
Q

Stress

A

When we feel physically threatened, unsafe or unable to meet our perceived demands of life

29
Q

How do we measure stress? (3)

A

Major life events & daily hassles

Interview based methods, which give more in depth understanding of stress than questionnaires

30
Q

Evolution of the term “stress”

A

Before 1940s: Stress was defined as the stress on building structures & material

1944: “If the body were like machine then it’s subject to wear and tear”

31
Q

Faults of the SRRS (3)

A

Even though Holmes measures life events reports which are associated with physical and mental disorders it is not a good predictor of illness

It does not consider people’s perception of events, coping behaviours, resources and difficulty to recall events accurately.

It also does not consider discrimination based on gender, sexual orientation, race and religion

It also doesn’t consider some events are consequences rather than causes of people’s psychological issues

32
Q

Good VS Bad Stress

A

Selye recognized short stress can be used in sports and help us fight sickness

33
Q

Rival Hypotheses: Does isolation increase our chance of dying, or does poor health result in less socialization?

A

Researchers found that people with different levels of social support all had comparable illness history. Poor health can’t explain why less social support = increased chance of dying

People can’t measure their own health so medical examinations before the study showed less support = higher mortality rates

34
Q

Crisis Debriefing

A

Debriefing in groups about a traumatic event is not effective for trauma and may increase the risk of PTSD.

Gets in the way of people’s natural coping strategies

35
Q

Hardiness

A

Resilience & Commitment

Changes are challenges, not threats

Believe they have control over events

Executives showed high stress but low illness due to orientation to active involvement

36
Q

Optimism

A

Productive, persistent, good at handling frustration

Correlated to positive health outcomes

37
Q

Spirituality

A

Lower mortality, improved immune system, lower blood pressure. Why?

  • Practices foster self control and prohibit risky behaviours
  • Engagement boosts social support and marital satisfaction
  • Sense of purpose, control & positivity
38
Q

Correlation between religiosity and physical health

A

Church attendance is associated with better health

However people who are sick are less likely to attend (correlation v causation)

39
Q

The degree to which someone thinks they have control over a situation..

A

predicts how stressful the situation is perceived to be

40
Q

Rumination

A

Dwelling on how bad we feel and the causes and consequences of our problem

Associated with low cardiovascular recovery

Higher among women which causes more small periods of depression

41
Q

Phagocytes

A

White blood cells that engulf pathogens

42
Q

Lymphocytes

A

B cells make antibodies that stick to pathogens

T cells attack infected cells

43
Q

Psychoneuroimmunology

A

The study of the relation between the mind, the brain and our immune system

The things that happen in our minds influence the physical responses of the brain and the immune system (like the placebo effect)

44
Q

Stress & Colds

A

Long term stressors are the biggest predictor for colds

Long term stress activates inflammatory responses in the body

Stress makes us participate in unhealthy behaviours

45
Q

AIDS

A

Life-threatening yet treatable condition where HIV (human immunodeficiency virus) attacks and damages the immune system

Causes autoimmune diseases like arthritis & multiple sclerosis (immune system attacks myelin sheath)

46
Q

Rival Hypothesis: Mind causes illness VS Stress affects behaviour

A

Instead of the mind causing illness it’s possible that stress causes us to engage in unhealthy behaviours which causes illness

Drugs and non-nutritious food depress the immune system

47
Q

Coronary Heart Disease (3)

A

Blocked arteries are the top causes of death in the U.S. Leads to angina or heart attacks.

  • Stress causes high blood pressure (direct) leading to CHD
  • Stress causes us to participate in unhealthy behaviours (indirect) leading to CHD
  • Easily stressed people are more stressed by hassles leading to CHD
48
Q

Biopsychosocial Perspective on Illness

A

Argument that most medical conditions are caused by biological influence (genetics), perceived stress, & social support

49
Q

Franz Alexander & Stomach Ulcers

A

Certain illnesses used to be labeled as psychosomatic: caused by emotional reactions

Argued that stomach ulcers were linked to feelings of dependency due to childhood cravings

Ulcers are caused by unfamiliar bacteria however stress reduces the efficiency of the immune system which increases our vulnerability

50
Q

Type A Personality

A

Competitive, driven, hostile and ambitious

51
Q

Homeopathic Medicine

A

Remedies with a small dose of an illness inducing substance to active the body’s defence

52
Q

Rival Claims for the Effectiveness of CAM & Homeopathic Medicine

A
  1. They produce a placebo effect of hope
  2. Assume natural products improve their health because of nothing to counter their belief
  3. Symptoms may come and go naturally
  4. CAM + conventional = more attribution to CAM
  5. May be misdiagnosed in the first place

psych 105 #2 (3 decks)

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