Chapter 12: Stress and Health Flashcards
What is a stress response and what does it involve?
it involves the physiological (‘bodily’) and psychological (‘mental’) changes that people experience when they are confronted by a stressor
Mild stress can be…
stimulating, exhilarating, motivating, challenging, and sometimes even desirable.
When is mild stress sometimes desirable?
when the elevated level of arousal in mild stress enhances the performance in both simple and complex tasks.
An acute stress response involves…
a sudden very high level of arousal
A chronic stress response produces
high level of arousal that persists over a long period of time.
Chronic stress can result in
physiological or psychological responses.
some may be short term while others may by long-lasting.
The fight-fight response is…
an involuntary reaction that results in a state of physiological readiness to deal with a sudden and immediate threat by either confronting it (fight) or running away to safety (flight)
The fight-flight response involves which two nervous systems?
- The sympathetic nervous system
- The endocrine (hormone) system
The fight-flight response includes which physiological changes?
- increased heart rate
- dilation of pupils
- supression of functions such as digestion and sexual drive
The HPA axis consists of which three parts of the body
- ‘H’ypothalamus
- ‘P’ituitary gland
- ‘A’drenal glands
The sequence of events in the HPA axis consist of…
The Hypothalamus being activated when the threat is perceived, this stimulates the Pituitary gland which secretes the ACTH hormone, this hormone then travels through the bloodstream and stimulates the Adrenal glands.
What is the role of the adrenal glands in the HPA axis?
To secrete stress hormones that include adrenalin and noradrenalin, these hormones then boost the activity of the parasympathetic nervous system
The adrenal glands also release…
cortisol that increases metabolism to make fuel available to the muscles
True or False:
a prolonged exposure to a threat such a stress which results in a prolonged exposure to the fight-flight response could be harmful to physical health
True
What is Eustress?
Eustress is a positive psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by the presence of positive psychological states such as feeling excited, enthusiastic, active and alert.
What is Distress?
Distress is a negative psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by the presence of negative psychological states such as anger, anxiety, nervousness, irritability or tension.
Examples of Eustress include
- excitement of a first date
- meeting a celebrity
- an 18th birthday party
Examples of distress
- the break up of a relationship
- lining up prior to entering an exam
- fighting with someone you have a close relationship with
True or false:
whether a situation results in Eustress or distress varies from each individual and depends upon the person’s cognitive interpretation they make on the situation.
True
The Lazarus and Folkman transactional model of stress and coping proposes that…
stress involves an encounter (transaction) between an individual and their external environment, and that a stress response depends upon the individual’s interpretation (appraisal) of the stressor and their ability to cope with it
True or False:
Lazarus and Folkman believe that stress is not a result of the individual alone or the environment alone.
True
Example of Lazarus and Folkman’s appraisal and demands of a stressful situation
One person being stuck in a traffic jam but remaining calm and realising there’s nothing that can be done while another person get angry and allows the traffic jam to ruin their day.
What are the two different types of appraisal of a situation?
- primary appraisal
- secondary appraisal
in primary appraisal we…
evaluate the significance of the situation. it is a decision whether or not the situation is irrelevant, benign-positive or stressful
If in primary appraisal, one decides the situation is stressful, one engages in additional appraisals that consist of
- Harm/Loss
- Threat
- Challenge
The “harm/loss” additional appraisal involves
the assessment of how much damage has already been done.