Chapter 12: Stress & Health Key Terms Flashcards
Stress:
A response elicited when a situation overwhelms a person’s perceived ability to meet the demands of the situation.
Stressors:
Events that trigger a stress response.
Primary appraisal:
A quick assessment of the meaning of a given environmental event for the individual.
Secondary appraisal:
Self-assessment of the resources available to cope with stress.
Neuroendocrine system:
The hormonal systems involved in emotions and stress.
Catecholamines:
Chemicals released from the adrenal glands that function as hormones and as neurotransmitters to control ANS activation; they are involved in the “fight or flight” response. Major catecholamines include dopamine and norephinephrine.
Glucocorticoids:
Hormones responsible for maintaining the activation of physiological systems during emergencies. They control many metabolic functions and mobilize resources for the body. The major glucocorticoid in humans is cortisol.
Adrenal-medullary system:
A major neuroendocrine pathway stimulated during stress, in which the hypothalamus activates the sympathetic nervous system.
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis:
A major neuroendocrine pathway relevant to the stress response involving the hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and adrenal cortex.
Cortisol:
The major glucocorticoid produced in humans, also commonly known as the “stress hormone.” It regulates many important metabolic functions.
General adaptation syndrome (GAS):
As defined by Hans Selye, a generalized, nonspecific set of changes in the body that occur during extreme stress.
Alarm stage:
The phase of the general adaptation syndrome in which all of the body’s resources respond to a perceived threat.
Resistance stage:
In the general adaptation syndrome, extended effort by the body to deal with a threat.
Exhaustion stage:
The phase of the general adaptation syndrome when all resources for fighting the threat have been depleted and illness is more likely.
Allostasis:
The process by which the body achieves stability through physiological change.
Coping:
The act of dealing with stress or emotions.
Problem-focused coping:
A way of dealing with stress that aims to change the situation that is creating stress.
Emotion-focused coping:
A way of dealing with stress that aims to regulate the experience of distress.
Telomerase:
An enzyme that adds DNA sequences to telomeres.
Psychosomatic theory:
The idea that emotional factors can lead to the occurrence or worsening of illness.
Health psychology:
The study of the role psychological factors play in regard to health and illness.
Physiological reactivity approach:
An explanation for the causal role of stress-related bodily changes in illness.
Health behavior approach:
An explanation for illness or health that focuses on the role of behaviors such as diet, exercise, or substance abuse.
Cardiovascular system:
The heart, the blood, and all the blood vessels.
