Chapter 13: Stress and Health Flashcards
stressors
a phenomenon in which some factor (or factors) in the environment causes a person to feel threatened or challenged in some way
stress
the physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors
health psychology
the subfield of psychology concerned with how psychological factors influence the causes and treatment of physical illnesses and the maintenance of health
chronic stressors
sources of stress that occur continuously or repeatedly
environmental psychology
the scientific study of environmental effects on behavior and health
fight or flight response
an emotional and psychological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action
Adrenocorticotropic (ACTH)
hormone released by the pituitary gland that stimulates the adrenal glands atop the kidneys
HPA (hypothalamic pituitary adrenocortical) axis
brain activation in response to threat and its pathway from the brain to the body
Catehcolamines
epinephrine and norepinephrine released by adrenal glands
- increases sympathetic nervous system activity
- decreases parasympathetic nervous system activity
cortisol
hormone that increases the concentration of glucose in the blood to make fuel available to the muscles and is released by adrenal glands
general adaptation syndrome
a three stage physiological stress response that appears to regardless of the stressor that is encountered
- discovered by Hans Selye
stages of GAS
- alarm phase
- resistance phase
- exhaustion phase
alarm phase
body rapidly mobilizes when confronted with stressor
- fight or flight
- release of stress hormones
resistance phase
body tries to adapt and cope with the stressor by shutting down unnecessary processes such as digestion, growth, and sex drive
exhaustion phase
body’s resistance collapses creating damage that can include susceptibility to infection, tumor growth, irreversible organ damage, or death
telomere
caps at the tips of chromosomes
length of telomeres in people with chronic stress
shorter telomere length due to cortisol
immune system
a complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses, and other foreign substance
glucocorticoids
hormones that flood the brain and wear down the immune system
atherosclerosis
when damaged vessels accumulate plaque which increases the likelihood of coronary heart disease (CHD)
Type A
a tendency toward easily aroused hostility, impatience, a sense of time urgency, and competitive achievement strivings
Type B
less-driven behavior pattern
primary appraisal
The interpretation of a stimulus as being stressful or not
secondary appraisal
determining whether the stressor is something you can handle
threat
a stressor you believe you might not be able to overcome
challenge
a stress you feel fairly confident you can control
burnout
a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion resulting from long term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation and accompanied by lower performance and motivation
repressive coping
avoiding feelings, thoughts, or situations that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint
rational coping
facing the stressor and working to overcome it
three steps of rational coping
- acceptance
- exposure
- understanding
reframing
finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat
meditation
the practice of intentional contemplation
relaxation therapy
a technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles of the body
relaxation response
a condition of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate, and blood pressure
biofeedback
the use of an external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function and then to possibly gain control over that function
aerobic exercise
exercise that increases heart rate and oxygen intake for a sustained period
social support
aid gained through interacting with others
religiosity
affiliation with or engagement in the practices of a particular religion
spirituality
having a belief in and engagement with some higher power, not necessarily linked to any particular religion
sickness response
a coordinated, adaptive set of reactions to illness organized by the brain
psychosomatic illness
an interaction between mind and body that can produce illness
somatic symptom disorders
the set of psychological disorders in which a person with at least one bodily symptom displays significant health-related anxiety, expresses disproportionate concerns about their symptoms, and devotes excessive time and energy to their symptoms or health concerns
sick role
a socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness
malingering
intentional production of false or grossly exaggerated physical or psychological symptoms
what are the two kinds of psychological factors that influence personal health
health-relevant personality traits and health behavior
which personality traits are factors in wellness?
optimism and hardiness
self regulation
the exercise of voluntary control over the self to bring the self into line with preferred standards
illusion of unique invulnerability
a systematic bias toward believing that they are less likely to fall victim to the problem than are others
process of brain activation in response to threats
hypothalamus -> pituitary gland -> adrenal gland
lyphocytes
specialized white bloods cells
natural killer cells (NK cells)
lymphoid cell found in the immune system
ways of measuring immune function
- blood sample and count white blood cells
- add cancer cells to white blood cells to measure NK activity
- challenge system and record response
grief and the immune system
people who were in grief had reduced immune system
stress and immune system
decreases in immune system occur in people with lots of stress
positive/negative experiences and the immune system
- when negative events happened, immune system decreased
- when positive events happened, immune system increased
stress and cancer
stress increases spread of cancer
stress of caring for someone with a chronic illness and immune system
- stress of caring for someone with a chronic illness delays wound recovery
Phony Type B
People who appear to be Type B’s on the surface, but underneath they are tense, hostile, and troubled
Type D
suppresses negative emotion to avoid disapproval
evidence for type A personality and impaired health
- not all studies have found a link between type A and heart disease
- anger and hostility component is the most harmful to health
approach approach conflict
choosing between two good options
approach avoidance conflict
choosing between a desirable and undesirable option
avoidance avoidance conflict
choosing between two undesirable options
Holes and Rahe Social Readjustment Rating scale
ranks life events and daily hassles
- doesn’t take into account positive or negative
- the higher the score, the greater likelihood of a health crisis
hardiness
the ability to be more immune to stress
- hardiness can be trained
traits of hardiness
- a sense of commitment rather than alienation
- control rather than powerlessness
- problems seen as challenges rather than as threats
Brady
- being in control is stressful
- if executive monkey doesn’t respond in time, both monkeys get shocked
- wrong answer because of experiment design
Weiss
- sets up similar experiment as Brady with rats
- when people have control over environment, it reduces their stress
Langer and Rodin
nursing home residents were less stressed if they had more control
social support and health
- social connections make a big difference in our health
- heart attack victims have slower recoveries if spouse is not supportive
- longitudinal study of social connections and mortality
loneliness and health
- less likely to survive heart bypass surgery
- don’t sleep as well
- decreases in face to face interactions, increases in social media correlate with increased loneliness
- worldwide doubling of reported loneliness since 2012
cognitive appraisal
how we evaluate a situation
problem focused coping
work on solving problems
emotion focused coping
work on managing emotions
coping techniques
- thought suppression (not effective)
- mediation
- aerobic exercise
- thinking positively and optimistically
pessimists
- failure seen as global, stable, internal
- success seen as external, temporary, specific
- take longer to recover from diseases and illness
- poor mental health
tend-and-befriend
women are more likely to support and take care of others during stress
macrophage
type of white blood cell
overactive immune system causes
arthritis
happiness is unrelated to…
age
T lymphocytes
released to fight off viral infections
