Chapter 14

Question 1

biopsychosocial model

Answer 1

argues that physical illnesses are not only caused by biological factors, but also psychosocial factors

Question 2

health psychology

Answer 2

concerned with:
- how psychosocial factors relate to the promotion and maintenance of health and with the causation, prevention, and treatment of illness

Question 3

stress

Answer 3

• a natural human response
• state of worry caused by a difficult situation or perceived threat

Question 4

3 types of stressors

Answer 4

• microstressors
• catastrophic events
• major negative events

Question 5

primary appraisal

Answer 5

• interpretation of demands of the situation
  “what do i have do to?”

Question 6

secondary appraisal

Answer 6

• analysis of resources available to cope
  “how can i deal with this situation?”

Question 7

acute stressors

Answer 7

threatening events that have a relatively short duration and a clear endpoint
ex: exam, traffic jam, flooded basement

Question 8

chronic stressors

Answer 8

threatening events that have a relatively long duration and no clear endpoint
ex: money problems, bad boss

Question 9

4 major types of stress

Answer 9

frustration, conflict, change, pressure

Question 10

stress: frustration

Answer 10

occurs in any situation in which the pursuit of some goal is blocked (fail exam, traffic)

Question 11

stress: conflict

Answer 11

occurs when two or more incompatible motivations or behavioural impulses compete for expression

Question 12

stress: change

Answer 12

any noticeable alterations in one’s living environment that require readjustment

Question 13

Social Readjustment Rating Scale

Answer 13

a test that scores level of stress - high # = high stress, greater physical and psychological problems

Question 14

stress: pressure

Answer 14

expectations or demands that one behave in a certain way

Question 15

pressure to perform

Answer 15

you’re expected to execute tasks successfully and efficiently

Question 16

pressure to conform

Answer 16

you’re expected to meet standards others have set for you

Question 17

3 stress reactions

Answer 17

1.) emotional
2.) physiological
3.) behavioural

Question 18

emotional stress reaction

Answer 18

• annoyance, anger
• anxiety, fear
• grief, sadness
• positive emotions after the fact

Question 19

effect of emotional arousal on performance

Answer 19

→ high arousal = simple task
→ medium arousal = medium task
→ low arousal = complex task

Question 20

physiological stress reaction

Answer 20

• fight or flight response
• two brain body pathways
• general adaptation syndrome

Question 21

general adaptation syndrome

Answer 21

A model of the body’s stress response, consisting of three phases:
1.) Alarm = activation of sympathetic nervous system (“fight-or-flight”, physiological response)
2.) Resistance = body begins to repair itself, physiological changes stabilize as coping efforts get under way
3.) Exhaustion = body’s resources may be depleted

Question 22

behavioural stress response

Answer 22

• learned helplessness
• aggression/lash out
• self-indulgence
• defense mechanisms
• constructive coping (emotion or problem focused)

Question 23

effects of stress on psychological functioning

Answer 23

• impaired task performance and burnout
• psychological problems; PTSD, depression
• psychosomatic diseases
• heart disease
• immune functioning

Question 24

personality risk factor for heart disease

Answer 24

people with type A personality have increased risk factor for heart disease because they are competitiveness, impatient and angry/hostile which increases stress

Question 25

factors moderating impact of stress

Answer 25

• social support
• type a or b personality
• conscientiousness
• belief we can cope/optimism

Question 26

PTSD

Answer 26

anxiety disorder in response to a traumatic event

Question 27

symptoms of PTSD

Answer 27

• memories, dreams, or nightmares about the event
• avoid activities, thoughts, feelings, conversations that are reminders of the event
• depression, anxiety, guilt, fear, helplessness
• sleep problems; may feel detached from others

Question 28

causes of PTSD

Answer 28

• combat
• natural disasters
• abuse
• victimization

Question 29

who develops PTSD?

Answer 29

• any age
• 10% of canadians, twice as common in women
• more common in those with negative childhood experiences

Question 30

who is less likely to develop PTSD?

Answer 30

those with strong social support, optimistic personality, constructive coping skills

Question 31

biological factors related to PTSD

Answer 31

intense biochemical reactions that continue far beyond fight-or-flight:
→ increased cortisol and norepineephrine
→ blunted HPA axis
→ exaggerated sympathetic nervous system
→smaller/shrunken hippocampus

Question 32

health impairing behaviours

Answer 32

• smoking
• lack of exercise
• alcohol and drug use

Question 33

reactions to illness

Answer 33

• seeking treatment (ignoring physical symptoms)
• communicating with health providers
• following medical advice (noncompliance)

Question 34

learned helplessness

Answer 34

happens when people are conditioned to believe that a bad situation is unchangeable or inescapable.

Question 35

constructive coping

Answer 35

emotion-focused: when you try to deal with your emotional response to the stressor

problem focused: efforts to manage stressful situations and alter a troubled person’s environment to modify or eliminate sources of stress

Question 36

defence mechanisms

Answer 36

strategies that are unconsciously used to protect a person from anxiety arising from unacceptable thoughts

Question 37

self indulgence

Answer 37

excessive gratification of one’s own appetites, desires, or whims

Question 38

aggression/lashing out

Answer 38

express your anger by saying or writing furious words about someone