Chapter 14 - psych 201 Flashcards
Stress
state brought on by any situation that threatens or appears to threaten a person’s sense of well-being, challenging the person’s ability to cope.
Stress comes from how we appraise the situation
Our perception of threat that triggers the emotional state is connected to stress
Stressor
what triggers the stress response
Acute stressor
short term and has an endpoint. Ex. Near miss in traffic
Chronic stressor
long term and lacks an endpoint. Ex. Stressful job or being unemployed for a while
Frustration
most familiar. Caused by acute or chronic. Trying to achieve something and having a barrier to progress.
Ex. Studying but getting a C on a test
Pressure
comes from within. Varies along with the task and situations. Participants experience greater stress when performing complex tasks in front of an audience than individually.
Conflict
discomfort brought by two or more goals or impulse we perceive to be incompatible. Ex. study to have good grades and have fun with friends.
Approach-approach (conflict)
we must choose between two equally desirable options (ex. Between two cake flavors)
Approach-avoidance (conlict)
desirable and undesirable options (ex. Between two chores)
Approach-avoidance (conflict)
desirable and undesirable options (ex. Hanging with friends but need to hand in a paper)
Endangered life threatening situations
being trapped in a fire
Daily hassles (stressors)
(micro-stressors) everyday things that annoy us and leave us upset or at our breaking point.
Ex. Lost keys or conflict with a romantic partner
Change (stressor)
life changes, shifts in circumstances that require adjustment. Can be the death of a spouse or minor violations of the law.
Social readjustment rating scales, certain situations (change)
how stressful certain situations were (desirable and undesirable)
Life change and illness (change)
people with higher LCU scores would more likely be for a serious health problem. There is a relationship between stress and death.
Lifespan development and stress (stressor)
different age, different stresses. Ex. Adults, death of a loved one. Students, tests and assignments
Traumatic events (lifespan development and stress)
extreme disruptions - unexpected events that can change how we view the world. PTSD, sexual or violent assault and many more things that come from traumatic events.
Chronic negative situations (lifespan development and stress)
can be more stressful if stress builds over time. Can produce feelings of mortality or uncertainty. Physical environment too, even things small as a noisy roommate.
Socio-cultural conditions (lifespan development and stress)
those in minority groups face this type of stress. Those who face prejudice and have to adjust to a different living environment or learning a new language.
Fight or flight (type of stress)
the brain sends messages to endocrine glands and bodily organs. (sympathetic and autonomic system). Goes to the adrenal gland and adrenal medulla (epinephrine and norepinephrine). Then hypothalamus (ACTH) to adrenal cortex (stress hormone cortisol).
Elevation in blood sugar to supply organisms in stress.
Cortisol prepares individuals under stress to engage in fight or flight. Constant high cortisol can leave with anxiety, depression, inflammation or high blood pressure.
General adaptation syndrome, four stages (type of stress)
selye, animals display the same pattern of response, there are consistent patterns labeled in stress.
Stage 1; alarm. Prepare for fight or flight .
Stage 2; threat continues. The Organism’s body undergoes further changes to stabilize resistance. Unable to react to new situations.
Stage 3; long periods of time. Little energy or ability to resist.
Emotional responses to stress (stress)
bodily arousal is only one dimension of our reaction to stress.
Threatened = experience of a change in mood or emotions.
Cognitive response to stress
how we appraise the situation and handle it. Ex. Missing a car key on the day of a final exam makes it more stressful.
Primary appraisal
examine a stressor and how stressful it is. Future danger confronted and overcome. Loss or harm.
Ex. Ashley appraised her paper as a threat rather than a challenge to be overcome.
Secondary appraisal
how we evaluate our resources and ability to cope with threats.
Ex. Ashley has a more positive attitude, and musters her ressources to write a few paragraphs.
Individual response to stress
everyone responds to stress differently, some handle it better.
Autonomic reactivity and stress
people differ in how the ANS responds to stressors. Some may experience stress more intensely than others.
Optimistically, pessimistic, optimistic brand of pessimism, defensive pessimists
- Optimistically, things will improve.
- Pessimistic, gloomier appraisal.
- Optimistic brand of pessimism, believe things will go wrong but hope they won’t.
- Defensive pessimists, negative outcomes to protect themselves from disappointment.
Personality and stress
timid people tend to have greater stressors than bold people.
Hardy personality (personality and stress)
stress-resistant personality. Welcomes challenges and willing to commit themselves and take control of their lives.
Type of people
Type A; competitive, impatient and easily frustrated.
Type B; more relaxed, less aggressive
Type C; pleasant and peace loving, hard time expressing or acknowledging negative feelings
Type D; worry, gloominess and special inhibition
Social support and stress
helps with stress. Study was done on animals, a goat in isolation had greater anxiety and stress. Social support can increase self-confidence and self-esteem
Coping
efforts to manage, reduce and tolerate stress (can be adaptive or maladaptive)
Humor
medicine and psychology are mixed in their support of a laughter health link
Decrease in stress and improvement in immune system.
100 laughs can be equal to a 15 min aerobic workout
Meditation
designed to turn consciousness away from the outer world, ignoring all stressors. Altered state, accompanied by deep relaxation and pleasant feelings.
Opening up (meditation)
clearing their mind to receive new experiences
Concentrative (meditation)
actively concentrate on a object, word, phrase or idea
Lashing out
“as if you are going to explode”. Occurs after a series of stressors have taken place. Not a typical way of dealing with stress and can cause further outbursts.
Ex. Venting online
Self-defense
psychological getaway.
Ex. Dropping a class
Reaction formation
saying or doing the opposite of they actually believe
Repressive coping style
deny negative feelings and discomfort.
Ex. Good if you are waiting for a grade. But bad if you are having trouble dealing with a roommate
Self-indulgence
over-eating, smoking and drugs and alcohol to cope with stress.
Emotion focused coping
change how we feel about the stressor.
Cognitive reappraisal
find the positive meaning. Ex. the loss of a job
Coronary heart disease
blocking of coronary arteries = heart attack
Related to heart disease. Interaction between psychological factors like job stress and physiological factors such as high cholesterol and obesity
Type B people, lower levels of stress and heart disease
Psychoneuroimmunology (stress and immune)
examines link between stress, immune system and health
Immune system
body’s system of organs, tissues, cells that identify and destroy foreign invaders
Lymphocytes
important cells in the immune system, white blood cells, circulate through the bloodstream. Severe stress can affect these, and they can’t perform as well.
Biochemical activity
stressors first appear, and the sympathetic nervous system springs into action.
Increases in norepinephrine in brain and body. Low stress, it binds to particular lymphocyte receptors.
Lymphocytes bind to them and give inhibitory messages, signals to stop activity.
Cytokines - proteins bind to receptors throughout the body and have a role in the immune system. Decrease stress, is to exercise
Inflammation
immune response characterized by swelling, heat, redness and pain.
Behavior, personality and social support
stress triggers behavioral changes in the immune system. Can slow down the immune system.
Type C, higher risk for stress and cancer
Type D, higher cancer rates and poorer quality of life following cancer treatments
Posttraumatic growth (benefit of stress)
build up strength and resilience
Inoculation
improve your performance in a more stressful situation
Performance on an easy task can benefit from a high level of stress
Moderately difficult tasks benefits from a moderate level of stress
Complex task, low stress leads to optimal performance
PTSD
lingering reactions of intense fear and helplessness.
Most common causes, combat, natural disasters, abuse etc.
Who develops PTSD? First responders, fire fighters, police etc
Biological factors
stressors trigger biochemical reactions throughout the brain and body. Abnormal activity in stress hormone cortisol and neurotransmitter norepinephrine in the urine and blood. May even have a shrunk hippocampus which controls the body stress hormones.
Personality
certain personalities or coping styles are able to react to stress. Less resilient or hardy more likely to develop PTSD. They have an ability to react to their environment and shift their perspective.
Childhood experience
certain childhood experiences can later cause PTSD. Ex. abuse
Social support
Stringer support system = better recovery from PTSD. Sexually assaulted, if known loved they will better recover.
