Chapter 16 Flashcards
stressors
specific events or chronic presures that place demands on a person or threaten the person’s well-being
stress
the physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors
health psychology
the subfield of psychology concerned with ways psychological factors influence the causes and treatment of physical illness and the maintenance of health
chronic stressor
a source of stress that occurs continuously or repeatedly
fight-or flight
an emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action
general adaption syndrome (GAS)
a three-stage physiological response that appears regardless of the stressor that is encountered
GAS occurs in three phases
- the alarm phase - body rapidly responds to threat
- resistance phase - the body tries to cope with the stressor
3- exhaustion phase - if GAS goes on long enough, the bodies resistance collapses
immune system
a complex response system that protects the body from bacteria, viruses and other foreign subtances
lymphocytes
white blood cells that produce antibodies that fight infection
type A behavior pattern
the tendency toward easily aroused hostility, impatience, a sense of time urgency, and competitive achievement strivings
post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)
a disorder characterized by chronic physiological arousal, recurrent unwanted thoughts or images of the trauma, and avoidance of things that call the traumatic event to mind
burnout
a state of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long-term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation and accompanied by lowered performance and motivation
repressive coping
avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive viewpoint
rational coping
facing a stressor and working to overcome it
reframing
finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces its threat
stress inoculation training (SIT)
a therapy that helps people to cope with stressful sitautions by developing by developing positive ways to think about the situation
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 fucntion and possibly gain control over that function
social support
the aid gained through interacting with others
psychosomatic illness
an interaction between mind and body that can produce illness
somatoform disorders
the set of psychological disroders in which the person displays physical symptoms not fully explained by a general medical condition
hypochondriasis
a psychological disorder in which a person is preoccupied with minor symptoms and develops an exaggerated belief that the symptoms signify a life-threatening illness
somatization disorder
a psychological disorder involving combinations of multiple physical complaints with no medical explanation
conversion disorder
a disorder characterized by apparently debilitating physical symptoms that appear to be voluntary - but that the person experiences as involuntary
sick role
a socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness
self-regulation
the exercise of voluntary control over the self to bring the self into line with preferred standards
