Chapter 3 (Stress) Flashcards
stress
- psychological or physiological response produced by internal or external stressor
- perceived by the individual as exceeding their ability to cope
stressor
is a stimulus that causes stress
internal stressor
- originate from within the individual such as pain or experience (biological and psychological)
external stressor
- originate from the outside the individual from situations (social)
eustress
- a positive psychological response
- excitement of your birthday
distress
- a negative psychological response
- upcoming exams
acute stress
- immediate short term stress
- produces large stress for short period of time
POS AFFECT - release adrenaline (improve performance)
NEG AFFECT - increase blood pressure, decrease motivation
FIGHT - confront stressor
FLIGHT - escape (run away)
FREEZE - keep still and silent
role of cortisol in chronic stress
- long term stress, maintained for extended time
- endures for several months
CORITSOL - the primary stress hormone
- acts slowly but effects are long lasting
- help energise the body
- can suppress the activity of the immune system
GAS model
STAGE 1- alarm (immediate response)(adrenaline and noradrenaline), shock (first increased arousal) and countershock (becoming aware and the reaction)-fight/flight
STAGE 2 - resistance (resistance to stress higher than normal) (maximise resources to cope) (high amount cortisol released) (cold/flu - due to cortisol suppressing immune system)
STAGE 3 - exhaustion (vulnerable & weak)(due to the high cortisol release, eventually crash) (cant carry out day to day activities)
GAS model (resistance to stress)
Alarm (SHOCK) - below normal
Alarm (COUNTERSHOCK) - above normal
Resistance - above normal
Exhaustion - below normal
Primary appraisal
irrelevant - not stressful
benign/positive - not stressful an viewed as positive
stressful - stressful event, requires further appraisal
IF DEEMED STRESSFUL
harm/loss - assessment of how much damage has been done
threat - assessment of harm/loss that has not occurred but may in the future
challenge - assessment of the potential for personal gain or growth from situation
Secondary appraisal
- may be internal or external resources
- approach or avoidance
- if no resources = stress
- if resources are adequate = reduced/eliminated stess, reappraisal
lazarus and folkman model (transactional)
- involves an encounter between and individual and external environment
- individuals interpretation of the stressor and their ability to cope
the gastrointestinal tract
- tube from mouth to anus (digestion)
- processes food, absorbs nutrients
gut microbiota
all microorganisms that live in the gut
- such as bacteria, fungus, viruses
- diverse gut microbiota may help reduce stress
gut microbiome
all of the genes of the microorganisms that live in the gut
gut brain axis
- if the individual has a gut related disease it can can effect the brain and cause stress
- if the individual has a brain related disease it can effect the gut and cause pain/sickness
- information flows between the gut and brain continusouly/bidirectional
- maintaining a healthy gut can help deal with stress and psychological process and behaviour
enteric ns
- subdivision of the autonomic ns
- embedded in the walls of the tract
vagus nerve
longest cranial nerve that connects the gut to the brain
emerging research
means nothing is confirmed/offical but is being discovered
coping
is a process that is involving cognitive and behavioural affects to manage a internal/external stressor
context specific effectivesness
- more or less effective
- e.g method that involves planning/study for test (high context specific effectiveness)
- method that involves avoiding thinking about test (low context specific effectiveness)
coping flexibility
- ability to effectively modify/adjust coping strategies
- e.g high - are adaptive, readily adjust if strategy is ineffective, various coping methods
-e.g low - are maladaptive, use same coping strategy, persists with coping strategy even if ineffective
approach
approach - confront the stressor and deal directly with it and find a solution to the stress
- e.g study with tutor for upcoming exam
avoidance
avoidance - efforts to evade the stressor and deal indirectly with it and no attempt to find a solution
- e.g play video games and evade studying
