Chapter 3- Stress And Health Psychology Flashcards
Stress
The nonspecific response of the body to any demand made upon it
The physical and mental arousal to situations or events we perceive as threatening or challenging
Stressor
Trigger or stimulus that prompts a stressful reaction
Eustress
Pleasant, desirable stress
Distress
Unpleasant, threatening stress
7 Major Sources of Stress
Life changes Cataclysmic events Chronic stressors Job stressors Conflict Hassles Frustration
Life Changes
Holmes and Rahe
Adjusting to major life changes cause some degree of stress
Social Readjustment Rating Scale measures the magnitude of stress and relates it to the possibility of illness
Cataclysmic Events
Stressful occurances that happen suddenly and generally affect many people simulateously
Can cause short and long term stress
Chronic Stressors
Long term, persistent situations or events that wear you down and make it difficult to relax
Job Stressors
Work related stress, including unemployment, keeping or changing jobs, and job performance
The most stressful jobs
-make great demands on performance and concentration
-little creativity
-little opportunity for advancement
Conflict
Approach-Approach- must choose between two equally desirable options
Avoidance-Avoidance- must choose between two equally undesirable options
Approach- Avoidance- one option has both desirable and undesirable aspects
Hassles
Small problems of daily living that accumulate and can become major sources of stress that lead to burnout
Burnout- state of physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion resulting from chronic exposure to high levels of stress
Frustration
Negative emotional state resulting from a blocked goal
General Adaptation Syndrome
1) Alarm Phase- when threatened, your resistance to stress decreases and your arousal rises
2) Resistance Phase- if stress continues, your resistance increases, arousal stays high, and you release a lot of stress hormones
3) Exhaustion Phase- become succeptable to illness, and release needs to be found
SAM system
1) Cerebral cortex interprets the stress
2) Hypothalamus activates the SAM and HPA
Sympatho-adreno-medullary
Initial fast acting stress response
Release of norwpinephrine and epinephrine
Heart rate, blood pressure, breathing and muscle tension increase while digestion decreases
HPA Axis
1) Cerebral Cortex interprets the stress
2)Hypothalamus activates SAM and HPA
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis
Responds more slowly but long lasting
Pituitary gland activates adrenal cortex to release cortisol
Blood sugar and metabolism increase
Cortisol sends feedback back to pituitary gland to restore homeostasis
