chapter 4 - stress Flashcards
stressor
stimulus that causes stress
- can be positive or negative, environmental, psychological
stress
an automatic psychological or physiological arousal in response to an internal or external stressor that challenges a person’s ability to cope to changing conditions
daily pressures
day to day life experiences such as fighting with family members
hassles and pressures that seem fairly unimportant
little irritations can have a cumulative effect and will ultimately negatively affect our mental and physical wellbeing
life events
involves significant life events such as death of a loved one or beginning of a new job
acculturative stress
stress obtained through the process of learning a new language or adapting to customs and laws that are different to their own
- can be related to employment opportunities (discrimination)
major stress and catastrophes hat disrupt entire community
- typically cannot be controlled such as natural disasters
3 groups who experience stress - those who witness the event
- those who were in the event
- those part of rescue team who dealt directly with devastation
(susceptible to PTSD)
fight-flight-freeze response
- critical for survival
sympathetic: fight and flight
parasympathetic: freeze
when is it activated
impending danger
illness
instances of positive/negative stress
cortisol
- released when the stressor is present, release of other stress hormones such as adrenalin and noradrenalin
role of adrenalin and noradrenalin
- increase in heart rate and respiration so that oxygenated blood travels around the body to increase alertness
role of cortisol
maintain blood glucose levels
- however prolonged stress suppresses the immune system and makes us more vulnerable to illnesses
what happens when the stressor is removed
acetylcholine is released into the bloodstream and lowers the levels of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenaline
allostasis
- process of change that occurs to return the body to homeostasis
- frequent activation of fight-flight-freeze response can lead to increasing our allostatic load
allostatic load
cumulative negative effects such as a weakened immune system in order to re-establish homeostasis
- occurs because our body is not designed to withstand repeated activations for a long period of time
- resistance
allostatic overload
- no longer able to deal with these pressures and our physical reserves are depleted
- exhaustion
General adaptation syndrome (GAS)
3 phase pattern of physiological responses
alarm
- fight-flight-freeze response is activated, resulting in the release of stress hormones; cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin in order to increase energy
shock
momentary drop in body temperature and blood pressure
- fainting/heart attack
countershock
increases resistance to stressor
release of cortisol, adrenalin and noradrenalin
increased respiration and heart rate
fight-flight-freeze response is activated
resistance
parasympathetic nervous system is activated; reduces the heart rate and respiration however, the blood glucose levels and stress hormones continue to circulate around the body
- if stress continues, the body remains in an elevated state with great energy resources in order to adapt physiologically to a higher level of stress; this depresses the immune system and makes hem more vulnerable to illnesses
exhaustion
prolonged levels of physiological arousal; decline of body’s abilities to meet demands of stressor
- biological resources are depleted become severely depleted, susceptible to more life-threatening illnesses such as death; psychological exhaustion like depression
- increased release of cortisol
strengths of GAS
- greater the intensity, the greater the physiological response
- identifies important connections between prolonged stress and illnesses
limitations of GAS
- model is based on research conducted on rats and could not be generalised for human subjects
- fails to recognise the role of emotion or cognition
lazarus and folkman’s transactional model of stress
focuses on psychological and cognitive processes of stress
- used human subjects
- emphasises individual perception and assessment of stressor
cognitive appraisal
influenced by person’s beliefs, goals, customs etc
primary appraisal
rapid interpretation of the situation; whether or not it is perceived as a threat
secondary appraisal
made at a more conscious level
- person assesses what resources and energy they have to cope with the stressor
- what strategies could be used to cope (emotion or problem)
problem focused strategies
- reduce stress by behavioural modifications
- targets the stressor directly
e. g. taking control; such as revising more thoroughly for the next sac - adaptive form of coping
emotion focused strategies
- reduce negative feelings associated with the stressor
can be adaptive (proactive strategies to help reduce stress) or maladaptive (denial or distraction; preventing the person to adjust to the stressful situation) - targets emotional feeling triggered by stressor
strengths of lazarus
- uses human subjects for developing the model
- acknowledges that perception of stress would differ
limitations of lazarus
- primary appraisal and secondary appraisal can occur simultaneously
- due to its subjective manner, difficult to experimentally test
context specific effectiveness
considers unique characteristics of a situation or environment that the person is required to adapt to
- effectiveness is determined by past experiences and whether the strategies previously used worked
coping flexibility
ability of an individual to replace an ineffective coping strategy with a different effective one
reappraisal
realise that it is not as bad as we originally thought or decide to reinterpret the situation as a challenge.
ways to deal with stress
exercise, avoidant, approach
exercise
not being physically active may result in agitation or anxiety
exercise and cardiovascular system
short term: increased heart rate, increased bp, increased oxygen sent to working muscles
long term: reduced recovery time, reduction in heart rate, increased strength and size of heart muscle
role of edorphins
natural painkillers; interacts with receptors of brain and reduces physical pain after injury
avoidant
denial - pretending the stressor doesnt exist
distancing - places distance between stressor and themselves; temporarily achieving relief
oversleeping - using sleep to avoid stressful situations
- typically used when beyond control
approach
seeking advice from counsellors or family members
accepting responsibility or blame
stress
automatic physiological and psychological arousal caused by internal or external stressors that challenge a persons ability to cope/adapt to the situation
coping
act of constantly changing thoughts or behaviours in order to manage stressors
chronic vs acute
long term vs intensity
why is exercise important
- reduces stress hormone levels in bloodstream
- release of endorphins which reduce pain and stress levels
