Dot Point 7 Flashcards
What psychological factors influence the human stress response?
Psychological factors influencing stress include prior experience, attitudes, motivation, self-esteem, outlook on life, personality, coping skills, and perceived control over the stressful situation.
What happens in primary appraisal?
In primary appraisal, the individual assesses whether the situation is irrelevant, benign/positive, or stressful. If it is stressful, further assessment is made to determine if the stressor is a threat (potential future harm), harm/loss (immediate damage), or a challenge (an opportunity for growth or change).
What are the three types of stress appraisals in primary appraisal?
Threat: The stressor may cause harm in the future.
Harm/Loss: The stressor has caused immediate damage.
Challenge: The stressor presents an opportunity for growth or change.
What are the emotional consequences of different primary appraisals?
Threat and harm/loss appraisals can lead to distress, while challenge appraisals can lead to eustress (positive stress).
What happens during secondary appraisal?
In secondary appraisal, the individual evaluates available resources to cope with the situation. This includes assessing internal resources (confidence, skills, knowledge) and external resources (support, money).
What determines whether stress will be experienced during secondary appraisal?
Stress is experienced if the individual perceives their coping resources to be inadequate. If the coping resources are adequate, stress is minimized or avoided.
What is reappraisal?
Reappraisal occurs when the individual reassesses the stressor and coping resources, potentially altering their initial appraisal.
What are the strengths of the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping?
Uses human subjects in its development, making the model more applicable to human experiences.
Considers both mental processes and emotions when interpreting stress.
Allows for change over time by including the concept of reappraisal, where stressors and coping resources are reevaluated.
What are the limitations of the Transactional Model of Stress and Coping?
Difficult to test experimentally due to the subjective and variable nature of individual responses.
Primary and secondary appraisals interact, making it hard to isolate them for research purposes.
Not all factors causing stress may be consciously recognized or labeled by individuals.
