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Psych > DP 6-9 STRESS > Flashcards

DP 6-9 STRESS Flashcards

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1
Q

Stressor

A

The event/thing that causes the stress
- Internally or externally sourced
- May be a person, object, situation, even or a combination of these

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2
Q

Stress

A

An unpleasant state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal and external forces and perceived by the individual to be challenging

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3
Q

Eustress

A
  • Eustress is a positive psychological response to a stressor (as indicated by the presence of positive psychological states such as feeling enthusiastic and motivated, excited, active and alert)
  • Typically short-term
  • Can provide the energy and motivation needed to achieve a goal or peak performance.
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4
Q

Distress

A
  • Distress is a negative psychological response to a stressor (as indicated by the presence of negative psychological states such as anger, anxiety, nervousness, irritability or tension_
  • Can be short-term or for some stressors long term if going unmanaged
  • Prolonged distress can have serious and debilitating consequences for our physical and mental health.
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5
Q

What causes stress?

A

Daily pressures, life events, major stress, acculturative stress, catastrophes

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6
Q

Daily pressures

A
  • Sourced in relatively minor troubles or concerns that arise in day-to-day living
    Little problems of everyday living that are irritants (events that annoy or bother us)
  • Eg: Waking up with a pimple, can’t find keys, running late etc
  • Some have only a slight effect, others have a strong effect.
  • They are not necessarily significant at the time but can pile up to become a major source of stress
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7
Q

Life events

A
  • Involves change that forces us to adapt to new circumstances
  • Eg: The loss of a significant relationship, beginning a new career or changing schools.
  • Have immediate consequences and require longer term adjustments.
  • Life events that are stressors include choices we make as individuals, not just things that happen to us.
  • The events may therefore be positive or negative
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8
Q

Major stress

A
  • Event that is extraordinarily stressful or disturbing for almost everyone who experiences it.
  • Could be a single, one-off event, (victim of a violent crime) or ongoing (terminal illness)
  • The event is highly likely to be a terrible experience that is very frightening or distressing.
  • The event does not necessarily have to be directly experienced (witness)
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9
Q

Acculturative stress

A
  • Stress people experience in trying to adapt to a new culture when living in it for a considerable period of time
  • Moving to a new country
  • Demands of adjusting to new culture can be extremely stress producing
  • There is a need to become acculturated; adopting the values, customs and language of the new dominant culture
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10
Q

Catastrophes

A

Is an unpredicted event that causes widespread damage or suffering affecting an entire community all at once
- Out of their control
- Eg: natural disaster, war

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11
Q

Stress reaction

A
  • The human body does not recognize the distinction between eustress and distress and therefore undergoes virtually the same physiological changes.
  • The response experienced varies from individual to individual depending on psychological factors such as an individual’s personality, prior experience with the stressor, and their perception and interpretation of the stressor; if they judge the stressor as positive or negative.
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12
Q

Physiological vs psychological

A

Physiological: Headache, cold flu, stomach ulcers
Psychological:
Behavioral - changes to eating habits, changes to sleep habita
Emotional - irritability, aggression
Cognitive: Decreased concentration, memory impairment

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13
Q

Flight flight freeze

A
  • Involuntary, physical response to a sudden and immediate threat (or stressor)
  • Fight — confronting and fighting off the threat
  • Flight — escaping by running away to safety
  • Freeze — keeping absolutely still and silent, avoiding detection.
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14
Q

Reactions to FFF respone

A

To prepare the body for either alternative, all energy is directed from non-essential body systems to those systems that will help us either ‘outrun’ or ‘outfight’ the threat. This includes:
- Increased heart rate and blood pressure
- Increased breathing rate (to increase oxygen supply)
- Increased glucose (sugar) secretion by the liver (for energy)
- Dilation of the pupils (so the eyes can take in as much light as possible)

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15
Q

Adrenaline

A
  • Gets body ready for fight-flight-freeze response
  • Leads to arousal of the sympathetic ns and reduced activity of the parasympathetic ns
  • Creates physical changes in the body
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16
Q

Cortisol

A
  • Energises the body by increasing energy supplies such as blood sugar and enhancing metabolism.
  • Vital for maintaining the health and wellbeing of the body when under stress
  • The activation of cortisol increases the body’s ability to fight the stressor
  • It decreases the body’s immunity making it more vulnerable to disease.
  • Once the level of cortisol reaches a certain level, the hypothalamus is signalled to turn off the stress response. - This is part of the normally occurring feedback loop that ‘turns on and off’ a healthy, appropriate physiological response to stress.
17
Q

General adaptation syndrome

A
  • Explains the experience of stress from a physiological perspective
  • Selye believed when an individual is threatened they move through 3 different bodily phases
18
Q

Alarm reaction (stage 1)

A
  • Occurs when the person first becomes aware of the stressor
  • General defensive reaction to the stressor and results in a state of tension, alertness and readiness to react to stressor
  • Typically short duration

Shock
- The ability to deal with the stressor falls below its normal level
- Physiologically, the body acts as if it was injured; blood pressure or body temp drop
- Body looks after internal organs, acting as though injured - Dont function very well

Countershock
- The sympathetic ns is activated and the body’s resistance to the stressor increases
- Response is fight-flight
- Body becomes highly aroused and alert as it prepares to deal the stressor
- Adrenaline is released
- Gives us the capacity and function to uplift and go into power drive so we are better able to deal with something than in our normal state

19
Q

Resistance (stage 2)

A
  • If the source of stressor is not dealt with immediately and the state of stress continues, energy is still required and the body will continue responding in order to cope
  • The body’s resistance to the particular stressor rises above normal
  • Cortisol is released and all unnecessary functions are shut down
  • Individual will appear as though everything is normal
  • Because cortisol weakens immune system activity, its continuous presence at a abnormally high rate interferes with the body’s ability to fight disease and protect itself against further damage
20
Q

Exhaustion (Stage 3)

A
  • Resources are depleted
  • Effects of the stressor can no longer be dealt with
  • Resistance to disease is very weak and becomes more vulnerable to mental and physical disorders
  • Prolonged release of cortisol has negative effects of the body
  • Characterised by extreme fatigue, high levels of anxiety producing exhaustion
  • Below our normal ability to deal with anything our resources are physically depleted, we are run down and often experiences colds, flue, headache symptoms
21
Q

Strength vs weakness of GAS

A

Strength:
- Based on strong empirical evidence
- Focus on the biological factors related to stress
Limitations:
- Evidence not based on human experience
- Does not consider psychological factors related to stress

22
Q

Psychological factors causing how we perceive stress

A
  • Prior experience with stressors and stress responses
  • Attitudes
  • Personality characteristics
  • Coping skills
  • Personality
23
Q

Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

A
  • Describes and explains individual differences in responses to stress
  • Proposes that stress involves a transaction between an individual and their external environment
  • Stress response depends upon an individual’s evaluation (appraisal) of the stressor and their ability to cope with it
24
Q

Primary appraisal

A

Identification - access the situation
Evaluation of the significance of the event and whether anything is at stake
Decide is event is irrelevant, begin - positive or stressful.
If we decide that the event is stressful, we decide whether it is:
Harm/loss: an assessment of how much damage has already occurred
Threat: an assessment of harm/loss that may not have occurred yet but occur in the future
Challenge: an assessment of the potential for personal gain or growth from the situation

25
Q

Secondary Appraisal

A
  • We evaluate our ability to control or overcome the situation This includes an evaluation of our coping options and resources for dealing with the event.
  • The coping options and resources may be internal (eg. motivation or determination) or external (eg. money or support from family)
    If we are unable to cope with the situation this leads to stress
26
Q

Problem focused coping

A

What can we actually do to help the problem
Get an extension for the due date
Get help

27
Q

Emotion focused coping

A

Change the way you feel

28
Q

Strength vs weakness L&F

A

Strength:
- Evidence based on human experience
- Focuses on the psychological factors related to the stress
Weakness:
- Not based on empirical evidence
- Does not consider the biological factors related to stress

29
Q

Self efficacy

A

The beliefs we have about our abilities affect our actual outcomes

30
Q

Resilience

A

One’s ability to adapt to stress and adversity

31
Q

Strategies for coping with stress

A

Coping is an attempt to manage the demands of a stressor in some way

32
Q

Coping Flexibility

A

The ability of an individual to replace an ineffective coping strategy with an effective one according to the demands of different stressful situations.
- Positive outcomes for people with high coping flexibility
- Select a coping strategy that suits the situational circumstances

33
Q

Context Specific Effectiveness

A

When there is ‘good fit’ between the coping strategy that is used and the stressful situation.

34
Q

Approach Strategies

A
  • Approach coping strategies involve efforts to confront a stressor and deal directly addressing the underlying problem.
  • Generally considered to be more adaptive and effective that avoidance strategies
  • Used when you can control the situation
35
Q

Avoidance Strategies

A
  • Avoidant coping strategies involve efforts that evade a stressor and deal indirectly with it and its effects.
  • Activity is focused away from the stressor and there is no attempt to actively confront the stressor and its causes.
  • Typically maladaptive
  • Used when you are incontrol of the situation
36
Q

Exercise

A

Exercise is physical activity that is usually planned and performed to improve or maintain your physical condition
- Improves and maintains good circulation and lowers blood pressure
- Can distract from worrying thoughts and anxieties and encourage more creativity and problem solving
- Reduce muscle tension and uses up energy released by the ‘flight or fight’ response
- Causes release of endorphins, reducing pain and stress levels and producing euphoria and relaxation

Psych (16 decks)

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