dp.8 - Psychological Process of Stress Flashcards
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model
The model proposes that stress involves an encounter between an individual and their external environment, and that a stress response depends on the individual’s appraisal (evaluation) of the relevance of the stressor to their well being and their ability to cope with it.
Primary appraisal
Assess the situation.
Is it positive, benign or stressful?
If stressful, what kind of stress?
If we decide that the situation is stressful, then we decide if it is harm/loss, threat or a challenge.
Evaluate or judge the significance of the event and whether anything is at stake in this encounter.
The outcome of a primary appraisal is a decision about whether the event is irrelevant, benign-positive or stressful.
harm/loss
an assessment of how much damage has already occurred (e.g. ‘I have lost my job’)
threat
an assessment of harm/loss that may not have yet occurred but could occur in the future (e.g. ‘I mightn’t be able to afford the rent’)
challenge
an assessment of the potential for personal gain or growth from the situation (e.g. ‘I’ll get any other job I can and will learn to budget and save money’).
secondary appraisal
Assesses the available resources to deal with demands. Internal resources, such as character and personality and external resources such as support networks and money.
What resources do I have to cope? What solutions are there?
Evaluate our ability to control or overcome the situation in which we find ourselves. This includes an evaluation of our coping options.
Problem focused coping
What can i do about the stressor
Go to the source of the stressor and change it.
emotion focused coping
How do i change my mindset
strengths of Transactional Model
Accounts for individual differences in responses
Responds to changes in individuals response through reappraisal
limitations of Transactional Model
Lack of empirical evidence
An overlap between primary and secondary appraisal stages
