HEALTH 1 Flashcards
Biopsychosocial Model
A model of health that predicts that the causes and effects of physical well-being are a combination of biological, psychological, and social factors.
Under this model health problems can be protected against or amplify by cognition and social support
Burnout
Long-term exhaustion and loss of motivation caused by chronic stress.
PTSD
A clinically diagnosable disorder characterized by haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, anxiety, and insomnia that lingers for weeks after a traumatic event
Stress
A physiological response to an event that is appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s ability to adapt that often fails to be dealt with in a social context or with the help of others.
Stress Appraisal Theory
What counts as a stressor is up to our own interpretation of an event (anything ca be stressful)
Primary appraisal
the first evaluation of the demands of the specific situation: what will it take for me to be able to sufficiently deal with this situation
Secondary appraisal
the secondary evaluation of our ability to deal with the demands of the situation: do i have the necessary skills/ resources to do this?
When does a physiological stress response happen?
Primary appraisal > secondary appraisal
What are the three types of event seen as high stressors?
Psychological Uncertainty, Frustration/ Pressure,
Goal Conflict
Psychological uncertainty
the feeling of not knowing what the correct behavior is or what will happen next
Frustration/ Pressure
feeling that a goal is important but not being able to accomplish it (e.g. being stuck in traffic)
Goal conflict
being stuck between two goals
Types of goal conflict
Approach-Approach conflict,
Avoidance-Avoidance conflict
Approach-Avoidance conflict
Approach-Approach conflict and example
wanting two apposing desirable things.
Ex. Student gets into two ideal universities and has to decide which one to go to.
Avoidance-avoidance conflict and example
choosing between two bad things
Ex. doing assignment or doing housework
Approach-avoidance conflict and example
wanting a single goal that has both good and bad consequence
ex. choosing a job that both financial gain and prestige but also high stress
Stress response
A cascade of physiological responses to stress that occurs through two pathways - SAM axis and HPA axis
SAM axis
Sympathetic-adreno-medullary (SAM) axis
HPA axis
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
Sympathetic-adreno-medullary (SAM) axis
A very fast sequence of physiological responses, beginning in the hypothalamus, that will activate the sympathetic system and through the adrenal gland, stimulate the medulla and release catecholamines (epinephrine and norepinephrine)
Hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis
A slower sequence of physiological responses, beginning in the hypothalamus, that - through ACTH - will stimulate the adrenal gland and lead to the release of glucocorticoids (mostly cortisol in humans)
Epinephrine/ Adrenaline
The hormone secreted by the adrenal gland involved in activating and maintaining the sympathetic system. Primarily involved in regulating liver and kidneys
Norepinephrine
The hormone secreted by the adrenal gland involved in activating the sympathetic system. Has strong psychoactive effects in the brain (e.g. stimulant drugs are full of norepinephrine)
Actions of catecholamines
Suppress digestion, increase focus, increase respiration and heart rate
Cortisol
Stress-specific hormone secreted by the adrenal gland in response to stressor through the HPA axis
Cortisol’s primary function
Regulate energy use by the body by increasing the amount of sugar (glucose) in your blood, which improve brain function and speeds up the healing of the tissues.
Cortisol’s other functions
Suppress immune system, digestion, and reproduction systems (i.e. things that you don’t need this very moment)
Cortisol unlike catecholamines
Effects of cortisol are slower, build up over time, and stay in the bloodstream longer
General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Three-stage response to stress that characterizes how your body deals with short and long term stressors
Three stages of General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Alarm phase, Resistance phase, exhaustion phase
Alarm phase
SAM axis is quickly mobilized and catecholamines activates sympathetic system and get the body ready to act. Ideally, this is sufficient to cope with stressor’s effect is done.
Resistance phase
In response to prolonged threat, the organism tries to cope, while long-term effects of cortisol through the HPA axis continue to modify regular biological functions.
Exhaustion phase
the body can no longer deal with the stress and become highly susceptible to infection, aging, organ damage, even death
How is short-term stress measured?
heart-rate, muscle tension or skin conductance (sweat) monitors. Mostly measures sympathetic system.
How is long-term stress measured?
Measured by estimating the amount of cortisol in the body: blood, saliva, or even your hair. Measures HPA axis
Amplification (human beings)
Human beings tend to be some of the most acute sources of stress, since we tend to be less predictable, more frustrating, and get in each other’s way.
In fact, some of the most stressful occupations in the world are specifically those where we have to deal with people
Slow down (human cooperation)
Human cooperation allows us to mobilize resources that no single individual can have, helping us trigger secondary appraisal and stopping the stress reaction very quickly.
Positive effects of the mobilization of cortisol and catecholamines in the short term
- Increased attention and focus at the stressful event
- Conservation of energy and ability to more quickly process information
- Increase encoding of memories for the current event.
- Emotional experience of fear/anger/surprise, including expression of that to others.
Some amount of stressful arousal allow us to (temporarily) do ____ on a task
better
Good stress
Stress response in the short term is critical for survival as it allow our bodies to act rapidly and with more energy.
In moderate amounts it is something we really enjoy.
Bad stress
When chronic/ prolonged or triggered by many different stimuli, it can lead beyond the alarm phase and into full-blown exhaustion
Human beings have created complex social structures
Stress is caused by prolonged and difficult to control circumstances (mortgages, final exams, money)
As a result, we have the same response to traffic jams as other animals do when they are running for their life
