Health Psychology Flashcards
What is the fight or flight response?
A physiological stress response evolved to help organisms to survive immediate danger.
What does the fight or flight theory propose?
It proposes that when an organism faces an imminent danger (acute stressor), the body is rapidly aroused and motivated to act via two systems: the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system. These two psychological systems interact to mobilize the organism to fight against or flee the danger.
What is the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) by Selye (1956)?
Where prolonged exposure to stress (chronic) stress causes damage to the physiological system.
Who proposed the fight or flight theory?
Cannon (1914)
What did Selye conclude in his rat experiments regarding GAS (1956)?
In his experiment, he exposed rats to various stressors (ex. cold, surgical injury, excessive exercise) and these animals all showed the same general physiological responses such as enlarged adrenal glands, diminished thymus and ulcers when they were exposed to stressors.. He concluded that rats (and humans) would respond with the same physiological pattern of physiological changes no matter the stressor.
What did Kiecolt-Glaser et al. (1984) research prove in regards to the idea that it may be problematic for the Selye and his GAS theory (1956) to generalize results to humans?
Their research in health psychology has confirmed a link between stress and low immune functioning.
Describe Selye (1956) GAS theory and its three stages.
- Alarm - Physiological mobilization to respond to the danger. It is the same as the fight or flight response.
- Resistance - Attempts to cope with the stress response.
- Exhaustion - Occurs when the organism fails to overcome the danger and is incapable of further coping.
What are the strengths of the GAS model?
It has generated a lot of research and it remains an important theory in the field.
It provides an explanation of the interaction of environmental stressors and physiological responses.
Research confirms Selye’s suggestions of a link between exhaustion and physical illness (e.g. that chronic stress can affect immune functioning and cause shrinking of the hippocampus).
What are the limitations of the GAS model?
There is not reference to individual differences, social or cognitive factors in the model.
Taylor et al. (2000) argue that in addition to fight or flight, humans (especially females) respond to stress with social affiliation and nurturant behavior.
The model cannot explain that humans can experience stress by merely thinking of stressful events (Sapolsky, 1998)
Describe the fight or flight response process.
It begins with an acute stressor that can cause either a…
1. sympathetic activation - where the release of adrenalin and noradrenalin causes increased heart rate and blood pressure, sweating.
2. HPA activation - where the release of cortisol causes the release of sugar in the blood, regulation of inflammation, inhibited immune funtioning.
Overall causing a fight or flight response.
What are Folkman and Lazarus (1988) two ways of coping with stress?
Problem-focused coping and Emotion-focused coping.
Describe problem-focused coping (Folkman and Lazarus, 1988).
Problem-focused coping: This is an attempt to remove or correct a problematic situation (e.g. as quitting an abusive relationship, drafting a revision plan, or taking extra courses to qualify for a new job). A special form of this coping strategy is called pro-active coping that is used to avoid a future problem (such as studying hard for an exam to avoid the stress of failing). This coping strategy may be the most adaptive in situations perceived as controllable.
Descibe emotion-focused coping (Folkman and Lazaarus, 1988).
Emotion-focused coping: This is an attempt to manage the emotional aspects of stress (e.g. example, changing the way one thinks about a problem or learning to accept it, using relaxation techniques, seeking social support, or using drugs to alleviate tension). A special form of this coping strategy is avoidance coping (ex. denying the problem of drinking alcohol to forget the problem). Avoidance coping could be effective in the short-term. This coping strategy may be the most adaptive in situations that are perceived as uncontrollable.
Describe social support as a coping strategy.
Seeking social support is a coping strategy related to emotion-focused coping. Social support can act as a buffer against the physiological and psychological effects of stress but it can also portect against potential stress on a daily basis without apparent stressors. Social support can be defined as the experience of being part of a social network with access to mutual assistance and obligations. It can come from a partner, relatives, friends, or various social support groups. Social support from others indicates that you “belong” and this is an important factor in the face of stress.
Wethering and Kessler (1986) reveal what regarding social support?
The perception or belief that emotional support is available appears to be a stronger influence on mental health than the actual receipts of social support.
