Key Terms 3

Question 1

approach-approach conflict

Answer 1

a forced choice between two options, both of which have equally desirable characteristics

Question 2

approach-avoidance conflict

Answer 2

a forced choice involving one option with equally desirable and undesirable characteristics

Question 3

avoidance-avoidance conflict

Answer 3

a force choice between two options, both of which have equally undesirable characteristics

Question 4

burnout

Answer 4

a state of psychological and physical exhaustion resulting from chronic exposure to high levels of stress, with little personal control

Question 5

chronic stress

Answer 5

a continuous state of arousal in which demands are perceived as greater than the inner and outer resources available for dealing with them

Question 6

emotion focused coping

Answer 6

the strategies we use to relieve or regulate our emotional reactions to a stressful situation

Question 7

external locus of control

Answer 7

the belief that chance or outside forces beyond our control determine our fate

Question 8

frustration

Answer 8

the unpleasant tension, anxiety, and heightened sympathetic activity resulting from a blocked goal

Question 9

general adaptation syndrome(GAS)

Answer 9

Selye’s three stage (alarm, resistance, exhaustion) reaction to a chronic stress; a pattern of nonspecific, adaptational responses to a continuing stressor

Question 10

hassles

Answer 10

the small problems of daily living that may accumulate and become a major source of stress

Question 11

homeostasis

Answer 11

our body’s tendency to maintain equilibrium, or a steady state of internal balance

Question 12

HPA axis

Answer 12

our body’s delayed stress response, involving the hypothalamus, pituitary, and adrenal cortex; also called the hypothalmic-pituitary-adrenocortical (HPA) axis

Question 13

internal locus of control

Answer 13

the belief that we control our own fate

Question 14

mindfulness based stress reduction(MBSR)

Answer 14

a stress reduction strategy based on developing a state of consciousness that attends to ongoing events in a receptive and non-judgmental way

Question 15

positive affect

Answer 15

the experience or expression of positive feelings(affect), including happiness, joy, enthusiasm, and contentment

Question 16

post traumatic stress disorder(PTSD)

Answer 16

a long-lasting, trauma and stressor related disorder that overwhelms an individual’s ability to cope

Question 17

problem focused coping

Answer 17

the strategies we use to deal directly with a stressor to eventually decrease or eliminate it

Question 18

psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 18

the interdisciplinary field that studies the effects of psychological and other factors on the immune systen

Question 19

SAM system

Answer 19

our body’s initial, rapid acting stress response, involving the sympathetic nervous system and the adrenal medulla; called the sympatho-adreno-medullary(SAM) system

Question 20

stress

Answer 20

the interpretation of specific events, called stressors, as threatening or challenging the physical and psychological reactions to stress, known as the stress response

Question 21

stressor

Answer 21

a trigger or stimulus that induces stress

Question 22

hostility component of type a

Answer 22

type a personalities are known for hostility, which can lead to a greater risk of heart disease in these individuals

Question 23

primary appraisal

Answer 23

an assessment of how significant an event is for a person, including whether it is a threat or opportunity

Question 24

secondary appraisal

Answer 24

considers one’s ability to cope or take advantage of the situation

Question 25

cognitive appraisal

Answer 25

the personal interpretation of a situation; it is how an individual views a situation

Question 26

social readjustment rating scales

Answer 26

questionnaire for identifying major stressful life events. contains 43 events. Each one of the 43 stressful life events was awarded a Life Change Unit depending on how traumatic it was felt to be by a large sample of participants

Question 27

psychological demand stress dimension

Answer 27

jobs with a high psychological demand produced more stress and workers weren’t as healthy as those with jobs with a lower psychological demand

Question 28

decision control stress dimension

Answer 28

those working in positions with lots of decision making power were healthier and had lower stress than those with no decision making power

Question 29

gastric ulcer

Answer 29

infected with abundance of H. pylori bacteria, causing an ulcer, can be induced by stress

Question 30

social supports

Answer 30

the perception and actuality that one is cared for, has assistance available from other people, and that one is part of a supportive social network

Question 31

type a behavior

Answer 31

hostility, impatience, difficulty expressing emotions, competitiveness, drive, perfectionism and an unhealthy dependence on external rewards such as wealth, status, or power

Question 32

type b behavior

Answer 32

behavior pattern characterized by a relaxed manner, patience, and friendliness that possibly decreases one’s risk of heart disease. Also called type B personality

Question 33

somatosensory cortex

Answer 33

receives all sensory input from the body

Question 34

localization of function

Answer 34

The idea that different parts of the brain do different things

Question 35

motor cortex

Answer 35

the region of the cerebral cortex involved in the planning, control, and execution of voluntary movements

Question 36

confounding variable

Answer 36

variable that influences both the dependent variable and independent variable causing a spurious association

Question 37

eclecticism

Answer 37

a conceptual approach that does not hold rigidly to a single paradigm or set of assumptions, but instead draws upon multiple theories, styles, or ideas to gain complementary insights into a subject, or applies different theories in particular cases

Question 38

functionalism

Answer 38

the theory that all aspects of a society serve a function and are necessary for the survival of that society