L6: Coping & Stress Flashcards
1
Q
Def of Stress
A
any event that strains or exceeds an individual’s ability to cope.
2
Q
Introduction to Stress
A
3
Q
Sources of Stress
A
4
Q
Space out your life changes when you can.
A
5
Q
Def of Frustration
A
6
Q
Def of Conflicts
A
The state in which two or more motives cannot be satisfied because they interfere with one another.
7
Q
Approach Approach Conflict
- Def
- Example
A
8
Q
Types of Conflicts
A
There are four major kinds of conflicts involving approach and avoidance:
- Approach approach conflict.
- Avoidance avoidance conflict.
- Approach avoidance conflict.
- Multiple approach avoidance conflict.
9
Q
Avoidance Avoidance Conflict
- Def
- Example
A
10
Q
Approach Avoidance Conflict
- Def
- Example
A
11
Q
Multiple Approach Avoidance Conflict
- Def
- Example
A
12
Q
Def of Pressure
A
13
Q
Environmental Conditions & Stress
A
14
Q
Psychological Reactions to Stress
A
15
Q
Physical Reactions to Stress and Health
(The General Adaptation Syndrome)
A
16
Q
Alarm Reaction
A
17
Q
Resistance Stage
A
- During the second stage of the GAS, the body s resources have been fully mobilized, and resistance to the stress is high.
- If the stress continues, the individual’s resources will eventually become depleted, leading to the third stage of the GAS.
18
Q
Exhaustion Stage
A
- If the stress continues, the individual s resources may become exhausted, and resistance to the stress and infection is lowered.
- In cases of prolonged exposure to severe physical stress (such as prolonged exposure to very cold temperatures), death can occur during the exhaustion stage.
- Psychological stress is rarely able to precipitate death, but it can severely disrupt body functioning.
19
Q
Stress & immune system
A
20
Q
Depression, anxiety, health & stress
A
- Stress gives rise to depression and anxiety in some persons and persons with high levels of depression and anxiety have impaired immune system functioning, poorer health, and higher rates of death from cardiac disease.
- The increased risk for early mortality due to depression is as great as that caused by cigarette smoking.
- Depression influences health through its effects on inflammation, heart functions, and the immune system.
21
Q
Factors that Affect Reactions to Stress
A
- Previous experience of stress
- Developmental factors
- Predictability
- Control
- Social support
- Cognition
- Personality
- Gender
- Ethnic Differences
22
Q
How does Previous experience of stress affect Reactions to stress?
A
- Stress reactions are generally less severe when the individual has had some prior experience with the stress event.
- For example, a soldier who is going into war for the fourth time will usually be less stressed by it than a soldier facing war for the first time.
- Studies of both humans and nonhuman animals suggest that prior exposure to stress can “vaccinate” to the effects of future stress.
23
Q
How does Developmental factors affect Reactions to stress?
A
The effects of stress depend, in part, on the developmental level of the person who is stressed.
- Death of spouse in older age.
- Sexual abuse in younger age.
24
Q
How does Predictability affect Reactions to stress?
A
In general, life events are less stressful when they are predictable than when they are not.
25
How does Control affect Reactions to stress?
Life events are less stressful when the individual perceives that he or she can exert some degree of control over the stress.
26
Learning Helplessness
A state in which people conclude that unpleasant or stressful event cannot be controlled It is a view of the world that becomes so fixed that they cease trying to modify the stressful life event even if they can exert some influence on the event.
27
How does Social support affect Reactions to stress?
In general, the magnitude of reactions to stress are less for individuals with good social support networks of friends and family members than for individuals with limited social support, such as:
- Patients with Cancer
- Children who have been sexually abused
28
Aspects of Social Support
* Having the opportunity just to get it off your chest
* Just being there
* Being a good listener
* Simply asking how things are going
* Avoiding explicit advice
* Avoiding criticism
29
How does Cognition affect Reactions to stress?
30
How does Personality affect Reactions to stress?
- Differences among individuals in their personality traits prior to stress influence their reactions to stress.
- For example, persons who are high on the personality trait of neuroticism tend to react most to stressful events.
- Similarly, military recruits who were more insecure and often sought reassurance from others before the stressor of basic training were more likely to be depressed afterward
- Thus, the effects of stress can be understood only in terms of a person x situation interaction
31
How does Gender affect Reactions to stress?
- Women are more likely than men are to experience lasting reactions to traumatic events That is, they are more likely to experience anxiety, depression, and sleep disturbances after a trauma.
- We are only speaking of average differences Many women are resilient in their response to traumatic stress, and many men are seriously affected by trauma.
32
How does Ethnic Differences affect Reactions to stress?
- Minority in a society experience more stress.
- Immigrant Families exposed to more stress due to:
1. the more rapid acculturation of children into the new culture
2. Parents are sometimes stressed by their children's changing behavior children are sometimes stressed by pressure from their parents to maintain the language and standards of their culture
33
Effective Coping with stress
- Removing or Reducing Stress.
- Cognitive Coping Strategies
- Managing Stress Reactions
33
Cognitive Coping Strategies
33
Def of **Coping with Stress**
Attempts by the individual to deal with the source of stress and/or control their reactions to it.
34
Managing Stress Reactions
When the source of stress cannot realistically be removed or changed, another effective option is to manage our psychological and physiological reactions to the stress, such as:
- Relaxation activities and exercises
- Hobbies
- Spending time with friends
- Seeking professional training from psychiatrists
35
Ineffective Coping
