Lecture 4: Stress, Stress Process & Structual Strain

Question 1

social stress

Answer 1

• A state of arousal that results from either the presence of socioenvironmental demands that tax the ordinary adaptive capacity of the individual or from the absence of the means to attain sought-after ends
• Anything that puts wear and tear on the body (negative environmental stimuli)
• Requires readjustment

Question 1

stressor

Answer 1

event or circumstance that causes or brings about the stress

Question 2

stress theory

Answer 2

• Initial focus on major life events
• Additional consideration of severe life events and chronic strains
• The more stressors an individual experiences, the worse their mental health tends to be

Question 3

severe life events

Answer 3

events that have a major impact on one’s life

Question 4

chronic strains

Answer 4

occur over a long period and require repeated adjustments to behaviour

Question 5

exposure vs. vulnerability

Answer 5

Someone can be exposed to a stressor and not be as negatively affected by it and vice versa

Question 6

stress proliferation

Answer 6

when an initial stressor generates more stressors

Question 7

criticisms of stress theory

Answer 7

• The stress -> poor mental health trend wasn’t as strong as researchers thought it would be
• This may be due to differences in coping mechanisms

Question 8

stress process model

Answer 8

• An explanation for the modest association between stressors and health
• Social context shapes exposure to stress, as well as risk and protective factors
• Stress exposure and coping resources are socially patterned: more stress + few coping resources = worse mental health
• Status and social position define conditions of life to which individuals are subject
• Stressful circumstances arise out of such contexts

Question 9

coping resources

Answer 9

social/personal assets

Question 10

coping strategies

Answer 10

behavioural/cognitive attempts

Question 11

problem-focused coping strategies

Answer 11

trying to change or eliminate the stressor itself

Question 12

emotion-focused coping strategies

Answer 12

changing one’s emotional reaction to the stressful demand

Question 13

meaning-focused coping strategies

Answer 13

changing one’s perception of stressful demands so that they seem less stressful

Question 14

distirbution of coping resources

Answer 14

Coping/resources are socially distributed

Question 15

social characteristics

Answer 15

aspects of our lives that are socially defined and assigned to us

Question 16

social support

Answer 16

• The degree to which individuals have access to reliable social resources, in the form of relationships
• Perceived support matters more than received support for health outcomes

Question 17

personal resources

Answer 17

personal attributes or characteristics that affect one’s ability to cope with environmental demands

Question 18

self-esteem

Answer 18

an evaluation that one makes about oneself

Question 19

self-esteem and health

Answer 19

Associated with positive health outcomes

Question 20

self-esteem across social demographics

Answer 20

• People with higher SES tend to have greater self-esteem
• Some evidence shows that people who are currently married exhibit higher levels of self-esteem
• Men tend to have higher self-esteem than women (this difference isn’t always found)

Question 21

mastery

Answer 21

the degree to which someone believes they have control over what happens in their life

Question 21

mastery and health

Answer 21

Associated with positive health outcomes

Question 22

mastery across demographics

Answer 22

• Shown to be socially distributed
• Black people and low SES people tend to have lower senses of mastery

Question 23

mattering

Answer 23

the feeling that others need oneself and are invested in oneself

Question 24

mattering and health

Answer 24

• Associated with positive health outcomes
• Contributes to psychological well-being

Question 25

mattering across demographics

Answer 25

Higher among women

Question 26

emotional reliance

Answer 26

involves the development and maintenance of personal worth through other people’s appraisals

Question 27

emotional reliance and health

Answer 27

• Associated with negative health outcomes
• This might be due to unstable feelings of self-worth

Question 28

John Henryism

Answer 28

a coping strategy that involves expending high efforts in response to stressors

Question 29

John Henryism and health

Answer 29

Associated with negative health outcomes

Question 30

John Henryism across demographics

Answer 30

• Used to deal with financial and interpersonal stressors
• Associated with increased blood pressure in Black people

Question 31

structural strain theory

Answer 31

• Mental illness stems from the organization of society
• Influences of Merton and Durkheim
• Strains at different levels of society
• Harmful consequences of social isolation

Question 32

Merton’s 5 responses

Answer 32

• conformity
• ritualism
• innovation
• retreatism
• rebellion

Question 32

Merton’s anomie

Answer 32

the gap between cultural goals and the structural means to achieve those goals

Question 33

conformity

Answer 33

adherence to goal & legitimate means

Question 34

ritualism

Answer 34

change goal & legitimate means

Question 35

innovation

Answer 35

adherence to goal & illegitimate means

Question 36

retreatism

Answer 36

no goal & illegitimate means

Question 37

rebellion

Answer 37

new goal & new means

Question 38

which of Merton’s responses are socially acceptable

Answer 38

conformity & ritualism

Question 39

which of Merton’s responses aren’t socially acceptable

Answer 39

innovation, retreatism, and rebellion

Question 40

Merton on mental illness

Answer 40

• Mental illness is an adaptive response to structural strain
• It’s a reaction to how society is organized
• Strains in macrosocial and economic systems cause higher rates of disorder for certain groups

Question 41

Durkheim’s anomie

Answer 41

rapid change in social structure accompanied by a breakdown of norms

Question 42

levels of social intergration

Answer 42

egoism & altruism

Question 43

egoism

Answer 43

weak interaction

Question 44

altruism

Answer 44

strong interaction