Module 1: social psych and health Flashcards
Define psychological stress and describe how the factors that can cause stress could depend on people’s current capacities, resources, and energies.
Psychological stress is the sense that challenges and demands surpass ones current capacities, resources and energies. It describes what people experience when they are under mental, physical or emotional pressure. Stressors can arise from resposbilities, work, family and finances. Positive events can also be a stressor.
Explain the role of the HPA axis in the stress response and describe the sequence of events, from the perception of the stressful event to the release of cortisol in the bloodstream.
The HPA axis is when stressful event cause for activation of threat and emotion shown in the amagdala. This then transfers to the hypothalamus sending chemical messages to the pituitary gland making afrenal glands realse coritisol. Cortisol levels increase with heart rate and blood pressure leading to the flight or fight response. Having higher than normal levels or cortisol can lead to harm in your health. If stress become chronic can lead to harm in health usually due to money, lacking health care or no childcare.
Define rumination and describe implications for stress and the body. How can we reduce rumination? Why is self-distancing effective?
Rumination is the tendency to think about a stressful event repeatively, focusing on a specific event thinking about all its causes and consequence over and over again, staying in fight or flight mode. This can be reduced by affect labeling or naming the stress, paying attention to other activites the stop strategy, or setting aside a time to ruminate. Self distancing is the ability to focus on ones feelings from the perspecfive of a detached observer. This is affective as it gives a different perspective about ones emotions and how to handle situations.
How is socioeconomic status (SES) typically determined? How does SES influence physical and mental health outcomes?
SES is often determined by family wealth, income, education and career. It inlfuences social class and indicates physical health. People with lower SES often have lower birthweight, more diseases develop, higher blood pressure and more illnesses. They also often live in more polluted air, hazards, fewer recreational spaces, less ability to relax and exercise, more crime and threat and few healthy resources for food or health care.
What are other tips for reducing stress more generally? Why would meditation be effective for reducing stress-related HPA axis activation?
To reduce stress it is suggested that one focuses on adapting coping strategies, exercises, is positive emotion seeking and meditates. Mediation is deemed helpful as it relaxes the body out of flight or fight mode relieving cortisol levels.
Define perceived control and optimism and explain their benefits for health and wellness.
Perceived control helps a persons health as it gives a feeling of mastery autonomy, and decency leading to better health and wellness. Optimism helps with expectations about the future increasing control and affectively able to respond to stress.
