Module 33: Stress and Illness

Question 1

Stress

Answer 1

The process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

Question 2

Appraisal

Answer 2

Stress arises less from the events themselves, more from how we appraise them.

Stressful event

• Appraised as threat —> Stressed to distraction
• Appraised as challenge —> Aroused, focused

Question 3

The Stress Response System

Answer 3

• Emotion-arousing events trigger the adrenal stress hormones —> epinephrine (adrenaline) and norepinephrine (noradrenaline)
• When alerted by brain pathways, the sympathetic nervous system arouses us —> fight or flight

Question 4

General Adaptation Syndrom (GAS)

Answer 4

Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases

• alarm
• resistance
• exhaustion

Question 5

Phase 1 (alarm)

Answer 5

• Sympathetic nervous system suddenly activated
• Heart rate zooms
• Ready to fight back

Question 6

Phase 2 (resistance)

Answer 6

• Temperature, blood pressure, respiration remain high
• Adrenal glands pump hormones —> summoning all resources to meet the challenge
• As time passes, with no relief from stress, body’s reserves dwindle

Question 7

Phase 3 (exhaustion)

Answer 7

• Body’s resistance to stress can only last so long before exhaustion
• Become vulnerable to illness

Question 8

Selye’s Point…

Answer 8

Although the human body copes well with temporary stress, prolonged stress can damage it.

Question 9

Tend-and-befriend response

Answer 9

Under stress, people (especially women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend).

Question 10

Health Psychology

Answer 10

A subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioral medicine.

Question 11

Psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 11

The study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect the immune system and resulting health.

• Thoughts and feelings (psycho) influence brain (neuro), which influence the endocrine hormones that affect your disease fighting (immune) system.

Question 12

What does stress do to the immune system?

Answer 12

• Stress can leave you less able to fight off disease
• Immune system doesn’t function properly
  1. Responding too strongly
• May attack body’s own tissues
  2. Underreacting
• May allow a bacterial infection to flare
• Stress can also trigger immune suppression —> reduces the release of disease-fighting lymphocytes
• Surgical wounds heal more slowly
• More susceptible to colds
• Can hasten the course of disease

Question 13

Coronary Heart Disease

Answer 13

The clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; the leading cause of death in many developed countries.

Question 14

Type A

Answer 14

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people.
- More likely to have heart attacks

Question 15

Type B

Answer 15

Friedman and Rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people.

- Less likely to have heart attacks

Question 16

Does stress cause illness?

Answer 16

• Anger, pessimism, depression —> Trigger the release of stress hormones.
• Persistent stressors (death, losing job) —> Trigger the release of stress hormones.
• The release of stress hormones
• – Autonomic nervous system effects (headaches, high blood pressure, inflammation)
• – Immune suppression
• – Heart disease

Question 17

Catharsis

Answer 17

In psychology, the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges.

• Can be temporarily calming
• Usually fails to cleanse our rage —> expressing anger breeds more anger