Module 5

Question 1

What are three ways to define stress?

Answer 1

Stress as a physiological response
Stress as a stimulus in the environment
Stress as a transaction

Question 2

Explain Stress as a Physiological Response. Who is Claude Bernard?

Answer 2

The concept of stress as a physiological response stemmed from the work of scientists who wanted to understand how our bodies adapt to changing external circumstances.

Claude Bernard; well-known for his concept of the milieu interieur, Bernard proposed that, in response to changes in the external environment, heart rate, respiration, and internal temperature all adjust so that internal systems remain stable

Question 3

What did Walter Cannon rename milieu interieur? What were his beliefs? Who supported Cannon and how?

Answer 3

renamed Bernard’s concept of homeostasis

Cannon believed that the body automatically responds to external stressors in a way that prevents it from deviating too far from the normal level

Hans Selye confirmed Cannon’s findings in that the animals he subjected to a variety of extreme stressors would first adapt through a series of physiological responses; however, when the stressors and the subsequent bodily responses became too extreme, the animals would die

Question 4

What are three phases of General Adaptation Syndrome (Sely’s model)

Answer 4

1. Alarm; Through a complex physiological response involving the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system, the body mobilizes energy in response to a threat
2. Resistance; The word “resistance” stems from the idea that the body works to resist the effects of the external threat to keep the bodily systems in balance
3. Exhaustion; During the process of resistance, some body parts will be taxed and later break down, causing the animal to become exhausted and die.

Question 5

How do the monks contradict Seyle?

Answer 5

The monks, according to Selye’s theory, they should die from hypothermia, but they do not. This suggests that a psychological process is likely at play. Monks are able to withstand long terms of cold weathers

Question 6

Explain Stress as a Stimulus.

Answer 6

Holmes-Rahe Stress Inventory

cumulative exposure to negative, and even, positive stressors was associated with a risk of developing a serious illness

Question 7

ExplainStress as a Transaction.

Answer 7

Albert Simeons believed that psychological stressors (e.g., worrying about a situation that has not yet occurred) can elicit the same physiological responses that physical environmental threats elicit—a transaction between brain and environment

Question 8

How does Simeons understanding of stress differ from Seyle and Holmes and Rahe?

Answer 8

Selye believed that the response was identical for all stressors

Holmes and Rahe, who suggested that there are “universal” stressors that are seen categorically as stressful by most people

Simeons proposed that a perception of threat is what is needed to trigger a physiological stress response

Question 9

What are the 4 Contemporary Models of Stress?

Answer 9

1. Something external (a stimulus) or internal (an unhelpful thought) can lead to a physiological response (adaptation through change)
2. Some sort of evaluative process is involved (that determines if the trigger is a threat and worthy of a response)
3. Coping mechanisms can vary across individuals
4. There are effects of stress on mind and body (Lazarus, 1993)

Question 10

What is The Appraisal Model of Stress? What is it influenced by?

Answer 10

the idea of attaching meaning to events in the environment is central to understanding psychological stress and determining whether a life event or internal trigger

• Intrapersonal factors, personal goals and values, one’s self-esteem, and one’s personal belief in their ability to exert influence on situations and their outcomes (self-efficacy).
• Environmental factors, such as the demands of a situation in relation to one’s resources (e.g., social supports).

Question 11

What is Primary Appraisal?

Answer 11

determining whether the stressor poses a threat

As a harm (something bad that has already happened)
As a threat (something bad is likely, or going to happen)
As a challenge (something that one can overcome and learn from)

Question 12

What is Secondary Apprasial?

Answer 12

make a decision about whether we can cope with or improve the situation

Question 13

What are two broad functionings of coping?

Answer 13

Problem-focused; example of problem-focused coping is making a list of concrete action steps to deal with a stressor, and then carrying out the steps in a systematic fashion

Emotion-focused; keeping one’s feelings to oneself

Question 14

Can you think of an example of a coping strategy that can be both problem-focused and emotion-focused?

Answer 14

a person might at the start of an exam, work on regulating their breathing to reduce their overall level of anxious arousal (emotion focused), and this in turn may increase the person’s capacity to concentrate on the multiple-choice question options in a more systematic way (problem focused)

Question 15

Explain the Physiological Response to Stress.

Answer 15

if a situation is perceived as threatening, only then will it be a physiological response

Question 16

What is happening inside your body in response to an immediate stressor? *review picture from notes

Answer 16

the first response (that occurs within two to three seconds, and last five to ten minutes) is a neural one.

the second response is a hormonal response that occurs via the endocrine system, thus the process so far is called a “neuroendocrine response” (the hormones that cause increase of blood pressure, increases breathing, muscle tremors)

Question 17

How can stress effect health?

Answer 17

The physiological responses can be harmful over the long-term, if they are activated chronically, able to harm health beh.

Think about what has happened to your eating and exercise routines when you have been extremely stressed, perhaps during exam periods. People may also drink alcohol more heavily during times of stress

Question 18

Allostatic Load….