Physiological Response to Stress Flashcards
What is stress?
A state of stress exists when the perceived demands on an individual are beyond his/her ability to cope
What is a stressor?
Can be defined as any event that causes a stress reaction in the body
What is the response when an individual perceives a situation as stressful?
Fight or flight response
What are the two reactions in the fight or flight response to stress?
SAM- sympathomedullary pathway
HPA- hypothalamic pituitary adrenal system
What is the role of the sympathetic branch?
Activates internal organs to give the body more energy which is needed for the fight or flight
What is the role of the parasympathetic branch?
When the body is trying to conserve and store resources and it returns the body clock back to normal
What stress is the HPA system used for?
Long term stress
What stress is the SAM pathway used for?
Short term stress
Describe the HPA system
The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland. The pituitary gland releases the stress hormone ACTH. This travels to the adrenal cortex and stimulates the release of corticosteroids
Describe the SAM system
The hypothalamus activates the sympathetic branch of the ANS. This acts on the adrenal glands by causing the adrenal medulla to release adrenaline and noradrenaline into the blood stream. If the stressor is no longer present, the parasympathetic branch of the ANS is activated which returns the body to normal
What is the role of cortisol?
It helps to convert stored fats and protein from the liver into energy. It also has an anti inflammatory effect. A side effect of cortisol is that they suppress the immune system leading to stress related illnesses
What is the role of adrenaline and noradrenaline?
- heart rate accelerates
- blood pressure increases
- respiration rate increases
- muscles are tensed
- perspiration increases
- digestion slows down
- blooding clotting increases
What is a strength of the physiological response to stress?
People who have had their adrenal glands surgically removed have been given hormone supplements to combat stress which play a crucial role in the SAM pathway and HPA system. This shows that the adrenal medulla and cortex are essential for our stress response as without them they couldn’t combat stress
What are four limitations of the physiological response to stress?
- SAM includes research on animals so problems with extrapolation
- gender differences
- Lazarus said HPA/SAM ignores though processes that could be involved
- research is mainly conducted on men
