Psych Chap 11 Flashcards
Both positive and negative life changes can be stressful true or false
True
Subjective Well-Being
- Individuals’ overall evaluation of life satisfaction and happiness.
Positive Psychology applies…
- Applies research to provide people with knowledge and skills for fulfilling lives.
Three lines of inquiry in positive psychology
- Three Lines of Inquiry:
- Positive subjective experiences: moods, emotions, flow, mindfulness
- Positive individual traits: hope, resilience, grit, gratitude
- Positive institutions: workplaces, schools
In Growing Up: Obstacles can help in reaching goals (true or false)
True
Survivors of trauma may report
Survivors of trauma may report positive psychological growth if they cope successfully and reflect on the event, relating it to positive outcomes.
- Six Domains of Post-Traumatic Growth:
- New possibilities: “I have new things I like to do.”
- Relating to others: “I feel closer to people now.”
- Personal strength: “I can count on myself.”
- Appreciation of life: “Life is important.”
- Spiritual change: “I understand meaning/religion more.”
- Life priority change: “I know what truly matters.”
Defining stress
A lack of fit between perceived demands and perceived ability to cope.
Stress is felt when perceived resources are less than..
than perceived demands.
Stress is subjective and depends on how we appraise (evaluate)…
events
What are the two types of appraisal
-
Primary appraisal: Initial evaluation of relevance, threat, and stress level.
- Secondary appraisal: Evaluation of ability to cope.
Types of Stress
- Acute stressors: Short duration, clear endpoint (e.g., job interview).
- Chronic stressors: Long duration, no clear endpoint (e.g., relationship conflicts, financial problems).
-
Ambient stress: Chronic negative conditions in the environment (e.g., noise, pollution, poverty).
- Associated with elevated stress hormones
-
Readjustment to life changes: Stress caused by significant life alterations.
- Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) measures stress from major life stressors.
Human response is … and …
complex and multidimensional.
Human response occurs at three levels
- Emotional responses
- Physiological responses
- Behavioral responses
Intensity of Stress: (descending stress)
- Traumatic stress: robbery, physical assault, SA, death of a loved one
- Acute stress; job interview
- Life change;divorce
- Chronic stress; daily hassles
Moderating variables that reduce the impact of stress:
-
Social support: Aid from social networks.
- Hardiness: Commitment, challenge, and control leading to stress resistance.
-
Optimism: Expecting good outcomes.
- Optimists use problem-focused coping and seek social support.
- Pessimists avoid stress or give up.
how we evaluate stress using Primary & Secondary Appraisal:
- Stimulus Event – Something happens (e.g., a big exam, job interview).
-
Primary Appraisal – “Is this a threat?”
- If no → No stress.
- If yes → Move to secondary appraisal.
-
Secondary Appraisal – “Can I handle this?”
- If yes → Manageable stress (confidence, problem-solving).
- If no → High stress (anxiety, feeling overwhelmed).
Stress depends on …. a situation, not just the …
how we interpret not just the situation itself.
Moderate stress enhances performance, but too little or too much reduces effectiveness. True or false
True
Constructive Coping
Healthy ways to handle stress.
Types of constructive coping
• Appraisal-focused: Realistic stress evaluation (disputing negative thoughts, rational thinking, humor).
• Problem-focused: Directly addressing issues (problem-solving, time management, seeking support).
• Emotion-focused: Managing emotions (distraction, forgiveness, exercise, relaxation).
Ellis rational- emotive behaviour therapy (REBT) and the (ABC) model focuses on
Altering clients patterns of irrational thinking to reduce maladaptive emotions and behaviours
Negative appraisals are associated with —- thinking, which exaggerates the ———
Catastrophic thinking which exaggerates the magnitude of our problems
Positive appraisals allow for
Constructive coping
Rational Thinking (Ellis’s REBT)
• ABC Model
- A (Activating Event): A stressful event (e.g., being stood up).
• B (Belief System):
• Irrational belief → Catastrophic thinking, low self-worth.
• Rational belief → Acceptance, optimism.
• C (Consequence):
• Negative belief → Anxiety, anger, distress.
• Positive belief → Emotional calm, hope.
Constructive coping helps …
manage stress through realistic thinking and direct action.
Rational thinking prevents
exaggerated stress responses.
Changing beliefs (B) alters emotional outcomes (C), improving stress resilience. True or false
True
Some people manage stress better because they have:
- Stronger Support Systems – Social support helps reduce stress impact.
- Resilience (Hardiness) – They see challenges as opportunities, not threats.
- Optimism – A positive outlook helps them adapt and recover faster.
Coping
- Active efforts to manage, reduce, or tolerate stress demands.
Coping responses: may be
- Healthy (e.g., problem-solving)
- Unhealthy (e.g., ignoring the problem, substance abuse)
Coping strategies help determine whether stress has any …
Positive or negative effects on a person
Negative/destructive coping involves
- giving up prematurely
- Acting aggressively
- Indulging oneself/blaming oneself
- Procrastination
What are the two types of positive constructive coping
- problem focused coping (when the situation is controlled)
- emotion focused when the situation is uncontrollable)
Giving up prematurely
- Learned helplessness: Passive behavior from exposure to unavoidable aversive events. Cognitive interpretation of events determines whether it develops. Can transfer to situations where the person isn’t helpless, leading to passive reactions instead of problem-solving. Giving up can be adaptive when goals are unattainable.
Acting aggressively
-
Aggression: Behavior intended to hurt someone physically or verbally.
* Frustration-aggression hypothesis: Aggression is always due to frustration. People may act out toward those uninvolved in their frustration. Freud posited that aggressive acts release emotional tension in a process called catharsis. Research suggests aggression increases anger, contradicting the idea of catharsis.
Displacement is the transfer of negative emotion from …
One person or thing to an unrelated person or thing
Indulging oneself/blaming oneself
- Stress can lead to poor impulse control and self-indulgence. Examples include excessive eating, drinking, shopping, gambling, or drug use. Self-blame involves negative self-talk, associated with catastrophic thinking and increased distress, especially after trauma.
Procrastination
- Students procrastinate to minimize time on a task, optimize efficiency, or due to proximity to reward.
* Procrastinators may experience more anxiety and health problems.
* Procrastination is associated with more stress-related symptoms later in the semester.
Constructive Coping
- Healthful efforts to deal with stressful events.
- Involves realistic appraisals, confronting problems, and managing emotional reactions.
Constructive Coping Tactics:
-
Ellis’s Rational Thinking
* Rational-Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) focuses on altering irrational thinking.
* Negative appraisals are associated with catastrophic thinking.
* Positive appraisals allow constructive coping.
Humor and Positive Reinterpretation
- Humor reduces negative impact and increases positive emotions. Creates a more positive evaluation of events and facilitates positive social interactions
- Positive reinterpretation involves finding benefits in bad situations, searching for good in bad
Problem-Focused Strategy: Using Systematic Problem Solving
- Clarify the problem
* Generate alternative actions
* Evaluate alternatives and select a course of action
* Take action while maintaining flexibility
Two psychosocial modifiers of stress are
-
Social support: Feeling loved and valued.
* **A sense of personal control**: Feeling able to make decisions and take effective action. People feel less distressed if they feel that they have control over the problem/situation.
Types of Social Support:
- emotional support
- esteem support
- tangible or instrumental support
- informational support
- network support
Emotional support:
This involves expressing empathy, caring, and concern toward a person, providing comfort, reassurance, a sense of belonging, and feeling loved during stressful times.
Esteem support:
This is expressed through positive regard for the person, encouragement, or agreement with their ideas or feelings. It includes positive comparisons of the person with others and aims at building the individual’s self-esteem. It means being an ego-booster and avoiding being an ego-buster.
Tangible or instrumental support:
This involves direct assistance, such as lending money, giving a ride, or helping with chores during stressful times.
Informational support:
This includes giving advice, directions, suggestions, or feedback about how the person is doing. Examples include patients getting information from friends or physicians on how to treat an illness, and junior workers getting feedback from coworkers or supervisors on job performance.
Network support:
- This provides a feeling of membership in a group of people who share interests and social activities. Examples include membership in a church or Alcoholics Anonymous.
Types of Control:
-
1) Behavioural control:
* Involves the ability to take concrete action to reduce the impact of a stressor.
* Same as problem-focused coping
* 2) Cognitive control:
* Uses thought processes or strategies to modify the impact of a stressor.
* Same as appraisal-focused coping
* 3) Decisional control:
* The opportunity to choose between alternative procedures or courses of action.
* Having the second choice or a “plan B”
* 4) Informational control:
* Involves the opportunity to get knowledge about a stressful event.
* Knowing ahead of time what will happen, why, and what the consequences are likely to be.
Weak Predictors of Happiness:
Money, Intelligence, Gender
Moderately Good Predictors of Happiness
Social Activity, Religion
Stronger Predictors of Happiness
Relationship Satisfaction
Dimensional Theories of Well-Being and there key components
- Ryff, Seligman, Deci & Ryan, Coan
- Key components include positive relationships, environmental mastery, purpose in life, autonomy, personal growth, self-acceptance, positive emotion, engagement, and creativity.
- Ryff
Autonomy, environmental mastery, personal growth, purpose in life, self-acceptance, and positive relationships.
Seligman
Positive emotion, engagement, and accomplishment.
Deci & Ryan
Autonomy, competence, and relatedness.
Coan
Relatedness
Aristotle Definined Happiness as
- Aristotle: Living a virtuous life
Jean Jacques Rousseau defined happiness as
- Satisfaction of desires
William James defined happiness as
Ratio of accomplishments to aspirations
Measuring Happiness
- Judgment that life is satisfying
- Predominance of positive emotions
- Satisfaction with Life Scale
- Percent Happy Scale
Positive Illusion
- Inflated view of oneself.
- Paradox: Having a positive illusion can make you happy.
- Accomplished by lowering aspirations and making downward comparisons.
- Happy people are less abusive, more helpful, and more creative.
Stress responses
- Stressful Events: Situations like exams, financial setbacks, or conflicts can cause stress.
- Cognitive Appraisal: How we perceive the event—based on familiarity, control, and predictability—affects our reaction.
- Responses:
• Emotional: Anxiety, anger, guilt, shame, etc.
• Physiological: Hormonal changes, autonomic arousal.
• Behavioral: Coping strategies like problem-solving, seeking help, or emotional release.
What Good is Happiness? what do these correlations involve…
- Correlates with positive outcomes: marriage, longevity, self-esteem, job satisfaction.
- These correlations might involve reciprocal causality.
Happiness: Do sex and age matter?
- Sex: Men and women are equally happy.
- Age: Happiness levels are relatively constant across different age groups.
- Correlation between a nation’s well-being and its gross national product is
+0.67
- National wealth is associated with
health care, civil rights, and education.
Is there a relation between income and happiness
- Positive correlation when basic needs are not met.
- When the threshold to meet basic needs is met, happiness does not increase with income.
Lottery Winners & HIV-Positive Individuals
- Moods return to previous levels after major events.
- People are less distressed than they predict after testing HIV-positive.
- People’s moods are usually maintained at a constant level. True or false and what is the level affected by
- true
- This level is affected by personality.
- Personality accounts for —— variance in happiness than demographics.
- more
What are the two key personality traits closely related to well being
- Two key traits: Extraversion and Neuroticism.
- Extraversion: Positive outlook, energetic, seeks novelty.
- Neuroticism: Moody, anxious, pessimistic.
Why are Some People Happier Than Others
- Factors affecting subjective well-being:
- Personality (happier people are emotionally stable and socially engaged)
- Life satisfaction (ratio of one’s accomplishments to one’s aspirations)
- Social support
- Married people tend to be happier than unmarried people.
- People with many friends tend to be happier than people with few friends.
- Socioeconomic status
- People who can support their basic needs are happier than people who can’t.
