Psychology B1 - stress

Question 1

role of life events in stress

Answer 1

-main sources of stress = important events that happen time to time - marriage, funerals.
-have to make psychological adjustments to cope with stressful situation.
-bigger event - more to adjust - more stress.
-can cumulate (add up).
-two life events occur together, bigger adjustments to make.

Question 2

measuring life events
Holmes and Rahe (1967)

Answer 2

-Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) - measures life events.
-list of 43 life events, given Life Changing Units (LCUs) - amount of adjustment needed.
-level of stress calculated by adding up LCUs for events.

Question 3

life events and ill health
Rahe (1972)

Answer 3

-SRRS, find if ill health is associated with life events
-gather LCU score from over 6-12 months
-Rahe (1972), scoring under 150 LCU = 30% probability of experiencing stress related illness
-150-299 LCUs= 50%
over 300 LCUs = 80%

Question 4

role of daily hassles in stress

Answer 4

-minor irritations and fustrations.
-happen often, effects cumulate.
-stressful due to belief that we can’t cope.

Question 4

measuring daily hassles
Kanner et al. (1981) - hassles scale

Answer 4

-developed hassles scale
-117 daily hassles, select hassles experienced and severity (1 to 3), add up to get their total.

Question 4

measuring daily hassles
Kanner et al. (1981) - uplifts scale

Answer 4

-produced uplifts scale.
-uplifts = small daily ‘boosts’, counteract stress of hassles.

Question 5

daily hassles and ill health

Answer 5

-threaten our health if we experience so many hassles
-ill- links with life events, they both disrupt our normal daily routines
-life event = indirect source, creates more hassles
-hassles = direct source

Question 6

practical uses
(evaluation)
+

Answer 6

-measured with self-report methods
-SRRS + hassles scale = questionnaires, theyre direct and assess themselves
-encourages openness and honesty
-measurements = valid

Question 7

support for effectiveness
(evaluation)
+

Answer 7

-supported by studies
-Lietzen et al. (2011), people experiencing asthma had more stress
-Ivancevich (1986), compared sources of stress, hassles = stronger predictors of poor health
-life events + hassles = sources of stress

Question 8

retrospective research
(evaluation)
-

Answer 8

-involve retrospective recall
-pps complete checklists, recall sources of stress
-memory isn’t always accurate
-life events are rare which makes them hard to recall
-hassles are common and minor which means they could be forgotten
-not accurately reflecting impacts on health

Question 9

workplace stress
HSE

Answer 9

-HSE = health and safety executive
-595 000 workers experienced stress, depression or anxiety
-15.4 million working days lost
-57% of days lost due to ill health

Question 10

three factors in the workplace that impact stress

Answer 10

1. role conflict
2. work environment
3. level of control

Question 11

1. role conflict

Answer 11

-intra - when workplace puts competing demands on employee
-inter - person has two roles with competing demands – in workplace and out of workplace

Question 12

2. work environment

Answer 12

-temperature - if workplace = too hot or cold, can affect stress levels
-noise - uncontrollable, too loud, can affect stress levels

Question 13

3. level of control

Answer 13

-control link with stress - no control, negative consequences on health

Question 14

aims
Johansson et al (1978)

Answer 14

-to investigate the relationships between levels of work stress and productivity on workers in a factory

Question 15

procedure
Johansson et al (1978)

Answer 15

-natural experiment
-independent group design
-1st group = skilled workers, rate they work at is their wage
-2nd group = maintenance, flexible shifts
-take a daily urine sample, body temp measured and caffeine/ nicotine consumption noted
-self rating scales and examined records of illness/absence

Question 16

findings
Johansson et al (1978)

Answer 16

-high-risk group - 1st sample = x2 adrenaline and increased levels on work days due to them being rushed/irritated
-overall wellbeing was lower
-low-risk group = urine samples- x1.5 adrenaline

Question 17

conclusions
Johansson et al (1978)

Answer 17

-experienced stress due to:
1. responsible for pay
2. repetitive and monotonous work
3. machine paced work (low control)
4. work in isolation

Question 18

strengths
Johansson et al (1978)
+

Answer 18

-useful – helped factories implement ideas to reduce stress
-valid – what was meant to be measured was studied, positive consequences
-ecological validity – real workers in work environment

Question 19

weaknesses
Johansson et al (1978)
-

Answer 19

-correlation – no cause and effect could be determined, study was just a mere correlation
-cultural/gender bias – carried out on Swedish men, results could be affected by culture and gender - isn’t highly generalisable

Question 20

personality and stress

Answer 20

-personality is linked with their ability to cope with stress
-identified as a key indicator in how we respond to stress
-not everyone responds to stress in the same way

Question 21

Friedman and Rosenman
(1959)

Answer 21

-three important personality types
1. TYPE A- highly competitive, ambitious, impatient and aggressive
2. TYPE B- relaxed, laid back, lack sense of urgency
3. TYPE C - conventional, industrious, react to stress with helplessness

Question 22

Friedman and Rosenman: study

Answer 22

-possible causes of coronary disease (CHD)
-9 year study, 3000 men aged 35-59, speculated, patterns of behaviour carried higher risk
-category - TYPE A, B, AB
-conclusion - TYPE A = concerned with status + achievement, workaholics, higher risk of CHD
TYPE B = higher levels of satisfaction, patient and even-tempered
-70% of men developed CHD, assessed as TYPE As

Question 23

TYPE A and B personality

Answer 23

-TYPE A; CHD patients, always on time, no missed appointments, competitive, urgent, hostile
-TYPE B; flexible, relaxed, tolerant, less competitive

Question 24

TYPE C personality

Answer 24

-dislikes conflict
-‘pathologically nice’
-passive
-represses emotion
-prone to develop cancer

Question 25

hardy personality
Kobasa (1979)

Answer 25

-hardy personality - protects against stress and ill health
-three key components:
1. commitment; throw themselves into life, strong sense of purpose
2. challenge; welcome change, opportunity
3. control; make things happen

Question 26

practical use
(evaluation)
+

Answer 26

-hardiness + TYPE A provide targets for reducing effects of stress
-hardiness, aim =increase 3Cs, resist stress better –> optimism
-encourage TYPE As to shift to TYPE B e.g slow down
-understanding personality can help people cope better

Question 27

problems with both concepts
(evaluation)
-

Answer 27

-unclear what hardiness and TYPE A personality really are
-3 Cs overlap, hardiness is just control (Hull et al. 1987)
-TYPE A = too broad, focused on hostility (Carmelli et al. 1991)
-lack validity

Question 28

measurement issues
(evaluation)
-

Answer 28

-used self-report questionnaires
-social desirability bias
-over-exaggerate extent
-TYPE A traits = undesirable
-rely on socially desirable views
-not accurate