Session 6 - Stress

Question 1

Define stress

Answer 1

a condition or feeling that a person experiences when they perceive that demands exceed the social and personal resources that they are able to mobilise

Question 2

What are the 2 components of stress?

Answer 2

1. Physical
2. Psychological

Question 3

What does the Physical component of stress entail?

Answer 3

material and bodily challenges experienced by the person

Question 4

What does the Psychological component of stress entail?

Answer 4

How the person perceives the circumstances in their life.

Question 5

Name the categories of the sources of stress.

Answer 5

1. Intrinsic - coping mechanisms and personality traits
2. Extrinsic - environment

Question 6

List the 6 myths of stress.

Answer 6

1. Superiority
2. Fatalism
3. Crisis
4. Nerves
5. Control
6. Relax

Question 7

Explain the Superiority myth of stress.

Answer 7

It states that only inferior and maladjusted individuals experience problems with stress.

The myth is perpetuated by society as it reinforces the perception that medical doctors and other professionals are untouchable.

This myth promotes further stress.

Question 8

Explain the Fatalism myth of stress.

Answer 8

It states that stress is always a result of the circumstances that one finds themselves in. Since one cannot change the situation, they are merely a victim of their circumstances.

Question 9

Explain the Crisis myth of stress.

Answer 9

It states that stress is always the result of a serious traumatic event or important things going wrong.

It disregards the effect of insignificant events on the development of stress.

Question 10

Explain the Nerves myth of stress.

Answer 10

It views stress as a phenomenon where people are suffering from their nerves and they can’t help it.

It lays the blame if stress on the nervous system and thus renders stress as a biological phenomenon when in reality it is psychological.

Your nervous system cannot cause stress but your thoughts and thinking patterns can.

Question 11

Explain the Control myth of stress.

Answer 11

It is based on the assumption that a person is able to exercise control over the measure of stress that they can experience.

Each person becomes conditioned to the level of stress that they can endure; furthermore, stress builds up so gradually that the person does not realise that their level of stress is increasing and their stress tolerance threshold is lowering.

Question 12

Explain the Relax myth of stress.

Answer 12

It states that whenever one experiences great stress , all they have to do is sit down and relax in order to resolve the stress.

As much as relaxing helps when it comes to managing stress, it is insufficient to effectively manage stress. It has to be used in conjunction with other techniques.

Question 13

Name the 2 kinds of stress.

Answer 13

1. Acute stress
2. Chronic stress

Question 14

Explain the physiological process of acute stress.

Answer 14

1. The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland to secrete ACTH.
2. The adrenal glands secrete epinephrine, norepinephrine and cortisol into the bloodstream.
3. The body is fully energized and mobilized.

Question 15

What is the function of acute stress?

Answer 15

It is to mobilize the body’s resources.

Question 16

What is acute stress?

Answer 16

It is the fight or flight response to an emergency situation

Question 17

What is another name for acute stress?

Answer 17

Alarm reaction

Question 18

What do the effects of chronic stress constitute?

Answer 18

‘general adaptation syndrome’

Question 19

Name the 3 stages of chronic stress/’general adaptation syndrome’

Answer 19

1. Alarm reaction
2. Stage of resistance
3. Stage of exhaustion

Question 20

Explain the stage of resistance.

Answer 20

1. Occurs when a strong stressor continues but is not severe enough to cause death.
2. The body tries to adapt to the stressor but there are no outward signs of stress.
3. Physiological arousal remains high as the body replenishes the adrenal hormones.
4. The ability to resist new stressors may become impaired and this may make the person vulnerable to health problems.

Question 21

Explain the stage of exhaustion.

Answer 21

1. During this stage the immune system is weakened.
2. The body’s energy reserves have been used up and as a result there is low resistance.
3. Disease and damage to organs may occur
4. Death is a possibility

Question 22

Explain the relationship between stress and productivity.

Answer 22

1. Stress is not necessarily negative. Without any demands on the human being they cannot function.
2. Stress becomes negative and detrimental when these demands become unmanageable and/or the person’s stress management mechanisms are inadequate.

Question 23

What is the role of thinking in stress?

Answer 23

1. There is evidence of the effectiveness of thought reconstructing in stress management.
2. This method is based on the assumption that thinking, emotions and behaviour affect on another.

Question 24

Name the 8 dysfunctional thinking styles.

Answer 24

1. Absolutistic thinking
2. Catastrophizing
3. Negative self-assessment
4. Over-generalisation
5. Low frustration tolerance
6. Polarised thinking
7. Filtering
8. Blaming

Question 25

Explain Absolutistic thinking.

Answer 25

It is characterised by ‘must’ and ‘should’ thoughts. These thoughts create norms that we are not always able to adhere to. They form rules which we then live by and they then become the basis of our stress. Stress arises because we impose such daunting demands on ourselves and we would like to have absolute control over ourselves, others and our environment.

Question 26

Explain Catastrophising.

Answer 26

It refers to the tendency to consciously and sun consciously view things or events as much more frightening or fear inspiring than should be the case in reality. It is dysfunctional because it worsens our discomfort and unpleasant emotions which blocks effective action.

Question 27

Explain Negative self-assessment.

Answer 27

It refers to when someone judges themself in totality in negative terms because of a single life event. It is an enormous source of stress because it leads to negative self-appraisal, negativism, feelings of guilt, low levels of self-confidence and low self-worth. One lives under the assumption that people only have value based on their achievements.

Question 28

Explain Over-generalisation

Answer 28

Here a single event or characteristic is assigned the status of a general rule with words such as always, never, everyone, nothing and everything.

Question 29

Explain Low frustration tolerance.

Answer 29

Here the person thinks in superlatives, which lead to self-indoctrination and stress.

Question 30

Explain Polarised thinking.

Answer 30

Here events are assessed only in terms of 2 extremes with no possibilities in between.

Question 31

Explain Filtering

Answer 31

It entails looking at only one part of a situation to the exclusion of everything else.

Question 32

Explain Blaming

Answer 32

This refers to attributing bad things as someone’s fault