Stress Flashcards
WHAT IS STRESS?
physical and psychological response to events (stressors) that challenge a person’s normal functioning (homeostasis)
Psychological Stressors
- interpersonal conflict
- isolation
- traumatic life events
- time-pressured tasks
- peer pressure
- expectations for others
- high standards for achievement
IITTPEH
physical stressors
physical exertion excessive heat or cold overcrowding noise injury
PEONI
corticolimbic system
where your brain processes stress
it determines possible threat and processes emotions
primary identifier
determines if there is a threat and at what magnitude
secondary identifier
evaluates ways to cope with the stressor
eustress
stress that is seen as beneficial for the experiencer
approach-approach
choice between two goals you want to do
avoidance-avoidance
choice between two options that you don’t want to do! but you have to
approach-avoidance
choice between something you like and something you don’t like
double approach-avoidance
choice between two alternatives, both having positive and negative features
chronic stress
- prolonged activated of stressed response
- can lead to negative mood states
- depression, anxiety
- can affect how they perceive the stress
- can lead to negative mood states
- affects body by making immune system less efficient
- can get sick easily :(
PTSD
may experience long lasting symptoms such as anxiety, depression, flashbacks
impact of stress on health
PTSD — may experience long lasting symptoms such as anxiety, depression, flashbacks
- risk factor for disease— heart disease
- may arravagate any existing diseases — migranes, headaches, asthma, hypertension
- may reduce the effectiveness of medication — taking medication, following diets
emotional response to stress
crying, nervousness, irritability, anger, fear, apathetic, empty
cognitive response to stress
memory problems, distractibility, obsessiveness, problems concentrating
behavioural response
relationship problems, substance abuse, compulsive eating, teeth grinding, uncommunicative
optimal arousal theory
POSITIVE ASPECT OF STRESS!!
- **peak performance is related to amount of stress
- more stress can increase performance on simple tasks
- however, to much stress tends to decrease performance on complex tasks…
mediators of stress
- adequacy of coping skills — having more than one way to deal with a problem
- availability of social support — friends can help you deal iwth the effects of stress
- intensity and duration of the stressor and history of previous stressors
- individual beliefs and values
- gender — males express anger using avoidance, females use support networks
- cultural differences
culture context can influence how stress is perceived?
-
individualistic culture — values competition, personal freedom, individual achievement, working alone
- typical of North America and Europe
-
collectivist culture — values working in group, group goals, and group achievement
- typical of Asian, African and Central and South American countries
Basic physiology of the stress response
- events are processed in the corticolimbic system
- when a threat is perceived, a message is sent to the peripheral nervous system to prepare for movement
- message is also sent to the hypothalamus which controls the autonomic nervous system
- sympathetic nervous system is activated— increased respiration, increased heart rate
- hypothalamus communicates with the endocrine system to activate 2 systems — adrenocortical and adrenomedullary
adrenomedullary system
releases adrenaline (stimulates heart muscle, increase heart rate & oxygen consumption)
adrenocortical system
releases cortisol to increase sympathetic enrvous system activity (suppresses immune response, increases release of stored fat for energy)
Walter Cannon:
- introduced the term stress
- distinguished between long and short term stressors
- body is better able to handle episodic stressors rather than chronic stressors
Hans Selye
silly (selye) person has gas
- identified the general adaptation syndrome (GAS)— body’s response to stress
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
- body’s response to stress
- alarm— sympathetic nervous system activated (increased heart rate, etc)
- resistance— body uses hormones to keep the system elevated
- exhaustion— resources are depleted, body is exhausted
hormones that are released during chronic stress
may have negative effects!
- CORTISOL suppresses the immune function and can disrupt sleep— you may be more likely to get sick
- EPINEPHRINE can increase risk factors for cardiovascular disease, sleep problems
- leads to negative mood states which affects how you assess the stressor
relationship between stress and heart disease
- measured cholesterol levels in tax accountants before and leading up to tax deadline
- cholesterol increased dramatically just before tax deadline
relationship between Type A personality and heart disease
- Type A men more likely to have a heart attack
type A personality
hard driving, impatient, aggressive personality
type B personality
laid back personality, easy going
sympathic system during stress
working overtime, increasing cortisol, increases cholesterol
