Stress

Question 1

What is stress

Answer 1

Psychological arousal produced by challenges which are perceived as exceeding coping resources

Question 2

What is eustress

Answer 2

A positive response to a stressor e.g. excitement

Question 3

What is distress

Answer 3

A negative response to a stressor e.g. anxiety

Question 4

What is the difference between chronic stress and acute stress?

Answer 4

Chronic stress = prolonged arousal due to a persistent stressor
Acute stress = brief arousal due to immediate stressor

Question 5

What are the 5 types of stressors?

Answer 5

Daily pressures 
Life events
Acculturative stress
Major stressors 
Catastrophes

Question 6

What is a daily stressor?

Answer 6

An irritating demands that often occur in a daily environment

Question 7

What is a life event?

Answer 7

Changes and/or strain which causes an individual to have to adjust

Question 8

What is acculturative stress?

Answer 8

Stress experienced due to adaptation to a new culture

Question 9

What is major stress?

Answer 9

An extraordinarily stressful or disturbing event for everyone involved

Question 10

What is a catastrophe?

Answer 10

A sudden unpredictable large scale event that is perceived as threatening

Question 11

What is an example of a daily pressure?

Answer 11

Peak hour traffic
Long queues
Packed transport
Too many things to do

Question 12

What is an example of a life event?

Answer 12

Retirement
Moving house
Marriage
Moving school

Question 13

What is an example of acculturative stress?

Answer 13

Adjusting to a foreign language
Adjusting to ethnicity
Adjusting to a new climate
Adjusting to new social norms

Question 14

What is an example of a major stressor?

Answer 14

Death of a loved one

Question 15

What is an example of a catastrophe?

Answer 15

Global pandemic

Natural disasters

Question 16

What is cortisol produced by?

Answer 16

Adrenal glands

Question 17

What is the role of cortisol

Answer 17

To energise the body by increasing energy supplies

Question 18

What is a flaw to cortisol?

Answer 18

Suppresses the immune system

Question 19

What are the three stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) model?

Answer 19

Alarm reaction stage
Resistance stage
Exhaustion stage

Question 20

What are the two sub categories of the alarm reaction stage?

Answer 20

Shock and counter shock

Question 21

What occurs during the alarm reaction?

Answer 21

1. Shock: first become aware of a stressor and body goes into temporary distress
2. Countershock: sympathetic NS activates the fight-flight-freeze response, the body moves above a normal level of stress due to adrenaline and noradrenaline

Question 22

What occurs during the resistance stage?

Answer 22

The bodies ability to tackle a stressor rises above normal and cortisol is released

Question 23

What occurs during the exhaustion stage?

Answer 23

Body can no longer deal with a stressor, brings out physical wear and tear.

Question 24

What is a strength of the GAS model?

Answer 24

• info about the physiological processes involved in stress

- establishes a connection between prolonged stress and disease

Question 25

What is a limitation of the GAS model?

Answer 25

• rats response to stress are less complex than humans
• no consideration for psychological or environmental factors
• generalisation of findings are limited due to the research being done on rats

Question 26

What is the purpose of primary appraisal?

Answer 26

To evaluate the significance of a stressor

Question 27

What is the purpose of secondary appraisal?

Answer 27

To address what can be done about a situation

Question 28

What are the two types of coping strategies?

Answer 28

Problem focused coping

Emotion focused coping

Question 29

What is an example of problem focused coping?

Answer 29

Evaluating pros and cons 
Learning new skills to deal more effectively with a stressor
Focusing on what can be changed 
Reappraisal
Information seeking

Question 30

What is an example of emotion focused coping?

Answer 30

Denial
Avoiding
Wishful thinking 
Venting emotions
Relaxing

Question 31

What is meant by an approach strategy?

Answer 31

Involve attending to, encountering and/or acknowledging the stressor

Question 32

What is meant by an avoidance strategy?

Answer 32

Involved focusing away from the stressor e.g. procrastination, ignorance, denial, rejection, repression

Question 33

What is an example of an approach strategy?

Answer 33

• looking for a new job if fired

- spending extra time studying if you failed a test/SAC

Question 34

What is an example of an avoidance strategy?

Answer 34

• avoiding looking for a new job after being fired

- not doing extra study after failing

Question 35

What is context specific effectiveness?

Answer 35

When there is a good match/fit between the coping strategy and the stressful situation

Question 36

What is coping flexibility?

Answer 36

An individuals ability to modify coping behaviour according to the nature of each stressor

Question 37

What is the name of the neurotransmitter released during physical activity?

Answer 37

Endorphins

Question 38

What is the fight-flight-freeze response?

Answer 38

An involuntary reaction resulting in a state of physiological readiness to deal with an acute stressor or immediate stress