Stress Flashcards
What are the compartments of stress ?
Stress has both physiological and psychological compartments
What is stress ?
(Lazarus and Folkman, 1984)
EXAM TYPE Q
The perceived discrepancy between demands of the situation and the resources of the person that they appraise in a stressful situation.
Feelings associated with stress
Feeling of lack of control
Unpredictability
State the 3 major theories that explain stress
- Stimulus
- Response
- Transaction (person and environment)
Describe the theory of stress as a stimulus
Focus on the environment
Event or circumstance is the cause of stress
Event or circumstances are known as ‘stressors’
Give an example of stress as a stimulus
Working with chronically ill patients is stressful
OR
My illness is causing me stress
Describe the theory of stress as a response
Focus on individual’s reaction to stressors
Physiological response
Psychological response
Responses are known as ‘strain’
Give an example of stress as a response
I feel a lot of stress just before my OSCE
OR
I find breaking bad news to a patient stressful
Describe the theory of stress as a transaction
Focus on stress as a process
Relationship between the person and environment
Continuous interactions and adjustments
- ‘transactions’
Give an example of stress as a transaction
Person in the active agent who can influence the impact of stressor
‘Stress // challenge before the OSCE ??’ - coping
Stress Appraisal types
Cognitive Appraisal
- Primary appraisal (danger?)
- Secondary appraisal (coping)
What causes a primary appraisal ?
Stimulus
Pathways of primary appraisal
(LEADS TO NO FURTHER COPING)
Benign appraisal
Irrelevant appraisal
+ve Appraisal
(LEADS TO SECONDARY APPRAISAL - coping)
Stimulus appraised as harm, loss or threat
-> Stimulus appraised as a stressor
Results of secondary appraisal
Seeking information
Taking direct action
Doing nothing
Worrying
Who created the ‘Stress-coping’ paradigm ?
Lazarus, 1980
- uses cognitive appraisal
- primary and secondary appraisal
Key feature of stress
Demands are greater than the ability to cope
It is a consequence of the cognitive/thinking process
What do stressors impact ?
Stressors have an impact on the different systems
- Physiological system
- Psychological aspect
- Social aspect
Impact of stressors on physiological system
Sympathetics NS
Endocrine System
Fight or Flight response
General Adaptation Syndrome
Impact of stressors on psychological aspect
Cognitive functioning
Emotion
Impact of stressors on social aspect
Social behaviour
Gender
Socio cultural differences
State the 2 physiological models of stress
Fight or Flight response (Cannon 1932)
General Adaptation Syndrome (Seyle, 1956)
Fight or Flight response
Cannon 1932
- acute/ short-term
Physiological reaction to emergencies - ‘adaptive’ response
Describe features of the ‘Fight or Flight’ response
Homeostasis threatened, disrupted
Response to acute, short lived stress
External threats elicit fight or flight response
Increased physiological arousal
Enable Fight or Flight response and restore homeostasis
BUT prolonged state of high arousal harmful to health
General Adaptation Syndrome
Seyle, 1956
- chronic/ long-term
