Stress Flashcards
Who created the General Adaptation Syndrome?
Selye 1936,1983
What does the GAS model understand stress to be?
A non-specific response to a demand
Name the three stages of the GAS model.
Alarm Reaction
Resistance
Exhaustion
Describe the Alarm Reaction Stage of the GAS model.
Sympathetic NS
1. Shock - similar to injury, decreased body temp, muscle tone and blood pressure
2. Countershock - amygdala detects threat, signal to hypothalamus, signal to adrenal cortex, hormones released: cortisol/adrenaline/noradrenaline, increased heart/breathing rate
Describe the Exhaustion Stage of the GAS model.
Physical and mental exhaustion. Reserves of stress hormones, BGL and adrenal glands are depleted.
Leads to fatigue, low mental health and vulnerability to illness/disease.
Describe the Resistance Stage of the GAS model.
Parasympathetic NS restores homeostasis
What theory did Lazarus and Folkman propose in 1984?
Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping
How is stress defined in the Transactional Theory?
Stress is a transaction between a person and the environment.
Define primary appraisal.
Threat/harm/relevance assessment
Define secondary appraisal.
Coping resource assessment
What factors influence our appraisal of a stressor?
Personal
Resources
Situation
What are the two types of coping?
Emotional coping
Problem coping
Who proposed the Social Readjustment Scale?
Holmes and Rehe (1967)
How many common stressful events were found between Holmes and Rehe’s sample?
43
How did Holmes and Rehe measure stress?
LCU - Life Change Units
What correlation did Holmes and Rehe observe?
Noticed correlation between life changes and illness (weak positive r)
What is the general definition of stress?
A non-specific response of the body to any demand, both physiological or psychological.
Define Distress.
Negative physiological response/emotions
Define Eustress.
Positive response, feel stressed but capable, motivating.
What is a stressor?
Any source of stress, both internal and external.
What are the four natures of stressors?
Environmental
Social
Psychological
Cultural
What do we call short term stressors that don’t do physiological or psychological damage?
Acute stressors
What are long term stressors called?
Chronic stressors
Define an adaptive coping strategy.
Confronting and dealing with stressors in beneficial and productive way.
