Stress Flashcards
Stress
Perceived inability for our abilities to meet the demands of a situation
Stress management techniques
FIGHT/FLIGHT: physically dealing with stimuli
TEND/BEFRIEND: emotionally dealing with stimuli
CATHARSIS: lashing out in negative emotions (makes stress worse)
Crisis debriefing
After a traumatic event, debrief with people who experienced the event. This can actually worsen PTSD, because it forces people to recall uncomfortable events not long after they occur, and participants may not know how they feel
Adaptation level phenomenon
Tendency to judge current experience in relation to past experiences (stress experienced by a stimuli is relative to past experiences)
Relative deprivation
Tendency to feel worse about our current situation compared to others
Theoretical perspectives on stress
STRESS AS STIMULI: Focus on events that lead to stress
STRESS AS RESPONSE: focus on physical/mental reactions to events
STRESS AS A TRANSACTION: Interactions w/ people and environments (how we cope w/ stress)
Appraisal theory
Two steps of appraising if a situation will cause stress:
STEP 1: relevancy of event to you
STEP 2: what resources (social, mental, emotional) you have to deal w/ event
If you do not have enough resources, it will cause stress
Overall categories of stress
FRUSTRATION: pursuit of goal is blocked or thwarted
APPROACH-APPROACH CONFLICT: must decide between two attractive choices
AVOIDANCE-AVOIDANCE: two unattractive choices
AVOIDANCE-APPROACH: two choices that have both benefits and detriments
PRESSURE: expectations to behave a way you don’t want to/can’t behave
Overall categories of stressors
CATASTROPHE: large disruption to typical life
LIFE CHANGES: any long term transition in life (positive/negative)
DAILY HASSLES: small annoyances that hurt ability to cope
TYPE A vs B
TYPE A: driven, competitive, ambitious, hostile
TYPE B: easygoing, relaxed, patient
Type A’s are more prone to stress
Explanatory style
Optimist vs pessimist, pessimists are more prone to stress
Locus of control
Internal locus of control: you are the person driving and changing your life
External locus of control: you do not have control, the world makes your decisions
External is more prone to stress
Diathesis-stress model
Stress can kick of a genetic predisposition for a disease or disorder
Immune responses to stress
Kiecolt-Glaser Et al: wounds given on summer vacation heal faster than prior to an exam
Diathesis-stress model applies to cancer
Stress leads to higher inflammation responses, even heart disease
Fallacy of uniform efficacy
Stress is a personal response, one solution will not work for everyone
