Stress Flashcards
Stress
Our response to challenging events and environmental threats
Stressor
The event, threat, or challenge that is causing the stress
Stress Reaction
The physiological and emotional response to the stressor
Appraisal Theory of Stress
Stress arises from our cognitive analysis of the events happening to us
Cognitive Appraisal
Subjective evaluation of a situation
Primary appraisal
Evaluation of the environment and/for the presence and severity of a threat. Can be irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful
Secondary appraisal
Evaluation of the ability to cope with the situation by looking into harm, threat, and challenge. Occurs if primary appraisal results in “stressful”
Distress
The experience of unpleasant stressors
Eustress
The experience of positive conditions
Social Readjustment Rating Scale
A scale to identify major life stressors and their effects on people
Categories of stress
Significant life changes, daily hassles, ambient stress (things that we cannot control), and catastrophic events
Tend and Befriend Response
A response to stress that emphasizes having support systems
General Adaption Syndrome
General sequence of physiological responses to stress: Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion
Alarm stage
Initial reaction to a stressor, sympathetic nervous system activated. There is decreased resistance to the stressor
Resistance stage
Second stage of General Adaption Syndrome; cortisol and epinephrine levels are high. There is increased resistance to the stressor
Exhaustion stage
Third stage of General Adaption Syndrome; body cannot keep up with the high levels of hormones and begins to crash. There is decreases resistance to the stressor
How chronic stress affects the body
Increased heart rate and blood pressure; too much blood sugar because glucose is secreted; reproductive system is shut down to reallocate energy; immune system is weakened
Behavioral response to stress
Anxiety, anger, addiction, depression (frontal cortex stops responding to serotonin), learned helplessness
Learned Helplessness
Learning to have control ripped out of your hands, so you start believing that nothing you do will help with anything
Coping with stress
Perceived control; optimism; social support
Managing stress
Exercise; meditation; religion/spirituality; cognitive flexibility
Coping
The conscious effort of solving a problem and seeking to master, control, minimize, or tolerate stress
Neustress
A neutral stressor
