Stress

Question 1

What is stress?

Answer 1

A state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by stressors perceived as a challenge or something that exceeds our ability to cope

Question 2

What is a stressor?

Answer 2

a stimulus that causes or produces stress and challenges our ability to cope

Question 3

What is eustress?

Answer 3

a positive psychological response to a stressor

Question 4

When is eustress experienced?

Answer 4

When stress is beneficial and desireable and not harmful to the body

Question 5

What is distress?

Answer 5

A negative psychological response to a stressor

Question 6

When is distress experienced?

Answer 6

When stress is objectionable or undeseriable and can have serious consequences for health

Question 7

What is the difference in the body’s reaction to eustress and distress?

Answer 7

• the body cannot differentiate

- the sympathetic nervous system is activated in both reacitons (FFF)

Question 8

What are daily pressures?

Answer 8

• little problems of everyday living that annoy or bother us

- are not necessarily significant in themselves, but when piled ontop of one another can become a major source of stress

Question 9

What are life events?

Answer 9

• changes that force us to adapt to new circumstances

- have immediate consequences and require longer adjustments

Question 10

What is acculturative stress?

Answer 10

• the experiene of people trying to adapt to a new culture

- the adopting of values, customs and languages

Question 11

What are major stressors?

Answer 11

• events that are extremely stressful for almost anyone who experiences them
• often described as psychologically traumatising events and typically involve life-threatening experiences

Question 12

What are catastrophes?

Answer 12

• sudden, unpredictable, uncontrollable events that cause widespread damage or suffering
• usually affect many people simaultaneously

Question 13

What do the models of FFF and GAS describe?

Answer 13

patterns of involuntary biological processes that occur in response to a stressor

Question 14

What is the specific process of FFF?

Answer 14

• exposure to a stressor
• threat is percieved by the amygdala
• message is sent to the hypothalamus
• the sympathetic nervous system is activated
• adrenal glands secrete adrenaline
• hypothalamus activates the HPA axis which releases cortisol

Question 15

What is the HPA axis?

Answer 15

the interaction of the hypothalamus and pituitary and adrenal glands in response to a stressor

Question 16

What is the purpose of cortisol?

Answer 16

energises the body by releasing glucose into the body, enhances metabolism and acts as an anti-inflammatory

Question 17

What happens if the stressor is long-term?

Answer 17

The HPA axis continues to release cortisol which impairs immune system functioning

Question 18

What are some of the physical problems associated with a prolonged release of cortisol?

Answer 18

colds, flus, hypertension, blood-sugar imbalance, hardening of the arteries

Question 19

What is the process of GAS?

Answer 19

a three stage physiological response that occurs regardless of the stressor

Question 20

What is the first stage of GAS?

Answer 20

Alarm reaction

-immediate response

Question 21

What is the shock stage?

Answer 21

• occurs when the person first becomes aware of the stressor

- body acts as if it is injured and goes into a temporary state of shock

Question 22

What is the counter-shock stage?

Answer 22

• quick rebound
• sympathetic nervous system is activated (FFF)
• body becomes ready to deal with the stressor

Question 23

What is the second stage of GAS?

Answer 23

Resistance

• maximises resources to cope and adapt
• all unecessary processes shut down
• cortisol is released into the bloodstream

Question 24

What is the final stage of GAS?

Answer 24

Exhaustion

• occurs when the stressor is unable to be dealt with
• resources for coping are very weak/nonexistant
• increased vulnerability to physical and mental disorders

Question 25

What are some of the strengths of the GAS model?

Answer 25

- further understanding of the links between stress and disease - identifies biological processes associated with stress - explains potentially detrimental effects of the adaptation process

Question 26

What are some of the weaknesses of the GAS model?

Answer 26

- 'one size fits all model' that assumes each person's response is the same - does not take cognitive aspects of stress into account - results were primarily based on animals

Question 27

What is the Lazarus and Folkman model?

Answer 27

The main model for explaining stress as a psychological process

Question 28

What is transactional stress and coping?

Answer 28

an encounter between an individual and their internal environment

Question 29

What is the primary appraisal?

Answer 29

the assesment of the relevance of a stressor to a particular person

Question 30

What are the possible outcomes of a primary appraisal?

Answer 30

Benign-positive, Irrelevant and stressful

Question 31

What are the possible outcomes of a stressful event?

Answer 31

Harm/loss, threat, challenge

Question 32

What is harm/loss?

Answer 32

an assesment of damage that has already occured

Question 33

What is a threat?

Answer 33

assesment of damage that could occur in the future

Question 34

What is a challenge?

Answer 34

an assement of potential for growth or gain

Question 35

What is a secondary appraisal?

Answer 35

the evaluation of our coping strengths and resources

Question 36

What are examples of internal resources?

Answer 36

strength and determination

Question 37

What are examples of external resources?

Answer 37

money, time or support

Question 38

When is stress felt after the secondary appraisal?

Answer 38

If coping resources are not adequete

Question 39

What are the strengths of the Lazarus and Folkman model?

Answer 39

- focus on psychological influences - emphasises individuality of human responses - model was developed in reference to the human exprience - individual has an active role

Question 40

What are the weaknesses of the Lazarus and Folkman model?

Answer 40

- difficult to test through experimental research - appraisals often happen simaultaneously - overlooks physiological responses to stress

Question 41

What are coping strategies?

Answer 41

cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage stressors

Question 42

What are approach strategies?

Answer 42

- a direct attempt to focus on a stressor | - more adaptive and effective

Question 43

What are avoidant strategies?

Answer 43

- an inderect attempt to deal with a stressor | - not always maladaptive, only short term

Question 44

What is context specific effectiveness?

Answer 44

when there is a good match between the coping strategy used and the stressful situation

Question 45

What is high coping flexibility?

Answer 45

a ready adjustment of coping strategies when found ineffective

Question 46

What is low coping flexibility?

Answer 46

consistently using the same strategies across situations even if they prove to be ineffective

Question 47

What are some of the benefits of exercise?

Answer 47

- uses up stress hormones - releases endorphins - provides an opportunity for distraction