Stress and Coping

Question 1

Appraisals asociated with stress

Answer 1

Primary: Does this matter to me and is it potentially harmful?

Secondary: Can I handle this?

If the answer to the secondary is no, then stress can result

Question 2

Canon’s model of stress response

Answer 2

Research-driven theory of “fight or flight” in response to stress

Question 3

Taylor’s model of stress response

Answer 3

“Tend or befriend” - Involves nurturing others or seeking social affiliation in response to stress. In addition to fight or flight

Question 4

Selye’s model of stress response

Answer 4

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) - Involves three stages:
1. Alarm
2. Resistance
3. Exhaustion

Question 5

Problems with GAS theory

Answer 5

Little to no emphasis on physiological factors, not all stressors produce the same biological response, and the model does not show the fact that stress can occur (and have all of its negative impacts) without reaching exhaustion. Also, stress can linger during exhaustion

Question 6

Social facilitation

Answer 6

Change in performance when one knows that others are watching. Generally, performance is improved up to a certain level of difficulty of task.

Question 7

Zajonc’s cockroaches

Answer 7

Social facilitation experiment. Findings: cockroaches’ performance at a simple task with their peers present, cockroaches performed better at a simpe task and worse at a complex task, compared to when their peers were not present

Question 8

Stress and Illness - Direct pathway

Answer 8

Stress causes biological adaptations that deplete one’s immunity like increased BP and heart rate variability. Repeated activation of sympathetic NS can cause dysregulation of said processes

Question 9

Allostatic load

Answer 9

Cumulative effect of multiple stressors over time

Question 10

What characteristics make an event stressful?

Answer 10

Ambiguity, unpredictability, uncontrollabilty, overloading quality (causing one to feel overwhelmed), centrality/importance

Question 11

3 indirect pathways between stress and illness

Answer 11

Stress leads to illness…

1. Due to increase in health compromising behaviors
2. Through depletion of psychosocial resources
3. By causing decreased use of health resources

Question 12

When is adaptation to stress possible?

Answer 12

When stressors are moderate and predictable

Question 13

What makes stress impossible/extremely difficult to adapt to?

Answer 13

When one is part of a vulnerable population (children, elderly, disabled). When one is already stressed. When the event is highly disruptive to normal physiologic/psychological conditions

Question 14

Anticipatory stress

Answer 14

Stress due to the expectations of an event. May be even more stressful than the event itself

Question 15

Aftereffects of stress

Answer 15

Include shortened attention span, physical/mental fatigue, psychological distress

Question 16

Acute Stress Paradigm

Answer 16

Laboratory procedure in which an individual is put through moderately stressful events/tasks, then measurements are taken to assess their stress-related changes in emotion, phyisiological characteristics, and/or neuroendocrine processes

Question 17

Acute stressors have been observed to affect _____ memory

Answer 17

working

Question 18

Sources of chronic stress

Answer 18

Stress in early childhood, poor workplace environment, work and family roles

Question 19

Significant stressors in early childhood that can cause chronic stress and emotional dysregulation

Answer 19

Childhood poverty, abuse or lack of warmth, lack of community resources

Question 20

Role conflict

Answer 20

Discomfort due to having conflicting feedback or responsibilities

Question 21

Social relationships in the workplace

Answer 21

Important to maintain low-stress or no-stress relationships with co-workers and ESPECIALLY supervisors in order to mitigate risk of chronic stress

Question 22

Work and family role conflict for men vs women

Answer 22

Women: over half of mothers in the US also work

Men: experience higher stress when faced with financial hardships compared to women

Question 23

Marital satisfaction predicts ______ for [men/women/both]

Answer 23

life-satisfaction; both men and women.

Question 24

Predictors of being a “resilient child”

Answer 24

1. At least one supportive relationship with an adult authority figure
2. Higher IQ (linked with more problem-solving strategies)
3. Education (more and better)

Question 25

Name the four coping interventions we discussed in class

Answer 25

Mindfulness meditation, expressive writing, self-affirmations, relaxation training

Question 26

Benefits of expressive writing

Answer 26

Helps one identify and understand emotions, provides opportunity to affirm values, improves mood and physical health

Question 27

Benefits of self-affirmations

Answer 27

Reduces stress and improves coping, improves academic performance, increases healthy habits

Question 28

Modes of self-affirmation

Answer 28

Writing, speaking, visualizing

Question 29

Examples of relaxation training

Answer 29

Deep breathing, muscle relaxation, guided imagery, yoga, PMR

Question 30

Define Social Support

Answer 30

The knowledge that one is cared for, loved, and supported; has one of the strongest impacts on deleterious outcomes of stress

Question 31

Direct-effects hypothesis of social support and stress

Answer 31

Social support benefits us during both stressful and non-stressful times

Question 32

Buffering hypothesis of social support and illness

Answer 32

Social support only helps people during stressful times (not during non-stressful times)

Question 33

Coping

Answer 33

Thoughts and behaviors used to manage internal and external demands of stressful situations

Question 34

External factors that affect coping abilities

Answer 34

Resources, social support, presence of other stressors

Question 35

Internal factors that affect coping ability

Answer 35

Personality, preferred style of coping

Question 36

Primary appraisal

Answer 36

Judgement about whether a stressor is relevant and harmful to you

Question 37

Secondary appraisal

Answer 37

Judgement about whether you have the resources/are able to handle a potential stressor

Question 38

Approach coping; pros and cons

Answer 38

Directly approaching stressors.

Pros: can prevent problems from snow-balling into larger ones

Cons: can increase stress if not handled with a problem-solving-oriented focus

Question 39

Problem-focused coping

Answer 39

Centers around solutions and practical approaches to stressors

Question 40

Avoidant coping

Answer 40

Withdrawal from stressors/stressful environment

Question 41

Emotion-focused coping

Answer 41

Dealing with the negative emotions tied to stressors. May leave the root cause unaddressed. Includes seeking support/going towards others and emotional expression

Question 42

When emotional-coping goes wrong, it can result in:

Answer 42

ruminating over the problem and/or catastrophizing

Question 43

Proactive coping

Answer 43

Preparing in advance for future stressors. Includes time-management

Question 44

Gender differences in coping

Answer 44

Men = problem-focused; Women = emotion-focused

Question 45

Negative Affectivity

Answer 45

Personality trait similar to neuroticism, characterized by persistent negative mood, anxiety, depression, and hostility

Question 46

Positivity

Answer 46

General positive demeanor and hopeful perspective on future. Correlated with higher self-rated health and fewer chronic illnesses

Question 47

Psychological control

Answer 47

Belief that one can controle their environment and behavior and bring about favorable outcomes

Question 48

Resilience

Answer 48

Capacity for individuals or systems to manage and rebound from a disruption

Question 49

Examples of resilient children

Answer 49

Winston Churchill, Oprah Winfrey, Nelson Mandela, Michael Oher