Stress and Coping

Question 1

Stress

Answer 1

Stimulus (stressor) –> response (strain) –> process/coping (interaction between the two)

• can be physical or emotional (psychological)
• can be positive or negative

Question 2

Physical Stress

Answer 2

direct physical threat to one’s well being

- starts from BOTTOM -> up

Question 3

Psychological Stress

Answer 3

event that is PERCEIVED as negative

• starts from TOP -> down
• do not pose a direct physical threat

Question 4

Sympathetic Adrenal Medulla axis

Answer 4

SAM -> activates autonomic nervous system (NE, Epi) –> activates adrenal medulla
- emergency situations

Question 5

Hypothalamus Pituitary Adrenal axis

Answer 5

HPA -> activates anterior pituitary –> activates adrenal cortex
- CRH –> ACTH –> Cortisol (very important in maintaining normal homeostasis and efficiency)

Question 6

Cortisol influence on immune system

Answer 6

it suppresses the immune system in a variety of ways

Question 7

Walter Cannon

Answer 7

Homeostasis -> collective process of maintaining internal physiological stability in face of change
Allostasis -> compensation that organism engages in to achieve homestasis

Question 8

Fight/Flight Response

Answer 8

organisms better equipped to defend themselves have better survival

• prototype stress response
• incorporates emotional, neuroendocrine, and autonomic changes to increase chances of survival

Question 9

Hans Selye

Answer 9

General Adaptation Syndrome

1. Alarm Reaction -> body detects external stimulus
2. Adaptation -> body engages in defensive countermeasures against stressor
3. Exhaustion -> body begins to run out of defenses (long term exposure)
   * lacks psychological and social influences

Question 10

Richard Lazarus

Answer 10

Coping -> process of managing demands that are appraised as taxing/exceeding resources of person
- relationship between stress & coping is dynamic (not a 1-time action)

Question 11

Process of Coping

Answer 11

Event -> primary appraisal (assessment of situation) –> secondary appraisal (assessment of resources) –> coping behaviors –> coping outcome

Question 12

Coping behaviors

Answer 12

Relaxation
Cognitive strategies
Stress inoculation
Exercise
Social Support (really important)
Pharmacological interventions

Question 13

Can stress be good for you?

Answer 13

stress response is centrally mediated process to make organism adaptive to environmental demands
- BEST at moderate/mild stress
Chronic/excessive stress could lead to development or progression of illness

Question 14

Type A behavior

Answer 14

Time Urgency
 Impatience
Competitiveness
Hostility
May not cope well with stress

Question 15

Stress and sense of control

Answer 15

tendency to perceive stress as uncontrollable –> learned helplessness (repeated efforts to exert control fails)

Question 16

Physiological Hardiness

Answer 16

perceiving stressful event as challenge rather than threat
believe that you have control over aversive events
“optimism” –> too much optimism can be harmful too

Question 17

Endocrine system and illness

Answer 17

chronic activation of HPA is associated with development of CVD –> combo of cortisol and cholesterol –> atherosclerosis

Question 18

Negative emotions and illness

Answer 18

Depression is risk factor for 1st and recurrent cardiac events
- intense anxiety, anger, and hostility contribute to increased risk for CVD

Question 19

Unhealthy behaviors and illness

Answer 19

people engage in unhealthy behaviors under stressful circumstances

• tobacco, excessive alcohol, poor diet, sedentary lifestyle
• these become problematic when they become habitual