Stress and Health

Question 1

Biopsychosocial model

Answer 1

Predicts that the causes and effects of physical well-being are a combination of biological, social, and psychological factors that can amplify/diminish condition

Question 2

Stress according to biopsychosocial model

Answer 2

A physiological response to an (environmental) event that is appraised as taxing or exceeding one’s ability to adapt that often fails to be dealt with in a social context or with the help of others

Question 3

Stress appraisal theory

Answer 3

What counts as a stressor is up to our own interpretation of an event

Question 4

Primary and secondary appraisal

Answer 4

Primary- first evaluation of the demands of the situation; Secondary- second evaluation of our ability to deal with the demands of the situation

Question 5

Three categories of stressors

Answer 5

Catastrophic events, major life events (can be positive), and daily life hassles

Question 6

Three types of “high stressors”

Answer 6

Psychological uncertainty, frustration/pressure, goal conflict

Question 7

Types of goal conflict

Answer 7

Approach-approach, approach-avoidance, avoidance-avoidance

Question 8

General adaption syndrome (GAS)

Answer 8

3 stage response to short and long-term stressors: alarm reaction, stage of resistance, stage of exhaustion

Question 9

SAM pathway of stress response - immediate

Answer 9

Sympathetic-adreno-medullary axis: activated by hypothalamus, sympathetic system activates, adrenal medulla secretes catecholamines (epinephrine-physical and norepinephrine-psychological)

Question 10

HPA pathway of stress response - prolonged

Answer 10

Hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis: activated by hypothalamus, which secretes CRH, pituitary gland secretes ACTH, adrenal cortex secretes glucocorticoids like cortisol

Question 11

Cardiovascular patterns

Answer 11

Challenge reactivity- secondary > primary, experience sympathetic arousal; Threat reactivity- sympathetic arousal out of fear

Question 12

Diathesis-stress approach

Answer 12

Genes we are born with give us an inherent susceptibility or diathesis for a given health outcome

Question 13

Differential sensitivities hypothesis

Answer 13

some people might simply have a genetic predisposition to being more strongly affected by their environment

Question 14

Epigenetics

Answer 14

study of how events in people’s lives can change how their genes are expressed

Question 15

Yerkes-Dodson law

Answer 15

Some amount of stressful arousal allows us to (temporarily) do better on a task

Question 16

Allostatic load

Answer 16

Chronic stressors or daily hassles can cause sustained elevation of neuroendrocrine response without the ability to return to homeostasis creates wear and tear on bodily tissues and internal organs

Question 17

Defensive/avoidance coping

Answer 17

seeking to minimize stress by distancing ourselves from stress triggers in hopes that the stressor disappears or we will better cope at a later time

Question 18

Learned helplessness

Answer 18

person becomes convinced that they have no control over the situation (even if it is escapable) when they are forced to bear aversive stimuli

Question 19

Neurogenesis

Answer 19

stress slows down the production of new brain cells/growth of new neurons

Question 20

Burnout

Answer 20

long-term exhaustion and loss of motivation caused by chronic stress: exhaustion, cynicism, inadequacy

Question 21

PTSD

Answer 21

clinically diagnosable disorder involving haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, anxiety, and insomnia for weeks after a traumatic event

Question 22

Cycle of stress and sleep

Answer 22

stress reduces duration and depth of sleep, sleep deprivation increases stress and health problems

Question 23

Telomerase and telomeres

Answer 23

Chronic stress slow down the creation of telomerase, an enzyme that rebuilds telomeres and slows down the process of aging, while telomeres, chemical caps at the end of each chromosome, wear away

Question 24

Natural aging

Answer 24

Leads to dramatic physical changes in motor and sensory systems: vision (acuity and light sensitivity), audition (perception of speech), taste and smell, motor control

Question 25

Presbyopia

Answer 25

less able to focus on nearby objects due to lens hardening over time

Question 26

Senile miosis

Answer 26

age-related reduction in amount of light that reaches retina = difficulty with seeing in low-light/luminance conditions

Question 27

Atypical aging

Answer 27

neurodegenerative diseases; situations where there are such profound cognitive changes that we don’t attribute them to natural processes, rather pathological

Question 28

Dementia

Answer 28

broad category of diseases that reduce ability to think, remember, speak, and control emotions

Question 29

Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI)

Answer 29

first stage of dementia where patients start experiencing problems with attention and memory (exceeds natural aging)

Question 30

Alzheimer’s

Answer 30

most common, significant loss of working and episodic memory

Question 31

Base-rate fallacy

Answer 31

tendency for humans to ignore general prevalence information in favor of specific prevalence

Question 32

Meta-analysis

Answer 32

data across many data sets

Question 33

Problem-focused coping

Answer 33

changing secondary appraisal (available resources) by finding a solution

Question 34

Appraisal-focused

Answer 34

changing primary appraisal (interpretation) by perceiving the stressful event as not challenging or threatening

Question 35

Type A personality

Answer 35

highly competitive and driven, hot tempered and hostile, focused on time management; increased risk of cardiovascular problems from hostility

Question 36

Type B personality

Answer 36

more reflective and creative and less competitive

Question 37

Hedonic well-being

Answer 37

positive emotions and avoiding suffering

Question 38

Eudamonic well-being

Answer 38

sense of purpose and meaning in life e.g. self-actualization

Question 39

PERMA model of subjective well-being

Answer 39

positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishments

Question 40

Defensive coping through the body

Answer 40

aerobic exercise, guided relaxation therapy, mindfulness meditation

Question 41

Flow

Answer 41

psychological state where one’s attention is so focused on the task that any sense of self-awareness disappears

Question 42

Stages of changing your behavior

Answer 42

Precontemplation, contemplation, preparation, action, maintenance

Question 43

Implementation intentions

Answer 43

conscious and specific if-then thoughts designed to cognitively connect a desired action to some triggering event or stimulus, or behavior change