Stress and Health (Ch. 10)

Question 1

health psychology

Answer 1

an interdisciplinary field investigating the link between behavior, cognition, and physical health

Question 2

health psychology

Answer 2

founded on the understanding that processes in the mind play an important role in maintaining a healthy body

Question 3

stress appraisal

Answer 3

psychological interpretation of the meaning of an event

Question 4

perceived high stress

Answer 4

when the primary appraisal of the demands of a situation exceeds the secondary appraisal of one’s ability to cope

Question 5

general adaptation syndrome (bodys psysiological response to stress)

Answer 5

Hans Selye
1. initial alarm phase
2. prolonged resistance to the stress
3. exhaustion if the stressor doesn’t end before one’s physical ability to cope with it has been depleted

Question 6

two axes of stress response

Answer 6

SAM & HPA

Question 7

SAM

Answer 7

sympathetic-adren-medullary axis
- fast-acting, largely cardiovascular response that controls fight or flight

Question 8

HPA

Answer 8

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal
- provides a more sustained immunological response to longer-lasting threats, helping to fend off possible infection

Question 9

allostatic load

Answer 9

wear and tear on the bodily tissues and internal organs due to a chronically activated stress response

Question 10

what personality trait increases the likelihood of the stress response?

Answer 10

Type A (hostility), increases the risk for cardiovascular disease

Question 11

finding meaning in negative events

Answer 11

• must make sense and find benefits from negative events
• writing about traumatic experiences is beneficial for health and well-being

Question 12

state of flow

Answer 12

• when doing tasks that are just difficult enough to challenge their abilities
• intrinsically motivating tasks
• experience positive emotions

Question 13

mindfulness

Answer 13

• can improve self-control, body awareness, self-compassion

Question 14

how to change bad habits

Answer 14

• incentive systems to reinforce healthy behaviors
• knowing which cues trigger healthy behaviors
• implementation intentions: cognitive links between situations and desired behavior

Question 15

sympathetic nervous system

Answer 15

controls “fight or flight” responses

Question 16

parasympathetic nervous system

Answer 16

controls your body’s response during times of rest and regulates “rest and digest” functions

Question 17

challenge reactivity

Answer 17

sympathetic arousal leads your heart to beat faster and start pumping blood with greater force and in greater volume. Artieries expand to allow oxygenated blood to disperse freely and efficiently throughout body

(ex. asked to read a chapter out loud in front of the class, but secondary appraisal response bc you feel confident in your ability)

Question 18

threat reactivity

Answer 18

the heart pumps out more blood but the vasculature constricts, preventing it from usefully distributing through the body

(ex. asked to read a chapter out loud in front of the class, but have a fear of public speaking)