Stress, Anxiety, Adaptation, and Change (CH 23) Flashcards
Stressor
Any situation, event or agent that threatens a person’s security
Adaptation
Ongoing process towards homeostasis; holistic involving all dimensions of an individual
Selye
General Adaptation Syndrom; physiological response to stress (response is the same whether the stressor is real or imagined)
General Adaptation Theory Stages
Alarm:stressors are threatening and the body activates changes that are ready for fight or flight
Resistance: Fight or fligh occurs; long term coping depletes adaptive energy
Exhaustion: The body has used up all it’s adaptive energy and can no longer cope
Local Adaptation Syndrome
Physiological response to a stressor that is localized (ie stepping on a nail)
Two possibilites for stress
- personal growth
2. risk of disorganization and distress
Maladaptation
the process of coping ineffectively
Eustress
a type of stress that results in positive outcomes
Distress
stressors evoke an ineffective response
Crisis
stressors exceed the person’s ability to cope
Opportunity in Crisis
Nurses are challenged to help clients discover the opportunities in their crises to adapt in a positive, healthy manner
3 Factors that Influence Crisis Resolution
*Perception
*Coping mechanism
*Situational support
All must be balanced to handle a crisis
Nursing Interventions for Crisis
focus on reestablishing equilibrium among the 3 factors
Axiety
the most common emotional response to stress
Defence Mechanism
unconscious operations that protect the mind from anxiety
Suppression
conscious mechanism whereby a person decides to avoid dealing with a stressor at the present time
Long Term Stress
leads to impairment of the immune system by increased steroid production
Depersonalization
the process by which an individual is treated as an object instead of as a person
Change
either planned or unplanned
Lewins Thoery of Change
Phase I: unfreezing- recognizing a need for change/overcoming resistance
Phase II: Moving- implementing the change
Phase III: Refreezing- reinforcing new behaviors/ evaluating results/ making revisions if necessary
Lippitt’s Theory
Are seven phases
Change Agent
bringing about change to promote positive adaptation; intentionally initiates and creates change
Nurse Roles in Change
the nurse empowers the client to initiate change in order to adapt more successfully
