Stress, Arousal and Anxiety Flashcards
Cognitive-Motivational-Relational Theory - state 4 points
- stress is a process
- stress is individualised
- what is stressful in one environment, may not be in another environment
- stresses do not directly lead to a negative outcome
the ‘Model of Stress’ - explain it
- the stress process involves a dynamic relationship between the person and the environment
- stressor –> cognitive appraisal –> stress response –> coping –> response/outcome
- response/outcome effects the other 3
state what it is meant by the key term - stressors
stressors are events, forces, or situations interpreted as stressful
what can stressors be ?
stressors can positive (eustress) or negative (distress)
state what it is meant by the key term - stress responses
the stress response is the physiological, cognitive, affective and behavioural reaction to the demands
what can a stress response be ?
can be positive (eg - ideal arousal) or negative (eg -excessive anxiety)
state what it is meant by the key term - arousal
arousal is a general state of activation from deep sleep to extreme excitement
state 3 expansional facts about arousal
- includes cognitive and somatic dimensions
- can be negative (causing anxiety)
- can be positive (facilitating performance)
state what it is meant by the key term - anxiety
Anxiety is an emotion characterised by feelings of tension, worried thoughts and physical changes like increased blood pressure
explain the difference between cognitive and somatic anxiety
- cognitive - nervous component (eg - worrying)
2. somatic - physiological component (eg - raised HR)
state what it is meant by the key term - trait anxiety
trait anxiety is the general predisposition to experience anxiety in a variety of situations
state what it is meant by the key term - state anxiety
state anxiety is an individuals immediate, but temporary, levels in a situation
state 4 facts about trait anxiety
- a personality disorder
- stable and universal/global
- predisposes individuals to perceive non-threatening situations as threatening - respond with extremely high levels of state anxiety
- high trait anxiety people usually have more state anxiety than low trait anxiety people
state 3 facts about state anxiety
- emotional state characterised by perceived feelings of apprehension and tension
- unstable
- two types (cognitive state anxiety and somatic state anxiety)
anxiety, coping and outcomes (how you’re perceiving anxiety) - state 3 facts
- viewing anxiety as facilitative leads to superior performance
- state anxiety is perceived as facilitative or destructive depending on how much control the person perceives
- developing coping strategies can help interpret anxiety as facilitative
state what it is meant by the key term - cognitive appraisal
cognitive appraisal describes our interpretation of a situation
state 2 points to help explain what cognitive appraisal actually is
- is this situation significant to me? could it effect my well-being?
- can I deal with the demands of the situation?
explain what it is meant by the key term - primary appraisal
Primary appraisal is concerned with the evaluation of how (potentially) harmful a particular situation is
explain what it is meant by the key term - secondary appraisal
Secondary appraisal is concerned with the evaluation of whether the individual possesses the resources to successfully face the demands of the situation
state what it is meant by the key term - threat state
- threat state is characterised by low self-efficiency and control, and a focus on avoidance goals
- (situational demands > capacity to deal with demands)
state what it is meant by the key term - challenge state
- challenge state is characterised by high levels of self-efficacy, a high perception of control, and a focus on approach goals
- (situational characteristics ≈ capacity to deal with demands)
state what it is meant by the key term - approach goals
approach goals are defined as goals focused on obtaining a positive outcome
state what it is meant by the key term - avoidance goals
avoidance goals are defined as goals focused on avoiding negative outcomes
state what it is meant by the key term - cognitive strategies
cognitive strategies are behavioural efforts used to manage out interpretation, or response, to stressors
what are coping strategies useful for?
can be used to help decrease, maintain, or increase arousal/anxiety
state 3 examples of coping strategies
- self-talk
- visualisation
- biofeedback
- controlled breathing
- progressive mental relaxation
- attention control
- mindfulness
explain what it is meant by the key term - ‘dynamic nature of coping’ (3 points)
- efforts to manage stress are complex and even challenging
- depends on available resources
- efforts shift based on a strategies effectiveness
explain what it is meant by the key term - ‘matching hypothesis’ (2 points)
- only use arousal regulation techniques if the individual’s levels of arousal are perceives as debilitative
- chosen technique should align with the type of anxiety that is problematic (eg - somatic techniques for somatic arousal)
summarise ‘Cusp Catastrophe Theory’ (2 points)
- optimal performance achieved when: cognitive anxiety is high, somatic arousal is low
- dramatic decrease in performance (catastrophe) when both cognitive anxiety and somatic arousal are high
who came up with ‘Cusp Catastrophe Theory’, and when?
Hardy, 1990
who came up with ‘Drive Theory’, and when?
Hull, 1943
who came up with the ‘Inverted U Theory’, and when?
Yerkes and Dodson, 1908
who came up with the ‘Individual Zones of Optimum Functioning (IZOF) Theory’, and when?
Hunin, 1980
what is the basic parameter of IZOF?
different people have different ‘zones’ of optimal arousal when it comes down to optimising performance
is anxiety/arousal always bad?
ideal level of cognitive and somatic arousal/anxiety is individualised
when/why must we tailor coaching strategies to individuals ? (2 points)
- sometimes arousal + state anxiety must be reduced, other times maintained, and sometimes increased
- important not to take a ‘one size fits all’ approach to these theories
what two things is consistent high levels of anxiety associated with ?
- decreased performance
2. negative effect (anger, sadness, frustration)
explain how ‘decreased performance’ occurs from consistent high levels of anxiety (3 points)
- increased muscle tension and co-ordination difficulties
- attending to irrelevant cues (distraction)
- performance worry and situation irrelevant thoughts
what two things are self regulation strategies associated with?
- improved performance
2. positive effects (happiness, vitality, confidence)
explain how ‘improved performance’ occurs with the use of regulation strategies
- perceived goal satisfaction
2. objective measures
In descending order, state the Arousal Theory, who came up with it, and it what year for all 4 theories you need to know
- Inverted U Theory, Yerkes and Dodson, 1908
- Drive Theory, Hull, 1943
- IZOF, Hunin, 1980
- Catastrophe Theory, Hardy, 1990
