stress as a psychobiological process Flashcards
define stress
- a state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors (stimuli that produce stress)
- perceived as challenging or exceeding ability/resources to cope
why can two people evaluate their situations differently?
- stress is subjective
- depends on personal interpretation of the event + ability to cope
- psych factors influence how we respond to stressors eg. prior experience, attitudes, motivation, personality
what is eustress?
- positive psychological response to a stressor
eg. - feeling enthusiastic, motivated, active, alert about getting new job
- excited ab first date
-short term - allows us to achieve peak performance
what is distress?
- negative psychological response to a stressor
eg. - feeling angry, nervous, irritable, tension ab getting a new job
- anxious ab financial pressures
- can be short term, can persist over time
what are the 5 sources of stress?
- daily pressures
- life events
- acculturative stress
- major stress
- catastrophes that disrupt whole communities
what is daily pressures?
- little problems of everyday living that annoy/bother us
eg. - misplacing or losing things
- not being able to fall asleep
small & not so significant
why does daily pressures cause distress?
- can accumulate to become a more negative experience and a major source of stress
- more hassles= contribute to ill-heath
eg. physical: flu, sore throat, headaches; mental: mood disturbances
what is life events?
- significant experiences that involve change which forces us to adapt to new circumstances
eg. - Getting a divorce; lonelier, children: will either live with one parent, separately or move back and forth, financial difficulty
- Getting married, less time, less privacy, expensive
can be positive or negative
why does life events cause stress?
- brings about change
- requires adjusting their lifestyle, and therefore their established ways of thinking, feeling and behaving
- stress levels vary depending on the (stressor) and the level of readjustment required
what is acculturative stress?
- Trying to adapt to a new culture when living in it for a considerable period of time
eg. - escaping persecution, racial discrimination, language difficulties, lower socio-economic status, separation from family+friends
why does acculturative stress cause stress?
- can alleviate stress
- adjusting to new culture= stress-producing
- belonging to cultural/ethnic minority increases risk of stress problems
- reduced: new place embraces ethnic diversity, familiarity of language, social support
what is major stress?
- Event that is extraordinarily stressful or disturbing for almost everyone experiencing it
eg. victim of violence, serious accident, terminal illness - Tend to be life-threatening
- Associated with high levels of distress
why does major stress cause stress?
- Psychologically traumatic events that result in difficulty with coping/functioning as normal
what is catastrophes (that disrupt whole communities)
- Unredictable event that causes widespread damage or suffering
eg. - 2004 tsunami
- Bombing of Hiroshima and Nagasaki
disrupts whole communities + uncontrollable
why does catastrophes cause stress?
- uncontrollable intense= leaves victims in state of shock or fear
- risk life or major injury
- causes damage or suffering
- amount of exposure risks future mental health problems
what does hans selye’s general adaptation syndrome propose?
- stress= body’s physiological response to physical & psychological demands, regardless of stressor
- stress is non-specific= physiological arousal patterns to stressors are generally the same (both physical & psychological demands)
what is stage 1 of GAS response?
ALARM REACTION: mobilise body when first becoming aware of stressor
- initial decrease followed by intense arousal
what is alarm reaction shock?
- first encounter w stressor
- ability to deal with stressor (arousal) falls below normal level
- body reacts like its injured; blood pressure+temp drop
what is alarm reaction counter shock?
- heightened physiological arousal
- resistance to stressor starts to increase above normal level
- sympathetic ns; fight-flight activated to prepare to respond to stressor
what is stage 2 of GAS response?
RESISTANCE: stressor not dealt with= body continues to respond to cope w stressor
- body’s resistance to stressors rises above normal
-unnecessary physio processes are shut down
why might you see early signs of illness during stage 2 of GAS model?
- ability to deal w initial stressor increases= resistance to others decreases
- prolonged release of cortisol to further energise body= weakens immune activity= interferes w ability to fight disease
what happens if the stressor is dealt with in stage 2?
- effort is successful= organism adapts
- body returns to normal functioning (homeostasis)
what is stage 3 of GAS response?
EXHAUSTION: stressor not dealt with= enter final stage
- body cannot sustain its resistance= resistance falls below normal levels
why are we prone to disease during stage 3 of GAS?
- body’s resources are depleted from ongoing stress
- impaired immune functioning= more vulnerable to range of physical and mental disorders
eg. - high levels of anxiety and depression
- hypertension & gastrointestinal problems
what are 3 strengths of GAS model?
- suggested stress weakens abilty to fight infection
- identifies bio processes in stress response
what are 4 weaknesses of GAS model?
- doesnt take into acc individual differences
- doesn’t take into acc psychological aspects
- developed from animal research= difficult to generalise to human population
what is the fight-flight-freeze response?
- involuntary, physical response to a sudden and immediate threat
- confront, escape or keep still from threat
why is the flight fight response adaptive?
- prepares body for survival in the face of perceived threat by enabling effective reactions:
- energy is directed to systems that help outrun or outfight threat
= help minimise harm
what is the fight-flight reaction (SAS)?
SYMPATHETIC ADRENOMEDULLARY SYSTEM (SAS)
-threat is perceived
- hypothalamus
- sympathetic ns
- adrenal medulla activated
- adrenaline/noradrenaline released
= increased energy and heightened arousal
what effect does adrenaline have?
- excitatory effects
- activates various organs= change bodily functions that characterise the fight-flight reaction
what is the freeze response?
- threats too overwhelming that there is little chance of fighting or escaping= unable to act
why can the freeze reaction be considered adaptive?
- less likely to be detected by predators
- energy conserving (allow fight flight later)
physiological responses during freeze reaction?
- parasympathetic NS: heart rate slows, blood pressure drops, tense muscles collapse, still
- high arousal of both systems= mobilised ready for action
when is freeze reaction not adaptive?
- immediate danger that needs fight flight response
what is cortisol and its role?
- long lasting stress hormone for dealing with prolonged stress
- energises body by increasing energy supply (blood sugar)
- persists for a longer time than fight-flight
why is cortisol released?
- stressor persists over time and additional resources are needed
- body cant maintain fight flight reaction for extended time
what is the HPA axis?
HYPOTHALAMIC-PITUITARYADRENAL AXIS:
- threat is perceived
- hypothalamus is activated
- pituitary gland is activated
- (hormone ACTH released, travels through bloodstream)
- adrenal cortex is activated
- cortisol is released
what is the HPA axis feedback loop?
- hypothalamus signalled to turn off stress response once cortisol reaches certain level
what does lazarus & folkman’s transactional model of stress & coping propose?
- stress involves an encounter b/w a person & their external environment
- stress response depends on person’s interpretation of stressor & their ability to cope w it.
when is stress experienced psychologically?
- imbalance b/w a person’s appraisal of the situation & their estimation of their ability to cope
what is primary appraisal and the steps?
- assessment of the significance of the situation
- deeming stressor irrelevant, benign positive, stressful eg. exam= stressful
- deciding the kind of stress caused; harm/loss, threat, challenge eg. opportunity to do well= challenge
what is harm/loss?
- the past
- how much damage has already occurred
what is threat?
- the future
- what harm/loss could occur
what is challenge?
- positive
- personal gain from a situation
what is secondary appraisal?
- evaluating coping options and resources or dealing with the stressor
eg. upcoming exam - evaluating if coping strategies are adequate or inadequate
- judgement of how many hours are needed to study
- deciding whether these hours are enough to cope
what is a problem-focused coping strategy?
- efforts to manage the stressor which is the source of the stress
eg. making a timetable, hw club, tutor, study groups, seeking info, advice, taking action
what is an emotion-focused coping strategy?
- efforts to deal with the emotional responses to a stressor
- decrease negative feelings associated w the stressor
eg. binge-eating, denial, accepting blame, meditation, exercise
what are 4 strengths of the lazarus and folkman model?
- provides different methods of coping
- accounts for mental and cognitive processes, emotions involved in interpreting a situation
- human participants used
- acknowledges that a stressor and its demands may change overtime
what are limitations to the lazarus and folkman model
- difficult for experimentation bc of subjectivity, variability, complexity of individ. responses
- tends to ignore physiological processes
- primary & secondary appraisals can occur simultaneously= hard to study separately
define coping strategy
- specific behavioural or psychological method used to manage/reduce stress
what are the 4 coping strategies?
- context specific effectiveness
- coping flexibility
- exercise
- approach & avoidance strategy
what is context-specific effectiveness?
- good match b/w strategy used & stressful situation
eg. stressor: upcoming exams
yes: planning time management and study schedules
no: mental distancing, wishful thinking
elements: stressor, coping strategy, person
how does context-specific effectiveness help cope with stress?
- strategy will be more efficient in dealing with the stressor
-strategies used more accurately target stressor
what is coping flexibility?
- ability to effectively modify one’s coping strategies according to the demands of different situations
eg. planning for exams - waiting for release of results= mental distancing could be useful
what are the steps in coping flexiblity?
- recognising whether the use of flexible coping approach is appropriate
- selecting strategy which suits circumstances
- recognising when strategy used is ineffective
- discontinuing the use of ineffective coping strategy
- producing and implementing alternative strategy
how does coping flexibility help us cope with stress?
- allows us to adjust thoughts, feelings, behaviours according to the situation
whats the difference b/w high and low coping flexibility?
h: readily adjust their coping strategies if a strategy they are using is ineffective
l: consistently use the same type of strategy across dif situations and persist w them even if ineffective.
what is exercise?
- physical activity, usually planned and performed to improve/maintain physical condition
how does exercise help cope with stress?
PHYSICAL: reduces risk of serious diseases linked to stress eg. cardiovascular disease
- regularly engage in aerobic exercise (higher cardiovascular fitness from sustained O2 consumption)= better able to reduce anxiety lvls + cope w stress
= increases strength, flexibility + stamina when dealing w future stressors
- uses up stress hormone in bloodstream= returns to normal faster
- helps work out built up muscle tension
- releases beta-endorphines= relieves pain, promotes wellbeing
PSYCHOLOGICAL: distraction from stressor, diverting attention away from stressor
SOCIAL: social support when exercising w others
What is the approach coping strategy?
- efforts to deal with the stressor directly
- focused towards the stressor, its causes and a solution
eg. lost your job= search for new one - Making a list of pros and cons
• Seeking advice or counselling
• Targeting the stressor
• Making a plan and executing it
• Making a list of ways to approach the stressful situation
what is avoidance coping strategy?
- efforts to evade a stressor and deal with it indirectly
- focused away from stressors with no attempts to confront it or its causes
eg. lose your job= don’t tell anyone and don’t think about it - Denial
• Wishful thinking
• Substance use
• Venting emotions
• Distraction
• Sleeping and eating
• Acceptance
how can approach coping strategies reduce stress?
- a solution that will address the underlying problem, minimise or eliminate its impact
how can avoidance coping strategies help reduce stress?
- reduce stress in short-term
- when dealing with multiple stressors, selectively avoiding to deal with unchangeable parts of a stressor= allows for energy conservation= focus on other stressors that can be changed
negative impacts of avoidance coping strategies
- maladaptive
- delay in dealing with source of stressor= prevents constructive responses
