stress as a psychological process

Question 1

Lazarus and Folkman Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Answer 1

proposes that stress involves an encounter (‘transaction’) between an individual and their external environment, and that a stress response depends upon:
the individual’s evaluation (‘appraisal’) of the relevance of the stressor and
their ability to cope with it.

Question 2

in a primary appraisal, we first evaluate, whether the stimulus/situation is:

Answer 2

Benign-positive: neutral or positive
Irrelevant: not presenting an issue or source of worry
Stressful: the stimulus will worry or force the individual to respond in some way

Question 3

secondary appraisal

Answer 3

evaluate our ability to control or overcome the situation by considering our coping options and resources for dealing with the situation.

Question 4

strengths of the model

Answer 4

• Focuses on psychological determinants of the stress response over which we have control
• Allows us to change our thinking about a stressor and our response
• Proposes different methods for managing psychological responses to stressors.

Question 5

limitations of the model

Answer 5

• Does not include biological processes of stress
• Difficult to test through experimental research
• Primary and secondary appraisals are difficult to isolate for study as separate variables.