Stress as an example of a psychobiological process

Question 1

What is stress

Answer 1

Is a state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their ability or resources to cope.

Question 2

Define stressor

Answer 2

Is any person, event or situation that produces stress,

Question 3

Define stress response

Answer 3

Involves physiological (bodily) or psychological (mental) changes that people experiment when they are confronted by a stressor

Question 4

What are physiological changes

Answer 4

Increased breathing rate, increased heart rate etc.

Question 5

What are psychological changes

Answer 5

Changes in thinking, reasoning, memory etc.

Question 6

Two forms of stress

Define eustress +

Answer 6

Is a positive psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by presence of a positive psychological state where you feel happy, enthusiastic, and alert eg. 18 bday

Question 7

Two forms of stress

Define distress -

Answer 7

Is a negative psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by presence of a negative psychological state such as feeling angry, anxious, nervous, irritable or tense eg. break up

Question 8

Sources of stress

Define daily pressures

Answer 8

Also known as ‘hassles’ and refer to the little, common everyday problems and events that cause us to feel angry, irritated, and upset.

Question 9

Sources of stress

Define life events

Answer 9

Are occurrences in our life that often forces us to adjust and adapt to new situations and circumstances that we have not dealt with before. (Lack of familiarity and lack of experience).

Question 10

Sources of stress

Define acculturation stress

Answer 10

Refer to stress that people experience when they attempt to adapt to a new culture when living in that culture for an extended time period.

Question 11

Sources of stress

Major stressor

Answer 11

Refers to an event that is extremely stressful, disturbing, and traumatic for almost every individual who experiences it. eg abuse, rape etc

Question 12

Sources of stress

Catastrophes

Answer 12

Is an unpredictable situation or event (natural or caused by people) that often occurs suddenly and causes widespread damage and suffering.

Question 13

Stress as a biological process

What is the Fight-Flight-Freeze response

Answer 13

Is an involuntary physical response that occurs when there is an immediate threat in stressor in the environment. (involves activation of sympathetic nervous system)

Question 14

Stress as a biological process

Body-brain pathway of Fight-Flight-Freeze response (sympathetic adreno-medullary system)

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Answer 14

• When we sense a threat, a signal is sent through the amygdala to the hypothalamus.
• The hypothalamus then activates the sympathetic nervous system.
• The sympathetic ns then activates the adrenal medulla (inner section of adrenal gland), which leads to the release of two stess hormones, adrenaline and noradrenaline.
• These hormones travel through the bloodstream and stimulate certain organs eg increase heart rate.

Question 15

Stress as a biological process

What is cortisol

Answer 15

Cortisol is the main stress hormone which is released to help people deal with stressor over time and the body cannot maintain the intensity of fight and flight reaction over a prolong period, HPA axis is activated

Question 16

Stress as a biological process
What is cortisol

What is the HPA axis

Answer 16

Is a chain of reactions in the physiological response to stress that involves the hypothalamus, pituitary glands, and the adrenal glands.

Question 17

Stress as a biological process

HPA reaction

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Answer 17

• When threat is perceived , the hypothalamus is activated.
• The hypothalamus stimulates the pituitary gland
• which secretes (release) the hormone ACTH
• ACTH travels through bloodstream and stimulates the adrenal glands.
• which secretes stress hormones (ad, norad) which boost the activity of sympathetic system.

Question 18

Stress as a biological process

Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS) define

Answer 18

Is a three stage physiological stress response that occurs regardless of the stressors that is encountered (ie non specific).

Question 19

Stress as a biological process
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Stage 1: Alarm reaction (the immediate defensive reaction to a stressor)

Answer 19

This is when the person or animal first becomes aware of the stressor and so the body goes into a temporary state of shock- its ability to deal with stressor falls below its normal level (ie blood pressure and temp drop, loss of muscle tone).

Question 20

Stress as a biological process
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)
Stage 1: Alarm reaction (the immediate defensive reaction to a stressor)

Countershock

Answer 20

sympathetic nervous system is activated and the body becomes more resistant to the stressor.

Question 21

Stress as a biological process
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Stage 2: Resistance (the organism tries to adapt to cope with the stressor)

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Answer 21

• If the stage of stress still continues, energy is still required the body will go into stage two.
• During this stage the bodys resistance rised above normal. The parasympathetic system is activated.
• cortisol is released into the bloodstream to further energise the body.
• Although the ability to adapt and deal with the effects of the initial stressors increases during this stage resistance to other stressors (illness) may decline.

Question 22

Stress as a biological process
Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Stage 3: Exhaustion (the body has exhausted its resources and cannot cope)

Answer 22

If resistance stage lasts forr an extended period of time, the body simply cannot cope with the stressor because its resources have been severely depleted.
The organism is more vulnerable to physical and mental disorders and chronic diseases (ie depression).

Question 23

Stress as a biological process

Strengths of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

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Answer 23

• Model establishes a link between stress and the development of certain diseases.
• Makes clear detrimental effects a persistent stressor has on individual. (disease)

Question 24

Stress as a biological process

Limitations of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

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Answer 24

• not conducted on humans
• not everyone response to exposure to chronic stress in the same way (eg some night get heart attack, some may get hypertension etc).

Question 25

Stress as a psychological process

Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping define

Answer 25

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 to his or her wellbeing and their ability to cope with it.

Question 26

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Appraisal

Answer 26

(interpreting/ evaluating if and how one can meet the demands of the stressor) is not necessarily a conscious process. However, it is always subjective and therefore a highly personal process (ie what we find sterssful).

Question 27

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Primary appraisal

• harm/loss
• threat
• challenge

Answer 27

We evaluate, judge, interpret and appraise the significance of the situation and thus decide whether the situation is irrelevant, benign-positive, or stressful.

• assessment of damage that has already occured
• ^has not yet occurred but could
• assessment of potential growth or personal gain from the situation.

Question 28

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Secondary appraisal

Answer 28

We evaluate our coping options and the resources or options that we can use to deal with the stressful situation. (internal ie determination or external ie money)

Question 29

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping
Secondary appraisal

Reappraisal

Answer 29

If additional resources are needed to cope with the situation, while taking into account the resources that are already available.

Question 30

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping
Secondary appraisal

Two types of copying:

• Problem solving
• Emotion-focused

Answer 30

• efforts to change the cause or source of the problem, which is the stressor (eg reappraising stressor looking at it from different perspective).
• strategies that will decrease the emotional component of the stress response (eg distancing yourself away from potential stress)

Question 31

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Strengths

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Answer 31

• Uses human participants in developing the model ( relevant to humans and their personalized subjective interpretation if stressor).
• Promotes managing of stressor through different psychological coping responses and highlights the importance of coping and stress-management strategies.

Question 32

Stress as a psychological process
Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping

Limitations

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Answer 32

• Difficult to test theory through experimental research as it is based on subjective interpretations.
• Primary and secondary appraisal are difficult to use as separate variables as they interact with one another.

Question 33

Effectiveness of strategy

Context-specific effectiveness

Answer 33

Is when a coping strategy or method is to be said suitable (‘effective’) for dealing with the stressful situation (‘the context’).

Question 34

Effectiveness of strategy

Coping flexibility

Answer 34

Is the capacity to consider the demands of different stressful situations and change or adjust ones coping methods/ strategies accordingly.

Question 35

Strategies for coping with stress

Exercise (benefits)

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Answer 35

• Allows person to shift their attention off stressor
• Exercise uses up stress hormones (eg cortisol)
• Reduced anxiety levels to cope with stress more effectively.

Question 36

Strategies for coping with stress

Approach

Avoidance

Answer 36

• towards the stressor, ready to deal with it

- away from the stressor, away from dealing with it