Stress & Coping Flashcards
stress
- > any circumstance that threatens (real or perceived) one’s well being, and taxes ability to cope
- > subjective
- > not all stress is negative (having a baby is great but it’s very stressful)
health psychology
focuses on psychosocial factors related to health
- > specialization in psychology
how do we promote health
- > maintain
- > prevent
- > treat
types of stress
Acute
- > acute stressors are relatively short duration, clear endpoint (i.e. exam period)
Chronic
- > long duration, no clear endpoint (i.e. active military during war, covid pandemic)
daily hassles
- > everyday occurrence that annoy and upset
- > tend to be cumulative
- > daily stress of home, school, work
- > significant impact over time
*daily hassles have the greatest impact on your mental health than acute and chronic stress, especially if there’s a lot every day*
uplifts
things that make you feel happy, joy, satisfied
- > don’t notice them all the time
important to counter daily hassles
types of appraising stressors
Primary and Secondary appraisal
Primary appraisal
is the situation a problem?
- > if yes: positive “challenge” or threatening
- > if you’re talking in front of a class are you freaking out (threatening) or are you excited (positive)
secondary appraisal
assess resources; decide how to cope
- > what can I do about it
characteristics of appraising stressors
- > perceived (lack) of control
- > appraisal often inaccurate
- > some people are more “threat prone”
what produces stress
Frustration
- > blocked goal
Change
- > having to adapt to new circumstances, not necessarily negative
Conflict
- > need to choose between incompatible needs, motives, goals, or demands
Pressure
- > expectations or demands to perform/conform
what leads to frustration
failures and losses
different approaches to conflict
Approach-Approach
- > choose between 2+ attractive options
- > win-win, least stressful
Avoidance-Avoidance
- > choose between 2 undesirable options
- > lose-lose, very stressful
Approach-Avoidance
- > choose between single goal with an attractive and undesirable qualities; creates ambivalence
homes and Rahe: social readjustment rating scale
(change)
- > higher points for more “life change units”
- > higher points = higher stress
- > higher stress = vulnerable to phys and psych problems
characteristics of pressure
- > its pressure to perform or comply
- > other’s and our own expectations create pressure
- > over half of Canadians that there’s not enough time for work and sped adequate time with family members, especially when expected to execute tasks and responsibilities quickly, efficiently, and successfully
- > this type of stress is especially toxic to your health
responses to stress
Aggression
- > response with intent to harm
Displaced aggression
- > redirecting aggression to a target rather than the source, scapegoating
Escape
- > leave source or escape psychologically
emotional responses to stress
- > often negative but it depends on appraisal (challenge vs threatening)
Yerkes-Dodson law
inverted U
- > peak performance linked to optimal arousal
- > otherwise strong response interferes with coping and attention, memory, judjment and decision making
physiological response to stress
fight or flight
- > autonomic nervous system activates
general adaptation syndrome
bodily reactions to prolonged stress
3 stages
- > alarm reaction
- > stage of resistance
- > stage of exhaustion
describe the 3 stages of general adaptation syndrome
Alarm reaction
- > body resources mobilized to cope with threat/stress; immediate/during the initial stressful situation
Stage of resistance
- > body adjusts to stress by at high physical cost; resistance to other stressors is lowered
Stage of exhaustion
- > body’s resources are drained and resistant to depletion; body begins to breakdown
- > possible outcome: disease/lowered immunity, collapse
behavioural response to stress
COPING
- > active efforts to master, reduce, or tolerate demands created by stress
*may be positive or negative coping
*out style of coping tends to be consistent
Adaptive/Constructive Coping vs Maladaptive/defensive coping
A/C coping
- > healthy efforts
- > confront problems directly (problem-focused coping)
- > inhibit disruptive reactions (emotion-focused coping)
M/D coping
- > attempts to shield self from stressful issue
- > self deception; distort reality
- > avoidance
- > tends to intensify or prolonged stress
if you cannot control stressor(s) what should you focus on (emotion-focused coping)
you should focus on the things you can control like..
- > how you react to the stressor/ how it affects you (control the emotional impact that the stressor has on your life)
- > seek social support
- > escape-avoidance (shift attention to something else; buy yourself some time)
- > distance (acknowledge stressor but reduce its impact)
- > positive reappraisal (try to create positive meaning by focusing on personal growth)
how do individualistic cultures deal with coping
- > they emphasize personal autonomy and responsibility dealing with problems
- > less likely to see social support or help
- > problem-focused strategies
how do collectivist cultures cope with stress
- > emphasize controlling personal reactions (rather than controlling situations)
- > emotion-focused strategies
historical factors of stress and coping
what we consider stressful varies notably from decade to decade, generation to generation
- > older people tend to be happier
how can social support impact stress
- > reduces perceived threat, physical reactions to stressor
- > fewer negative emotions
- > increases immune function
- > relationships can also be source of stress or poor support offered
- > women provide more social support
- > men rely heavily on primary intimate relationship
main factors that moderate the impact of stress
- > social support
- > optimism
- > conscientiousness
- > stress mindset
how can optimism moderate the impact of stress
- > more adaptive coping
- > expected positive outcomes
- > external explanations for negative events
- > positive illusion
- > less illness; more effective immune system
- > pessimists cope passively; internalize; don’t work out solution
how can conscientiousness moderate the impact of stress
- > foster better health habits
- > always on the ball and get things done; get things done well
how can your stress mindset moderate the impact of stress
- > sense of control over stressful situation
- > reduces impact of stressor
- > decreased anxiety and depression
when is stress a problem
- > when its unpredictable
- > when there’s a lot of pressure
- > when you have no control over it
- > when it’s intense or repeated
impacts of stress
- > burnout
- > learned helplessness
- > depression
- > PTSD
- > anxiety
burnout
physical, mental, emotional exhaustion from long-term exposure to stressful situation
- > fatigue low energy
- > negative attitudes (cynical), anger/frustration
- > hopeless
- > helplessness, decreased self-efficacy
learned helplessness
learned inability to overcome obstacles and avoid aversive outcome
- > occurs when events seem uncontrollable
- > can lead to depression
- > feel helpless if believe failure is caused by lasting general factor
- > dogs with the shock box, don’t try and escape
depression
state of despondency from feelings of powerlessness and hopelessness
- > common mental problem
- > associated with loss of appetite, sex drive, decreased activity, fatigue, reduced pleasure from life
PTSD
exposure to traumatic event that represents harm threat
- > response involved intense fear, helplessness, or horror
- > intrusive imagery
- > hyper arousal/reactivity; hyper-vigilance
- > avoidant behaviour
- > intense, prolonged syndrome
cardiac personalities
(Type A personalities)
- > constant sense of urgency in their lives
- > time urgency and chronic anger or hostility
positive psychology
- > focus on well-being, hope, perseverance
- > stress not entirely negative
*develop new skills
*acquire new strengths and insights
*hardy personality (superior stress resistance)
health promoting (stress reducing) behaviours
- > 7-8 hrs of sleep
- > near ideal weight for height
- > don’t smoke
- > rare-to-moderate use of alcohol
- > regular exercise
- > eat moderately (non-processed food)
- men who engage in all are 4x lower death rate; women who do all are 2x lower death rate*
