Stress & Coping Flashcards
Frustration and Loss
(wanting something you can’t have; losing your phone; grief)
Conflict
incompatible/competing motivations
3 Approaches of conflict
- Approach-approach
- Avoidance- avoidance
- Approach-avoidance
Approach-approach
choosing between two things you want (e.g., two universities)
Avoidance-avoidance
choosing between two things you don’t want (e.g., choosing between going broke, and taking a job you really don’t want)
Approach-avoidance
deciding about whether to purse something that has both good and bad qualities (e.g., taking a job you don’t want but pays well)
Change
Any change (e.g., moving house), even positive change (e.g., going to university) is stressful because it requires re-adjustment
Pressure
expectations to behave in a certain way (e.g., majoring in Business vs Psychology)
avoidance strategies
- self blame
- learned helplessness
- denial
- self-indulgence/addiction
- aggression
task oriented coping strategy
- positive reframing/optimism
2. social support (instrumental & emotional)
Cognitive Adaptation theory shows that
those with terminal illness actually report benefits (deriving strength, growth and learning things they may not otherwise would have had the opportunity to learn)
emotion oriented approach
- Humour
- Emotional expression
- Relaxation/exercise
acute stressor
a stressful situation or circumstance that happens in the short term and has a definite endpoint.
chronic stressor
a stressful situation or circumstance that is more long term and often lacks a definite endpoint.
conflict
discomfort brought about by two or more goals or impulses perceived to be incompatible.
coping
efforts to manage, reduce, or tolerate stress.
daily hassles
everyday annoyances that contribute to higher stress levels; also known as micro-stressors.
emotion-focused coping
coping strategies focused on changing one’s feelings about the stressor.
frustration
an emotion people experience when thwarted in pursuit of a goal.
general adaptation syndrome (GAS)
a three-stage response to stress identified by Hans Selye; the stages are alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.
immune system
the body’s system of organs, tissues, and cells that identify and destroy foreign invaders, such as bacteria and viruses, as well as cancer cells.
inoculation
exposing oneself to a relatively low level of stress in a controlled situation to improve later performance in a more stressful situation.
life changes
shifts in life circumstances that require adjustment of some kind.
lymphocytes
white blood cells that circulate through the body and destroy foreign invaders and cancer cells; important components of the immune system.
primary appraisal
appraisal of a stressor to determine how severe it is; the first stage in Richard Lazarus’s description of how people experience stress.
problem-focused coping
coping strategies focused on dealing directly with the stressor, such as by changing the stressor in some way
psychoneuroimmunology
an area of study focusing on links between stress, the immune system, and health.
secondary appraisal
appraisal of one’s personal resources and ability to cope with a stressor; the second stage in Richard Lazarus’s description of how people experience stress.
stress
state brought on by any situation that threatens or appears to threaten a person’s sense of well-being, thus challenging the individual’s ability to cope.
stressor
a situation or circumstance that triggers the stress response.
Type A
a personality type characterized by competitiveness, impatience, and anger and hostility.
Type B
a personality type that is less aggressive, more relaxed, and less hostile than Type A.
Type C
a personality type characterized by difficulty in expressing or acknowledging negative feelings.
Type D
a personality type characterized by negative affectivity such as worry or gloominess and social inhibition.
