Stress & Health Lecture

Question 1

What is stress?

Answer 1

the process of appraising and responding to a threatening or challenging event

Question 2

What is a stress reaction?

Answer 2

the physical and emotional responses to the stressor

Question 3

What is a stressor?

Answer 3

the object that is creating stress

Question 4

What is stress appraisal?

Answer 4

decide whether the stressor is a threat or a challenge

Question 5

How is a threat appraisal different from a challenge appraisal?

Answer 5

i. Threat: You do not perceive having sufficient resources to deal with the stressor
1. Perceived as stressful
ii. Challenge: You perceive you have sufficient resources to handle the stressor
1. Perceived as motivating

Question 6

How can experiencing stress in life be beneficial?

Answer 6

Experiencing some stress in early life build resilience (i.e., confidence in overcoming obstacles)

Question 7

What are the three main types of stressors?

Answer 7

Catastrophes
Significant life changes
Daily hassles and social stress

Question 8

What is acculturative stress?

Answer 8

culture shock associated with stress and inflammation, but dissipates over time

Question 9

How are significant life changes and stress related?

Answer 9

leaving home, death of a loved one, student debt, losing/changing jobs,
marriage, divorce

Question 10

Why is young adulthood stressful?

Answer 10

life period with many life changes

Question 11

What are daily hassles and how do they affect stress and health?

Answer 11

regularly occurring nuisances- annoying roommates, too many things to do in too little time, too many notifications

Question 12

What are approach and avoidance motives?

Answer 12

two attractive but incompatible goals

Question 13

Who defined the General Adaptation Model?

Answer 13

Hans Selye

Question 14

What are the phases of the General Adaptation Model and how do they affect the body?

Answer 14

a. Phase 1: Alarm Reaction
i. Sympathetic nervous system is suddenly activated and your body is ready for flight or flight

b. Phase 2: Resistance
i. Sympathetic nervous system stays activated, adrenals pump epinephrine and norepinephrine through your bloodstream
ii. Time passes with no relief from the stressor and body’s resources begin to dwindle

c. Phase 3: Exhaustion
i. Body has run out of resources and is susceptible to illness, collapse, and death

Question 15

Are our bodies better at dealing with long term or short term stressors?

Answer 15

short term

Question 16

What is psychoneuroimmunology?

Answer 16

Branch of Health Psychology that focuses on mind-body interaction

Question 17

Define biopsychosocial

Answer 17

health

Question 18

How does stress impact health and the immune system?

Answer 18

i. Surgical wounds heal more slowly in stressed people
ii. Stressed people are more vulnerable to colds
iii. Stress can hasten the course of disease

Question 19

Which diseases is stress a risk factor for?

Answer 19

cancer and coronary heart disease

Question 20

Does stress directly make us sick?

Answer 20

No

Question 21

What is problem-focused coping and how does it differ from emotion-focused coping?

Answer 21

i. Problem-focused coping: addressing the stressor directly to reduce stress
1. Works best for stressors we can change or have control over
ii. Emotion-focused coping: reducing stress by changing our perspective on the stressor
1. Works best for stressors we cannot change or have control over

Question 22

What is learned helplessness?

Answer 22

when animals or people experience no control over repeated bad events

Question 23

What are the two types of locus of control?

Answer 23

Internal locus of control

External locus of control