Stress, Phobia and Anxiety Flashcards
What is stress?
psychological and physical response to internal or external sources of tension
What are the two types of stress?
eustress
distress
What is the difference between eustress and distress?
Eustress = positive psychological response to stress Distress = negative psychological response to stress
How can stress lead to the development of anxiety?
- repetitive + recurrent + ongoing stress
What is anxiety?
state of physiological arousal that includes feelings of apprehension and uneasiness that something unpleasant is going to happen
What are some characteristics of normal anxiety?
- feel apprehension
- can do complex tasks
- can learn new responses
What are some characteristics of an anxiety disorder?
- avoidance behaviour
- persistent feeling of stress that can lead to dysfunction
How can anxiety be beneficial in the short term?
- help improve our response to threatening situations
= make us more alert and improve our ability to cope
How can anxiety be negative in the long term?
reduce our ability to concentrate and impair our decision making skills + ability to think
What is a phobia?
persistent, intense and irrational fear of a specific object or event
What type of mental problem is a phobia?
mental disorder
What happens when a person encounters their phobia?
- experience acute physiological arousal
= FFF response
What is a specific phobia?
disorder characterised by an intense fear of a specific object, event or thing
What are the 4 types of specific phobias?
- animal
- natural environment
- situation
- blood, injury and infection
What are some examples of an animal phobia?
- dogs
- cats
- snakes
