t Flashcards
What is the Biological/Physiological Model of Stress?
A biological model of stress developed by Hans Selye that describes a three-stage process of the body’s response to stress.
What are the three stages of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?
- Alarm Reaction 2. Resistance 3. Exhaustion
What occurs during the Alarm Reaction stage?
Initial response to a stressor, including shock and countershock.
What happens during the Shock substage of Alarm Reaction?
Body’s ability to deal with the stressor falls below normal; blood pressure and body temperature drop.
What happens during the Countershock substage of Alarm Reaction?
Sympathetic nervous system is activated, increasing resistance to the stressor; fight-flight response occurs.
What occurs during the Resistance stage?
Body’s resistance to the stressor rises above normal; intense arousal diminishes but physiological arousal remains elevated.
What are the physiological effects during the Resistance stage?
Non-essential processes shut down; cortisol is released to energize the body; prolonged cortisol release can suppress the immune system.
What occurs during the Exhaustion stage?
Body cannot sustain resistance; extreme fatigue, high anxiety, and depression symptoms may occur.
What are the potential physical disorders during the Exhaustion stage?
Hypertension, gastrointestinal problems, heart disease; extreme cases can lead to death.
What are the strengths of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?
Empirical evidence of the relationship between stress and illness; predictable pattern of responses; identifies biological processes resulting from prolonged stress.
What are the limitations of the General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)?
Research was conducted on animals; does not account for individual differences or psychological factors.
What was the Psychosocial Modifiers of Immunocompetence Study?
Investigated effects of naturally occurring stressors on immune response in medical students.
What were the results of the Psychosocial Modifiers of Immunocompetence Study?
Significant decrease in Natural Killer (NK) cell activity during examinations.
What is Lazarus and Folkman’s Transactional Model of Stress and Coping?
An individual’s interpretation of a stressor determines their response; involves a transaction between an individual and their environment.
What is Primary Appraisal?
Assessing the situation as stressful, neutral/benign/positive, or irrelevant.
What are the types of stress in Primary Appraisal?
Harm/Loss, Threat, Challenge.
What is Secondary Appraisal?
Considering coping options and resources available, such as personal resources, social support, and financial resources.
What are the strengths of the Transactional Model?
Developed using human participants; accounts for individual differences; considers mental processes and emotions.
What are the limitations of the Transactional Model?
Overlooks physiological elements; difficult to test through research; appraisal steps may occur simultaneously.
What are Approach Coping Strategies?
Efforts to confront a stressor directly, focusing on the stressor, its causes, and solutions.
What are Avoidance Coping Strategies?
Avoiding the stressor rather than dealing with it directly; often maladaptive.
How can exercise serve as a coping strategy?
Can be both approach and avoidance; helps reduce stress hormones, relieve muscle tension, and promote relaxation.
What is Coping Flexibility?
Ability to modify or adjust coping strategies according to the demands of different stressful situations.
What is Context-Specific Effectiveness?
A match between the coping strategy and the stressful situation.
