Unit 3: Stress as a psychobiological process

Question 1

Stressors

Answer 1

Stimuli that cause or produce stress and challenge our ability to cope.

Question 2

Stress

Answer 2

A state of physiological and psychological arousal produced by internal or external stressors that are perceived by the individual as challenging or exceeding their ability or resources to cope.

Question 3

Eustress

Answer 3

A positive psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by the presence of positive psychological states such as feeling enthusiastic, motivated, excited, activated and alert.

Question 4

Distress

Answer 4

A negative psychological response to a stressor, as indicated by the presence of negative psychological states such as anger, anxiety, nervousness, irritability or tension.

Question 5

Daily pressures

Answer 5

Little problems of everyday living that are irritants and annoy/bother us which can make us upset or angry.

Question 6

Life events

Answer 6

Involves change that forces us to adapt to new circumstances which have immediate consequences and require longer term adjustments.

Question 7

Acculturative stress

Answer 7

Refers to the stress people experience in trying to adapt to a new culture when living in it for a considerable period of time.

Question 8

Major stressor

Answer 8

An event that is extraordinarily stressful or disturbing for almost everyone who experiences it.

Question 9

Catastrophe

Answer 9

An unpredictable event that causes widespread damage or suffering.

Question 10

Fight-flight-freeze response

Answer 10

An involuntary physical response to a sudden and immediate stressor.

Question 11

What activates the fight-flight-freeze response?

Answer 11

The sympathetic nervous system.

Question 12

What hormones are secreted during the fight-flight response?

Answer 12

Adrenaline and noradrenaline.

Question 13

Cortisol

Answer 13

A hormone secreted to energize the body by increasing energy supplies such as blood sugar and enhancing metabolism

Question 14

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Answer 14

A three-stage physiological response to stress that occurs regardless of the stressor that is encountered.

Question 15

Alarm Reaction Stage (Shock and Countershock)

Answer 15

Occurs when the person (or animal) firm becomes aware of the stressor.

Question 16

Resistance Stage

Answer 16

The body’s resistance to the particular stressor rises above normal where physiological arousal remains at a level above normal.

Question 17

Exhaustion Stage

Answer 17

Body cannot sustain its resistance and the effects of the stressor can no longer be dealt with.

Question 18

Strength of GAS

Answer 18

Identifies the biological processes associated with the body’s stress response.

Question 19

Limitation of GAS

Answer 19

Assumes that everyone has the same general, predictable and automatic physiological response to any kind of stressor.

Question 20

Primary appraisal

Answer 20

The evaluation/judgement of the significance of the event

Question 21

Harm/loss

Answer 21

An assessment of how much damage has occurred.

Question 22

Threat

Answer 22

An assessment of the harm/loss that may not have occurred yet but could occur in the future.

Question 23

Challenge

Answer 23

An assessment of the potential for personal gain or growth from the situation.

Question 24

Secondary appraisal

Answer 24

Evaluation of coping options and resources and opinions for dealing with the event.

Question 25

Strength of Lazarus and Folkman model

Answer 25

Focuses on psychological influences on how we react to a stressor.

Question 26

Limitation of Lazarus and Folkman model

Answer 26

Difficult to test through experimental research.

Question 27

Coping

Answer 27

A process involving cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific internal or external stressors.

Question 28

Coping strategy

Answer 28

A specific method, behavioral or psychological, that people use to manage or reduce the stress produced by the stressor

Question 29

Context-specific effectiveness

Answer 29

When there is a match between the coping strategy that is used and the stressful situation.

Question 30

Coping flexibility

Answer 30

Refers to the ability to effectively modify or adjust one’s coping strategies according to the demands of different stressful situations.

Question 31

Exercise

Answer 31

A physical activity that is usually planned and performed to improve or maintain one’s physical condition.

Question 32

Approach coping strategies

Answer 32

Refers to the efforts to confront a stressor and deal with it directly and its effects.

Question 33

Avoidant coping strategies

Answer 33

Involve efforts that evade a stressor and deal indirectly with it and its effects.