Unit 5 - Mental and Physical Health Part 1

Question 1

Alarm Reaction

Answer 1

First stage of the general adaptation syndrome; characterized as the body’s immediate physiological reaction to a threatening situation or some other emergency; analogous to the fight-or-flight response.

Question 2

Biofeedback

Answer 2

Stress-reduction technique using electronic equipment to measure a person’s involuntary (neuromuscular and autonomic) activity and provide feedback to help the person gain a level of voluntary control over these processes.

Question 3

Coping

Answer 3

Mental or behavioral efforts used to manage problems relating to stress, including its cause and the unpleasant feelings and emotions it produces.

Question 4

Cortisol

Answer 4

Stress hormone released by the adrenal glands when encountering a stressor; helps to provide a boost of energy, thereby preparing the individual to take action.

Question 5

Daily Hassles

Answer 5

Minor irritations and annoyances that are part of our everyday lives and are capable of producing stress.

Question 6

Distress

Answer 6

Bad form of stress; usually high in intensity; often leads to exhaustion, fatigue, feeling burned out; associated with erosions in performance and health.

Question 7

Eustress

Answer 7

Good form of stress; low to moderate in intensity; associated with positive feelings, as well as optimal health and performance.

Question 8

Fight-or-Flight Response

Answer 8

Set of physiological reactions (increases in blood pressure, heart rate, respiration rate, and sweat) that occur when an individual encounters a perceived threat; these reactions are produced by activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system.

Question 9

Flow

Answer 9

State involving intense engagement in an activity; usually is experienced when participating in creative, work, and leisure endeavors.

Question 10

General Adaptation Syndrome

Answer 10

Hans Selye’s three-stage model of the body’s physiological reactions to stress and the process of stress adaptation: alarm reaction, stage of resistance, and stage of exhaustion.

Question 11

Happiness

Answer 11

Enduring state of mind consisting of joy, contentment, and other positive emotions; the sense that one’s life has meaning and value.

Question 12

Health Psychology

Answer 12

Subfield of psychology devoted to studying psychological influences on health, illness, and how people respond when they become ill.

Question 13

Hypertension

Answer 13

High blood pressure.

Question 14

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) Axis

Answer 14

Set of structures found in both the limbic system (hypothalamus) and the endocrine system (pituitary gland and adrenal glands) that regulate many of the body’s physiological reactions to stress through the release of hormones.

Question 15

Immunosuppression

Answer 15

Decreased effectiveness of the immune system.

Question 16

Job Burnout

Answer 16

General sense of emotional exhaustion and cynicism in relation to one’s job; consists of three dimensions: exhaustion, depersonalization, and sense of diminished personal accomplishment.

Question 17

Job Strain

Answer 17

Work situation involving the combination of excessive job demands and workload with little decision making latitude or job control.

Question 18

Lymphocates

Answer 18

White blood cells that circulate in the body’s fluids and are especially important in the body’s immune response.

Question 19

Negative Affectivity

Answer 19

Tendency to experience distressed emotional states involving anger, contempt, disgust, guilt, fear, and nervousness.

Question 20

Perceived Control

Answer 20

Peoples’ beliefs concerning their capacity to influence and shape outcomes in their lives.

Question 21

Positive Affect

Answer 21

State or a trait that involves pleasurable engagement with the environment, the dimensions of which include happiness, joy, enthusiasm, alertness, and excitement.

Question 22

Positive Psychology

Answer 22

Scientific area of study seeking to identify and promote those qualities that lead to happy, fulfilled, and contented lives.

Question 23

Primary Appraisal

Answer 23

Judgment about the degree of potential harm or threat to well-being that a stressor might entail.

Question 24

Psychoneuroimmunology

Answer 24

Field that studies how psychological factors (such as stress) influence the immune system and immune functioning.

Question 25

Psychophysiological Disorders

Answer 25

Physical disorders or diseases in which symptoms are brought about or worsened by stress and emotional factors.

Question 26

Relaxation Response Disorders

Answer 26

Stress reduction technique combining elements of relaxation and meditation

Question 27

Secondary Appraisal

Answer 27

Judgment of options available to cope with a stressor and their potential effectiveness.

Question 28

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

Answer 28

Popular scale designed to measure stress; consists of 43 potentially stressful events, each of which has a numerical value quantifying how much readjustment is associated with the event.

Question 29

Social Support

Answer 29

Soothing and often beneficial support of others; can take different forms, such as advice, guidance, encouragement, acceptance, emotional comfort, and tangible assistance.

Question 30

Stage of Exhaustion

Answer 30

Third stage of the general adaptation syndrome; the body’s ability to resist stress becomes depleted; illness, disease, and even death may occur.

Question 31

Stage of Resistance

Answer 31

Second stage of the general adaptation syndrome; the body adapts to a stressor for a period of time.

Question 32

Stress

Answer 32

Process whereby an individual perceives and responds to events that one appraises as overwhelming or threatening to one’s well-being.

Question 33

Stressor

Answer 33

Environmental events that may be judged as threatening or demanding; stimuli that initiate the stress process.

Question 34

Type A Personality

Answer 34

Psychological and behavior pattern exhibited by individuals who tend to be extremely competitive, impatient, rushed, and hostile toward others.

Question 35

Type B Personality

Answer 35

Psychological and behavior pattern exhibited by a person who is relaxed and laid back.