Week 5 Flashcards
Self Imposed Stress is a result of
setting unrealistic goals for ourselves.
What types of stress are there?
Acute Stressors Chronic Stressors Frustrations Conflict Life Changes Pressure
Acute Stressors
Short term terminal threats, like a midterm.
Chronic Stressors
Long term sustained threats, like a sick family member.
Frustrations
Arise when accomplishment of goal is thwarted.
Failures and losses especially stressful.
Conflict
Emotional state arises when a person must choose between competing motivations/impulses.
Conflict: approach-approach
Both choices are desirable, it’s a conflict between two good choices. Like if I have a free night should I stay home and read a book or go out and see a movie?
Conflict: avoidance-avoidance
Avoidance orientation to the conflict. Both choices are necessary but undesirable.
Conflict: approach-avoidance
When a single choice has both positive and negative aspects. Like whether you should ask someone out, on one hand you could have an amazing time and on the other hand they might reject you and that would sting.
(we are more likely to regret the things we don’t do).
Often leads to vacillation
Life Changes
Noticeable alterations in living circumstances that require readjustment.
Holmes and Rahe’s social readjustment rating scale
- measures amount of life change
- high scores correlated with illness and psychological problems
Like a divorce, moving, number of arguments with partner, losing a job, or marriage.
Pressure
Expectations/demands to behave in a certain way. More strongly related to mental health than other measures of stress. Big predictor of stress and negative consequences of stress.
2 subtypes of pressure
Pressure to perform –> self imposed, trying to reach ideal self.
Pressure to conform –> to meet expectations of others.
Fight-Flight Response
How the body responds to threat as a physiological response to stress.
Autonomic Nervous System
Composed of 2 parts:
Sympathetic Nervous System
-Arousal, it’s go time!
Parasympathetic Nervous System
-Brings us back down.
General Adaptation Syndrom
Research finds physiological response non-specific.
Alarm –> Resistance –> Exhaustion
Exhaustion = Burnout.
Burnout can lead to illness.
Behavioural Response to Stress:
Coping, efforts to deal with or reduce effects of stress.
Can be adaptive or maladaptive.
Burnout
Characterized by:
- Physical and emotional exhaustion
- Cynicism
- Lower self-efficacy
Driven by:
- Work overload
- Co-worker conflict
- Lack of control
- Lack of recognition
Stress Tolerance: Social Support
Very important moderator of stress, works on many levels:
- Buffer for psychological effects
- Dampens physiological reactions
- Reduces health impairing behaviours
- Fosters more constructive coping
Stress Tolerance: Hardiness
A dispositional characteristic, the ability to be resilient in the face of stress. Characterized by 3 qualities:
- Commitment to a cause
- Sense of control
- Appetite for challenge
Stress Tolerance: Optimism V.S. Pessimism
Optimism:
- Expecting good outcomes
- Are problem focused
- Plan coping strategies
- Seek social support
- Cause of failure is unstable and controllable
Pessimism:
- Avoid
- Give up
- Use denial
- Cause of failure is stable and uncontrollable
