Psych Exam 2 Ch.14-Idk

What is Health Psychology

Field devoted to understanding psych influence on how people stay healthy, become ill, and how they respond when ill

What is stress?

Process of perceiving and responding to events, aka “stressor” appraised as overwhelming or threatening to one’s own well being

A response to an outsideor internal factor that threatens your own well being

Ex. You have a really important exam that’s worth 90% of your grade and you really want to do good but worried what may happen if you fail.

Do women Perceive more stress than men?

Yes

What are the 4 types of stressors?

1. Life Changes

2. Catastrophic events

3. Dailey Hassales

4. Chronic Stressors

What could a life changing/strain stressor be?

Death, Birth, College, Etc.

What could a catostrphic event stressor be?

Tornado, Car Crash, etc.

(Goes beyond a family shared event)

What would a dailey hassle stressor be?

Alarm going off, traffic, etc.

What are the two kinds of responses you can have to stressors?

Physical and Psycological

What are two ways of viewing/interpreting a stressful event?

Threat or Challenge

“Yikes… no” or “I’ve got to lock in”

What are the two types of secondary appraisal?

Low threat vs. High Threat

Hard but I’ve got it vs. I’m so cooked/fucked

What is a Ex. of Predictability and Control?

Always knowing how long a drive to work may be, however, if that routine is altered in any way, you could be put under stress and even start sweating

What are physcial responses of stress?

• Body Tension

• Fidgeting

• Increased Heart Rate

• Shaking

• Redness

• Mind Fog

• Stroke

• Headaches

• Rise in emotions

HPA Responses to stress include

• Alarm Rxn.

• Resistance coping

• Exhastion

• Cortisol Increase

• Weakened Immune System

SAM (Fight or Flight System) Responses to stress include

• Elevated Heart Rate

• Dialated Pupils

Ruminative Thinking

A circular and repetitive thinking pattern where your mind endlessly replays negative events, past mistakes, or worries without finding a solution

To dwell on and repeat situations in your head about embarissing or negative moments.

Catastrophizing

Acognitive distortion where a person automatically assumes the worst-case scenario and believes they will be completely unable to cope with the outcome

End of the world I’m so cooked mentality ie. ABSOLUTE WORST CASE SCENERIO

Ex.

• At Work: Making a minor mistake on a report and concluding you will be fired, evicted, and ruined.

• In Health: Feeling a minor muscle twitch and deciding it is a sign of a terminal, fatal illness.

Functional Fixidness

Functional fixedness is a cognitive bias that limits a person to using an object only in its traditional, usual way

ie. A mental block that stops you from seeing that a familiar item can serve a new purpose to solve a problem.

Ex. Road is closed, and you can’t think of another route to work cus you’re panicking

Study Ex.

People were given a paperclip to find creative ways to use themn

• Those that were under high stress couldn’t hink of anything other than it’s intended purpose

• Those that weren’t under stress used them to make rings, pick locks, etc.

Does stress tend to cause poor decision making?

Yes

What are examples of Behavioral Responses to stress?

• Sleep Problems

• Aggression

• Suicide

• Bad eating Habits

What are some benifits to stress?

• Improvement in immune system

• Motivation Action

• Better Prioritization Abilities

• Sense of Achievement

What is a psychological disorder?

Disorders whose symptoms can be impacted by stress or emotions

Disorders that get worse with stress

The Cardiovascular system affects

Hypertension Cardiovascular Heart Disease

The Gastrointestinal system affects

Irritable Bowel Syndrome

The Respiratory system affects

Asthma and Allergies

The Musculoskeletal system affects

Tension Headaches and Lower Back Pain

Sress causes this in skin

Acne and Ezema

The terms for Type A and B personalities was invented by who? What was his occupation?

Friedman, he was a cardiologist

What are traits of Type A Personalities?

• Competitive

• Time Urgent

• Hostile

• Aggressive

What are traits of Type B Personalities?

• Relaxed

• 1 Thing at a time

• Expressive

How much more likely are people with hypertension to be seen for cardilology?

7x more likely

What system does the Psychoneuroimmunology affect?

It influences the immune system and it’s functioning

• Leads to immunosuppression

• Stress Response Systems

• SAM System: “Fight or flight”

What is immunosupresssion

A reduction in the body's normal ability to fight infections and other diseases (often due to stress)

What biological factors is stressed controlled by?

• Heart Rate

• Body Temp

Examples of social Support

• Talking w/friends

• Hugging, etc.

• Family

Benefits of Religous Involvment

• Increased Lifespan

• Increase in Health

• Decreases Anxiety and stress

• Decreases Depression

benifits of Relaxation & Meditation

Decreases Stroked

Benifits of Aerobic Exercise

• Decreases Depression

• Helps body accomadation increased Heart Rate