Stress, Coping, and Psychological Disorders Overview

health psychology

It integrates behavioral sciences with the practice of medicine to understand how behavior affects health.

bio-psycho-social model of health

Biological (genetics, brain, microbes), Psychological (thoughts, stress, lifestyle), Social (environment, culture, social support).

biological characteristics in the bio-psycho-social model

Genetic predispositions, brain and nervous system development, exposure to microbes.

psychological factors in the bio-psycho-social model

Thoughts and actions, lifestyles, stress levels, health beliefs.

social conditions in the bio-psycho-social model

Environments, cultural influences, family relationships, social support.

diathesis-stress model

Disorders arise from an interaction between a vulnerability (diathesis) and stressful environmental factors.

stressor

Specific events or chronic pressures that place demands on a person or threaten their well-being.

stress

The physical and psychological response to internal or external stressors.

trauma

The physical and psychological response to a severe stressor that can produce lasting effects.

coping response

The efforts to manage stress through emotional or problem-solving strategies.

general side effects of stress

Fatigue, headaches, weakened immune system, irritability, sleep problems.

major life stressors

Changes or disruptions that strain central areas of life, e.g., having a first child.

chronic stress

Ongoing challenges linked to long-term illness, poverty, or caregiving.

daily hassles

Small day-to-day irritations, like traffic jams.

HPA axis

It controls the body's stress response.

order of activation in the HPA axis

Stressful event → brain areas → hypothalamus → pituitary gland → adrenal glands → cortisol release.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

The three stages of GAS are Alarm, Resistance, Exhaustion.

alarm stage

Emergency reaction preparing body to fight or flee.

resistance stage

Body sustains defenses and maximizes coping.

exhaustion stage

Body's energy is depleted; fatigue, weakness, illness likely.

tend and befriend response

Stress reaction involving nurturing and seeking social support.

types of white blood cells important for immunity

T cells, B cells, natural killer cells.

effect of stress on the immune system

It reduces immune system functionality, making the body more vulnerable to illness.

primary appraisal

Initial evaluation of whether an event is stressful, harmful, or irrelevant.

secondary appraisal

Evaluation of one's ability to cope with the stressor.

perceived control and stress

Lack of perceived control increases stress.

emotion-focused coping

A coping strategy that involves managing emotional responses to stress.

Problem-focused coping

Actively solving or tackling life challenges.

Ideal situation for emotion-focused coping

When the stressor is uncontrollable.

Ideal situation for problem-focused coping

When the stressor is controllable.

Benefits of exercise

Enhances memory, improves cardiovascular health, boosts mood, reduces depression symptoms.

Social norms

Expected standards of conduct.

Foot-in-the-door technique

Agreeing to a small request increases likelihood of agreeing to a larger one.

Door-in-the-face technique

Refusing a large request increases chances of agreeing to a smaller one.

Low balling

Agreeing to a purchase, then agreeing to pay more after costs increase.

Conformity

Changing behavior or opinions to align with others under mild social pressure.

Compliance

Agreeing to requests under moderate social pressure.

Obedience

Changing behavior due to authority demand, under strong social pressure.

Ingroup

People perceived as part of the same social category.

Outgroup

People not belonging to the ingroup.

Outgroup homogeneity effect

Viewing outgroup members as more similar to each other than they really are.

Ingroup favoritism

Favoring one's own group over others, including resource distribution.

Social loafing

People work less hard in a group than alone.

When is social loafing more likely?

When individual efforts are not evaluated.

Social facilitation

Improved performance on simple tasks in presence of others.

Deindividuation

Reduced self-awareness and personal standards in groups (e.g., mobs).

Bystander effect

Reduced likelihood to help when others are present due to diffusion of responsibility.

Contributors to the bystander effect

Diffusion of responsibility, fear of social norms, weighing costs vs. benefits.

Groupthink

Desire for harmony leads to poor or irrational group decisions.

Risky-shift effect

Groups tend to make riskier decisions than individuals.

Predictors of romantic attraction

Proximity, familiarity, similarity, physical attractiveness, hormones.

Mere exposure effect

Increased liking due to frequent exposure.

Moreland & Beach study

Students liked classmates they saw more often, even without interaction.

Assortative mating

Tendency to choose partners similar to oneself.

Importance of physical attractiveness

Very important for initial attraction and getting a second date.

Halo effect

Belief that attractive people have positive qualities.

Attractive traits in women

Higher pitched voice, signs of ovulation.

Higher pitched voice

Signs of ovulation.

Attractive traits in men

Masculine features, height, deep voice.

Attractive traits in both genders

Health, facial symmetry, averageness.

Matching phenomenon

People pair with others of similar attractiveness.

Testosterone

Sexual desire.

Oxytocin

Bonding.

Estrogen

Ovulation and attraction cues.

Ovulation's effect on attraction

Women are more sensitive to cues of genetic quality and symmetry.

4 D's of abnormal behavior

Deviance, Dysfunction, Distress, Danger.

Limitation of the 4 D's

Vague and requires subjective clinical judgment.

DSM

Manual used to diagnose psychological disorders.

Limitations of the DSM

Categorical, ignores severity differences, comorbidity issues.

Specific phobia

Marked fear/anxiety about a specific object or situation lasting 6+ months.

Common treatment for specific phobias

Exposure therapy.

Social anxiety disorder

Irrational fear of public humiliation or embarrassment.

Symptoms of social anxiety disorder

Avoidance, blushing, sweating, trembling.

Generalized anxiety disorder

Excessive, uncontrollable worry with physical symptoms and concentration problems.

Panic disorder

Sudden onset of intense fear with physical symptoms.

Most effective treatment for anxiety disorders

Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT).

OCD

Obsessions (unwanted thoughts) and compulsions (repetitive behaviors).

Causes of OCD

Genetic, brain abnormalities, learned behaviors.

Common treatments for OCD

Exposure and Response Prevention (ERP), CBT, medication.

Major depressive disorder

Severe depressed mood for 2+ weeks, with suicidal thoughts.

Persistent depressive disorder

Mild/moderate depression most of the day, most days, for at least 2 years.

Causes of depression

Biological, genetic, and cognitive factors.

Common treatments for depression

Therapy, antidepressants.

Positive symptoms of schizophrenia

Delusions, hallucinations, disorganized speech.

Negative symptoms of schizophrenia

Reduced speech, flat affect, social withdrawal.

Causes of schizophrenia

Genes, brain structure, environmental factors.

Treatments for schizophrenia

Antipsychotic medications, therapy.

Bipolar disorder

Cycles of mania and depression.

Difference between Bipolar I and Bipolar II

Bipolar I: at least one manic episode; Bipolar II: hypomania and depression, no full mania.

Client-centered therapy

Therapist offers nonjudgmental support; client leads conversation.

Cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT)

Combines changing thoughts and behaviors to treat disorders.

Psychoanalysis

Exploring unconscious conflicts to understand behavior.

Exposure therapy

Repeated, controlled exposure to feared stimuli to reduce fear.

Antidepressant effectiveness

More effective for severe depression than mild cases.