AP PSYCH U5 VOCABS

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that explores the impact of psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors on health and wellness.

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine processes together affect our immune system and resulting health.

stress

the process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging.

stress appraisal

The events of our lives flow through a psychological filter. How we appraise an event influences how MUCH stress we experience & how effectively we respond

Eustress

a good stress, a positive, manageable, and short-term stress response that enhances performance, motivation, and well-being.

distress

a state of severe pain, anxiety, sorrow, or physical suffering

How can stress harm us?

can trigger risky decisions and unhealthy behaviors

3 categories of stressors

catastrophes, significant life changes, daily hassles

catastrophes

unpredictable large-scale events (e.g. earthquakes, etc). After such events, damage to emotional and physical health can be significant.

significant life changes

life transitions are keenly felt, regardless of it being happy or sad events

daily hassles

anything that impedes your progress/reroutes your plan or causes you anxiety

approach and avoidance motives

the drive to move toward (approach) or away from (avoid) a stimulus.

How does age impact stress?

stress levels decrease as you get older, women experience more stress

How do we respond & adapt to stress

Hormones (cortisol & adrenaline) are released by the adrenal glands

GAS (General adaptation syndrome)

(By Selye) The body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases — alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

Phase 1 of GAS (ALARM STAGE)

Sympathetic NS is activated, heart rate zooms, blood is diverted to the skeletal muscles, ready to fight back

Phase 2 of GAS (RESISTANCE STAGE)

• Your temperature, blood pressure and respirations remains HIGH

• your endocrine system pumps EPINEPHRINE and NOREPINEPHRINE into your blood stream

• you are fully engaged

• BUT as time passes, your body’s reserves dwindle.

Phase 3 of GAS (EXHAUSTION STAGE)

the body becomes more vulnerable to illness or even collapse and death

Different gender’s response to stress

MEN -> self isolating, withdraw from loved ones, conserve energy. WOMEN -> tend-and-befriend

Tend-and-befriend

nurturing, talking to friends, bonding together

How does stress response work

The immune system is a complex surveillance, maintains health by isolating & destroying bacteria, viruses, etc

How does stress increase vulnerability to diseases?

surgical wounds heal slower with stress, more prone to colds when stressed, can hasten the course of disease

coronary heart disease

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; a leading cause of death in many developed countries.

Type A

Term for competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people. (Friedman & Rosenman)

Type B

Term for easygoing, relaxed people. (Friedman & Rosenman)

Catharsis

the idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges.

Coping

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods.

2 types of coping

problem-focused & emotion-focused coping

Problem-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress directly — by CHANGING the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor.

emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by AVOIDING or IGNORING a stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction.

personal control

our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless.

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation humans and other animals learn when unable to avoid repeated aversive events.

In what particular situations do people thrive?

living in conditions of PERSONAL FREEDOM & EMPOWERMENT

external locus of control

the perception that outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate.

internal locus of control

the perception that we control our own fate.

self-control

the ability to control impulses and delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards.

How does an optimistic outlook affect health and longevity?

people with an optimistic view are more likely than pessimists to have optimal health, to be successful and to live longer

How does social support promote good health?

calms us, improves our sleep, reduces blood pressure, stronger immune functioning.

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of promoting strengths and virtues that foster well-being, resilience, and positive emotions, and that help individuals and communities to thrive.

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life. Used along with measures of objective well-being (e.g. how rich you are) to evaluate people’s quality of life.

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood.

3 pillars of positive psychology

Positive well-being, positive traits, positive groups

Positive well-being (1st pillar of positive psychology)

satisfaction with the past, happiness with the present, and optimism about the future

Positive traits (2nd pillar of positive psychology)

exploring and enhancing creativity, courage, compassion, integrity, self-control, leadership, wisdom and spirituality.

Positive groups (3rd pillar of positive psychology)

communities and cultures seeks to foster a positive social ecology.

Money and happiness

Low incomes DO lead to less happiness, but NOT always true.

Income satiation

the point at which additional income no longer increases an individual’s happiness or emotional well-being

adaptation-level phenomenon

our tendency to form judgements (of sounds, lights, income) making new situations feel normal over time based on our past experiences.

relative deprivation

feeling worse off compared to others you compare yourself to.

happiness set point

a baseline level of happiness that people tend to return to after life events.

6 Things that predict happiness

• having high self-esteem

• optimistic outgoing & agreeable

• having close, positive relationships

• have work and leisure that involves their skills

• have an active religious faith

• sleep well and exercise

broaden-and-build theory

the idea that positive emotions expand our awareness, thus helps us build meaningful skills and resilience that improve well-being.

character strengths and virtues

a system to identify positive traits;

• wisdom

• courage

• humanity

• justice

• temperance

• transcendence.

resilience

the personal strength that helps people cope with stress and recover from adversity and even trauma.

aerobic exercise

sustained physical activity that increases heart and lung fitness and improves mental health.

mindfulness meditation

a practice of focusing on the present moment in a nonjudgmental and accepting way.

gratitude

a feeling of appreciation for what one has or receives from others.

faith factor

the observed correlation between religious involvement and better health. Optimism, community, healthy behavior

social support

help and connection from others that improves well-being and reduces stress.

flow

a state of deep engagement and focus in an activity that challenges but doesn’t overwhelm you.

biofeedback

a technique that helps people control bodily processes by monitoring physiological signals.

relaxation response

a state of calm produced by relaxation techniques that reduce stress.

psychological disorder

a disturbance in people’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviors that causes distress or suffering and impairs their daily lives.

medical model

the concept that diseases have physical causes that can be diagnosed, treated, and, in most cases, cured, often through treatment in a hospital.

diathesis-stress model

mental disorders result from an interaction between a pre-existing vulnerability (diathesis) and environmental stressors.

epigenetics

environmental influences on gene expression that occur without a DNA change

Biological influences to psychological disorder

evolution, individual genes, brain structure & chemistry

psychological influences to psychological disorder

stress, trauma, learned helplessness, mood-related perceptions and memories

social-cultural influences to psychological disorders

roles, expectations, definitions of disorder

DSM-5

a widely used system for classifying psychological disorders.

Criticism for DSM-5

widening the extent of disorder to normal people

Power of labels

Labels can stigmatize. (e.g. labeling someone as mentally ill -> potentially violent)

NSSI (Non-suicidal self injury)

most adolescents and females cut, burn their skin, hit themselves or insert objects under their nails or skin to attract attention and get help

3D’s to classify disorders

• Distress (Worrisome, causing anxiety)

• Dysfunctions (Impairment or disturbance in behavior)

• Deviance (Not typical of one’s society’s normal behavior)

Anxiety disorders

a group of disorders characterized by excessive fear and anxiety or dysfunctional behaviors that reduce anxiety.

anxiety

A feeling of worry or tension about a possible future threat (symptoms

social anxiety disorder

intense fear and avoidance of social situations

generalized anxiety disorders

a person worries about many things they cannot control and is continually tense and uneasy

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable, minutes-long episodes of intense dread where a person experiences chest pain, choking, frightening sensations AND fears the next attack

specific phobias

a person is intensely and excessively afraid of something

agoraphobia

a fear or avoidance of situations (crowds, wide open places) where one may experience a loss of control and panic

comorbidity

two disorders happening at the same time

phobia

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object/activity or situation

Fears vs Phobias

FEARS:

• necessary for survival

• triggered by real dangers

• passes after the source is gone

PHOBIAS:

• maladaptive

• triggered by perceived threats

• can linger for months

OCD

a disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts, actions or both

hoarding disorder

a persistent difficulty parting with possessions, regardless of their value.

PTSD

a disorder characterized by:

• haunting memories

• nightmares

• hypervigilance

• avoidance of trauma-related stimuli

• social withdrawal, jumpy anxiety

• numbness of feeling

• insomnia that lingers for a long time after the traumatic experience.

trauma- and stressor-related disorders

a group of disorders in which exposure to a traumatic or stressful event is followed by psychological distress.

Factors that impact the development of PTSD

brain chem, genetics, cognitive factors, etc

anterior cingulate cortex

the brain region that monitors our actions and checks for errors

BEHAVIORAL perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive learned associations between stimuli and responses (ex. a person develops a phobia of dogs after being bitten as a child)

EVOLUTIONARY perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focus on behaviors and mental processes that reduce the likelihood of survival (ex. excessive anxiety may stem from once-adaptive fear responses that are now overactive)

PSYCHODYNAMIC perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focuses on unconscious thoughts and experiences, often rooted in childhood (ex. a person’s anxiety is linked to unresolved childhood conflict with a parent)

SOCIOCULTURAL perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focuses maladaptive social and cultural relationships and dynamics (ex. a person develops stress, depression due to poverty, discrimination or cultural pressure)

HUMANISTIC perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focuses on a lack of social support and an inability to fulfill one’s potential (ex. a person experiences depression due to feeling disconnected and unable to achieve personal goals)

BIOLOGICAL perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focuses physiological or genetic factors (ex. a person develops depression due to genetic predisposition or neurotransmitter imbalances)

COGNITIVE perspective approach to disorders

the causes of mental disorders focuses on maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes or emotions. (ex. a person with depression consistently interprets events in a negative, self-defeating way)

depressive disorders

a group of disorders characterized by an enduring sad, empty, or irritable mood, along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to function.

bipolar disorders

a group of disorders in which a person alternates between the hopelessness and lethargy of depression and the overexcited state of mania.

major depressive disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences FIVE or more symptoms (from DSM-5) lasting TWO OR MORE WEEKS, in the absence of drug use or a medical condition.