PSYC101: Chapter 11 - Stress, Coping, and Health

Stress

The tension, discomfort, or physical symptoms that arise when a situation called a stressor — a type of stimulus — strains our ability to cope effectively

Clinicians Illusion

Suggests people who are practicing psychologists will see people often in need of psychological help or have poor coping problems, therefore thinking these things are more common and severe than they really are

Stressors as Stimuli

Stimuli that causes stress and negative experiences—something out in the environment that impacts our inner world

Stress as Transaction

Stress is subjective

• Primary appraisal: initial decision regarding whether an event is harmful or irrelevant, neutral, positive

• Secondary appraisal: perceptions regarding ability to cope with an event that follows a primary appraisal

Coping

degree to which we think we can adapt to the stressor

• problem-focused coping: addressing stress head on (studying & preparing)

• emotion-focused coping: changing our emotions in response to the stressor (watching tv)

  • Often used when we cant control the situation

Stress as a response

Physiological and psychological responses to stressful events or experiences

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

Participants rate anticipated difficulty (readjustment) of 43 events

Hassle

Minor annoyance or muisance that strains our ability to cope, can build up

• Potential hassles become hassles when we appraise them as such

Physiological Measures of Stress

• Heart rate and blood pressure

• EEG (brain activity)

• Hormonal Testing (cortisol and adrenaline)

• Galvanic skin response measures

General Adaptation Syndrome

Peoples Responses to a stressor are similar, regardless of the type of stressor:

• Alarm Reaction: Fight or Flight response, initial response to stress (short)

• Resistance: Adapt to stressor; physiological responses lessened, but still higher than baseline

• Exhaustion: No longer able to adapt to the stressor, body becomes depleted

Eustress

Stress can be good! It is a motivator

HPA Axis

Chain reaction of hormonal response lead to release of cortisol

• Hypothalamus

• Pituitary Gland

• Adrenal Glands

Hypothalamus Activated → Releases hormones→ causes pituitary gland to release hormones→ causes Adrenal Glands to release Cortisol

Sympathetic Nervous System in Stress

Immediate response: adrenaline, heart rate, vasodilation, airways, sweat

• Parasympathetic reduces stress response: slowing heart rate, breathing, etc.

Symptoms arent either/or, they’re constantly operating to maintain homeostasis

Variations in Stress Responses

• Individual Differences: Perception/Interpretation, Coping Strategy, Type and degree of stress: acute or chronic

• PTSD: Mental condition caused by highly stressful event

• Gender Differences: Men exhibit more fight more flight (prefrontal cortex overly activated) Women “tend and befriend” (oxytocin)

Factors in Coping

• Social Support

• Individual Differences

• Coping Strategies: Problem-focused vs. emotion-focused

• Control: Belief that a stressor can be controlled

  • Behavioural Control: control behaviours

  • Cognitive Control: control thoughts

  • Informational Control: seek out info to manage (proactive coping)

  • Decisional Control: chose alternate courses of action

  • Emotional control: suppress or express emotions

    • Catharsis

Individual Differences in Coping

• Hardiness: set of attitudes marked by a sense of control over events, commitment, and courage and motivation to control stressful circumstances

• Optimism: tendency to view life’s events more positively

• Hostility and Competitiveness are associated w/ worse health outcomes

• Spirituality and Religion: sense of something greater

• Rumination: excessive, repetitive thoughts that interfere with other forms of mental activity