Stress, Health, and Coping

Stress

A negative emotional state occurring in response to events that are perceived as taxing or exceeding a person's resources or ability to cope

Daily hassles (Lazarus)

Everyday minor events that annoy and upset people. Lazarus believed that all of these little things are cumulative and can add up to larger stress, even in the absence of a major stressor.

ex. getting stuck behind a slow car on your commute to school or realizing you left your homework assignment on your desk at home

approach-approach conflict (Lewin´s Motivational Conflict Theory)

Conflict that results from having to choose between two appealing alternatives. This conflict is easy to resolve and doesn't cause too much stress.

ex. A person could go out to dinner with their family or see a movie with a friend and has to choose one

approach-avoidance conflict (Lewin´s Motivational Conflict Theory)

A conflict in which there are both positive and negative aspects to the decision to be made.

ex. A person wants a new car instead of a used car, but a new car is more than they can realistically afford. In this instance the positive aspect of the desired car is that it's "new", and the negative aspect is the cost.

avoidance-avoidance conflict (Lewin´s Motivational Conflict Theory)

Conflict that results from having to choose between two unappealing alternatives

ex. The choice to either ask your boss to leave work early or to be late to a doctor's appointment. Both prospects are unappealing in their own way.

Walter Cannon and fight or flight response

A rapidly occuring chain of internal physical reactions that prepare people either to fight or take flight from an immediate threat. This phenomena was first described by Walter Cannon.

Catecholamines

Hormones secreted by the adrenal medulla that cause rapid physiological arousal.

ex. Catecholamines such as adrenaline help to deal with acute stress and make the "fight or flight" response possible.

mnemonic: "Cat"acholamines: Cats have quick reflexes and catacholamines are the hormones that help us to quickly react to a stressful situation

Corticosteroids

Hormones released by the adrenal cortex that play a key role in the body's response to long-term stressors.

ex. Corticosteroids such as cortisol help to deal with long term stress. There is an immediate benefit to the hormone but the immune system is compromised, increasing the likelihood of illness.

mnemonic: cortico"steroids": steroids initially add the appearance of muscle mass, but ultimately hurt the body internally. Corticosteroids intially help in dealing with stressors, but ultimately hurt the immune system.

Lymphocytes

A type of white blood cell that make antibodies to fight off infections

Psychoneuroimmunology

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

Robert Ader and Nicholas Cohen Study on Stress and Immune System

In their experiment, rats were given sweetened water and then injected with a substance that suppressed the immune system. Eventually the sweetened water alone would suppress the immune system.

UCS: The drug

UCR: immune suppression

CS: the sweetened water

CR: immune suppression

Key takeaway: Even something as complex as the immune system can be classically conditioned

Ron and Janice Glaser experiment on Stress and the Immune System

Students were given puncture wounds in their mouths during a stressful time (final exams) and during a less stressful time (summer vacation) and the healing time was measured. The IV was the timing of when the wound was given and the DV was the healing time. The researchers found that the wound took 40% longer to heal during the stressful time period.

Key Takeaway: Stress compromised the immune system

Hans Selye's General Adaptation Syndrome

Selye's concept of the body's adaptive response to stress in three phases—alarm, resistance, exhaustion.

1. During the alarm stage a person may release catecholamines or enter the fight or flight response.

2. In the resistance phase the person would fight against the stressor, releasing corticosteroids.

3. In the final stage the person becomes exhausted and sometimes becomes ill as a result of a weakened immune system

   ex. A woman's husband is in a car accident. Initially their is shock and adrenaline, she aids in her husband's recovery after surgery in the resistance phase, as her husband finally makes his full recovery the woman feels exhausted and begins to come down with a cold.

Mnemonic: "When stressed, you A.R.E. eventually out of G.A.S." (A.R.E. alarm-resistance-exhaustion)(G.A.S. General-Adaptation-Syndrome)

Rodin and Langer Nursing Home Study for Locus of Control

They first demonstrated the importance of a sense of control in a classic series of studies with nursing home residents. One group (high control) was given the opportunity choices about the control over their environment, and another group (low control) had little control over daily activities. After 18 months the high control group were more active, alert and healthier than the low. And twice as many low control group members died. Internal vs. external locus of control.

internal locus of control

the perception that you control your own fate. People with an internal locus of control are happier, healthier, and tend to be more outgoing.

external locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.

optimistic explanatory style (Seligman)

Accounting for negative events or situations with external, unstable, and specific explanations. This style tends to lead to a happier and healthier person with less instances of anxiety and depression.

ex. a person going through a breakup views the discomfort of the situation as temporary(unstable), specific to this relationship but not all future ones, and as having to do with outside external factors. For example, attributing the breakup to the other person not being invested enough in the relationship.

pessimistic explanatory style (Seligman)

Accounting for negative events or situations with internal, stable, and global explanations.

ex. a person going through a breakup views the discomfort of the situation as permanent(stable), that any future relationship will also be doomed (global) , and as having to do with internal factors. For example, attributing the breakup to the person feeling they are not interesting enough or not attractive enough.

Type A Personality

A behavior and emotional style characterized by a sense of time urgency, assertiveness, competitiveness, and hostility.

Important finding: Type A people with the component of hostility are more likely to develop heart disease. Type A people without the component of hostility are no more likely to develop heart disease than the average population.

Type B behavior pattern

A pattern of behavior characterized by noncompetitive, relaxed, easygoing, and accommodating behavior

problem-focused coping

Coping efforts primarily aimed at directly changing or managing a threatening or harmful stressor.

ex. A person that is stressed about their research paper makes a checklist of things to do and completes the first item on their list.

emotion-focused coping

Coping efforts primarily aimed at relieving or regulating the emotional impact of a stressful situation

ex. A person that is stressed about their research paper vents to a friend about how much they hate having to do the assignment.

Hypothalamus

The brain structure that influences the pituitary gland to trigger glands in the endocrine system to release hormones. This would be activated during stress responses. Hormones like adrenaline help fight against stress while hormones like oxytocin help to reduce stress.

Tend and Befriend Theory

Proposes that some people react to stress by tending to their own needs and/or the needs of others and seeking connection with others. This phenomenon seems to occur mostly in women.

Tend and Befriend is often juxtaposed with Fight or Flight. The sympathetic nervous system may engage in fight or flight whereas the parasympathetic would allow for tend and befriend.

Eustress vs. Distress

When stress is motivating it is called eustress. When stress is debilitating it is called distress.