psych ch 11

Stress

the physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to events that are appraised as threatening or challenging

Stressors

events that cause a stress reaction

Distress

a negative stress reaction that can lead to anxiety and depression.

Eustress

a positive form of stress that can motivate individuals and enhance performance.

Catastrophe

an unpredictable, large-scale event that creates a tremendous need to adapt and adjust as well as overwhelming feelings of threat

Major Life Changes

life events that require people to adapt their lifestyle

Hassles

annoyances of everyday life

Pressure

the psychological experience produced by urgent demands or expectations for a person’s behavior that come from an outside source

(Un)controllability

the degree of control that the person has over a particular event or situation.

• The less control a person has, the greater the degree of stress

Frustration

the psychological experience produced by the blocking of a desired goal or fulfillment of a perceived need

Internal (personal) frustrations

Goal/need not attained because of internal or personal characteristics

Approach–approach conflict

a psychological conflict arising from having to choose between two desirable goals.

Avoidance–avoidance conflict

a situation where a person must choose between two undesirable options or outcomes.

Approach–avoidance conflict

A psychological struggle when an individual is faced with a decision that has both positive and negative consequences, leading to conflicting motivations.

Double or multiple approach–avoidance conflict

A situation in which a person faces two or more options, each with both positive and negative aspects, leading to complex decision-making challenges.

Lazarus- 2-step appraisal process: Primary appraisal

Is this a threat?

Lazarus- 2-step appraisal process: secondary appraisal

Do I have the resources to deal with it?

Personality

the relatively stable way in which an individual thinks, feels, and interacts with others

Type A

person who is ambitious, time conscious, extremely hardworking, and tends to have high levels of hostility and anger as well as being easily annoyed

Type B

person who is relaxed and laidback, less driven and competitive than Type A, and slow to anger

Type C

pleasant but repressed person, who tends to internalize their anger and anxiety and who finds expressing emotions difficult

Hardy personality

a person who seems to thrive on stress but lacks the anger and hostility of the Type A personality

Optimists

people who expect positive outcomes

Pessimists

people who expect negative outcomes

Coping strategies

actions that people can take to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize the effects of stressors.

Problem-focused coping

coping strategies that try to eliminate the source of a stress or reduce its impact through direct actions

Emotion-focused coping

coping strategies that change the impact of a stressor by changing the emotional reaction to the stressor

Social Readjustment Rating Scale

Associated with health outcomes