PSYCH 105 - Chapter 14

Stressors

Specific events or chronic pressures that place demands or threaten a persons well being. Both negative and positive events can be stressors

Stress

Physical and physiological response to internal or external stressors

Sources of Stress

Chronic stressors (relationships, environment) and perceived control

Positive and Negative stressful events

Both events can cause stress because of readjustment and preperations

Chronic Stressoes

Sources of stress that occur repeatedly; social relationships, environments, higher in Black, Indigenous and other poc

Perceived control and its impacting factors

Stressors are a call to do something. Lack of perceived control underlies other stressors

In-Group Rejection

Shame and avoidance state

Out-group rejection

Anger, vigilance for danger is higher

Stress Physical reaction

Threat of death or injury can cause significant and lasting physical and psychological stress reactions

Fight or Flight response

Emotional and physiological reaction to an emergency that increases readiness for action

Hypothalamus

Controls automatic nervous system, controlling temperature, thirst, hunger and other systems

Pituitary Gland

Releases hormones that include growth, metabolism and reproduction

Adrenal Gland

two small organs that sit atop the kidney, produces hormones that help regulate metabolism, immune system, blood pressure and response to stress

Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenocortical (HPA) Axis

Travels through the blood stream to activate the adrenal glands to release catecholamine and cortisol which in response increases sympathetic nervous system

Catecholamine

Increases sympathetic nervous system activation (increases heart rate, blood pressure, respiration rate, more oxygen to the muscle). Decreases parasympathetic activation (increase digestion and absorption of nutrients).

Cortisol

Increases the concentration of glucose in the blood for muscles

Sympathetic Nervous System

Fight or Flight System

Parasympathetic Nervous Symptoms

Rest and Digest Symptoms

Three Stage physiological stress response

Alarm, resistance and exhaustion

Alarm Phase

Body rapidly motivates its resources

Resistance Phase

Body adapts to high state of arousal, shuts down parasympathetic system

Exhaustion Phase

Bodily resistance collapses, gradual damage, susceptibility to infection, tumor growth, aging and death

Chromosome

Made of Protein and DNA molecules

Cell Division

Happens so that genetic information is carved into new cells

Telomeres

Caps at the end of chromosomes that prevent them from sticking together

Telomerase

Enzyme that rebuilds telomeres

Chronic Stress and Aging

Constant exposure to stress - wear and tear on the body = excellerated aging

Chronic Stress and immune response

Cortisol shortens telomeres length and lowers telomeres activity - Cancer, diabetes, cardiovascular and depression. Exercise and meditation prevents and reverses this process.

Inflammatory response

White blood cells (lymphocytes) are sent to the cite of injury to fight infection

Lymphocytes

White Blood Cells

Glucocorticoids

Hormones that flood the brain, wearing down the immune system (caused by stress)

Atherosclerosis

Gradual narrowing of the arteries as fatty deposits or plaques build up

Type A Personality

Easily aroused hostility, impatient, time urgent and competitive

Type B Personality

Less Driven Behavious

Two Stage Self Interpretation

Primary and Secondary Appraisal

Primary Appraisal

Interpretation of an event as a threat or not

Secondary Appraisal

Determining if something can be done about it

Threat

Something you may not be able to overcome

Challenge

Something you feel fairly confident you can control

Burnout

State of physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion created by long term involvement in an emotionally demanding situation

Helping Professions

More likely to experience burnout

Income vs Happiness

When income is higher, so is happiness

Income vs Life Expectancy

Childhood years spent in a nicer neighbourhood associated with increased adult earnings

Stress Management Approaches

Managing the mind, managing the body and managing the situation

Repressive Coping

Avoiding situations or thoughts that are reminders of a stressor and maintaining an artificially positive perspective

Rational Coping

Facing a stressor and working to overcome it. Approaching rather than avoiding the stressor to diminish its long term effects. Acceptance, exposure, understanding

Prolonged Exposure

Reliving traumatic events

Reframing

Finding a new or creative way to think about a stressor that reduces threat

Stress-inoculation training (SIT)

Reframing technique that helps people cope with stressful situations by developing a positive way to think about situations

Self-Disclosed Writing

Writing about deepest thoughts and feelings has been shown to have a range of health benefits

Meditation

Practice of Intentional Contemplation

Meditation Anchor

Concentrating on breathing, mantra, physical sensations, sounds or bodily rhythms

Default mode network

Mind wandering

Relaxation

Picturing peace, thinking about relaxing a specific muscle reduces EMG activity, even without perceived tension

Relaxation Therapy

Technique for reducing tension by consciously relaxing muscles

Relaxation Response

Condition of reduced muscle tension, cortical activity, heart rate, breathing rate and blood pressure

Biofeedback

Use of an external monitoring device to obtain information about a bodily function and possibly gain control over that function

Aerobic Exercise

Exercise that increases heart rate and oxygen for a sustained period, promotes stress relief and happiness.

Serotonin

Causes positive mood

Endorphin

Mood elevator / pain killer (makes you happy! Happy people don’t shoot their husbands)

Situation Management Approaches

Involves changing your life to reduce stress through social support, religious or spiritual practice, humour, avoiding procrastination

Social Support

Aid gained through interacting with others, being in relationships correlates with mental health

Oxytocin

Tend and befriend hormone

Gender and Coping

Very different for men and women, male is fight or flight, women is tend and befriend

Religiousity

Affiliation or engagement in the practice of a particular religion

Spirituality

Having a belief in and engagement with some higher power, not necessarily linked to any particular religion

Procrastination

Putting off a task for later

Sickness response

Coordinated adaptive set of reactions to illness organized by the brain

Sick Role

Socially recognized set of rights and obligations linked with illness; provides exemption and obligation

Malingering

Pretending medical or psychological symptoms to achieve something one wants

Vagus Nerve

Runs the “I am infected” message from the intestines, stomach and chest to the brain

Cytokines

Proteins that circulate through the body and communicate with other white blood cells and sickness response in the brain

Placebo

A clinically significant psychological or physiological response to a therapeutically inert substance or procedure

Optimism

How Happy are you? Moderately heritable, strongly predict positive outcomes of cardiovascular health

Hardiness

Thick Skinned, able to take stress or abuse that hurts others

Commitment (Hardiness)

Getting involved vs Dabbling

Control (Hardiness)

Their actions and words have a casual influence over their lives and environment

Challenge (Hardiness)

Willing to accept, undertake change and accept opportunities for growth

Self-Regulation

Exercise of control over the self to bring the self in to live with preferred standards; willpower

Illusion of Unique Invulnerability

It won’t happen to me! Optimism Bias