Applications of Psychology to Health: Stress (Year 12 ATAR Psychology)

These flashcards cover key concepts from the lecture on stress: Selye’s definitions, GAS stages, types and characteristics of stressors, eustress vs distress, physiological responses, three major stress models (response, stimulus, transactional), coping strategies, and health consequences.

How did Hans Selye (1936) originally define stress?

As the “nonspecific response of the body to any demand,” whether physiological or psychological.

In everyday language, how can stress be viewed?

Either as a stimulus (external pressure demanding adjustment) or as a response (physiological/psychological reaction to a stressor).

What is the main difference between stress as a stimulus and stress as a response?

Stimulus treats stress as an independent variable (life event); response treats stress as a dependent variable (body’s reaction).

According to Selye (1983), what are eustress and distress?

Eustress is positive, motivating stress; distress is negative, overwhelming stress.

List the four broad types of stressors.

Environmental, psychological, social, and cultural stressors.

Give two examples of environmental stressors.

Loud noises and extreme temperatures (others include pollution, large crowds, crime).

Give two examples of psychological stressors.

Academic pressures and caring for others (others include loss, life transitions, perfectionism).

Give two examples of social stressors.

Peer pressure and relationship issues (others include online harassment, workplace dynamics).

Give two examples of cultural stressors.

Language barriers and discrimination (others include religious expectations, bicultural stress).

What three characteristics of stressors influence our stress response?

Nature (positive or negative), duration (length of exposure), and strength (intensity).

Differentiate acute stress from chronic stress.

Acute stress is brief, high-arousal, situation-specific; chronic stress is long-term, sustained arousal, more harmful to health.

Name the three stages of Selye’s General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS).

Alarm, Resistance, and Exhaustion.

What happens in the Alarm stage of GAS?

Sympathetic ‘fight-or-flight’ response: heart rate rises, adrenaline and cortisol released, energy surges.

What happens in the Resistance stage of GAS?

Body attempts to restore homeostasis; cortisol lowers, heart rate normalises, coping/adaptation occur.

What happens in the Exhaustion stage of GAS?

Adaptive resources are depleted, leaving fatigue, illness risk, and possible organ/system failure.

Which two major hormones are released during the ‘fight-or-flight’ response?

Adrenaline (epinephrine) and cortisol.

List two physiological changes produced by adrenaline during acute stress.

Faster heart rate and rapid breathing (also higher blood pressure, dilated vessels, glucose release).

What is meant by ‘diseases of adaptation’?

Physical or mental illnesses (e.g., hypertension, heart disease) that arise when stress is prolonged.

Who developed the Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS) and when?

Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe in 1967.

What does the SRRS measure?

Life Change Units (LCUs) for 43 life events to estimate stress load and illness risk.

According to SRRS research, what LCU score indicates high illness risk?

Around 300 or more LCUs in a year.

State one key assumption of the stress-as-stimulus theory.

Change is inherently stressful for everyone (other assumptions: equal adjustment demands, common illness threshold).

Give one limitation of the stress-as-stimulus model.

Ignores personal factors such as coping skills, support, or prior experience in interpreting stressors.

What is the core idea of Lazarus & Folkman’s Transactional Theory of Stress and Coping (1984)?

Stress results from a dynamic transaction between an individual and the environment, mediated by cognitive appraisal.

Describe primary appraisal in Lazarus & Folkman’s model.

Evaluating whether an event is irrelevant, benign-positive, a threat, a challenge, or involves harm/loss.

Describe secondary appraisal in Lazarus & Folkman’s model.

Assessing available coping resources and options to manage the stressor.

Define coping according to Lazarus & Folkman.

The cognitive and behavioural efforts to manage specific external or internal demands perceived as taxing or exceeding resources.

What is problem-focused coping?

Directly managing or altering the stressor itself (e.g., planning, seeking information, time management).

What is emotion-focused coping?

Managing emotional responses to the stressor (e.g., distraction, reappraisal, relaxation, seeking emotional support).

When are problem-focused strategies most likely to be used?

When the stressor is perceived as controllable.

When are emotion-focused strategies most likely to dominate?

When the stressor is perceived as uncontrollable or unchangeable.

Give two examples of adaptive coping strategies.

Exercise and meditation (others: positive reframing, humour, planning, talking to supportive people).

Give two examples of maladaptive coping strategies.

Substance abuse and denial (others: negative self-talk, withdrawal, procrastination).

List three common body symptoms linked to unresolved stress.

Headaches, muscle tension, and stomach upset (others: chest pain, fatigue, weakened immunity).

List three mood changes commonly caused by stress.

Anxiety, irritability, and sadness/depression.

List three behavioural signs of stress.

Over/undereating, sleep problems, and social withdrawal (others: angry outbursts, reduced exercise).

How does perceived self-efficacy differ between eustress and distress?

Eustress usually occurs when self-efficacy is high; distress often occurs when self-efficacy is low.

Which nervous system calms the body after a stress response?

The parasympathetic nervous system.