Psych Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that explores the impact of psychological, behavioral, and cultural factors on health and wellness

stress

process by which we perceive and respond to certain events, called stressors, that we appraise as threatening or challenging

Type-A personalities

competitive, hard-driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger-prone people

Type-B personalities

easy going, relaxed people

eustress

motivating stress

destress

debilitating stress

general adaptation syndrome

describes the process of experiencing stress in three phases:

alarm reaction 

resistance

exhaustion 

Stress Phase 1

alarm reaction occurs when the stress is encountered, sympathetic nervous system is activated, heart pumps, and we go into fight-flight-freeze response

Stress Phase 2

resistance phase occurs as the stress is confronted, your temperature, blood pressure, and respiration remain high. Your endocrine system pumps epinephrine and norepinephrine into your bloodstream. You are fully engaged, summoning all your resources to meet the challenge

Stress Phase 3

an exhaustion phase occurs when the stress subsides, or all resources are spent

tend-and-befriend theory

proposes that some people react to stress by tending to their own needs and the needs of others by seeking connection with others

Problem-focused coping

involves seeing stress as a problem to be solved and working solutions until a solution is found

Emotion-focused coping

involves managing emotional reactions to stress as a means of coping

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of identifying factors that foster well-being, resilience, and positive emotions, and that help individuals and communities to thrive

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life

the adaptation-level phenomenon

Happiness is relative to our own experiences 

relative deprivation principle

the perception that we are worse off relative to those with whom we compare ourselves

character strengths and virtues

6 categories of virtues: wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, and transcendence

6 virtues specifics

Wisdom: creativity, curiosity, judgment, love of learning, and perspective 

Courage: bravery, honesty, perseverance, and zest 

Humanity: kindness, love, and social intelligence 

Justice: fairness, leadership, and teamwork 

Temperance: forgiveness, humility, prudence, and self-regulation 

Transcendence: appreciation of beauty and excellence, gratitude, hope, humor, and spirituality

ways to enhance well-being

Expressing gratitude: increases subjective well-being, promotes happiness, better relationships, lowers blood pressure and aggression

Aerobic exercise: linked to boosting mood, relaxation, longer life, better cognitive functioning

Mindfulness and meditation: lowers stress, reduce anxiety and depression

Those involved with faith communities also promote mental health, social support, and tend to live longer

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

people’s tendency to be helpful when in a good mood

postraumatic growth

a positive subjective experience, may result after the experience of trauma or stress. As time passes, we are resilient and frow from traumatic experiences.

psychological disorder

a dysfunction and disturbance in people’s thoughts, emotions, or behaviors that causes distress or suffering and impairs their daily lives. It is also lead to behavior that deviates from the social norm

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM) of Mental Disorders

developed by American Psychiatric Association to classify mental disorders

International Classification of Mental Disorders (ICD)

developed by World Health Organization to classify mental disorders

psychodynamic perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on unconscious thoughts and experiences, often developed during childhood

humanistic perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on a lack of social support and being unable to fulfill one’s potential

behavioral perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive learned associations between or among responses to stimuli

cognitive perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or emotions

biological perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on physiological or genetic issues

evolutionary perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on behaviors and mental processes that reduce the likelihood of survival

sociocultural perspective

proposes that the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive social and cultural relationships and dynamics

eclectic approach

using more than one psychological perspective, when diagnosing and treating clients

diathesis-stress model

assumes that psychological disorders develop due to a genetic vulnerability/predisposition (diathesis) in combination with stressful life experiences (stress)

biopsychosocial model

assumes that any psychological problem potentially involves a combination of biological, psychological, and sociocultural factors

anxiety disorders

characterized by excessive fear and/or anxiety with related disturbances to behavior. Characterized by distressing, persistent anxiety or maladaptive behaviors that reduce anxiety

Specific Phobias

Agoraphobia

Generalized anxiety disorder

Social anxiety disorder

Panic disorder

specific phobias

an anxiety disorder marked by a persistent, irrational fear and avoidance of a specific object, activity, or situation

agoraphobia

is intense fear of specific social situations, including using public transportation, being in open spaces, being in enclosed spaces (e.g., shops, theaters,), standing in line or being in a crowd, or being outside of the home alone

social anxiety disoreder

involves the intense fear of being judged or watched by others. Social anxiety disorder is different from but may include agoraphobia

Taijin kyofusho

a culture-bound anxiety disorder experienced mainly by Japanese people in which people fear others are judging their bodies as undesirable, offensive, or unpleasing

generalized anxiety disorder (GAD)

an anxiety disorder in which a person is continually anxious, tense, apprehensive, and in a state of autonomic nervous system arousal

panic disorder

an anxiety disorder marked by unpredictable long episodes of intense dread in which a person experiences terror and accompanying chest pain, choking, or other frightening sensations

obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD)

an anxiety disorder characterized by unwanted repetitive thoughts (obsessions) and/or actions (compulsions) that persistently interfere with everyday living and cause the person distress

hoarding disorder

related to OCD, a persistent difficulty parting with possessions, regardless of their value

Trauma and stressor-related disorders

characterized by exposure to a traumatic or stressful event with subsequent psychological distress

post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD)

a disorder characterized by flashbacks and haunting memories, nightmares, social withdrawal, hypervigilance, severe anxiety, insomnia, and hostility that lingers for a long while after a traumatic experience

depressive disorder

characterized by the presence of sad, empty, or irritable mood along with physical and cognitive changes that affect a person’s ability to function.

Major depressive disorder

Persistent depressive disorder

major depressive disorder

a disorder in which a person experiences two or more weeks of significantly depressed moods, feelings of worthlessness, and diminished interest or pleasure in most activities

persistent depressive disorder

a disorder in which people experience a depressed mood on more days than not for at least 2 years. Tends to be milder than major depressive disorder

bipolar disorder

characterized by periods of mania and periods of depression

mania

a mood disorder marked by a hyperactive, wildly optimistic state

bipolar cycling

involves experiencing periods of depression and mania in alternating periods that can last various amounts of time

Bipolar I Disorder

the most severe form of bipolar disorder, in which people experience mania and euphoric, talkative, highly energetic, and overly ambitious state that lasts a week or longer, before cycling to depression

Bipolar II Disorder

a less severe form of bipolar in which people move between depression and a milder hypomania