AP Psych Unit 5: Mental and Physical Health

Psychoneuroimmunology

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

Stress

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

Approach and Avoidance Motives

the dual nature of motivation when faced with a decision that has both desirable and undesirable consequences

Problem-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress directly by changing the stressor or the way we interact with that stressor 

Emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring the stressor and attending to emotional needs related to our stress reaction. Strategies that are emotion focused may include deep breathing, meditation, or taking meds

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

the body’s adaptive response to stress in three phases: fight-flight-freeze response

Tend-and-befriend Response

under stress, people (especially women) may nurture themselves and others (tend) and bond with and seek support from others (befriend) 

Coronary Heart Disease

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; a leading cause of death in many developed countries 

Feel-good, do-good phenomenon

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

Resistance Phase

phase 2 of GAS; temp, blood pressure, and respiration stay high, active endocrine system full engagement 

Fight-flight-freeze response

the body’s instinctive reaction to perceived threats, involving three primary responses

Exhaustion Phase

phase 3 of GAS; vulnerability to illness, collapse, and/or death 

Hypertension

a circulatory disorder where the pressure in the blood vessels is consistently elevated

Immune Suppression

the inhibition or weakening of the immune system’s ability to fight off infections and diseases

Eustress v. Distress

stressors that can be viewed as motivation vs stressors that can be viewed as debilitating 

Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACE)

traumatic events that occur in the childhood years 

Catharsis

releasing strong or repressed emotions 

Virtues

a classification of character strengths has been developed around 6 categories

Wisdom

 creativity, curiosity, open-mindedness, love of learning, perspective 

Courage

bravery, perseverance, honesty set 

Humanity

kindness, love, social intelligence

Justice

fairness, leadership, teamwork

Temperance

forgiveness, humility, prudence, self-regulation

Transcendence

appreciation of beauty, gratitude, hope, humor, spirituality

Positive Psychology

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

Signature strengths

People who exercise their signature strengths/virtues report higher levels of positive subjective experiences such as happiness and subjective well-being

Positive subjective experiences

the subjective feelings, emotions, and appraisals individuals have about their own level of well-being, including happiness, satisfaction, and optimism

Posttraumatic growth

a positive subjective experience, may result after the experience of trauma or stress

Relative deprivation

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

Subjective Wellbeing

self perceived happiness or satisfaction with life, one’s appraisal of one’s own level of happiness and life satisfaction 

Adaptation-level Phenomenon

our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, of lights, of income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience, negative events can darken our moods temporarily but tend to subside as time passes and because of resiliency

Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)

a book that psychologists must study to classify mental disorders 

International Classification of Mental DIsorders (ICM)

developed by The World Health Organization to classify mental disorders

Eclectic Approach

adopting perspectives from all types of approaches when classifying/identifying a disorder 

Behavioral Perspective

the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive learned associations between/among responses to stimuli, A student may procrastinate bc they learned that procrastinating results in worthwhile rewards like doom scrolling

Maladaptive Associations

not providing adequate/appropriate adjustment to environment/stimulation, The cause of mental disorders focus on maladaptive learned associations 

Psychodynamic Perspective

the cause of mental disorders focus on unconscious thoughts and experiences, often developed during childhood; unresolved trauma 

Humanistic Perspective

the causes of mental disorders focus on a lack of social support and being unable to fulfill one’s potential; humans are unconditionally good, so poor behavior is due to an unmet need, emphasizes the positive side of our nature: human ability, growth, potential 

Cognitive Perspective

the causes of mental disorders focus on maladaptive thoughts, beliefs, attitudes, or emotions, behavior is determined by how we interpret/process our experiences; a perception, sensation, notion, or intuition

Evolutionary Perspective

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

Sociocultural Perspective

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

Biological Perspective

cause of mental disorders focuses on physiological/genetic issues, this view emphasizes how our physical makeup influences our personality, preferences, or behavior 

Biopsychosocial Model

assumes that any psychological problem potentially involves a combination of biological, psychological, and socio-cultural factors 

Diathesis-Stress Model

the concept that genetic predispositions (diathesis) combine with environmental stressors (stress) to influence psychological disorders

Type A

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

Type B

easygoing, relaxed people