Stress Management and Physiological Reactions

Vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts related to stress, locus of control, nervous and endocrine responses, personality types, resilience, and General Adaptation Syndrome.

Internal Locus of Control

An orientation where an individual believes they control their own destiny, which is helpful in behavior change.

Powerful Others Locus of Control

A form of external locus of control where an individual believes that others control their destiny.

Chance Locus of Control

A form of external locus of control where an individual believes that fate controls their destiny.

Stress

Refers to something external causing mental/physical tension and arousal, or the internal physiological and emotional reactions arising from transactions between a person and the environment.

Stressor

The situation or external stimulus that triggers a stress reaction.

Stress Response

The physiological and emotional reactions of a person to a stressor.

Parasympathetic Division

The branch of the autonomic nervous system that is in control when the body is relaxed.

Sympathetic Division

The branch of the autonomic nervous system in control during times of arousal and emergencies, such as exercise, severe pain, fear, or anger.

Norepinephrine

A neurotransmitter used by sympathetic nerves that acts on organs, sweat glands, muscles, and blood vessels, instructing the body to stop storing energy and respond to crisis.

Endocrine System

A system of glands, tissues, and cells that helps control bodily functions and releases hormones such as epinephrine and cortisol to respond to stress.

Homeostasis

A state of stability and consistency in an individual's physiological functioning, including blood pressure, heart rate, hormone levels, and respiratory rate.

Type A Personality

A personality profile characterized as ultracompetitive, controlling, impatient, aggressive, and hostile, associated with higher perceived stress and increased cardiovascular disease risk.

Type B Personality

A personality profile characterized as relaxed, contemplative, less frustrated by daily events, and tolerant of others' behavior.

Type C Personality

A personality profile characterized by anger suppression, difficulty expressing emotions, feelings of helplessness and despair, and an exaggerated response to minor stressors.

Nonreactive Resilience

A resilience trait where a person does not react to a stressor.

Homeostatic Resilience

A resilience trait where a person may react strongly to a stressor but quickly returns to baseline.

Positive Growth Resilience

A resilience trait where a person learns and grows from a stress experience.

General Adaptation Syndrome (G.A.S.)

A universal pattern of stress responses consisting of three stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Alarm Stage

The first stage of General Adaptation Syndrome in which a stressor disrupts the body's stability, temporarily lowering resistance.

Resistance Stage

The second stage of General Adaptation Syndrome where body resources are mobilized to combat the stressor, maintaining a higher level of resistance.

Exhaustion Stage

The third stage of General Adaptation Syndrome where the body runs out of adaptation energy stores for adjusting to the stressor, causing resistance to drop below normal.

Eustress

Stress triggered by a pleasant stressor.

Distress

Stress triggered by an unpleasant stressor.

Allostatic Load

The long-term wear and tear on the body caused by prolonged or continuous stress responses.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

The study of the interactions among the nervous system, endocrine system, and immune system, examining the complex connections between the mind and bodily defense.