Intro to Psych - Stress Review

Stress

the physical and psychological response to events, called stressors ,that challenge a person’ normal functioning (homeostasis), stress is normal

Physical Stressors

things like injury, physical exertion, noise, overcrowding, or excessive heat or cold

Psychological Stressors

things like interpersonal conflict, isolation, traumatic life events, time-pressured tasks, peer pressure expectations of others, or high standards for achievement

Primary Appraisal

this is determining whether an event is a threat, and the magnitude of the threat

Secondary Appraisal

this is evaluating ways in which to cope with the stressor

Harm/Loss Appraisal

you’ve already sustained damage/injury, elicits negative emotions like fear, depression, and anxiety

Threat Appraisal

the harm/loss hasn’t happened yet but you know it will take place in the near future, elicits the same emotions as harm/loss, just imagining the situation can be just as stressful as the actual situation

Challenge Appraisal

you have the potential for gain or personal growth but you also need to mobilize your physical energy and psychological resources to meet the challenging situation, elicits excitement

Behavioral Stress Response

any action taken on the environment, like leaving a situation or fighting back

Physiological Stress Response

preparing for fight or flight

Approach-Approach

when someone must chose between one of two attractive goals

Avoidance-Avoidance

when someone must choose between two unattractive options

Approach-Avoidance

when someone must choose a gal that has both attractive and unattractive features

Double Approach-Avoidance

when someone must choose between two alternative, both of which have positive and negative features

What are the risks of having prolonged stress?

heart disease, could aggravate an existing disease, could reduce compliance with treatment for disease

Where are events processed?

in the corticolimbic system

Where are threat messages sent to?

the peripheral nervous system to get prepared for movement, and the hypothalamus

What does the hypothalamus do?

coordinate the nervous system and controls the autonomic nervous system

What does the autonomic nervous system do?

within it, the sympathetic nervous system increases activation of bodily systems that prepare the body to react either defensively or offensively

Adrenocortical

releases cortisol, a hormone that varies due to current stressors

Adrenomedullary

releases epinephrine (adrenaline), which stimulates heart muscles and increases heart rate/oxygen consumption

Walter Cannon

physiologist who introduced the term stress, distinguished between short-term and long-term stressors, noted that the body is better prepared to handle episodic stressors rather than chronic stressors

Hans Selye

studied animal and human reactions to various stressors, identified body’s response to stress

• described three phases (alarm, resistance ,exhaustion)

James-Lange Theory

body responds to stress and feelings of fear follow

Cannon-Bard Theory

physiological response and emotion occur simultaneouslyP

Psychoneuroimmunology

the study of the interaction of psychological and physiological processes that affect the body’s ability to defend itself against disease

Leukocytes

these immune system cells, especially white blood cells, are formed in bone marrow and serve as the body’s mobile defense units