AP Psych Unit 5: Health Psychology & Positive Psychology

all textbook key terms

health psychology

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

psychoneuroimmunology

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

stress

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

• 3 main types of stressors:

  1. catastrophes (natural disasters)

  2. significant life changes (moving out, divorces)

  3. daily hassles (social stress, everyday things)

approach & avoidance motives

the drive to move toward (approach) or away from (avoid) a stimulus

Kurt Lewin

identified in his theory of motivational conflicts that stress arised from the daily conflicts we face between our approach & avoidance motives

Hans Selye

• father of GAS, which he saw as a 3-phase process

• proposed that the body’s adaptive response to stress is so general that said response sounds like an alarm no matter what intrudes

general adaptation syndrome/GAS

Hans Selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in 3 phases:

1. alarm

2. resistance

3. exhaustion

alarm (GAS)

1st stage of GAS

• sympathetic nervous system is suddenly activated

• heart rate increases significantly

• blood is diverted to skeletal muscles

• resources mobilized, body is ready to fight back against perceived threat

resistance (GAS)

2nd stage of GAS

• temperature, blood pressure, & respiration remain high

• endocrine system pumps epinephrine & norepinephrine into bloodstream

• body is fully engaged, summoning all resources to meet the perceived threat

• as time passes, w/ no relief from stress, body’s reserve decreases

exhaustion (GAS)

3rd stage of GAS

• more vulnerable to illness or collapse & death

tend-and-befriend response

under stress, people may nurture themselves & others (tend) & bond w/ & seek support from others (befriend)

• common in women

coronary heart disease

clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle

• leading cause of death in many developed countries

type A

Meyer Friedman & Ray Rosenman’s term for people who are

• competitive

• hard-driving

• impatient

• verbally aggressive

• anger-prone

type B

Meyer Friedman & Ray Rosenman’s term for who are

• easygoing

• relaxed

catharsis

idea that “releasing” aggressive energy (through action or fantasy) relieves aggressive urges

cope

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive, or behavioral methods

problem-focused coping

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

emotion-focused coping

attempting to alleviate stress by avoiding or ignoring a stressor & attending to emotional needs related to our stressor reaction

personal control

our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless

learned helplessness

the hopelessness & passive resignation humans & other animals learn when unable to avoid repeated aversive thoughts

external locus of control

the perception that outside forces beyond our personal control determine our fate

internal locus of control

the perception that we control our own fate

self-control

the ability to control impulses & delay short-term gratification for greater long-term rewards

Martin Seligman

• past president of the American Psychological Association (APA)

• father of positive psychology

positive psychology

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

• made of 3 pillars

• fathered by Martin Seligman

• “about building not just a pleasant life, but also a good life that engages one’s skills, & a meaningful life that points beyond onself”

• “happiness is a by-product of a pleasant, engaged, & meaningful life”

1st pillar of positive psychology

positive well-being

• satisfaction w/ the past

• happiness w/ the present

• optimism about the future

2nd pillar of positive psychology

positive traits

• exploring & enhancing creativity, courage, compassion, integrity, self-control, leadership, wisdom, & spirituality

3rd pillar or positive psychology

positive groups, communities, & cultures

• foster a positive social ecology

• healthy families

• friendly neighborhoods

• effective schools

• socially responsible media

• civil dialogue

subjective well-being

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction w/ life

• used along w/ measures of objective well-being (ex. physical & economic indicators) to evaluate people’s quality of life

feel-good, do-good phenomenon

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

adaptation-level phenomenon

our tendency to form judgments (of sounds, lights, income) relative to a neutral level defined by our prior experience

relative deprivation

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

broaden-and-build theory

proposes that positive emotions broaden our awareness, which over time helps us build novel & meaningful skills & resilience that improve well-being

character strengths & virtues

classification system to identify positive traits

• organized into categories of wisdom, courage, humanity, justice, temperance, & transcendence

resilience

the personal strength that helps people cope w/ stress & recover from adversity & even trauma

aerobic exercise

sustained exercise that increases heart & lung fitness

• also helps alleviate anxiety

mindfulness meditation

reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgmental & accepting manner

• strengthens connections among brain regions

• activates brain regions associated w/ more reflective awareness

• calms brain activation in emotional situations

gratitude

appreciative emotion people often experience when they benefit from other’s actions or recognize their own good fortune