Chapter 3: Stress, illness, and coping

physical stress

a component of stress involving direct material or bodily challenges

psychological stress

a component of stress involving how individuals perceive circumstances in their lives

stress as a stimulus

an approach to stress that focuses on the environment, and the stressors that are being experienced (ex. demanding job, death in the family, etc.)

stressors

physically or psychologically challenging events or circumstances

stress as a response

a approach to stress that focuses on people's reactions to stressors (ex. state of tension, heart pounding, etc.), the strain experienced

strain

the psychological and physiological response to a stressor

stress as a process

a approach to stress that includes stressors and strains, but adds the dimension of the relationship between the person and the environment, the transactions

transactions

continuous interactions and adjustments with the person and environment each affecting and being affected by the other

stress

the circumstance in which transactions lead a person to perceive a discrepancy between the physical or psychological demands of a situation and the resources of their biological, psychological, or social systems

cognitive appraisal

a mental process by which people assess two factors: whether a demand threatens their physical or psychological well-being, and the resources they have available to meet the demand

primary appraisal

when we encounter a potentially stressful circumstance, we first try to assess the meaning of the situation for our well-being. the circumstances we appraise as stressful receive further appraisal

harm-loss

a further appraisal of a stressor involving the amount of damage that has already occurred

threat

a further appraisal of a stressor involving the expectation of future harm

challenge

a further appraisal of a stressor involving the opportunity to achieve growth, mastery or profit by using more than routine resources to meet a demand

secondary appraisal

refers to out assessment of the resources we have available for coping

reactivity

the physiological portion of the response to stressor or strain

General Adaptation syndrome

Seyle's concept that the body responds to stress with alarm, resistance and exhaustion

stage of alarm

Alerts the body's defense; the person becomes aware of the presence of threat or danger.

stage of resistance

Second stage in which the body adapts to and uses resources to cope with a stressor.

stage of exhaustion

third stage in which the body's ability to resist stress becomes depleted; illness, disease, and even death may occur

allostatic load

the effects of the body's adapting repeatedly to stressors that accumulate over time, creates wear and tear on the body

eustress

positive stress

allostasis

the adaptive processes that maintain homeostasis

resilience

the capacity to bounce back in the face of adversity

Internal-external dimension

was the behavior due to the situation or environment

Stable-unstable dimension

captures beliefs about whether circumstances can change

Global-specific dimension

whether they tend to attribute events to causes that affect many events or just a single event

Pessimistic world view

internal-stable-global attribution style

learned helplessness

Under high stress, over long periods of time, when nothing one does seems to matter, feelings of helplessness and even apathy might appear

internal locus of control

the perception that you control your own fate

external locus of control

the perception that chance or outside forces beyond your personal control determine your fate.

The "Buffering" hypothesis

The hypothesis that social support protects us during times of high stress only

The "Direct Effects" hypothesis

the hypothesis that social support is beneficial to health regardless of stress levels

4 types of social support

- Emotional or esteem support

- Tangible or instrumental support

- Informational support

- Companionship

The Cognitive Transactional model of stress

model of stress that looks at the interaction between:

1. individual's characteristics and appraisals

2. external or internal event (stressor) environment

3. internal or external resources available

Stress prevention model

Suggests that social support may be helpful because it can provide advice or resources that help us avoid or minimize exposure to stressful events and circumstances

Self-efficacy

The belief that we can succeed at a specific activity we want to do

Outcome expectancy

The expectation that the behaviour if properly carried out, would lead to a favourable outcome

Self-efficacy outcome

The expectancy that we can perform the behaviour properly

Pessimistic explanatory style

People who believe bad events result from internal, stable, and global factors, while good events result from external, unstable, and specific factors

Multidimensional health locus of control scales

an instrument containing 18 items divided into 3 scales, used to measure people's sense of personal control. (3 scales: internal health locus of control, powerful-others' locus of control, chance locus of control)

Hardiness

A broad array of personality traits that differentiates who do and do not get sick under stress. Includes three characteristics: control, commitment, challenge

Sense of coherence

Involves the tendency of people to see their worlds as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful

Optimism

The view that good things are likely to happen

Resilience

Refers to high levels of 3 inter-related positive components of personality: self-esteem, personal control, optimism

The Structured Interview

A way of measuring/determining if someone is a type A personality, measuring: competitive achievement orientation, time urgency, anger/hostility, vigorous vocal style, etc.

Psychoneuroimmunology

A field of study that focuses on the relationships between psychosocial processes and the activities of the nervous, endocrine, and immune systems

Psychophysiological disorders

Refers to the physical symptoms or illnesses the result from the interplay of psychosocial and physiological processes

Ulcers

Found in the stomach, duodenum, or upper section of the small intestine. Wounds in the digestive tract that may cause pain and bleeding

Inflammatory bowel disease

Includes both ulcerative colitis and Chron disease and can occur in the colon (large intestine) and the small intestine. Wounds in the digestive tract that may cause pain and bleeding

Irritable bowel syndrome

Produces abdominal pain, diarrhea, and constipation

Asthma

A respiratory disorder in which inflammation, spasms and mucus obstruct the bronchial tubes and leads to difficulty in breathing, with wheezing or coughing

Factors leading to asthma attacks

allergies, respiratory infections, stress, exercise

Tension-type headache

Muscle contraction headache that seems to be caused by a combination of a central nervous system dysfunction and persistent contraction of the head and neck muscles. The pain it produces is a dull and steady ache, occurring around twice a week or more, they can last for hours, days, or weeks

Migraine headaches

Seem to result from dilation of blood vessels surrounding the brain and a dysfunction in the brain stem and trigeminal nerve that extends throughout the front half of the head. Pain often starts on one side of the head, is sharp and throbbing. Can last for hours, sometimes days.

Arthritis

A chronic and painful disease that produces inflammation and stiffness of the small joints

Skin disorders

Hives, eczema, psoriasis: in which the skin develops rashes, cracks, or becomes dry or flaky

Angiogenesis

The recruitment of a blood supply to permit growth of the tumour beyond early stages

Metastasis

The spread of cancer beyond the tissue in which it originally occurred