Chap 11 - Health and Well-Being

Health

a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being

Well-Being

a positive state that is reached by striving for optimal health and life satisfaction

biopsychosocial model

a model of health that integrates the effects of biological, behavioral, and social factors on health and illness

BMI (body mass index)

ratio of height and weight (recommend 18.5-25)

anorexia nervosa

significantly low BMI, an intense fear of gainging weight

bulimia nervosa

normal or obese BMI, lack of control over eating and then action to prevent weight gain (vomiting, intense exercise, ect)

binge-eating disorder

normal to obese BMI, recurrent episodes of binge eating leading to distress

stress

a response to an unpleseant interal state

stressor

something in our environment that we perceive as threatening or demanding

distress

stress from a negative event

eustress

stress from a positive event

daily hassle

small, day to day stressors

major life stressor

large events that lead to ongoing stress

Chronic Sterssor

things that lead to a lot of stress over a long period of time

Yerkes-Dodson Law

elevated arousal levels can improve performance, but too much can cause a decline (boring--interesting--overwhelming)

hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis

a body system involved in stress responses

Cordisol

a hormone produced by the adrenal glands that plays a crucial role in the body's stress response

Stress' effect on the heart

can negatively affect the heart; coping with stress in poor ways that lead to bad health; stress decreases blood flor, overstimulation of the fight/flight system that can wear on the heart, increasing the risk of heart disease

Stress' effect on the inmune system

stress leads to a weaker inmune system

Problem focused coping

used to cope controllable situations using problem solving, decision making, seeking information, and goal setting

Emotion focused coping

used to cope uncontrollable situations by venting/talking to others, reframing the situation, journaling, exercise, mediation, and pleasurable activities

Hardiness

personality trait that response well to stress by committing to there activities, seeing challenges as an opportunity for growth, and control and their lives

Resiliance

ability to cope with hardships

Self-Care

Awareness (self); Acceptance and Action (care)

Yerkes-Dodson curse

suggests that elevated arousal levels can improve performance, up to a point (boring -- interesting -- overwhelming)

to integrate research on health and psychology to clarify the relationship between mental health and biological health

main goals of health psychology

obesity

BMI > 40