Psych-Chapter 10

Escape or withdrawal

Leaving the presence of a stressor, either literally or by a psychological withdrawal into fantasy, drug abuse, or apathy.

Natural killer cell (NK)

Immune-system cell responsible for suppressing viruses and destroying tumor cells.

General adaptation syndrome (GAS)

The three stages of the body’s physiological reaction to stress: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion.

Multiple approach–avoidance conflicts

Conflict in which the person must decide between more than two goals, each with positive and negative aspects.

Stress

The physical, emotional, cognitive, and behavioral responses to events appraised as threatening or challenging.

Type D

'Distressed' personality type; experiences negative emotions and tends not to share them for fear of rejection.

Mindfulness meditation

A form of meditation involving focused attention on the present moment without judgment.

Resistance

When a patient becomes reluctant to talk about a certain topic, either by changing the subject or becoming silent.

Type A

An ambitious, time-conscious person who is extremely hardworking and often hostile and easily annoyed.

Social-support system

The network of family, friends, and others who can offer support, comfort, or aid.

Secondary appraisal

The second step in assessing a stressor, estimating available resources for coping.

Yerkes-Dodson law

States that high arousal improves performance on simple tasks, while low arousal improves performance on difficult tasks.

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

Assessment that measures stress from major life events over a one-year period.

Pressure

Psychological experience of urgent demands or expectations from an outside source.

Burnout

Negative changes in thoughts, emotions, and behavior due to prolonged stress or frustration.

Catastrophe

An unpredictable, large-scale event requiring significant adaptation and creating overwhelming feelings of threat.

College Undergraduate Stress Scale (CUSS)

Assessment measuring stress in college students from major life events over a one-year period.

Psychoneuroimmunology

Study of psychological factors' effects on the immune system.

Hardy personality

Person who thrives on stress without the anger and hostility typical of Type A personalities.

Type 2 diabetes

Disease occurring when the body is resistant to insulin or fails to secrete enough insulin.

Frustration

Psychological experience produced by the blocking of a desired goal or perceived need.

Distress

The effect of unpleasant and undesirable stressors.

Acculturative stress

Stress from needing to change and adapt to a majority culture.

Meditation

Mental exercises to refocus attention and achieve a trancelike state of consciousness.

Homeopathy

Treatment of disease by introducing minute amounts of substances that cause disease in larger doses.

Health psychology

Focuses on how physical activities and psychological traits affect overall health and illness rates.

Problem-focused coping

Coping strategies aimed at eliminating the source of stress or reducing its impact.

Hassles

The daily annoyances of everyday life.

Coping strategies

Actions taken to master, tolerate, reduce, or minimize the effects of stressors.

Coronary heart disease (CHD)

Buildup of plaque in the arteries of the heart.

Displaced aggression

Taking frustrations out on a less threatening or more available target.

Emotion-focused coping

Changing the emotional reaction to a stressor to alter its impact.

Approach–avoidance conflicts

Conflict occurring when a person must choose or not choose a goal with both positive and negative aspects.

Stressors

Events that cause a stress reaction.

Eustress

The effect of positive events; optimal stress promoting health and well-being.

Type C

Pleasant but repressed person who internalizes anger and anxiety, finding it difficult to express emotions.

Type B

Relaxed and laid-back person, less competitive than Type A, and slow to anger.

Immune system

The system of cells, organs, and chemicals responding to diseases and injuries.

Double approach–avoidance conflict

Conflict between two goals, each with positive and negative aspects.

Optimists

People who expect positive outcomes.

Avoidance–avoidance conflicts

Conflict occurring when choosing between two undesirable goals.

Aggression

Actions intended to harm physically or psychologically.

Approach–approach conflict

Conflict when a person chooses between two desirable goals.

Primary appraisal

The first step in assessing stress, estimating the severity of a stressor.

Concentrative meditation

Form of meditation where attention is focused on a repetitive stimulus to clear the mind.