Psychology Unit 5

What is stress?

Stress refers to a state of physiological and psychological arousal when the demands of a situation threaten to exceed an individual’s resources to deal with the threat.

The 3 types of stress

Acute stress (which refers to the demands and pressures of the recent past and the near future), episodic acute stress (which refers to repeated and frequent periods of acute stress) and chronic stress (which refers to demands and pressures that wear on a person daily, over months or years).

What are stressors?

Anything that throws the body out of balance, and the stress response is the body’s attempt to restore the balance.

What have prevalence rates of stress shown?

That people in minority groups are more likely to experience intense stress.

The order of stress (biopsychosocial model)

Social stressor leads to a cognitive appraisal and results in a biological response. This is why, when explaining stress, the biopsychosocial model should be followed as stress involves all 3 approaches.

Why should explanations of stress be explored?

Explanations of stress should be explored as it can lead to methods to reduce it for one’s health benefit.

What should be in the introduction of a stress essay? (7)

What it is + The 3 types + Stressors + Prevalence + The order + Biopsychosocial model + Why should it be explored.

What is the biological response to stress?

The physiological changes one experiences during stress is the biological response to stress.

Short term stress (fight or flight + hormones)

If the stress is short term, the body goes into the fight or flight mode which is due to the hormones adrenaline and noradrenaline released by the adrenal glands into the bloodstream.

Long term stress (cortisol + GAS model)

If the stress is long term, the adrenal cortex releases cortisol into the bloodstream as well which will lead to our physiological systems correlating with the general adaptation syndrome model. This model suggests there is an alarm phase (reaction), a resistance phase (due to cortisol), then an exhaustion phase (the cortisol cannot help anymore) and finally the recovery phase (when the stressor has been dealt with).

Effect of cortisol

The continued release of the cortisol hormone has a negative effect on the immune system, memory and other biological bodily components, e.g. the heart.

What is needed in the biological explanation of stress? (4)

What is the biological response + Short term, fight or flight, hormones + Long term, cortisol, gas model + Cortisol effect.

What is the idea of the sociocultural explanation of stress?

It is the idea that social hierarchies, and our place within a social hierarchy, could affect our health due to the stress that comes with the different levels.

What common idea does the sociocultural explanation of stress challenge? What is the actuality?

It challenges the common idea that those at the top of the hierarchy are the most stressed. In actuality, this explanation suggests that the higher one’s position in the hierarchy is, the lower the stress levels are which then results in less negative health effects due to this minimal stress.

What is the reason for the sociocultural explanation of stress, and what supports this?

he higher someone is in the hierarchy, the more predictability and social support is given as well as less physiological stress because of this. This is supported by prevalence rates of stress, as the people who often experience more stress than others are those in minority groups.

What is needed in the sociocultural explanation of stress? (6)

Stress as a social stimulus + The idea of the explanation, social hierarchy affects health + Challenges common idea + Actuality, this explanation suggests… + Why + Supported by prevalence rates.

What is the cognitive explanation of stress based on?

The cognitive explanation of stress is based on the cognitive appraisal theory created by Lazarus in 1993.

What is appraising? And what are the 2 types?

Appraising means to make judgements about whether or not an event is stressful. There are 2 types of appraisals; primary appraisals and secondary appraisals.

What is the primary appraisal?

The primary appraisal is the first judgements made about an event and if it will cause harm, if it is a threat or if it is a challenge.

What is the secondary appraisal and when does it occur?

If to the primary appraisal is yes, the secondary appraisal occurs which is the judgement of if one is able to cope with the stressor.

Describe the diagram which represents cognitive appraisal theory.

What is needed in the cognitive explanation of stress?

What the cognitive explanation is based on + Definition of appraising + the 2 types + Definition of primary and secondary appraisal + visual representation of the theory.

What is prevalence?

Prevalence is how common a condition is within a specific population.

Why is it important to look at prevalence of stress?

It is important to look at the prevalence of stress so causes of it can be identified.

What survey showed patterns among the prevalence rates of stress in America?

The American Psychological Association’s annual stress survey ‘Stress in America’ found clear patterns among the prevalence rates of stress in America.

What are the prevalence rate patterns of stress in America?

It was found that men and women between the ages of 18 and 44 have a 52% likelihood of experiencing overwhelming stress, and black adults under 35 have a 56% likelihood of experiencing stress so intensely that they cannot function.

What does the prevalence rates of stress suggest?

This suggests that people with a lower socioeconomic status experience greater levels of stress.

What is needed in the prevalence rates of stress paragraph?

Definition of prevalence + Why we should look at it + The APA’s Stress in America survey + The patterns of prevalence rates of stress in America + What do the patterns suggest.