Emotions, Health and Stress Chapter 12

emotions

a response of the whole organism involving physiological arousal, expressive behaviours, and conscious experience resulting from ones interpretations

james-lange theory

our experience of emotion occurs when we become aware of our physiological responses to an emotion-arousing stimulus - body before thoughts

cannon-bard theory

an emotion-arousing stimulus simultaneously triggers physiological responses and the subjective experience of emotion - body with thoughts

two-factor theory

the schachter singer theory that to experience emotion one must be physically aroused and cognitively label the arousal- body plus thoughts

**Zajonc and LeDoux** 

emotional responses occur before we consciously interpret/appraise event - body/brain without conscious thought

**Lazarus**

Emotion responses require some form of cognitive appraisal, even if the interpretation doesn’t reach our conscious awareness - cognitive appraisal (sometimes without awareness) defines emotion

polygraphs

measure emotion linked changes in breathing, heart rate, and perspiration

facial feedback effect

the tendency of facial muscle states to trigger corresponding feelings such as fear, anger or happiness

behaviour feedback effect

the tendency of behaviour to influence our own and other thoughts, feelings, and actions

catharsis

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

feel good do good phenomenon

people tendency to be helpful when in a good mood

positive psychology

the scientific study of human flourishing, with the goals of discovering and promoting strengths and virtues that help individuals and communities thrive

subjective wellbeing

self-perceived happiness or satisfaction with life, used along with measures of objective wellbeing to evaluate people’s quality of life

adaptation level phenomenon

our tendency to form judgements (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 with whom we compare ourselves

stress

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

approach and avoidance motives

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

general adaptation syndrome

selye’s concept of the body’s adaptive response to stress in the three phases - alarm, resistance, exhaustion

tend and befriend response

under stress, people (usually women) often provide support to others (tend) and bond with and seek support (befriend)

health psychology

a subfield of psychology that provides psychology’s contribution to behavioural medicine

psychoneuroimmunology

the study of how psychological, neural, and endocrine process together affect our immune system resulting in health

coronary heart disease

the clogging of the vessels that nourish the heart muscle; a leading cause of death in many developed countries

type A

friedman and rosenman’s term for competitive, hard driving, impatient, verbally aggressive, and anger prone people

type B

friedman and rosenman’s term for easygoing, relaxed people

cope

alleviating stress using emotional, cognitive or behavioural methods

problem focused coping

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

emotion focused coping

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

personal control

our sense of controlling our environment rather than feeling helpless

learned helplessness

the hopelessness and passive resignation humans and other animals learn when unable to avoid repeated aversive events

external locus of control

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

internal locus of control

the perception that we control our own fate

self control

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

aerobic exercise

sustained exercise that increases heart and lung fitness; also helps alleviate depression and anxiety

mindfulness meditation

a reflective practice in which people attend to current experiences in a nonjudgemental and accepting manner