Psych 3 :(

Stress

a term used loosely to describe a variety of unpleasant feeling states

stimulus based definitions of stress

stress is a demanding or threatening event/situation (ex: high stress job)

response based definitions of stress

emphasizes physiological responses that occur in response to demanding or threatening situations

stress as a process

where an individual perceives and responds to events he appraises as overwhelming or threatening to his well being

primary appraisal

judgement about the degree of potential harm/threat to well being that a stressor may entail

threat

stressor that could lead to harm/loss/negative consequences

challenge

stressor that carries the potential for gain/personal growth

secondary appraisal

judgement of the options available to cope with a stressor and perceptions of how effective such options would be

cognitive appraisals

stress is likely to result if a stressor is perceived as extremely threatening or threatening with few or no effective coping options available

eustress

stress that can be positive and motivate us to do things in our best interest

distress

bad stress, causing people to feel burned out and performance to decrease

prevalence of stress

stress is everywhere and plays a role in all of our lives to some extent

what are some of the responses stress can evoke

physiological, cognitive, and behavioral

physiological response to stress

accelerated heart rate, headaches, or gastrointestinal problems

cognitive response to stress

difficulty concentrating or making decisions

behavioral response to stress

drinking alcohol, smoking, or taking actions directed at eliminating the cause of stress

health psychology

a subfield devoted to understanding the importance of psychological influences on health, illness, and how people respond when they become ill

do men or women have higher stress

women

who has the highest stress

those who are unemployed, have less education, and less income

how are retired people and stress

they reported the lowest levels of stress

what happened in 2006-2009

greatest increase in stress levels among men, whites, people aged 45-64, college graduates, and those with full time employment

Walter Cannon (early 20th century)

the first to identify the body’s physiological reactions to stress, first articulated and named the fight or flight response

Fight or flight response

set of physiological reactions that occur when an individual encounters a perceived threat, an adaptive response

how is fight or flight produced

by activation of the sympathetic nervous system and the endocrine system

Hans Selye

specialized in research about stress, noticed that prolonged exposure to stressors caused rats to show signs of adrenal enlargement, thymus and lymph node shrinkage and stomach ulceration

what did Selye discover

general adaption syndrome

what is general adaption syndrome

the body’s nonspecific physiological response to stress

what are the 3 stages of general adaption syndrome

alarm reaction, stage of resistance, stage of exhaustion

alarm reaction stage of general adaption syndrome

the body’s immediate reaction upon facing a threatening situation or emergency, physiological reactions that provide energy

stage of resistance of general adaption syndrome

the body has adapted/readjusted to the stressor but remains alert and prepared to respond

stage of exhaustion of general adaption syndrome

person can no longer adapt to the stressor (depletion of physical resources). physical wear takes its toll on the body’s tissues and organs

sympathetic nervous system

triggers arousal in response to a stressor via the release of adrenaline from the adrenal glands

hypothalamic-pituitary adrenal axis

the process that can provide energy, improve immune system functioning temporarily, and decrease pain sensitivity in moments of stress

cortisol

a stress hormone that helps provide a boost of energy

what happens with continuous elevated levels of cortisol (chronic stress)

it weakens the immune system

chronic stressor

events that persist over an extended period of time, like long term unemployment

acute stressor

brief events that sometimes continue to be experienced as overwhelming well after the event has ended, like falling and breaking a leg

traumatic events

a category of stressors involving exposure to actual or threatened death or serious injury

what can traumatic event stressors lead to

PTSD

what can be another stressor

life events

Holmes and Rahe 1960s

hypothesized that life events require significant change are stressful, whether they are desirable or undesirable

Social readjustment rating scale

a scale consisting of 43 life events that require varying degrees of personal readjustment

what was ranked the highest in the social readjustment rating scale

death of a spouse, and divorce was second

daily hassles

minor irritations and annoyances that are part of our everyday lives, often lead to negative and distressed mood states, can build up and leave us feeling stressed

frequency of daily hassels

is a better predictor of physical and psychological health than life changing units

high stress occupations

occupations containing unpleasant elements, exposure to loud noise, harassment, threats of physical violence, constant frustration

job strain

work situation that combines excessive job demands and workload with little discretion in decision making or job control, associated with increased risk of physical problems

job burnout

a general sense of emotional exhaustion and cynicism in relation to one’s job

close relationships stress

can include adverse exchanges and conflicts, lack of emotional support or confiding, lack of reciprocity

psychophysiological disorders

physical disorders/diseases whose symptoms are brought about or worsened by stress and emotional factors

what can chronic stress and its sustained physiological reactions lead to

wear and tear on the body

examples of psychophysiological disorders

cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, hypertension, asthma, acne, tension headaches, irritable bowl syndrome

immune system errors

autoimmune disease and immunosuppression

autoimmune disease

immune system mistakes the body’s own healthy cells for invaders and repeatedly attacks them

immunosuppression

the decreased effectiveness of the immune system, causes people to be more susceptible to infections, illness, and disease

psychoneuroimmunology

field that studies how psychological factors influence the immune system and immune functioning

how does stress weaken the immune system

hormones are released during stress, the hormones inhibit the production of white blood cells which are important in the immune response

Cohen 1998

ran a study where they gave nasal drops of the cold virus to people, those who reported the most stress caught the cold

stress and aging

research suggests that stress can shorten telomers, shortened telomeres can inhibit/block cell division which includes growth and proliferation of new cells, leading to more rapid aging

what role does the cardiovascular system play in stress

it plays a central role making it a key focus in studies of psychophysiological disorders

heart disease

a cardiovascular disorder

hypertension

high blood pressure that can be caused by stressors. it forces the heart to pump harder which puts increased physical strain on the heart.

negative affectivity

tendency to experience distressed emotional states involving anger, contempt, disgust, guilt, fear, and nervousness

Friedman and Rosenman 1974

discovered that people who are prone to heart disease tend to think, feel and act differently than those who don’t have it, found heart disease is over 7 times more frequent among type A’s

type A

tend to be extremely competitive, intensely drive, impatient, rushed, and hostile toward others

type B

tend to be laid back

what is the most important factor in the development of heart disease

anger and hostility, which Type A had

transactional model of hostility for predicting social interactions

if you are mean to someone they will be mean back which makes being mean cyclical

asthma

a chronic disease in which the airways become inflamed and narrowed, leading to difficulty breathing

psychological factors play an important role in asthma

asthma attacks have been liked to periods of high emotions, studies show ppl with asthma will experience asthma like symptoms if they expect to experience symptoms

headache

a continuous pain anywhere in the head and neck region

migranes

caused by blood vessel swelling and increased blood flow

tension headaches

tightening/tensing of facial and neck muscles

who created coping styles

lazarus and folkman 1984

problem focused coping style

individuals attempt to manage or alter the problem that is causing them to experience the stress, most likely to be used when the stressor is perceived as controllable, proactively addresses the problem

emotion focused coping style

efforts to change or reduce the negative emotions associated with stress can include avoiding, minimizing, or distancing oneself from the problem or positive comparisons with others or seeking something positive in a negative event, treats the symptoms of stress, not the cause

you are stressed because you are failing a class so you study more, contact the professor for help and find a tutor

using the problem focused approach

you are stressed because you are failing a class so you watch a movie or play games to distract yourself from the problem

using the emotion focused approach

control and stress

the ability to enact control in our lives is a basic tenet of human behavior, our reaction to potential stressors depends largely on how much control we feel we have

perceived control

our beliefs about our personal capacity to exert influence over and shape outcomes

martin seligman 1967

discovered learned helplessness by shocking dogs

learned helplessness

an acquired belief that one is powerless to do anything about a situation

social support

a fundamental human motive is the need to form and maintain strong, stable relationships, the soothing impact of friends, family and acquaintances

what are some stress reduction techniques

exercise, mediation and relaxation, biofeedback

exercise

reduces stress and increases resistance to adverse effects of stress

relaxation response techniques

reduces sympathetic arousal, reduces blood pressure

biofeedback

uses electronic equipment to measure a person’s involuntary activity and provide feedback to help the person gain a level of voluntary over these processes

what are the elements of happiness

pleasant life, good life, meaningful life

happiness is an enduring state of

subjective well being consisting of joy, contentment, and other positive emotions, plus the sense that one’s life has meaning and value

what factors influence happiness

age, family and social relationships, money, religion, and culture

life events and happiness

people are often poor at predicting the intensity and duration of their future emotions, we eventually adapt to changing emotional circumstances in our lives, dramatic life events have much less long lasting impact on happiness than might be expected

Seligman 1998

urged psychologists to focus more on understanding how to build human strength and psychological well being

positive psychology

seeks to identify and promote those qualities that lead to greater fulfillment in our lives

positive affect and optimism

qualities that help promote psychological well being are linked with many favorable health outcomes

positive affect

pleasurable engagement with the environment such as happiness, joy, enthusiasm, alertness, and excitement

optimism

the general tendency to look on the bright side of things

flow

a particular experience that is so engaging and engrossing that it becomes worth doing for its own sake

which of the following best describes the diathesis stress model

a model that states psychological disorders are caused by both genetic vulnerability and a stressful environment

psychological disorders are linked to biological occurrence through all of the following EXCEPT

vaccines

This disorder involves a person being preoccupied by a perceived flaw in their physical appearance that is barely noticeable to other people

body dysmorphic disorder