Unit 5A: Mental and Physical Health

health psychology

… … is a field that explores how biological, psychological, and social factors influence health and illness — it examines behaviors, thoughts, and emotions related to health, as well as how individuals and communities can promote well-being and prevent illness

stress, hypertension, immune suppression

… is a physiological and psychological response to challenges or demands that exceed an individual’s coping abilities – involves the activation of the body’s stress response system, including the release of hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, which prepare the body to react to perceived threats or pressures

… is high blood pressure that can be caused by stress, can cause headaches/migraines

… … is being more susceptible to illness, can be caused by stress

eustress, distress

stressors

… is positive stress that motivates individuals to achieve goals, improve performance, and enhance well-being – arises from situations perceived as challenging but manageable, stimulating feelings of excitement and satisfaction

… is negative stress that exceeds and individual’s ability to cope effectively, leading to feelings of anxiety, frustration, or overwhelm – results from situations perceived as threatening, harmful, or beyond one’s control

… … … are traumatic experiences as a child that can affect a person both mentally and physically — includes things like abuse, neglect, household challenges, etc

general adaptation syndrome, flight-fight-freeze, alarm stage, resistance stage, functioning exhaustion stage, tend-and-befriend theory, fight-or-flight

reactions to stress

… … …, proposed by Hans Selye, describes the body’s physiological response to stressors through the 3 stages: alarm, resistance, and exhaustion – this model helps explain how individuals respond to various stressors, whether physical, psychological, or environmental – it is our bodies’ …-…-… response

During the … …, the body perceives a stressor and activates the “flight-or-fight” response – the sympathetic nervous system releases stress hormones like adrenaline and cortisol, preparing the body to respond to the perceived threat, and physiological changes include increased heart rate, heightened senses, and a surge in energy

If the stressor persists, the body enters the … …, where it attempts to adapt to and cope with the ongoing challenge – hormone levels stabilize to sustain the heightened state of readiness, allowing individuals to continue … despite the stressor’s presence – however, physiological resources are gradually depleted

If stress continues without relief or adaptation, the body enters the … … – physiological resources become depleted, and chronic stress can lead to physical and mental exhaustion, increased vulnerability to illness, and impaired cognitive functioning

the …-…-… … says that in response to stress, individuals, especially women, are biologically predisposed to to seek social connections and support (befriending) and nurture others (tending) – this theory contrasts with the traditional …-…-… response (ex: during a natural disaster, people may collaborate to provide aid and emotional support to help with community resilience and coping)

problem-focused coping, solution, emotion-focused coping

coping with stress

…-… … is actively managing or altering stressful situations through direct actions or problem-solving strategies – aims to change the stressful circumstances or one’s response to them by seeking out a …, thereby reducing the impact of stressors (ex: when faced with a work deadline, someone may break down tasks, set priorities, and allocate time efficiently to meet the deadline)

…-… … is regulating emotional responses to stressors, rather than altering the stressors themselves – aims to manage the emotional distress caused by stressors through strategies like seeking emotional support, distraction, or reframing the situation (ex: following a significant loss, someone may talk to friends or participate in support groups to process grief and find comfort in shared experiences)