AP Psychology Unit 5 Notes: Stress, Health, and Coping

Stress

The process of perceiving and responding to events (stressors) that you judge as threatening or challenging; depends heavily on perception and appraisal rather than the event itself.

Stressor

Any event or condition that triggers a stress response.

Eustress

Moderate, potentially beneficial stress that can increase alertness, motivation, and performance.

Catastrophes (stressors)

Large-scale, often unpredictable events (e.g., natural disasters, war) that can produce immediate stress and long-term aftereffects such as anxiety or post-traumatic symptoms.

Significant life changes (stressors)

Major transitions requiring adjustment (e.g., divorce, moving, illness, job loss, starting college); can be positive or negative but still stressful due to adaptation demands.

Daily hassles

Small, recurrent irritations (e.g., traffic, deadlines) whose cumulative effect can substantially strain coping resources and predict stress-related problems.

Cognitive appraisal

Your interpretation of an event and your ability to handle it; the starting point for the stress response.

Primary appraisal

Evaluating whether an event is irrelevant, positive, or stressful; if stressful, labeling it as harm/loss, threat, or challenge.

Secondary appraisal

Evaluating your coping resources (skills, time, support, and control) to manage the stressor.

Perceived control

The belief that you can influence outcomes; typically reduces stress responses and buffers negative health effects.

Sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activation

Fast “fight-or-flight” response that prepares the body for action; adrenal glands release epinephrine and norepinephrine, increasing heart rate, respiration, and energy availability.

HPA axis (hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis)

A slower, longer-lasting stress-response system in which the hypothalamus signals the pituitary, which signals the adrenal cortex to release cortisol.

Cortisol

A stress hormone released via the HPA axis that mobilizes energy and alters immune functioning; helpful short-term but harmful when chronically elevated or dysregulated.

General Adaptation Syndrome (GAS)

Hans Selye’s model of the body’s response to prolonged stress: alarm (initial reaction), resistance (coping/adapting while activated), and exhaustion (resources depleted).

Exhaustion stage (GAS)

The stage in which prolonged stress depletes coping resources, increasing vulnerability to illness, burnout, and other health problems.

Health psychology

The field that studies how psychological factors (stress, behavior, emotions, beliefs) influence physical health and illness.

Biopsychosocial approach

A framework explaining health outcomes as the interaction of biological (e.g., genes, immune function), psychological (e.g., coping, emotions), and social (e.g., support, culture, SES) factors.

Psychophysiological disorders

Physical illnesses influenced by stress and other psychological factors (not “imaginary”); stress can increase risk, worsen symptoms, or hinder recovery.

Psychoneuroimmunology (PNI)

The study of how psychological states, the nervous/endocrine systems, and the immune system interact (e.g., chronic stress affecting immunity via cortisol).

B lymphocytes (B cells)

Immune cells that help form antibodies as part of the body’s defense against pathogens.

T lymphocytes (T cells)

Immune cells that coordinate immune responses and can directly attack infected cells.

Natural killer (NK) cells

Immune cells that help target and destroy infected or abnormal cells.

Type A behavior pattern

A pattern marked by competitive drive, time urgency, and impatience; the component most strongly linked to heart disease risk is chronic anger/hostility.

Problem-focused coping

Coping aimed at reducing or eliminating the stressor itself (e.g., planning, seeking tutoring); most effective when the situation is controllable.

Emotion-focused coping

Coping aimed at managing emotional responses to a stressor (e.g., mindfulness, relaxation, reframing); often most useful when the situation is not controllable or when emotions must be regulated first.