Chapter Fourteen: Health and Well-Being

Grief stricken spouses

________ exhibit a weakened immune system when compared with non- widowed controls.

Chronic types of stress

________ are more toxic than acute short- term stresses.

Individuals

________ who respond to distress by rumination and repetitive thought are more likely to become anxious and depressed than those who allow themselves to be distracted.

tense social situations

In ________, they exhibit greater increases in blood pressure, pulse rate, and adrenaline.

extra sugar

Liver pours ________ into the bloodstream for energy.

foreign agent

Inject a(n) ________ into the skin and measure the amount of swelling that arises at the site of the injection.

Adrenaline

________ and other hormones are poured into the bloodstream.

personal characteristics

Certain ________ and life circumstances can buffer people against the adverse health effects.

negative feelings

Girls and women have a tendency to ruminate, confront their ________, and seek treatment for being depressed.

Digestion

________ slows down to divert blood to the brain and skeletal muscles.

Heart attacks

________, cancer, strokes, and accidents are now more common causes of death than infectious diseases.

Positive expectations

________ can be self- fulfilling.

physical activity

Boys and men resort to drugs, ________, antisocial behavior, and other means of distraction.

Disclosure

________ can bring emotional closure.

Appraisal

The process by which people make judgments about the demands of potentially stressful events and their ability to meet those demands.

Coping

Efforts to reduce stress.

Depressive Explanatory Style

A habitual tendency to attribute negative events to causes that are stable, global, and internal.

Emotion-Focused Coping

Cognitive and behavioral efforts to reduce the distress produced by a stressful situation.

Health Psychology

The application of psychology to the promotion of physical health and the prevention and treatment of illnesses

Stress

An unpleasant state of arousal that arises when we perceive that the demands of a situation threaten our ability to cope effectively

Appraisal

The process by which people make judgements about the demands of potentially stressful events and their ability to meet those demands

Coping

Efforts to reduce stress

Stressors

Anything that causes stress

Physiological measures of analyzing stress

Analyzing stress hormone levels in blood, urine, or saliva, or recording autonomic arousal through heart rate, respiration rate, blood pressure, or sweat gland activity

Assessing the effects of stress on the body over time

Accumulated levels of cortisol found in hair samples are associated with exposure to stress

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder

A condition in which a person experiences enduring physical and psychological symptoms after an extremely stressful event

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

A checklist of 43 major life events, each assigned with a numerical value based on the amount of readjustment it requires

Microstressors

The Hassles of Everyday Life

Burnout

A prolonged response to job stress that is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, disengagement, and a lack of personal accomplishment

Emotional exhaustion

feeling overwhelmed and physically drained

Depersonalization as a result of workplace burnout

withdrawing and distancing from clients and coworkers

General Adaptation Syndrome

A three-stage process (alarm, resistance, and exhaustion) by which the body responds to stress

Alarm

Initial reaction to the recognition of a threat

Resistance

The body remains aroused and on the alert

Exhaustion

The bodys reaction to a prolonged stress response

Fight or Flight

Mens tendency to lash out aggressively when under siege

Tend and Befriend

Womens tendency to adapt to hardship by caring for ones children and seeking out others who might help

Coronary Heart Disease

A narrowing of the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle

Heart Attack

When the blood supply to the heart is blocked, an uncomfortable feeling of pressure, fullness, and squeezing is experienced

Type A personality

A pattern of behavior characterized by extremes of competitive striving for achievement, a sense of time urgency, hostility, and aggression

Hostility

People are constantly angry, resentful, cynical, suspicious, and mistrustful of others

Immune System

A biological surveillance system that detects and destroys "nonself" substances that invade the body

Lymphocytes

Specialized white blood cells that circulate throughout the bloodstream and secrete chemical antibodies

Psychoneuroimmunology

A subfield of psychology that examines the links among psychological factors, the brain and nervous system, and the immune system

Depression

Mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, pessimism, and apathy and slowed thought processes

Martin Seligman

Depression results from a feeling of learned helplessness

Learned Helplessness

A phenomenon in which experience with an uncontrollable event creates passive behavior in the face of subsequent threats to well-being

Lynn Abramson

Depression is a state of hopelessness brought on by the negative self-attributions people make for failure

Depressive Explanatory Style

A habitual tendency to attribute negative events to causes that are stable, global, and internal

Commitment

A sense of purpose with regard to ones work, family, and other domains

Challenge

An openness to new experiences and a desire to embrace change

Control

The belief that one has the power to influence important future outcomes

Self-Efficacy

A persons belief that they are capable of the specific behavior required to produce a desired outcome in a given situation

Problem-Focused Coping

Cognitive and behavioral efforts to reduce stress by overcoming the source of the problem

Emotion-Focused Coping

Efforts to manage our emotional reactions to stressors rather than trying to change the stressors themselves

Proactive Coping

Up-front efforts to ward off or modify the onset of a stressful event

Procrastination

A purposeful delay in beginning or completing a task, often accompanied by feelings of discomfort

Knowledge

knowing why something happens increases your chance of making sure it goes your way

Positive Emotions

Building Blocks of Emotion-Focused Coping

Focused Distraction

Thinking of a specific image to counteract the rebound effect

Opening Up

Confronting Ones Demons

Catharsis

A discharge of tension

Self-Focus

Getting Trapped vs Getting Out

Self-Awareness Theory

Self-focus brings out our personal shortcomingS

Self-Focusing Model of Depression

Coping with stress by attending to your own feelings only makes things worse

Social Support

The helpful coping resources provided by friends and other people

Explicit social support

Disclosing ones distress to others and seeking their advice, aid, or comfort

Implicit social support

Merely thinking about or being with close others without openly asking for help

Treatment

The "Social" Ingredients

Prevention

Getting the Message Across

Provide with the behavioral skills necessary to follow through (ex

provide condoms)

General Adaptation Syndrome

A three-stage process (alarm, resistance, and exhaustion) by which the body responds to stress.

Health Psychology

The study of physical health and illness by psychologists from various areas of specialization.

Immune System

A biological surveillance system that detects and destroys “nonself” substances that invade the body.

Learned Helplessness

A phenomenon in which experience with an uncontrollable event creates passive behavior in the face of subsequent threats to well-being.

Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD)

A condition in which a person experiences enduring physical and psychological symptoms after an extremely stressful event.

Proactive Coping

Up-front efforts to ward off or modify the onset of a stressful event.

Problem-Focused Coping

Cognitive and behavioral efforts to alter a stressful situation.

Psychoneuroimmunology

A subfield of psychology that examines the links among psychological factors, the brain and nervous system, and the immune system.

Self-Efficacy

A person’s belief that he or she is capable of the specific behavior required to produce a desired outcome in a given situation.

Social Support

The helpful coping resources provided by friends and other people.

Stress

An unpleasant state of arousal in which people perceive the demands of an event as taxing or exceeding their ability to satisfy or alter those demands.

Stressor

Anything that causes stress.

Subjective Well-Being

One’s happiness, or life satisfaction, as measured by self-report.

Type A personality

A pattern of behavior characterized by extremes of competitive striving for achievement, a sense of time urgency, hostility, and aggression.

Social Readjustment Rating Scale (SRRS)

A checklist of 43 major life events, each assigned with a numerical value based on the amount of readjustment it requires

Burnout

A prolonged response to job stress that is characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism, disengagement, and a lack of personal accomplishment

Emotional exhaustion

Feeling overwhelmed and physically drained

Alarm

Initial reaction to the recognition of a threat

Resistance

When the body remains aroused and alert despite the absence of the threat

Exhaustion

The body’s reaction to a prolonged stress response

Fight or Flight

Men’s tendency to lash out aggressively when under siege

Tend and Befriend

Women’s tendency to adapt to hardship by caring for one’s children and seeking out others who might help

Coronary Heart Disease

A narrowing of the blood vessels that carry oxygen and nutrients to the heart muscle

Heart Attack

When the blood supply to the heart is blocked and an uncomfortable feeling of pressure, fullness, and squeezing is experienced

Hostility

People are constantly angry, resentful, cynical, suspicious, and mistrustful of others

Lymphocytes

Specialized white blood cells that circulate throughout the bloodstream and secrete chemical antibodies

Depression

Mood disorder characterized by feelings of sadness, pessimism, and apathy and slowed thought processes

Commitment

A sense of purpose with regard to one’s work, family, and other domains

Challenge

An openness to new experiences and a desire to embrace change